Who is called?
Is God calling me?
Yes, he is!
Me? There’s nothing special about me.
No, that’s true. But the Bible is full of stories about how God uses ordinary people. Think of Mary and Peter: ordinary people called by the extraordinary love of God.
The word ‘vocation’ comes from the Latin word vocare = to call. So when we talk about our vocation as Christians, we are talking about how we respond to Jesus’ call to follow him and be changed by him.
“It isn’t that God looks down from heaven at a certain moment and just drops a vocation on you, as if he were utterly uninterested and uninvolved in what’s actually there. If we take seriously the idea that God is faithful and doesn’t change, we need to think of him speaking over and over again the same word to us – our true nature, our real identity – and making us be, over and over again, in that speech of his, in his Word.” Archbishop Rowan Williams
Every Christian is called by God to serve him from the moment of their baptism and conversion. Each of us is unique. Each of us has unique gifts and a unique character. Jesus was a human like us. God wants all of us to put the whole of ourselves at his service so that the church fully reflects his glory in Jesus.
Have a look at Matthew 4:18-22, 1 Corinthians 12:4-28, Ephesians 4:11-16 and Hebrews 4:14-5:10.
But what about being ordained?
Some people are called to the ordained ministry of the Church and the call comes in different ways.
“The call of God is to a person, and this involves the heart, the mind, the conscience and the will. No doubt God calls in rather different ways to different people. To some there may be an overwhelming sense of divine imperative pressing upon the conscience. To others, the call may be one which stirs the mind to deep and enquiring thought. To others, the call may be to the feeling of compassion for one’s fellows in the world, a compassion shared with the compassion of God. Often the call may be a call to be with Jesus, and being with him to share in his ministry, not least towards those in need or distress.” Archbishop Michael Ramsey
Is God calling me to the ordained ministry?
This is a question all Christians should ask themselves and seriously ponder. Sometimes it takes a while to discover what God is saying. Candidates often talk of having considered ordination at an earlier period in their life and realizing it wasn’t for them at that time. Then the feeling came back. If you think that God might be calling you to be ordained, pray about it, ask him to make his will clear to you. Talk it over with someone who knows you well and who you trust. This might be a friend (not necessarily a Christian), your vicar, or your spouse.
What should I do now?
If you are clear that you think you might be being called, talk to your vicar if you haven’t done so already. He or she will be able to put you in touch with a Vocations Adviser (VA).
Vocations Advisers are appointed by the Bishop to help candidates discern what God might be saying about their vocation. If it seems right, and when you have met with them a few times, the VA will put you in touch with the Diocesan Director of Ordinands who, under the Bishop, has oversight of the selection and training of ordination candidates.
