If you have been actively involved in ministry for some time, you may feel God calling you to do more. As you see the vast areas of need, you may want to focus on ministry as a full-time career instead of a part-time volunteer project. How do you know if this is the right move or if you should consider another change?
Be Spiritual
First, you must spend some time actively seeking God’s will for this stage of your life. Instead of praying as a last resort, you should start out in prayer. You may not even want to let others know what you are considering in this stage, so that you can more clearly hear what God is saying without outside influences interfering.
At some point, you will want to enlist another spiritual warrior to pray with you and offer sound advice. Don’t tell too many people or their opinions may drown out God’s voice.
Be Considerate
You also have to think about how your decision will affect your family and others in your life. While God may call you to make sacrifices for the sake of ministry, He will not ask you to do something that will hurt those you love.
Talk to your husband and even your older kids to get their input. While you must always do what God asks of you, He will usually put the important people around you in agreement if everyone is looking for His will.
Be Practical
Changing careers from a lucrative job to a non-profit is not easy. It calls for financial sacrifice and many other changes. You want to make sure you have the skills and resources needed, whether you are starting your own ministry or working in an existing ministry.
You may have to take a pay cut, and you have to decide how that will affect your family. Will you need to take on a part-time job to help pay the bills while your ministry takes the place of a full-time job?
You have to know exactly where your ministry will be. You can’t decide to move to full-time ministry without having specific details about what you will do and what it will involve.
If the Answer is No
If it is not time to move from your current career, continue to faithfully serve God where you are. The calling you feel may not be to move into full-time ministry but simply to move positions or become more active where you are.
Look for opportunities to combine your career with your ministry if it is possible. Plenty of businesses get involved in some type of ministry and reach out to those who are hurting in their communities.
If the Answer is Yes
If you sense God calling you in this direction, make sure you think through the practical aspects. You may need to put back some money into savings to support your family for a few months until you are established.
You may even need to downsize, sell your home and buy something smaller or switch from a two-car to a one-car family. It can be a process that takes months to implement. Make sure you are following God’s guidance every step of the way. If you search for His will, He will never lead you astray from the path He has designed for you.
