At the age of 16 I felt God call me into full time ministry.
For years I believed that call was working full time at a church and receiving a salary from a church. At the beginning of this year I left the ranks of the paid church pastor and became what I use to call a lay pastor.
For the first time in my life I realized that my full time calling never guaranteed a salary. All it meant was that God was calling me to live a life devoted to His service.
Last week my father sent me an email in regards to being a bi-vocational minister. As I read this email it started to raise the faith levels in me that you do not need to be paid by a church to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. In fact I was told by many that working bi-vocationally would hurt our church and I could only succeed if I didn’t have a full time job.
Well this email proved to me that it’s not whether you are full time or bi-vocational; it’s all about your heart and your passion. Here’s the email (warning, my dad calls me Alexander not Alex!):
‘Alexander, I was just thinking after reading about the exciting things happening with the launch of the new church, I know it can be difficult when involved also in secular work but God is the enabler. Both your Grandfathers saw their greatest church growth while still in secular employment.
Johann Sebastian Bach the great composer, for years was a teacher and organist in St Thomas’ School, Leipzig. For £125 a year he had to train the boys choir, play at services, Weddings and Funerals and most amazing of all, to produce a new composition every week to be sung and played each Sunday. In Leipzig’ Bach produced 265 church cantatas, 263 chorales, 14 larger works, 24 secular cantatas, 6 concertos, 4 overtures, 18 piano and violin concertos, 356 organ works: and 162 pieces for the piano. Bach’s masterpieces were produced all in a days work.
Saul went out with his fathers servants to look for the Asses (donkey’s) that had gone astray and came back anointed, with a crown and a Kingdom.
Elisha was at the plough. And Jesus told the story of the man who found treasure when he was ploughing or digging. So keep at the plough until God changes direction.’
I pray that as this email was an encouragement for me, I hope it is for you, especially all of you who volunteer your time each week unto the service of the Lord. Remember, all that you do for God is not in vain!
ALEX PENDUCK.COM 