There is a conversation going on in heaven. The One who spoke the universe into existence is mentioning people by name. The objects of His attention sit in chemistry class and dream about eradicating poverty. They sit in cubicles and sense the Holy Spirit drawing them toward a different career path. They walk the track during gym class and wonder whether God would ask, or even allow, them to become a youth pastor, a missionary or a church planter. Deep within their hearts, these students have an expression of the Church the earth has not yet seen.

Who are they? They are not more spiritual than another. But God has chosen them for a specific sphere of serving. They are those God calls to vocational ministry.

If anyone believes God is summoning the next generation to become scribes of the future and cowrite the next chapter in God’s story, we do. The Assemblies of God has a rich heritage of stewarding the dreams of the next generation of ministers. An important aspect of this involves those who will say “yes” to a vocational call to ministry. As we look at the landscape of faith in our day and age, we again have the responsibility to get this right.

The call of God to vocational ministry is still as real and tangible as ever. However, the cultural construct and language we must use to steward this conversation may need to evolve. Scripture clearly identifies a call to ministry on the lives of people.

God called Abram to leave Chaldea and devote his life to searching for the city “whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). I see Abram as the first church planter. God chose Moses to lead His people, not out of Chaldea, but out of Egypt. His congregation gathered in the desert and at the edge of the Red Sea.

Likewise, God selected the apostle Paul to proclaim Christ to the Gentiles. God called Philip to serve in ministry as a deacon and later an evangelist. This took Philip to the citywide revival in Samaria and, later on, to the isolated and barren desert where one conversation with one Ethiopian would forever alter the course of history in Africa. Timothy received the affirmation of a call to ministry when the elders laid hands on him, while Peter simply answered Jesus’ call to follow Him.

Each call to vocational ministry is unique, as God often takes into account times, seasons, cultures and individual strengths. There is a call, but the process for fulfilling that call is personal. As leaders, we must become good at being present, available and open when God speaks to the next generation. When I look at millennials today, I am deeply encouraged.

A Radical Openness
As a Pharisee, Paul had been instructed to avoid manual labor. He possessed a radical openness to God as he unlearned this way of life and became a tent maker. Likewise, a hallmark of Pentecostalism in the 21st century is a radical openness to God.

According to an April 2016 LinkedIn study, millennials will change jobs an average of four times within the first decade after leaving college. While some see this as a sign of a generation that is fickle and unstable, further research unearths a different reality. For millennials, a deeper cause and richer meaning trumps a larger salary when choosing a vocation, a recent survey by Fidelity Investments found. While 86 percent are happy at work, nearly half are “open to new opportunities.”

What could this mean for us as a Movement? I see a generation that is willing to explore new horizons and give their lives for a cause. Typically, an individual doesn’t pursue vocational ministry for financial gain. The cause for which we diligently labor is worth any sacrifice. Millennials are open to new things. I am encouraged as I pray for and believe for a new wave of ministers.

Helping those you serve discern a call to vocational ministry may be less about magnanimous spiritual encounters (not that I’m discrediting these) and more about noticing the subtle shifting in the human heart. If someone is open to a career change, would they be open to praying about a call to vocational ministry?

Looking for Community
At the turn of the 20th century, when the Azusa Street outpouring was in full swing, William J. Seymour noticed something unique among Pentecostals. For Seymour, speaking in tongues was a sign of unity among races.

In Pentecostal Theology and the Christian Spiritual Tradition, Simon Chan writes, “Seymour’s understanding of the Pentecostal event also helped him to see glossolalia in a far more profound way than his white counterparts. Glossolalia was not a badge to identify oneself as a Pentecostal, nor was it just a sign of a supernatural experience; it was, for Seymour, a symbol of God’s bringing together into one body people from every conceivable background” (page 103).

Do we use our influence as leaders to protect our positions or to provide opportunity for others?

At a time when racism divided our nation, a Pentecostal community provided common ground for men and women from diverse backgrounds to serve Christ together. Is Pentecostal history without error? Of course not. Is there perceived value in belonging to a community where the Spirit unites? The history of the Assemblies of God and Pentecostalism would say so. The evidence speaks for itself.

A study from Harvard says, “At their current stage in life, Millennials fundamentally think about their role as a stepping stone and a growth opportunity. But they also want to feel deeply committed to their role and to work for a manager who will invest in their development, which isn’t entirely different from what other generations value. Our research shows that having a great manager and being part of a great management culture are important to all employees. However, Millennials place a greater emphasis on opportunities to learn and grow and opportunities for advancement.”

Both inside and outside of vocational ministry, members of this generation want to excel in their vocations, but not alone. They want mentoring relationships. They want to learn from your experience. They want your “ceiling” to become the “floor” upon which they will one day stand.

A ministry community like the Assemblies of God is a perfect fit for this generation. We are as diverse as ever, providing a place for men, women and all ethnicities to serve God in vocational ministry, and we celebrate all generations in the work of the Lord. Let this remind us, however, that we must be relationally accessible. Do we use our influence as leaders to protect our positions, or do we use our influence as leaders to provide opportunity for others?

The call to ministry thrives when there is a community in which to belong. Eli was there when God spoke to Samuel as the young boy learned, through the relationship of a seasoned leader, how to identify God’s voice (1 Samuel 3). It took Eli a few times to recognize it was God speaking to Samuel. It is important that our schedules, to-do lists and perceptions of people don’t sabotage a moment when God speaks to the next generation.

Only eternity knows how Samuel’s life would have been different had Eli overlooked the opportunity. Samuel might not have anointed David to be king. David might not have killed Goliath. The Messiah came from the lineage of David. I am taking my liberty here, but you get the point.

Barnabas was there to mentor the young apostle Paul (Acts 9) when the call was evident, but the next step in God’s plan wasn’t. Paul mentored Timothy and recognized the need for spiritual fathers (and, I will add, mothers; see 1 Corinthians 4:15). Jesus was there when Peter felt disqualified and uneasy about the call of God on his life against the backdrop of his earlier denial (John 21).

Eli, Barnabas, Paul and Jesus model for us the need to take the next generation by the hand. Let us be present to catalyze the call God places on someone else’s life. How can the Assemblies of God become a place where the next generation of vocational ministers feels welcomed, challenged, embraced and safe?

Parents, Pastors and Mentors
Parents want their children to succeed. We can equip parents to know how to pray for their students when they express a burden or sense a call. The right support can produce unstoppable momentum in the lives of students who sense a call to vocational ministry.

Too many well-meaning parents want their children to attend law school and seek high-paying jobs before considering ministry. We can equip parents to trust God to provide for their students should He call them. As a pastor, maybe you could meet with parents after their children and teens come home from retreat. Teach parents how to listen to dreams their students may not fully understand how to express.

As a minister, do you invite others to come along with you on visits and errands? Perhaps you could invite a group of college students to be your preaching team as they critique your preaching, assist in gathering content and help you with ways to improve. Like Eli, parents and pastors can help those in our care discern God’s voice by being present. When I was a young man, a pastor devoted Saturday mornings to me as we prayed together and then went on visitations. I loved those mornings.

How can the Assemblies of God become a place where the next generation of vocational ministers feels welcomed, challenged, embraced and safe?

I am thankful for a youth pastor who took a risk and allowed me to do an offering sermon. I am thankful for a nursing home that allowed me to volunteer on Sunday afternoons. I am thankful for the chaplain at the shelter who invited me to join him in serving the homeless. I am thankful for a youth leader who was present when I asked, as a new Christian, “What do you do if you want to tell people about Jesus for the rest of your life?”

People who invested time helped pave my life’s path. I am thankful for them.

Somnolent with Indifference
There was a time when vocational ministry was the icing on the cake during a summer camp experience. Those who desperately wanted their lives to matter often sought after it. Businesswomen and construction workers viewed members of the clergy as uber spiritual and symbols of consecration. Countless individuals responded in God’s presence to surrender all as vocational ministry seemed to be the logical conclusion. Some responded only to discover their gifts were in education or construction.

It is imperative we do not preach everyone into vocational ministry; likewise and equally imperative, a desire to avoid spiritual excess and abuse must not cause us to shy away from talking about this specific call. We need Spirit-filled attorneys, physicians, scientists, law enforcement, etc. We also recognize a unique call for some to vocational ministry. According to Ephesians 4:11, God gives the Church “the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers.”

The next generation often struggles with the will of God in their lives. As I travel frequently and speak, I enjoy having conversations with people. Almost every week, I hear something along the lines of, “I think I may be called to ministry, but I’m not sure. How do you know?”

Often, we look for a mystical experience to validate our call to vocational ministry. This sometimes occurs, and we certainly do not want to discount it. The more spiritual we are, however, the more practical we become. God’s will for our lives has much to do with who we become and not simply what we do. Is there a place for vocational calling? Yes. Is vocational calling relegated to clergy alone? No.

There is a place for vocational calling in the life of every believer, and seeking God through prayer is the best way to discover God’s plan. Psalm 37:23 promises that the Lord cares about every step in our lives. Knowing the next step shouldn’t be the fixation, however. The focus is keeping our hearts postured toward Him and remaining connected to the Vine (Jesus), who, through the Cross, exchanged our unrighteousness for His righteousness. He will order our steps as we remain in Him.

I am learning more and more that the next generation doesn’t need us to lay out a formula for discerning the vocational call to ministry as much as they need us to exemplify how to walk with Jesus. As they walk with Him, He will whisper to their hearts. And when He does, we can be near to help them discern His voice.

Spiritual Artists
The call to ministry is ever alive, and its expression is evolving. In Exodus 31, the first time Scripture mentions someone being filled with the Spirit, Bezalel and Oholiab built on the earth what existed in the heart of God. They were craftsmen who served in excellence. A few chapters later, a group of seamstresses were filled with the Spirit to weave goat’s hair. They used something as seemingly useless and ordinary as goat’s hair to glorify God as the Spirit dispensed wisdom. Excellence and wisdom manifest in unique ways.

There are methods right now for advancing the gospel that existed only as figments of the imagination a few decades ago. It’s almost as if the next generation of ministers can stare at a blank canvas and dream with God. In the 1980s, who would have imagined someone could sit in front of a computer screen and reach the lost in a cyber café in a closed nation? During the 1860s, who would have thought Spirit-filled believers would produce films for sharing the gospel and helping to restore families?

Of course, adapting to new methods is not new. Some people criticized William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, for using the automobile to travel and preach the gospel. They accused him of using “worldly methods.” Some struggled with Jonathan Edwards’ use of the Lord’s Supper as a converting ordinance during the First Great Awakening; they called it sacrilegious.

The call to vocational ministry in the local church is just as real as it ever was. However, the next generation doesn’t think of pulpits and weddings alone when it dreams with God. Like the craftsmen and seamstresses in Exodus, wisdom and excellence manifest in unique ways. I wonder what unique methods and practices, while remaining anchored in Scripture, will appear as a new generation of ministers emerges?

This generation seems to sense a call to start businesses where the gospel can shape culture. This generation also senses a call to plant churches as teams rather than working alone. This generation has unique ideas of what the Church can look like in urban and rural areas. This generation thinks about getting degrees in education and fulfilling the call of missions in that sphere. This generation wants to go to the hard places and take on the difficult tasks. This generation is interested in causes much more than careers. Let us be accused of the same.

The Assemblies of God has a heritage of providing space for dreaming among those God calls to ministry. Let’s make sure we are a community in which all feel welcomed. Never do ministry alone again. Talk about the spiritual nature of vocation and the call to vocational ministry.

Let us pray for laborers to serve in the fields as Jesus instructed us. And let us pursue education and lifelong learning while living as Spirit-empowered believers. This is indeed the pattern worth emulating.