What is it like to try and find the right person for a job? You can envision talent or competencies combined with passion or experience. But there’s the limiting factor of who you can find. But weigh this scenario with one critical new addition — what if someone commits to helping you not just find but actually cultivate the right person for that need?

Jesus makes just such a promise in Matthew 9. “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”

You may not know that in the last couple of weeks, Trinity leaders posted an opening for a new Pastor for Discipleship. This position is a big role — someone to oversee our community group ministries, men’s ministries, and ownership of our entire systems of discipleship.

If you’re new to reading the Bible, or the Christian faith, you may not know that God’s Word speaks of His people, the church, in a number of metaphorical ways. We are called God’s people, or specifically His family. Amazingly, and only because of what Jesus has done to cleanse us and claim us, we are called holy ones or saints. We’re likened unto a heavenly army. And in a helpful metaphor, Jesus has composed His people as a unified body with many diverse gifts.

From this last image, we learn that specialization is biblical and practically wise. In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul explains that not everyone has the same role or gift. We’re like a body in that we’re one thing. We’re unified in Christ for all eternity! But we’re also specialized within that body. So a foundational part of this process is to discern what someone’s gifts actually are.

But an additional factor that matters is the idea of calling. Note that when someone calls you, and you answer, you hear a person, and you respond to their voice. So in terms of roles in God’s Kingdom or the church, someone’s sense of calling is very significant. And we see this as both internal and external. Internally, it speaks of someone’s desire. “Do you want to do this job??”  And then externally, it speaks of the affirmation of those around you asking you to do a job. “We would love it if you would do this job.”  So God’s calling is confirmed when both are in place.

So really in any position at Trinity, we are praying for someone gifted and called.

As a church, we’re growing; there are simply more souls under our care. At the same time, we also are facing the eventual succession of many of our senior leaders (both staff and officers). Half of our elders are my age or older, and I’m 60. I am not hinting at retirement or vaguely trying to suggest that I’m preparing to be done. Actually, this is an effort on the part of our leaders to exercise vision and foresight. Responsible leadership of our church requires us to be working to develop the rising generation to take responsibility for the future well-being of all our ministries.

So if we need more leaders, and we need this particular new staff member, what are we to do? Together we can trust the promise that Jesus has given us — we can pray for a worker for this particular part of His vineyard and all of the future workers we are going to need.

Therefore, please join us! Please pray with us for our Lord to work to help us in finding the right candidate and all of the needed workers for this part of His harvest.