More than a job
When I was a senior in high school, I found myself in a difficult dilemma. I was the youngest of eight children. By the time I was ready to graduate…
Q&A: What does it mean to be called into the public ministry?
What does it mean to be called into the public ministry? How do you deliberate a call? Ministry is a word that means “service.” What is the service we are…
The public ministry and the divine call
What does it mean when an individual receives a call to share God’s Word with other people? Every Christian has been given the task of sharing and proclaiming the message…
Confessions of faith: Boggs family
A WELS family with Catholic roots stands in amazement of God’s enduring grace and faithfulness. Why are you WELS? For John Boggs, a first-generation Lutheran with Catholic roots, the answer…
My Christian life: From prospect to pastor
One year out of the seminary, a pastor shares his journey into the public ministry. Jacob Shepherd, pastor at St. Paul, Round Lake Park, Ill., remembers when he started thinking…
Public ministry matters
All believers have a ministry, but we call it “public ministry” when believers ask or call someone to serve them. To understand what public ministry is and why it matters…
More about the divine call
The news usually comes in an announcement after worship. Your pastor or one of the teachers in your school has received a divine call to serve in another place. That announcement comes as the result of…
A few words about the divine call
What does it mean when your pastor or teacher receives a call to serve somewhere else? How is it that they were chosen to receive a call? If a call is divine (from God), why do they get to choose whether to accept or return a call? How…