I believe God's callings are dynamic and not static. That is, I believe that God's calling on a person may change throughout his life. I was called to the ministry of church planting, but I was first called to be a pastor. Likewise some of the best pastors I know planted the church they have now pastored for years. They were called as pastors as they served in the ministry of church planting. Now that I am a church planter, is it possible that God could call me to return to ministering as an elder? I believe He could. He is the my Lord and Master, and I serve at His bidding. He knows where I need to be and what I need to do in order to accomplish His purposes for His Kingdom far better than me. My desire needs to be like Paul's in Philippians 3:12-14.

A team leader will often be required to evaluate the calling of prospective team members as they apply to the team. The members will also be required to review their callings while on the team. So the team leader needs to be well acquainted with the issues of concerning calling. Appendix 6 is a Bible Study we have developed to help a person work through issues of calling. We often use this with prospective church planters as well as elders.

The problem of evaluating calling is complicated once one realizes the close connection between church planting in an itinerant fashion and church reproduction from pastoral perspective. Often team members will struggle with whether they are called to be itinerant church planters, or stationary elders especially immediately after they have birthed a church. They will often want to remain there long enough to establish the church thoroughly rather than just laying the foundations, appointing elders and then commending them to the Lord.. Of course the problem with this is that it never quite gets there and the church planter becomes a solo pastor of the church in the long run, thus leaving his calling and often stunting the growth of emerging leaders.

This chapter will focus on how one can distinguish between these callings of church planter and elder. This is very important since a church planter must constantly work to avoid becoming fixed in pastoral ministry if he is called to the itinerant ministry of church planting. Likewise he must recognize if God changes the call from being a itinerant church planter to being an elder. As a team leader you will need to make certain that your team members are clear in their call and likewise help them at times when they are confused as to whether God is changing their call. You will need to hold your teammates with an open hand knowing that their call is from God and not from the team leader!

Since there is such a close connection between pastoring and church planting, I think it likely that a person's call can change several times in the course of his life. Tradition has it that Timothy finally did settle down to pastoral ministry in Ephesus. Peter was writing as a fellow elder in his first letter (I Peter 5:1).

We encourage those serving with the team to reexamine their calling as more light is shed on their life and ministry. Often this reexamination comes at a time of family transition, personal upheaval, or other circumstances which may dictate a change is appropriate. Such examination is usually a time of carefully evaluating the deep, often hidden motives of the heart (Cf. I Corinthians 3:10-4:5). At this point we on the team can pray asking for more illumination and asking soul searching questions, but we cannot take the place of God in issuing the call.

What is the difference in the call to plant churches as opposed to pastoring a reproducing church? The difference may be what is often referred to as "burden". A pastor is burdened to shepherd sheep. He wants to care for them from cradle to grave. Often a person who feels a burden to plant churches finds the church planting burden evaporate after he has planted one. Once planted, he desires to see it brought to all the fullness of Christ, "warning every man and teaching every man until every man becomes mature in Christ" (Colossians 1:29) . Thus his burden and focus narrows to a pastoral role. Obviously he needs to carefully weigh his motives since, for some, this desire arises from carnal motives. But this burden, if pure, is reflective of one who is called as a shepherd and he should likely remain in that church. This change in call will normally be confirmed by both his team and his sending church.

The church planter, on the other hand, also loves sheep and desires to see them come to maturity, but his driving force and joy is equipping leaders to serve as shepherds (elders) to serve the flock. Whereas shepherds should also reproduce in the natural course of shepherding the church, for the church planter, producing leaders is the #1 goal of his ministry. He is always on the lookout for prospective leaders. He rejoices as they progress in answering the call of God to take responsibility for the flock. In a lot of ways this aspect of church planting is like a father who needs to let his sons become independent and leave home. He must constantly look to decrease, while those he trains must increase. The church planter is first and foremost a trainer of leaders.

A church planter's call to church planting is usually evidenced by "itchy feet". There is usually a sense that there are new places to go, new people to win, new people to train. He will find himself wondering what surprises and challenges the next group of people will bring. Who will be the next leaders? He doesn't think so much "church" as "churches".

We need to reinforce the idea that the calling of church planter is itinerant by nature, even though he may work in a small geographical area. He will be moving on from group to group. He is a pioneer, not a pillar. He is always in transition. And difficult as that is, he recognizes how it suits him. If he is married he obviously needs a very special wife especially if she is not called to be a church planter!

We are often questioned about the call of a wife. As mentioned above we do not believe that a wife and husband need to be called together as church planters although this may happen and would be the norm if the family is called cross culturally. It is also biblical that she may be called to be his wife and not actively participate as a church planter. My wife was not called to join me actively in church planting for several years. She would function as a member in whatever church I was laboring in and usually would remain behind (to train women which was her gift) as I would move on to open a new work. We were in the same geographic region so I was not gone from home for long periods of time. As a new church would come together, Cathy would join me with the children once the group was conducting regular Sunday meetings. Normally, she would be remain in the previous church for 3-6 months before joining me. This gave stability to the family.

Each family on our team works out how to include their families according to the pattern or life style or season of life that God has designed for them. For instance Jim Frost's wife has always traveled with him even in the earliest gathering stages of a new work.

1. How settled are you on your call? How has your call been confirmed? What questions have you had about it? What people have you sought out to help you as you sought to clarify your call?

2. To what is your wife called? What tension has this brought? How have you worked through them?

3. Evaluate each member of your team. How settled is each they on his/her call? How has his/her call been confirmed? Have you confirmed their call?

4. In the event one team member is questioning his/her call have those who confirmed the call originally confirmed the change in call? How should the team be involved in confirming a change in calling?

5. Are the wives clear and at peace re: their call? Are the family tensions worked through? Have the older women on the team who have worked through their call helped the younger women with this?