When I was in my last year of seminary I was asked, quite frequently, if I wanted to go back to Georgia to serve a church when I graduated. My thought was – why would I want to go back to Georgia? As I saw it, I had signed up to see the world, so let’s go somewhere we had never lived before. Truth is, in ministry, it is all about relationships. You guessed it … we wound up right back in Georgia. Albeit, a part of the state of Georgia that I had never visited or even travelled through before while growing up in Georgia. In vocational ministry, it may seem “wrong” to tell the Lord where you want to live. Yet, I believe it is an important part of discerning God’s will in making a move (or not) in ministry.
While everyone who surrenders to God’s call to serve in vocational ministry wants to glorify God and reach the world for Christ, we all have temperaments and preferences and needs. Just because we may be willing to go anywhere to serve the Lord, we do not need to go just anywhere.
When trying to discern God’s leading about a possible move in ministry, I believe it is an important part of the process to be able to imagine (“see”) yourself living in that community. Does it have the basic “essentials” you and your family are going to need. If you are a country boy who loves to hunt, fish and live in the country, then a move to an urban or suburban context should be carefully weighed. And vice versa for the city boy who is contacted by a church located in a rural setting. Just because you are willing to serve and reach people in that different context does not mean that you will be able to do ministry there. You should visit the community with your spouse and family. See the sights. Smell the air. Meet locals in the stores and restaurants. How close is the nearest Chick Fil a, Lowes, Wal-Mart, Publix, dentist, doctor, hospital, recreation outlets, et al?
Now, some of you reading this post are judging me and thinking that I am not spiritual and that I am advocating a worldly approach to making a decision about following “God’s call” in ministry. I didn’t say don’t go somewhere just because it’s different. What I am advocating is to allow the Holy Spirit to help you discern the full cost a move in ministry will require. You can only be who you are and how God made you. A city boy can do ministry in the country and a country boy can do ministry in the city. Just make sure you know the differences, how you may fit in the context as well as what are going to be potential struggle points for you and your family. Every community has its quaintness, but every community is different. You are not going to change the community as much as you are going to become a part of the community, so know what you can do, will do, cannot do, won’t do and be honest with yourself.
Once you move to a community, learn to love where you live. Take several months and meet with as many people both in the church and outside the church to learn as much as you can about the church and the community where you have now been planted. Learn about the festivals, special occasions, local heroes & heroines, local high school sports and what it is that generates a healthy sense of community pride in the locals. Eat in the local restaurants. Shop in the local stores. Take time to speak to people when you are out in town. Support local businesses. Attend local high school sporting events. Buy the shirts, hats and sweatshirts of your new high school team. It matters less where you grew up and went to school and more about where you now live and the students, faculty, staff, coaches and athletes at this school.
Get involved in your local community. Become part of the fabric of life in your new hometown. Serve as chaplain for the fire or police departments. Get involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes so you can get connected in the schools. Volunteer to read to students at the local elementary school. Attend the sporting events of your local high school. Go to football, basketball, baseball, soccer and any other sport they play. If you have young children at home, sign them up and coach their teams in the local recreation department.
No town or community is perfect, but every town and community is special. The residents of the town are what make it special. Learning to love where you live means getting to know the people you are now doing life with in community. Meet your neighbors. Host your neighbors for a cookout. Go out to eat, to the movies and to ballgames with the people you meet. Attend the Christmas and Homecoming parades. Get involved with serving in a local organization in your community.
You will never go wrong getting to know people. You will never regret learning to enjoy the pace and quality of life afforded by your new hometown. Learn to love where you live and watch how God blesses your life through the journey.
MichaelStovall 