Calling Qualified Ministries

This set of portraits caught my attention. I have often seen the man’s portrait but never the woman’s. It sent a subtle reminder that women’s stories are often hidden or deemed less important. But here, they hang in unison and equality, albeit her gaze seems to be upon him.

Katharina von Bora (1499-1552) was the wife of Martin Luther (1483-1546), the Augustinian monk who launched the Protestant Reformation when he posted his 95 theses on the door of the Church of Wittenberg in 1517. She was a former nun, and he was a former priest.

Though the convent life was chosen for Katharina by per parents, likely due to their inability to provide for her, she developed many skills during her training as a nun. Ultimately, she wrote to Luther for help escaping her convent with several others, which he did.

She eventually bore and cared for six children, ran their farm, operated a successful brewery, managed the entire household (including servants and finances), and assisted Luther in church. Together, they set the example of what a ministry marriage would look like as she became of the first “pastors’ wives.”

While this sounds incredible (or a recipe for burnout), and for her, it may have been, the Protestant Reformation set in motion the belief and teaching that a woman’s greatest and highest call was as a wife and mother. “With the rejection of the monastic way of life and convents in pro-Reformation cities, women lost significant opportunities for spiritual formation and vocations.”

Protestant Reformers pushed an agenda that communicated “women’s true identity and calling were derived from their basic reasons for existence: to assist men in procreation, be companions to men, manage the household, and in this role embody an antidote to lust.” This is a lie. Everyone’s greatest and highest calling is to Jesus. Monasteries and convents allowed men and women to focus on this calling while remaining in community.

Katharina did not want to be a nun, but many women chose this life for themselves. And it burdens my heart that in the Protestant Reformation, much of the Church lost sight of the value convents gave to women. It allowed them a place to live out their calling as single women devoted to Jesus. It was a gift to have an undivided devotion, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:35.

Evangelists communicate the message of the Good News in joyous, infectious ways. They tend to enjoy meeting new people and wooing them into a relationship. They are avid communicators of ideas and often share their thoughts and feelings in convincing ways.

They are recruiters to the cause and find great fulfillment in helping people get caught up into the driving narrative of the church/organization- the Gospel of the Kingdom. As people who are bearers of good news, they have an attractional quality to their ministry.

Evangelists tend to be passionate communicators of ideas and values. If something is important to them, you will hear about it in a compelling, persuasive way. Like the apostolic type, they tend to be somewhat go-get-em and entrepreneurial, yet in a different sort of way.

As opposed to being designers of systems, they tend to be influencers of people. They can see the potential for good in almost any person, place or thing.

This natural optimism allows them to see opportunities for new and meaningful relationships at every turn. As the saying goes, they never meet a stranger. This makes them great recruiters for any organization or movement.

Like it or not, they often demonstrate the qualities of a good salesperson, which is why they are naturally drawn to jobs that allow them to engage in promoting products and services through marketing, fundraising and recruiting personnel.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.

It’s easy to overlook the fact that women were in the upper room with the apostles, with Mary mentioned by name (Acts 1:14).

Thus, I am confident that Mary was among them when the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, fulfilling the prophecy of Joel that “your sons and daughters shall prophesy” and “even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy” (Luke 2:17-18, NRSV).

It’s easy to overlook that we first see the dove of the Holy Spirit in artwork descending upon Mary at the annunciation, and then we see the dove doing the same thing here at Pentecost.

What was once just an experience for Mary, who gave forth an extraordinary prophecy in her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), now many believers from many nations were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Not only was Mary the first human invited into this redemption story, but she was also still present and influencing the apostles when the promised Holy Spirit descended on the faithful followers of Jesus.

The apostles, as described in the apocryphal book, The Gospel of Bartholomew, were keenly aware that God highly favored Mary, that she was the living tabernacle of Jesus when she carried Him in her womb, and that she had been with Jesus the entirety of His earthly life.

They honored her and looked up to her as the mother of their Lord. She knew more about Jesus in her 33 years with Him than they ever would in their three years of following Him. Wisely, they asked her to lead them in this challenging time after Jesus ascended.

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Altarpiece by Titian
Altar of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
1555
Located at the Basilica Santa Maria Della Salute, Venice, Italy
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The first of the ministry giftings that we’ll look at is the apostle.

The word apostle literally means "sent one." The Latin form of this word is mission, which is where we get our English word mission from. The apostle is the one most responsible to activate, develop and protect the sentness/purposes of church.

This "sent" quality gives their life a catalytic influence, often playing the role of entrepreneur at the forefront of new ventures.

They are cultural architects who are concerned with the overall extension of Christianity as a whole throughout culture and society. As such, they are often drawn to issues related to design, systems and overarching organizational structures. Above all, they have a missional (sent) focus to their ministry.

Apostles tend to be strategic, like to pioneer projects and bring design and systems thinking to bear. In the created orders, apostles might well be people who start a business rather than work in an established one, or consultants who diagnose problems and prescribe innovative solutions. In short, they are architects of innovation and have a natural inclination toward exploration and adventure.

If you’d like to learn more about the APEST assessment and find out what your ministry giftings are, let’s connect! Reach out through the link on my bio.