How do you choose what type of ministry to do?

I've been reading Tim Keller's 'Every Good Endeavour' a really biblical, helpful, and thought provoking book on work which is well worth a read.  This morning, however, I read something in it which got me thinking not about work per se but about ministry trends in the UK.

"...many college students do not choose the work that naturally fits their abilities, talents, and capacities, but rather choose work that fits their limited imagination of how they can boost their own self image.  There were only three high-status kinds of jobs - those that paid well, those that directly worked on society's needs, and those that had the cool factor."

It made me think about why people choose the ministries they do in the UK, do we have cool ministries?  I can't help thinking we do, the previous 7 or so years have seen lots of conferences raising the profile of Church Planting and oddly enough lots of young men and women wanting to plant churches.  I am not knocking that, especially as someone who greatly benefitted from that in our preparation and planting 5 and a half years ago.  But I am wondering if in it being the 'cool' ministry it has led lots of people to value it more highly than other ministry, and whether it has become one of THE ministries to do.

Potentially that will have tragic consequences for the church in the UK especially as many pastors of established churches are nearer retirement than the start of their ministry.  Pastoral vacancies seem to be on the rise with many younger men wanting to plant churches.  Britain needs pastors more than it needs planters (and yes I do think there is a difference).

But the other interesting question concerns suitability to plant. If I am brutally honest the past 5 and a half years have been incredibly tough, (OK the first year was brilliantly exciting, but since then it has been slow, hard work).  Sleepless nights about finances (and that's with an incredibly generous and supportive sending church behind us), all the pastoral workload of an established church plus the extra of having young Christians who need nurturing and face very real immediate gospel issues in their lives, the discouragement of key people and leaders moving away leaving seemingly un-fillable holes, conflict which needs reconciliation, new relationships to build in a community which is suspicious of a new church, relationships to maintain with existing church leaders and networks and or a sending church and so on...

We normally hear of church plants who are flying, growing quickly, starting new ministries and so on.  But we need to balance that by hearing from plants where the work is hard and slow.  One of the most helpful things I ever heard was from a man who courageously shared the story of a church he had planted but which he then took the decision with the leaders to close for various godly reasons.  I can't help wondering if that would help some potential planters think carefully about whether planting is for them.

But we also need to change our value system, we need to value all ministry not just the coming fad.  We have a hierarchy of ministry that may go something like this in terms of priority, coolness, and perceived value:  1. Overseas mission, 2. Church Planting, 3. Ministry on estates (though this may be about to usurp 2), 4. Working for a para-church organisation, 5. "Normal" church ministry.

But the danger with that is that many young people and potential ministers will not choose the ministry that naturally fits their abilities, talents, giftings, and capacities, but rather choose the ministry that fits their limited imagination of how they can boost their own self image.  Where ministry is chosen because it has the cool factor.  We must redress the balance and value all ministry, thinking strategically about the need not just of new areas but of existing congregations and sustaining and developing the outreach they already have established.