EXPLORATION 2000 brought together 1,300 young United Methodists in Dallas to hear if God is calling them to ordained ministry. The young people formed small groups to discern God’s call on their lives by answering questions such as “What have you brought to this event?” and “How did you hear God calling you to be here?”

Mentoring: peers crucial for exploring call to ministry

One of the primary reasons young people go into ordained ministry is that someone — their pastor, youth leader or campus chaplain — spots their gifts and encourages their development, the Rev. Meg Lassiat said.

“Some of the things I would look for are leadership potential (and) a passion for their faith and the church that’s a part of that faith,” said Lassiat, director of student ministries, vocation and enlistment at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry  in Nashville, Tenn.

Once you identify young people with gifts for ministry, allow them to lead in a worship service or a Bible study or even to preach, she said.

Encourage young adults to attend events such as EXPLORATION, scheduled for Nov. 17-19, 2006, in Jacksonville, Fla. They will meet other young men and women exploring their own call.

The church must provide information about ordained ministry as a career path, since it will be one of the few places high school students are likely to hear that suggested as a career, Lassiat said.

“Part of our task is to raise up future leaders,” she said. “This generation is looking for fulfillment and authenticity in their careers.”

Herbert Brisbon, a recent graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary and a member of the EXPLORATION 2006 design team, listed many people who helped him.

“They listened to me and prayed for me and in the midst of that I began to discern my call,” said Brisbon, a local pastor in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. He is seeking ordination as an elder.

His pastor gave him leadership opportunities and connected him to the chaplain at Spartanburg Methodist College in South Carolina, who in turn introduced him to others who helped. Along the way, he became involved in the United Methodist Student Forum and attended an EXPLORATION event.

The Rev. Sharon Rubey, the board’s director of candidacy and conference relations, said events such as EXPLORATION, a national meeting designed for seniors in high school and young adults up to age 24, give young people a rare opportunity to explore their call with their peers.

“There’s something about being together in a big group of people with a common purpose,” Rubey said. “It’s spirit contagious when you get 800 people talking to one another who are gathered for the same thing you are.”

—Vicki Brown, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry

Resources

* www.IsGodCallingYou.org, a Board of Higher Education and Ministry Web site exploring all facets of ministry for those who feel called.

* The Pastoral Leadership Search Effort helps denominations and congregations identify and cultivate gifted young people interested in exploring a vocation in ministry, (404) 727-1415 or www.theplse.org.

* To learn more about EXPLORATION, visit www.gbhem.org/exploration/home.html.