Over the years that I have been involved in the Church if a person felt “called to the ministry” they went either to Bible school or seminary to prepare for the work of the ministry. And, of course, often the only ministry that was available for them to take upon themselves when they graduated was that of a pastor.

So, today we find many functioning in the role of a pastor who were never called to be pastors. And, they are frustrate and unfruitful because their gifts and abilities are misplaced and not being effectively used for the work of the Kingdom. And the churches that they are trying to lead are also suffering greatly and are somewhat unhealthy spiritually with some actually simply dying slowly.

Well, God is shaking everything that can be shaken and so in this season we are seeing many pastors exit the full-time pastorate. Some are moving into their proper calling – teacher, evangelist, prophet, or apostle. Others are simply leaving the paid, professional ministry, finding secular employment and beginning their real ministry on a daily basis where they live and work as “lay people.”

So, in the midst of the shaking currently going on, believers and established congregations are beginning to understand and practice the belief that all Christians receive a call from God to ministry. This means that there isn’t such a thing as the ministry. There are ministries galore, open to all Christians. Every member is a minister. One does not have to go into the ordained ministry to be in ministry. Ministry is a call of God on every believer’s life and it always fully utilizes their individual gifts, talents, abilities, and is specifically designed for them by God who called them to it.

This means there are a lot of ordained clergy who were never meant to be the pastor of a congregation. Some were called to be apostles, some prophets, and others were called to ministries such as chaplains and counsellors. But the majority were simply called to serve and use their gifts and talents in the market place and minister there as they make a living and provide for their families. They were never meant to be the pastor of a local church.

It also means that there are a lot of Christians who have never heard God`s call nor been involved in ministry because they have assumed one had to be a pastor to answer the call to ministry. So, we have a lot of believers who have never experienced the joy of ministering and who have never been trained or equipped to do so. This is all about to change as the shaking continues.

One of the major changes – other than pastors bailing out and moving into the market place and exercising their gifts there – will be that those who are actually called to be pastors will redefine the role of pastor. You see, pastors are doing the ministry instead of training and equipping others to do the ministry. The laity are convinced that caring for people is their pastor`s job and the laity are forcing pastors to play “pastor fetch.” Go help that person, pray for that person, visit that one, teach, preach, and evangelize and do it all really well.

Those pastors will now have the courage to say “enough is enough.” They will begin to find training to become equippers and will no longer do the work of the ministry. Will some local churches kick them out? Yes, certainly! But, not to fret; if God called them to be a biblical pastor and not just a “go for it” hired helper, there will always be another church waiting for them. What we need to remember is there are far more churches now than there are true pastors and God will always provide them a place to lead and equip.

So, we will see a full five-fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11) rise up within each local church and the saints being equipped for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12) and powerfully impact their local part of the world and even other nations as they fulfil the call upon their lives. Then the Church will truly be alive and powerful, and many will find salvation through Jesus.