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So the question again was, what would christen ask?

What would you say to people who are serving outside of the church but not necessarily in the local body of believers in ordained or official roles?

That's something I have a lot of experience with and have wrestled through because at one point I was in an internship and on the path toward ordination.

I thought I was going to be a Tyler Burns. I thought I was going to be a aliehenium and pastoring and serving formally in full time church ministry.

That's not what the Lord had planned for me.

Actually, I've gone sideways on two careers. So not only did I get a degree in theology, I got a degree in history.

And in both of those areas, I mean what many would consider non-traditional roles.

So the word I have is uncover God's calling for you and let that guide you.

And I say uncover because it's already in you.

A lot of times that calling gets crowded out by what we think others expect of us.

Well, if I get this degree, if I study this subject, then I'm supposed to follow this path.

That's not necessarily what God has for you. I got a PhD in history.

My intent was never to be a tenure-track professor. My intent with that degree was to write.

And that's what I'm doing. In God's providence, I just so happened to be teaching now.

But that was an opportunity that came to me. I never looked for it.

And then with the theology degree, it infuses everything that I do, but it's not informal church ministry.

And I'll say this too, be prepared for people not to understand it.

There's plenty of people from academics who are like, well, why haven't you published with a university press?

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