As I shared in Part 1 yesterday, in 25 years of ministry, I’ve realized there is one regret I have above all others. Today I’ll reveal my #1 mistake in ministry.

My first job in ministry was at a Baptist Church where I was invited to preach on Sunday nights. The pastor told me that when you give people an invitation, you’re inviting them to:

1. Become a Christian – to get saved.
2. Join the church.
3. Surrender the call to preach.

As I went into preaching, more and more of my early focus was on Evangelism and seeing people get saved. That’s been the driving theme of my ministry over the past 25 years. I’ve done well at invitation number one, extending the invitation for people to become followers of Jesus. I’ve also been fairly good at number two, helping people join the church, either to follow God in baptism or to commit to His church. At The Journey, I’ve created Assimilation systems and membership classes, and we’ve been very effective at discipling people and growing the church.

But somewhere along the way, I missed out on that third invitation that my early pastor taught me to give.

So here’s my #1 regret: Along the way I have not done enough to call out the called.

I want to focus on raising up more people to answer God’s call to preach.

It’s not that God hasn’t blessed in this area, but I haven’t seen the kind of fruit that I pray by the Lord’s grace to see over the next 25 years.

Please stay tuned next week for the continuation of this series where I’ll share my strategy for  how to get more intentional about calling out the called.

Your partner in ministry,

Nelson

P.S. – Do you have a “Timothy” that you’re currently raising up as a future senior pastor or church planter? Then I’d like to invite you – and your “Timothy” – to join me next month in Walt Disney World for a brand new, one time event called The 25 Seminar: Uncovering the Lost Secrets of Pastoral Ministry Success. 

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© Nelson Searcy. All Rights Reserved.

About Nelson Searcy

Nelson Searcy is an experienced church growth strategist, pastor, church planter and coach, consulting with churches around the world. As founder of Church Leader Insights and the Renegade Pastors Network, he has personally trained more than 3,500 church leaders in over 45 denominations through live events, seminars and monthly coaching. Nelson is also the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Journey Church, with locations across New York City and in Boca Raton, FL. Nelson and his church routinely appear on lists such as “The 50 Most Influential Churches” and “The 25 Most Innovative Leaders.” He is the author of over 100 church growth resources and 18+ books, including The Renegade Pastor: Abandoning Average in Your Life, Ministry and The Difference Maker: Using Your Everyday Life for Eternal Impact, and At the Cross with the People Who Were There. He and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Alexander.