It was quite lovely to read your response. You should be a writer.

thanks, E

First…what kind of class are you taking (and WHERE) that makes reading on our site a HOMEWORK assignment??? Wow! Obviously a really cool educational institution. Cutting edge. Brilliant teacher.

Second…vocational ministry doesn’t necessarily mean “evangelism” which is my particular spiritual gift. Of course, you’d have a similar dilemma in any vocational ministry if you don’t really like people much, but evangelism is particularly people oriented (I know several people employed in full time ministry who serve in roles that don’t require a lot of people contact…administrators, computer people, grapic design folks, etc.).

So my particular gifting is evangelism, which means (partially) that I help usher people into the Kingdom of God. That would REQUIRE a lot of contact with people. I try to avoid this, but part of my journey has led me to serve in capacities that put me in front of a lot of people, and around lots of people. And then stuff happens. The gift overwhelms my natural cynicism and reluctance to engage, and my heart literally changes in seconds when the Lord prompts me.

So I am a reluctant evangelist, but the gift isn’t really about me at all. It’s about HIM, and HIS agenda for the world. The fact that someone with my disposition would have this gift is sort of a pragmatic proof of it’s existence, to me at least. It also suggests that God has a really interesting sense of humor.

And here’s something that has been ignored too long in the Christian church. Every spiritual gift is about equipping the saints (Eph 4, right?). This would include the spiritual gift of evangelism, which has in recent centuries become some kind of special annointing that gives you super powers to persuade people to believe what you (and/or your particular brand of christianity) believe. This is where I am being redirected in my life. I am compelled by Christ to use my gift to equip the saints, not just to impress them. Every follower of Jesus should be engaged with the mandate of Jesus to make disciples. Evangelists should be leading the way to make that happen…for everyone.

Of course I still feel prompted by the Spirit to verbally proclaim the Gospel to people at times (both one-on-one and in front of groups), but I think Jesus is asking me, in this latter stage of my life and career, to get more of His team into the game by equipping them with doable ways to play. That’s what this whole DE project is about. It’s my new life’s work.

Does this make sense? Did I come close to answering your question?

This is my first visit to this site and it is part of a reading assignment for a class I am taking. I had to laugh when you said “I am an evangelist, but I don’t really like people.” The Lord has called me into vocational ministry and that is the same thing I have been telling Him and anyone else who will listen, I really don’t like people. Its not that I do not care about them, because I do. How do you work around this in your life?

it’s a blessing.