Everyone is Called: Discovering Your Role in God's Training Program

Everyone is Called: Discovering Your Role in God's Training Program

Have you ever thought you weren't qualified enough, gifted enough, or prepared enough to serve God in meaningful ways? If so, you're not alone. Many of us look at those in visible ministry positions and assume we lack what it takes to make a real difference in God's kingdom.

But what if that assumption is completely wrong?

The Unexpected Journey

Consider the story of someone who never imagined themselves in ministry. Raised in a Christian home with good pastors, they weren't particularly inspired toward pastoral work. They became a math teacher—comfortable, skilled, and settled into a career they enjoyed. Leadership? That wasn't in their wheelhouse. Ministry? That was for other people.

Yet God had different plans.

It started small: volunteering with youth at a local church. Teaching math by day, mentoring teenagers by week. Then came opportunities that stretched comfort zones—leading a small group (not really leading, just a small group), speaking at a memorial service, teaching occasional lessons. Each step felt manageable because it happened under someone else's leadership.

Then Hurricane Katrina hit. A mission trip to New Orleans with ten adults and forty students. Two days into the trip, the youth pastor's wife went into labor. He left. And suddenly, the question hung in the air: Who's in charge?

This is how God often works. He doesn't wait until we feel fully prepared. He calls us, trains us along the way, and equips us through the very act of serving.

Jesus: The Master Trainer

When we look at Jesus' ministry, we see a clear pattern of training. He didn't just preach to crowds—He invested deeply in developing people who would change the world.

Jesus trained the twelve apostles, giving three of them (Peter, James, and John) special access to significant moments. But His training extended beyond this inner circle. He also trained and sent out seventy-two disciples, empowering them to heal the sick, cast out demons, and proclaim the kingdom of God.

His training method combined two essential elements: direct teaching (like the Sermon on the Mount) and hands-on practice (sending people out to actually do ministry). This dual approach—intellectual growth paired with practical experience—remains the model for effective ministry training today.

Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus gave His followers the Great Commission: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Notice the active verbs: go, make, baptize, teach. This isn't passive faith. It's dynamic, engaged, world-changing ministry.

Who Should Be Trained?

The answer is beautifully simple: everyone.

Ephesians 4:11-13 explains that God gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God."

Have we all attained perfect maturity and complete knowledge of Christ? No. Then the training must continue.

The church is a body, and Christ is the head. Every part matters. Try washing your hands with only one arm, and you'll quickly realize how much you need both. When the body isn't functioning properly, even ordinary tasks become difficult.

We need foreign missionaries and seminary professors. We need pastor-teachers and local church servants. We need leaders and encouragers and people with extraordinary faith. We need the visible and the invisible parts—the tall pastors at the pulpit and the faithful prayer warriors interceding behind the scenes.

None are greater; none are lesser. We all need each other.

The Training Ground

Training happens in multiple contexts:

One-on-one discipleship pairs new believers with mature Christians who guide them through foundational truths and life application.

Family relationships provide ongoing training. Spouses train each other through accountability and encouragement. Parents train children, and the training never really stops—even when children become adults.

Formal education prepares those called to teaching and preaching roles, grounding them in biblical knowledge and theological depth.

Small groups and Bible studies create spaces for mutual growth, where people study Scripture together, pray for one another, and carry each other through life's darkest valleys.

Youth and children's ministries invest in the next generation, shaping young hearts and minds for a lifetime of following Jesus.

Leadership development programs identify and prepare emerging leaders, passing on wisdom from one generation to the next.

The principle found in 2 Timothy 2:2 captures this beautifully: entrust what you've learned to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. It's a multiplication effect—one generation training the next, who trains the next, who trains the next.

The Urgent Need

Here's a sobering reality: an enormous number of pastors will retire within the next decade. Meanwhile, the number of people currently training for pastoral ministry in seminaries is alarmingly low. Churches will face empty pulpits and desperate searches for shepherds.

But the need extends beyond vocational pastors. Every area of ministry needs trained, equipped people ready to serve.

Four Essential Goals

Why prioritize training? Four reasons stand out:

To obey Jesus. He commanded us to make disciples and teach others to obey His words.

To be a healthy body. Just as physical health requires good nutrition and movement, spiritual health requires feeding on God's Word and actively serving.

To identify gifted people. Often, individuals don't recognize their own gifts until someone else points them out and says, "Have you ever thought about stepping into greater ministry?"

To prepare people for exceptional assignments. Identifying gifts is one thing; preparing people mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for the work God has for them is another.

Your Role Awaits

Every follower of Jesus has a role in ministry. For some, it's fervent, consistent prayer. For others, it's teaching, serving, encouraging, or giving. Some will be sent across the world; others will faithfully serve in their local community.

Perhaps you're the person who needs to speak an encouraging word to someone, helping them see gifts they haven't recognized in themselves. Maybe you need to train someone younger, passing on what you've learned.

Or perhaps God is speaking directly to you right now, calling you to step into something new, something that feels beyond your capacity.

Remember: God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called.

The question isn't whether you have what it takes. The question is whether you'll listen and obey when God whispers, "I have something for you to do."

What will your answer be?