Stories of the call: Jeff

Jeff Miller didn't really feel called by God to ministry—at least, not in the "lightning bolt of sudden revelation" way he has heard it described by others. For Jeff, God’s call was more about identifying his God-given talents and then finding a way he could use them to serve the Lord. He first considered ministry as a young adult. “During college, I was thinking through majors and . . . what kinds of skills I had,” Jeff says. “During the summers, I found ministry opportunities and started thinking ‘Is this something I could as a career?’ I thought back to my youth ministry leader and what kind of role model he was for me. I thought I could do something just like that. . . . So I started volunteering in youth ministry at local churches. . . . I thought ‘Wow, I could use this as a career, use the gifts I have and do it for God.’”

Growing up, Jeff didn’t have a set idea of what he wanted to be. “I thought maybe I'd be a lawyer, since I like to debate,” Jeff recalls, admitting with a laugh that this skill does sometimes come in handy in youth ministry. Jeff later identified that what attracted him to debate was the close interaction with others. “I've [always] enjoyed working closely with people,” he says. “As a kid . . . there weren't many specific careers that I wanted. I just knew that I liked being creative and I liked having fun. So I thought that if I can follow God and use my talents, that's what I'm going to do.”

Integral to Jeff’s career in youth ministry was his attendance at The Call, a Brethren in Christ conference for young adults seeking to follow Christ in ministry and missions. “Sometimes people have a call and they know for sure what God wants them to do. Instead, for me, going to The Call was [about] having people play a role in helping me try out [ministry] . . . It was good just to be around the community of people who were seeking God's call in their lives. It gave me more of a sense that I'm one of many who are going down this path.”

For the moment, Jeff is happily settled into his role as associate pastor and youth minister at Cumberland Valley Brethren in Christ Church in Dillsburg, Pa. Jeff attends two small groups and works as the church's outreach coordinator—which, among other things, allows him to “fan the flame of missions in our congregation.” Perhaps Jeff’s favorite responsibility, however, is his work with the youth. On an almost daily basis he’s able to employ the creativity and love of people he’s had since childhood. As Cumberland Valley's youth minister—which involves everything from regular e-mail and instant message conversations with the youth, to reading poems dedicated to departing seniors at banquets held in their honor—Jeff loves the chance to build relationships with young people, discipling them in their faith. And he doesn’t miss the chance to have fun whenever he can: “Games, slideshows, laughing, music: things like that all combine into what I do,” Jeff says.

Despite Jeff's often lighthearted and relaxed approach to God’s call in his life, he is serious about the way God uses each of his experiences to help him grow. “I think I've grown in my insight into peoples’ hearts, through counseling and sharing advice with kids who are hurting or [struggling with relationships],” Jeff says. “I think I’ve also grown in communication and administrative capacities: those aren't my gifts, so that's been helpful for me.”

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True to his belief that God will pull him in a new direction if and when the time is right, Jeff understands that one day he might move on to something new. “I feel that as I continue to serve and keep my ears open, there’s the potential that God might tug in my heart for a new direction of ministry,” he reveals. “It’s not something I could predict right now, but I will keep my ears open. I’m not one of those guys who feels like the call has to be narrow; I feel that we can serve God in many ways. You have to see how your gifts and talents can line up with your dreams and God’s call.”

Jeff has some advice for those of you who feel you might be called to ministry but aren’t sure what to do about it;

• Keep asking questions about your call, but also do something proactive about it.
• Something proactive can mean attending an event like The Call, talking about it with someone in a ministerial role, or taking active steps towards ministry, such as volunteering or interning at a church.

Ask questions, and keep your heart open.