WELS ministry recruitment counselors are actively working in support of the “Calling” priority of WELS’ “Christ through us” long-range plan. Don Patterson, ministry recruitment counselor to the South Central, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic Districts, shares more about the work already being done to encourage others to “Consider Ministry.”
Steve wasn’t really eating his lunch. He just pushed his steamed vegetables around his bowl over the noodles. He was searching for words. Then he said, “I know I am supposed to do more with God’s Word to get it out to the world. I’m just not sure yet what that looks like. Is it being a pastor or just leading a Bible study?” Why was he telling me that over lunch? As a ministry recruitment counselor (MRC), I had recently preached at his church. It stirred thoughts in Steve about ministry. He had been having them for a long time. He is a 46-year-old man yearning to serve Christ and people in a bigger way. My job is to help him find a path. You may have heard about a new ministry recruitment project in WELS. We call it Consider Ministry.
Consider Ministry is a new initiative fielding five called workers who are MRCs. They are deployed throughout the United States with a two-fold mission:
- Help the people in positions of influence (that is, parents, pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and lay leaders) to actively recruit people under their influence for the called worker ministry in the WELS, and
- Help create a culture of recruitment that lasts longer than their years of service!
The MRCs are carrying out the Consider Ministry initiative in support of the goals of “Christ through us” for two reasons:
- Jesus’ call to believe is also a call to serve. His heart yearns for more workers in his harvest. It pleases him each time one of his followers enters full-time ministry.
- As a church body we have a shortage of called workers in all three fields of service. Expanding schools, mission work, and growing congregations have made ministry positions hard to fill in a timely way.
Five experienced church leaders known for their zeal for ministry have accepted calls to be ministry recruitment counselors, including me! They are: Mary Heckendorf, Mark Schroeder, David Russow, Sam McKenna, and me. We each have assigned districts in our church body to cover with recruitment efforts. We will go to WELS gatherings, churches, and schools and ask leaders about whom they might know who has gifts and/or passion for ministry. We are also looking for anyone with even a little interest in serving God more. Then we come alongside both influencers and recruits to help them prepare for ministry. We also help churches and schools cultivate a culture of recruitment to last for decades.
And it is working! We each have lots of stories about people who are gaining interest in serving God in full-time ministry. This summer at a camp, I noticed a high school junior hanging around me more after I had led the evening fireside devotion. He told me about his daily devotions in the Bible and how he loved God’s Word. Then he said, “I am not very good with people, so I won’t be a pastor. I’m going to study math in college.” Over the next three days I watched him as a group leader at camp and discovered he was selling himself short. As a junior camp counselor, he showed his people skills in his team leadership. A couple of times I scooted up alongside of him to say, “What you just did right there showed me you are good with people. Don’t count ministry out!” At the end of camp, he came to say goodbye and with a twinkle in his eye he said, “If I ever become a pastor, it’s your fault.” Ministry recruitment is really just encouragement. And encouragement always works!
If you or someone you know is interested in ministry go to considerministry.net. You will find a lot of great information and a way to get into contact with an MRC if you need help getting into ministry.
We are thankful to a donor who had the foresight to fund this important initiative for the next few years and appreciate God’s continued blessings to keep this program going for many more years to come.
Contributed by Don Patterson, ministry recruitment counselor to the South Central, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic Districts
We pray for God’s continued blessings on the efforts of our MRCs, the churches and families they work with, and the youth they meet and encourage.
Serving together with you in Christ,
WELS President Mark Schroeder
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