My Call Statement

Growing up in rural, middle Georgia, I enjoyed the lazy summer days of country life as well as spending time with my close-knit group of friends and family members who were always there for me. My adolescent years consisted of playing sports (football and baseball) and participating in church-related events—family picnics, UMYF, Christmas and Easter productions, etc. My upbringing resembled the quintessential makeup of most middle-class families—consisting of two parents, three kids, and two dogs, all of which lived under one roof.

This is the backdrop of who I am. And yet, as I’ve matured in faith and in years, God continually illuminates and replenishes areas of my life in need of renewal and restoration, suggesting that I’m a work in progress. Such illumination is humbling indeed, but is well worth the path I’ve chosen to follow from the one who called me to take up my cross and follow him. And it was those early, developmental years, foundational to my present growing in faith, that have shaped me with a positive sense of self, a belief in a loving God, and a vision of a hopeful world.

Me, Myself, and I
My parents and grandparents were very influential in my life in that they passed on their most treasured values to me: “Finish what you start,” “Live a life of integrity,” “Get an education,” “Pursue your dreams with earnest,” and “Lean on God and family for assurance.” Of course, as a teenager, I doubt I appreciated those gleanings of wisdom as much as I do now. But they did eventually seep into my late, adolescent brain.

As a teenager, I was much more inclined to strive for coolness than for positive youth development. I was the type of kid that could meander well through all of those “typical” middle and high school social cliques that vied for my attention. And though I did well within that season of life, I always felt that something was missing. I couldn’t articulate it then, but God, pushing through an elaborate montage of self-identifiers (athletics, grades, girl friends, band, art, church, etc.), was calling me to do “something.” It wasn’t until my college years that I realized God is always there, calling us to do “something” if only we will listen.

So, in response to this calling, my pastor allowed me to become the group leader of the UMYF during my senior year of high school. Later, as a freshman in college, the church employed me as their first paid youth director. The church paid me an income of $200 a month. Even though the pay was small, I loved the opportunity to work within the church. Those years of serving my home church gave me insight into what life could be like in service to others, and, in my case, to serve and minister with teens. I felt connected to a cause, and I was emboldened to pursue it.

A Loving God
As college graduation approached and I moved into full-time ministry as a youth pastor, I became overwhelmed with the intricate group dynamics and responsibilities attached to working within a mid-size congregation—200 to 350 members. My mentor and boss, Reverend Barry Ferguson, took me under his wings and showed me the ropes, so to speak. We spent numerous lunches discussing how to empower members for the ministries of the church and how to be sensitive to the needs of parents and youth. During one of our lunches, as I was asking him how to handle some issues that were arising in the youth department, he stopped me midway in the conversation and asked, “Brad, how do you spell your name?” I wondered what he was getting at, but I played along. “Barry, I spell it B-R-A-D.” “Good,” he said, “Because once you realize that your name isn’t spelled G-O-D the better off you’ll be!” I believe what he was trying to convey to me was that, when it’s all said and done, God is ultimately in control. Barry’s words of wisdom have stayed with me since those early days in my ministry, and I often reflect on them.

I’ve learned that the ministry of the church will go on with or without me. And yet, I have a great opportunity to be an agent of God’s love and mercy if I but learn to be obedient to God’s calling in my life. The apostle Paul said it best, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). In other words, learning to heed God’s calling in my life takes discipline through prayer, study, worship, and reflection. And this discipline (being a disciple) enables me to sense God’s presence in the world—I need not fear, for God has redeemed me and called me by name; I belong to God (Isaiah 43:1).

A Hopeful World
I do believe there’s hope for our hurting world. Over the years within the ministry, I’ve seen children, teenagers, families of all shapes and sizes give of themselves to minister to those in need through various work camps, outreach projects, and congregational settings. I’ve had the privilege to pray with and sponsor youth and adults who have ministered in places such as Haiti as well as other countries within the continent of Africa. I’m fortunate to have come across ordinary folks who are doing extraordinary things for the Kingdom…who are impassioned with God’s calling and are meeting the need wherever it appears. This is Good News!

For me, being in ministry is not by default. It is my vocation—a challenging vocation, but mine nonetheless. Whether I’m ministering to a group of youth in a Sunday school classroom or preaching to a multi-generational congregation on Sunday morning, my calling is the same and all too familiar—“speak the truth in love.”

My grandfather shared with me once that the reason he joined the Marines as a young man was because he felt that if he could become a marine, he could do anything in life. Well, I share a similar sentiment: If I can serve as a pastor with integrity, passion, love, and humility, then there’s no telling how God may use my life in order to further the Kingdom of God.