In May, I was ordained an elder in the Global Methodist Church. Each clergyperson ordained in a Methodist denomination has to answer 19 historical questions asked by bishops going back to John Wesley’s (the founder of the Methodist movement) time. I thought I might share my responses to these questions in hopes of sharing a bit more about myself and about Methodism. This is the fifth of the 19 questions. I hope it blesses you!

To read my other responses to the questions, check them out here:

1. Have you faith in Christ?
2. Are you going on to perfection?
3. Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?
4. Are you earnestly striving after perfection in love?
5. Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and to God’s work?
6. Do you know the General Rules of our Church?
7. Will you keep the General Rules of our Church?
8. Have you studied the doctrines of the Global Methodist Church?
9. After full consideration do you believe that our doctrines are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures?
10. Have you studied our form of church discipline and polity?
11. Do you approve our church government and polity?
12. Will you support and maintain them?
13. Will you exercise the ministry of compassion?
14. Will you diligently instruct the children in every place?
15. Will you visit from house to house?
16. Will you recommend fasting or abstinence, both by precept and example?
17. Are you determined to employ all your time in the work of God?
18. Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your work? (Coming soon)
19. Will you observe the following directions?
    (a) Be diligent. Never be unemployed. Never be triflingly employed. Never trifle away time; neither spend any more time at any one place than is strictly necessary.
    (b) Be punctual. Do everything exactly at the time. And do not mend our rules, but keep them; not for wrath, but for conscience’ sake. (Coming soon)

5. Are you resolved to devote yourself wholly to God and to God’s work?

After I had heard God tell me that He was calling me to vocational ministry, the first emotion I felt was panic. As a fourteen-year-old, one thought dominated my mind: I can’t do that to my wife and kids. I did not grow up with a father, mother, or grandparent in pastoral ministry. I did not have firsthand experience of what pastoral ministry can, and often does, do to a pastor’s family. But somehow, as a layperson, I had picked up on the fact that vocational ministry is often damaging to families of ministers.

Had I been writing honestly in response to this question several years ago, I would have said that I could not resolve myself “wholly to God and his work.” Back then, I would have viewed “God and his work” as the pastoral ministry I am paid to do. However, over the last several years, God has been expanding my vision of His calling on my and others’ lives. Rather than simply seeing God’s work as paid ministry, I believe that the work of God we are called to be wholly devoted to is more similar to Matthew 28:19-20a: “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

If this is God and His work, then I am resolved to be wholly devoted to God and His work. One important way I devote myself to that work is through making disciples of those made in God’s image in Wetumpka, Alabama, as a pastor at Mulder Church. In everything I do for and with the church, I strive to lead people into a deeper relationship with, and obedience to, God. Beyond being a pastor, though, I am wholly devoted to God and His work in my parenting, my friendships, my writing, my hobbies, the way I take care of my body, the ways I spend my money, and more.

I believe that God wants to transform every part of society and every part of my life. Because of that belief, I am resolved to live seeking God’s best for every area of my life, my family, and my community. In my own life, this has required constant discernment, asking God how He wants to work and a surrendering of my own will to seek His will in all things. As I continue to mature in my faith, I expect to live out that resolution more and more.

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Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in getting the other responses to the 19 questions delivered to your inbox, subscribe to my blog below!

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Also, to read my book review of GMC Bishop Carolyn Moore’s book The 19: Questions to Kindle a Wesleyan Spirit, check it out here.

You might also be interested in some of my other blog posts about the Global Methodist Church. If so, they’re below:

“The Two Preachers We Need”
“My Grandchildren’s Denomination”
“Why Do We Ordain?”
“Learning to Trust: From Calling to Ordination”