Last week was graduation and call day at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, the seminary that I attended. The call day part of this is when the new graduates receive their first divine calls into the public ministry as pastors. It’s definitely an exciting day, and the service connected to it is very moving for all who attend and watch it.
This year, though, like several previous years, not all the graduates have been able to be placed at this call day service. There can be many reasons for this. The number of churches requesting graduates simply might not be enough for the number of graduates. Similarly, the congregations requesting graduates might simply not match well with the gifts of the available candidates.
Of course, there are other reasons behind these reasons, too. Often lack of funding keeps churches for adding another pastor to their staffs. Missionaries who are called home due to cuts in mission budgets return to the pastoral pool here in the US, causing fewer pastoral vacancies, causing less calls available for graduates. Financial problems have forced our synod to open far fewer new mission starts in the US. Fewer positions equal fewer calls.
Obviously, this leads to the potential of bad feelings all around. When people hear that not all graduates are placed, they get angry and frustrated at the possible causes. Sometimes people blame past decisions of synod leadership. Prospective pastors, young men with hearts for the ministry, see that not all candidates are placed and sometimes decide not to pursue the ministry further. The candidates left unassigned can feel like they are somehow deficient, unworthy of serving God’s church. (I know; this is the position when I was left unassigned at my graduation.)
We can never miss the bigger picture, though. There will never be enough workers in the mission fields of this world, let alone too many. Jesus told us, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Luke 10:2)
Instead of blame, instead of despair, instead of anger, our reactions at this time should be prayer. We pray to God to provide the workers need to spread the Good News. We pray for God to move those who are willing to serve as those workers. We pray that God’s Word continue to be preached and his sacraments administered as God intended.
God will answer us! He has promised that the gates of hell will never stand against his Church. (Matthew 16:18) God has also promised to work all things out for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8:28) I am blessed to see how he did this for me, by calling me into the ministry at the congregation I am still blessed to serve.
Even for those people and those times and situations that make it harder to understand God’s will, we never have to doubt his love for us. He has already worked out all things for our eternal good by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection! He will continue to provide workers to bring that message out! So go and pray for him to keep his Word – we know he will!
