The Call of God

I am currently serving as a summer missionary on a church planting (church starting) internship. One of the purposes of the internship is to determine if Colorado should be our home after school. The major part of this decision is the determination of the call of God in our lives.

The topic of the call of God in a person’s life is a major issue. This is particularly true for seminary students. When I was nearing the end of engineering school, I was looking for a career. Actually, it was just a job, but the placement folks at the school called it a career to make it sound fancier. When graduation comes near for a seminary student, they do not look for a job; they try to determine God’s call for their life.

The call of God for a church planter is a bigger deal, if that is possible. Many will say a person starting a church will not stick with it if they do not have a clear call of God in their life to the specific place and people. This sounds good in the church planting book or in the seminar on starting churches. There is a problem for a person like myself who believes that God rarely speaks in unusual ways. This is not to say that God leaves us to fend for ourselves. God is with us every minute of our lives. We have the Bible and other believers to help us through our lives. It is it not enough to read God speaking to us through scripture to “Go and make disciples”? This is a call of God in my life. It is lacking in specifics, but it is very clear.

Paul tells us in Romans the “gifts and call of God are irrevocable”. This statement tells us of the unchanging nature of God. When He says something, there will be no changing of His mind, no oops after a misstatement. So there is a call and it will not change. But what about the specifics? Is it Colorado, Haiti, Boise or Gladstone? Is it to rich, young, educated, working class or recent immigrants? Do I need to have a specific answer from God before going? Is enough to know that God is big enough to handle any situation that I find myself? Maybe the key is just being obedient to the general call and pick a spot and know that nothing is outside of God’s control.

Update from Colorado

We have finished two weeks in Colorado, working as church planting interns. We have had much variety in these two weeks. We spent two days in orientation meetings, one afternoon taking a church planter assessment and a day celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Lori found a job as the weekend pool sitter in Cherry Ridge Village, actually the job found Lori. We have spent time observing the people in Loveland and Fort Collins, talked with a few people and wondered about the best way to talk with them about God.

Chris has worked his engineering job in coffee shops, churches and homes. Anywhere there is an internet connection.

There have been preparations for the missions team that will come the week of June 23rd. We have written and printed flyers. Plans are taking form for service projects, painting of two homes in the park and planting of six trees. We have purchased reusable shopping bags and flower seeds for the week of the nature clubs. There is more work to come, but we have completed the bulk of the preparations.

We have stayed in two homes, getting to know two great families. We will be moving to a third home tomorrow.

This time is a middle ground between the academic work of Seminary and the day-to-day work of the church. It will be good when school is behind us and we are permanently settled, but it is never a good idea to wish away time.