Discerning Your Call to Ministry by Jason K. Allen

Author:Jason K. Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

QUESTION #8

ARE YOU ENGAGED IN FRUITFUL MINISTRY?

As a child, I grew up in a sports-oriented family. My brothers and I weren’t musically inclined, nor were we known to stay up late devouring books. Sports were our thing.

As the youngest of three sons, I saw my brothers (six and eight years older) as my heroes—and in many ways I still do. Both of them were standout athletes, especially on the basketball court. As a preteen I eagerly attended my brothers’ games, though I personally was ambivalent about sports. I spent most of my summer days building forts in the woods, catching fish, killing imaginary bad guys, and just trolling around our suburban neighborhood enjoying a rather ideal childhood.

As I approached middle school, I grew increasingly aware of my brothers’ reputations as star athletes. I would find myself running on the court after their high school and college games, imagining I was them. I increasingly paid attention to their efforts, reading their newspaper clippings and swelling with pride over their accomplishments.

By the time I became a teenager, my interest in basketball intensified, but there was still an on-again, off-again feel to it all. About the time my second brother signed his college scholarship, I really began to sense the pressure to play—and play well.

People asked me daily if I would play basketball like my brothers. I found myself giving a confident “yes,” but I never pursued the sport with focus or discipline. It was as though, since everyone else assumed I would play, I did, too. “Why not,” I thought. “I have my brothers’ height and last name. All is set.”

As I approached high school my assumptions were tested. I sensed that my visions of athletic grandeur were ill-founded. I had not put in the practice time, and I was not excelling when I did play. It finally hit me one day when my father laid it out. It’s been some twenty-five years, but I remember his words as if he said them yesterday.

He said, “You don’t just walk on the court when you are eighteen and decide you want to be a college athlete. It starts now. It starts in the driveway, at the gym, in the weight room, and on the court. If you want to be a college athlete later, you must begin living like one now.” In other words, the one who will play basketball in college is the one playing—and playing well—as a teen.

I’ve never forgotten my father’s counsel, and I often share it with aspiring ministers. Those who can be most confident about their fitness for ministry are those most actively engaged in ministry now. Are you engaged in fruitful ministry?

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