Myths About Vocational Ministry

Posted by Jimi Williams on Aug 16, 2010 | 1 comment

I first started leading worship in 1995 at a really, really small church that was near our home. I had few skills, but they needed someone who could sing on key and was willing to pick out three or four songs each week for the Sunday morning and evening services. So I agreed to take it on.

I continued to lead worship for several years and eventually ended up in youth ministry leading a full band of students and adults for a pretty large church in the area. My heart for worship grew and God was working in powerful ways during our worship times. I began to wonder if perhaps God was calling me into vocational music ministry.

Let me pause there. At this point in my life, I was all passion and little brains. God knew this of course and he helped me along. But as I processed this “call”, I had ideas that existed in my mind, but were not rooted in reality. Don’t get me wrong, I am a believer in vocational ministry and I don’t want to discourage anyone who is, or is planning to be, a vocational minister. But there was a wide expanse between what I thought vocational ministry would look like and what it actually turned out to be.

Myth #1 – I can give more time to the Kingdom and advancing the Gospel. My idea of vocational ministry was hanging out at the local coffee shop for hours on end until I knew every worker and customer who came in. Eventually they would all relinquish their caffeine addictions and accept the Lord. In reality, I spent most of my time running errands, handling paperwork and in meetings. Plus, since leaving my regular job, I had entered a Christian bubble and had very little contact with the unsaved.

Myth #2 – Our church worship will be so much better if I have more time for planning and creativity. Most vocational music ministers spend a huge chunk of their time doing stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with music. “Can we have music at the art and craft fair next week?” I found in the end that I was spending about the same amount of time planning worship as when I was working a regular job.

Myth #3 – I will feel more spiritual and have more joy if I’m working for the Lord full-time. Not so. In fact, most vocational ministers experience a heavy dose of spiritual dryness, discouragement and even depression. Vocational ministry is NOT the easy life.

Please hear my heart. I DO NOT want to discourage anyone from pursuing vocational ministry. But vocational ministry is not the pinnacle of our relationship with God. We need spirit-filled believers in all walks of life: moms, dentists, office workers, business people. You can be a full-time minister for the Lord without ever getting paid for it.