Practical Advice for Young People Thinking About Ordination in The Episcopal Church

So I was cleaning out my desk the other day and came across this article called "Practical Advice for Young People Thinking About Ordination in The Episcopal Church". The article was written by The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe as part of his presentation to the Pathways for Ministry High School Conference held in April, 2006.

1. Attend an Episcopal Church and be active in worship. (This may seem obvious, but every now and then I speak with someone who thinks they may want to be a deacon or priest but who doesn't attend worship regularly or participate as an active part of an Episcopal faith community!)

2. Watch a variety of clergy. Find ways to work with them and assist them in their ministry so you can learn what they do. Notice both their giftedness and their failings. (God doesn't seem to call perfect people to Holy Orders.)

3. Read widely. History, Literature, the Bible, Poetry, Drama, Biography, Philosophy, Art, Science, Theology are all useful subjects. All human knowledge is ultimately connected to The Holy. Nothing you ever learn in any other field will be wasted in ordained ministry. (Knowledge of Computer Sciences, Teaching, Accounting, Marketing, Law, Medicine, even Concrete Testing . . . can all be effectively utilized in the service of the Church.)

4. Assert your Baptismal right to do ministry now! Look around your parish and decide what's being done poorly or, worse, not being done at all . . . an then do something about it! Be a Christian Activist. You don't need to wait until you are older.

5. Learn how to pry. Develop a comfortable, real, on-going conversational life with God. Talk to God about everything, including your future vocational plans.

6. Develop a variety of useful skills. Learn a foreign language. Learn how to write. Learn how to speak in public. Learn how to be helpful to people of all ages. Learn how to get something new started. Learn how to listen to people who are in trouble. Learn how to meet new people. Learn how to be helpful in crisis.

7. Develop healthy habits. Exercise, eat right, respect yourself as a part of God's Creation, live a balanced life, use good judgment in relationships, keep your word, develop good friends, participate in sports and hobbies which stretch you in some way.

8. Try being in charge. Learning how to be an effective leader is crucial for ordained clergy. In order to be in charge, you must learn to work collaboratively with a wide variety of people. Run for class office, be a leader on your team, lead extra-curricular activities at school, participate in leading a wide variety of events and activities.

9. Develop a healthy sense of humor. Clergy work closely with people who are going through times of great joy and great pain. Having a good sense of humor makes the difficult times more bearable. Learn to be positive and embrace joy.

10. Cultivate Tenacity. Christian ministry is hard and lots of people, both lay and ordained, just plain quit. Work on sticking difficult things out. Test your endurance. Try difficult things. Develop resilience. Get in shape emotionally, physically, and spiritually, "to run the race that has been set before us."

The Rt. Rev'd Dean Wolfe serves as Ninth Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. Consecrated bishop in 2003, Bishop Wolfe was formerly Vice Rector of Saint Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas, Texas. (The church where the conference was held at.)