This sixth focus on health focuses on our sense of call by God to ministry. In the Presbyterian church, it is affirmed that God’s call is not only for clergy but also for educators, musicians, elders and congregations. Your presbytery experience is designed to emphasize that shared sense of call. You might introduce this experience by saying,
As Israel was constantly learning, being set apart by God was less a reason for pride than of humble awe. It isn’t that God took a special people and rewarded them for their greatness. In fact Scripture is very clear that God took a “no-people” and made them into “God’s people.” (1 Peter 2:10) It is a humbling, not a prideful thing to recall that we are God’s people. We would like to take a few moments to reflect on how God has set us apart for ministry.
Ask people to spontaneously respond with a word of phrase to the question, “What makes a church different from other organizations in our society?” Collect 10 or 15 responses.
Then change the question to “What is a special calling of elders in our churches?” Again, having recorded 10 to 15 responses of words of phrases, change the question again to, “What is unique about the call of clergy, CLPs and educators in our churches?”
The liturgist then takes the three lists and combines them into a litany of thanksgiving for our call as the Body of Christ. The lead in to each list might be something like, “Lord, we offer our praise and thanks that you have offered us the privilege of being a church. We hear our call to be: (list what you have heard about what makes the church different.)
Then continue (perhaps with a different speaker) with “By your Spirit you have chosen elders to serve your church. We thank you for elders who are called to (read the list collected.)
From out of the mystery of time, Lord, you have called as clergy and educators among us. They are called to (then offer the list.)
Conclude with a singing the doxology.
This is preparation for the quarter that looks at our vocational health.
