Following the Call

The Call

Along with most, I was surprised to hear of Efrem’s call to be Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference (for me it was partly because I had forgotten that the current superintendent, Evelyn Johnson, was retiring). Though we haven’t talked about it, I know Efrem didn’t enter into this calling lightly. The superintendent position is not an easy job. I also am sure it was a heart-wrenching decision to make. I’m sure he spent many hours in prayer discerning God’s will and calling in this.
 
I also know Efrem is one who does not seek the “next biggest thing.”  He is not just moving on or leaving Sanctuary behind. He is simply following God. And sometimes that doesn’t make sense to others. But it is the one whom God calls who must obey.
 
I’ve been through several pastoral changes myself. One church we attended went through three pastors (one of whom was called to be an associate superintendent) in less than five years—not to mention the two interims in between.
 
I’ve also been the one in ministry who left as God has called me here and there. I know it’s not easy for a congregation to go through. It’s not easy for a minister, either. We never know why God calls us from one place to another, but He sometimes does. It’s never easy to leave a congregation that you’ve invested in. It’s never easy to pick up your family and leave your friends and a community that you love.
 
God sometimes asks a pastor to stay in one place for a long time. And sometimes He moves people on quickly. It’s the same with people in the congregation—some of them He calls to stay in the church for a while and sometimes He moves them from place to place.

The Reminder

Maybe it serves us as a reminder that the church is not about a building or about one single leader. The church is about a community. A community in fellowship with one another. A community unified by their love for God, their mission and their service.
 
Maybe it’s even a reminder for us to be willing to go where God leads us. Whether that’s away from our family and home country to a new, foreign (like the patriarch Abraham) or whether it’s to the neighbor’s house across the street. He could be calling us to take a pay cut in order to serve Him in a better place, or He could be calling us to take a promotion in order to steward resources for His Kingdom. Maybe God is just calling us to be faithful in what we’re doing—even if we’re not seeing the fruits of that yet.

The Commitment

If nothing else, let it be a reminder that our commitment to God in all circumstances is to listen—and obey.

David Wenell is a Covenant Member at Sanctuary. He is ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church and has served in ministry in Iowa and British Columbia before moving to St. Loius Park. He blogs regularly at www.wandering-in-the-wilderness.blogspot.com and is currently a stay-at-home dad.