Thriving ministry is supported by talent. A huge part of the pastoral vocation is the finding, the calling forth, the enabling, and the cultivating of talent.
These days I’m relying heavily on a particular talent-finding strategy: the all call. I’m putting invitations in worship bulletins for anyone who’s interested to teach a youth class or come on a mission trip, or even just come learn about what our teenagers are doing. It’s a kind of magnet held up to the congregation to see who sticks.
The all call is not a sufficient strategy by itself, but when paired with a regular habit of one-on-one meetings and targeted invitations, it yields fruit.
Some people who respond to an all call will need to be directed to some narrowly defined roles, while still others will need some prodding to experiment with their own ideas. Some may even need redirected; I don’t actually have talent for some things I once thought I did. All this work is worth it, though, if it means we’re working with a crop of people who have that indispensable main ingredient that all talent needs to be effective: interest.
YoRocko! 