college-pics-nov05-027Maybe you have already identified key people who you trust and use as a sounding board for your ideas and plans. If not, this is the ideal time to make those connections and establish meaningful relationships which the Lord can use to shape your life for service.

There are three groups of people with whom you should want to discuss your thoughts and sense of the Lord’s calling on your life. Have you shared your thinking with them? What are there considered responses?

  • Your local church leaders.
  • Key individuals who you trust and know are walking closely with the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • People related to you who will be directly affected by any decision that you make – a spouse, fiancée, parents or children.

Use the following checklist and apply what is relevant to you:-

A) Self Examination

  • Look at your own gifting and match it with the calling
  • What are your interests and passions? How do they appear with respect to the calling?
  • How is your character and behaviour? Do they allow you to follow your calling?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of your personality type, mental wellbeing and physical fitness?
  • How active and close is your relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit?

B) Public Examination

  • Allow your key mentors and advisors to critique your sense of calling
  • Discuss with your local church elders
  • Make contact with a Mission Service Groups who have experience in these areas of work. (see list below for starters)
  • Consult potential field co-workers or others working in similar fields of ministry or mission

In talking things through with key people, a key consideration should be the type of training and preparations you should make to equip you better for the service you are considering to do. Click here to explore some options for training for service. (links to third item on right hand menu see next page)

For evangelism: Counties – countiesuk.org

For Church based ministries: Partnership – partnershipuk.org

For overseas mission in Europe or worldwide:
 Echoes of Service – echoes.org.uk
GLO – glo-europe.org
First Serve – first-serve.org.uk
Interlink – interlink.org.uk

For church planting:  Church Planting Initiative – cpi-uk.org

For youth work:  South West Youth Ministries – swym.org.uk

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