What makes you think you have an ISM vocation?  This is a very blunt question!  It is an important question because sadly many individuals who flock to ministry should not be in ministry.  To truly discern a vocation means we have to look deep within ourselves and realize that we first need to be converted to the Gospel.  Going into ministry without first being a disciple is hazardous to your spiritual state as well as that of others.

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What do you hope to get out of being an ordained minister?  Think about it.  Really, think about it.  Most living out a genuine vocation is not glamorous.  Think of a couple standing before a minister wearing their best clothes and exchanging vows.  The ceremony lasts only a short time but the daily grind of washing dishes and changing dirty diapers lasts for years.   Ministry rarely is glamorous.  Go to the nursing home and visit someone who has Alzheimer’s and has no idea that you were there.  Take their hand when they extend it to you after they had it in their mouth or in their diaper.  Cheerfully answer the door when the local homeless child molester asks for food only to go into the church bathroom and smear feces all over the wall.  I may sound harsh but very little of genuine ministry is standing at the altar.

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Know yourself, know what you are capable of doing, and know your faith.  First, know yourself.  You need to have a firm understanding of your motivations, drives, and desires.  You are a human being and God’s grace builds on your already existing nature.  Remember, even the Apostle Paul recognizes that he shared not only the Gospel but his very self to his communities (1 Thes 2:8).  Paul had such love that he wanted to give both the Gospel and his life to his beloved communities.  God expects nothing less from us.  Know what you are capable of doing.  There are certain skills I brought to my ministry as a Roman Catholic priest and there were skills that I simply lacked.  Don’t be something you are not.  For instance, I had a couple of people who came to me for pastoral counseling.  I knew I was not a professional and I found people with the expertise in the community.  At the same time, I had a strong business background and I used that to correct the financial situation of a few parishes. 

Finally, know the faith and love the faith.  Faith is the foundation of a vocation.  The people we minister to have likely heard of God before us and will after us.  We easily lead others astray by our words and actions if we are not rooted in faith.  Faith is what gets us through those difficult moments when we question why we responded to God’s invitation.  Each of us can only do so much but then we entrust the rest to God. 

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May God bless you on your vocational journey!