Feb 03 2026

Raising up leaders: Five ways churches can nurture a call to ministry

Photo credit: Lori Stringer

Amy Yoder McGloughlin reflects on her call to ministry and how congregations can nurture the next generation of pastors through spiritual practices, mentoring, intergenerational worship and intentional encouragement of God’s call. 

Amy Yoder McGloughlin is MC USA’s denominational minister for education and the conference minister for Allegheny Mennonite Conference. She lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania and attends West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship. 

Growing up, I never imagined myself as a pastor. That was never an option for me in my home church, which did not believe that women should be in church leadership.

My experience in a Mennonite church changed that. The folks in the first Mennonite church I joined invited me to lead worship, teaching me how to do it and giving me freedom and creativity to do it my way. They invited me to preach, even though I had no idea what I was doing. Church members started to name a call to ministry in the church that I didn’t want to admit that I was feeling. As a parent of an infant and a toddler at the time, I didn’t want to admit that I felt called to be a pastor. With the encouragement, support and cheerleading of my congregation, I began to believe that seminary and pastoring was a possibility.

I hold this story and the people in it close to my heart. If it weren’t for my faith community supporting me and nurturing this seed of a call 20 years ago, I would not be working in the church today.

In MC USA, we feel the anxiety of not enough pastors. We are not the only denomination in this situation. Congregations across the country wait a long time for the right candidate. They worry about the future of their congregations and wonder why a candidate isn’t choosing them.

While we are concerned about the present realities, I want to encourage you to think about the next generation of the church. How are we preparing future church leaders to lead this church and to model the way of Jesus Christ?

Here are five actions and practices to encourage the calling of future pastors in your congregation:

1. Teach spiritual practices and faith formation

One of the most frequent questions I hear from youth and young adults is, “How do I know that God is speaking to me?” Young people want to know what God is inviting them to do with their lives. So, let’s teach our communities how to pray, in all the various forms that are available to us. Let’s teach and practice community fasting, scripture study, meditation and other ways to listen for God’s voice in our lives. In these days of uncertainty, our communities are hungry for practices that root and ground us in God’s love and purpose for us.

2. Mentor

Having caring adults who are tasked with nurturing and supporting each teen in the congregation is a gift to our youth and their families. When my daughter was in high school, her mentor was a life saver, encouraging her to do hard things and naming the ways she saw my child being called to share God’s good news.

3. Practice intergenerational worship

Folks going into ministry will often talk about how they were nurtured and encouraged in their home communities. I’ve seen that happen with youth involvement in worship through reading scripture, playing music, and leading worship. One of my daughter’s most empowering moments in church was when she preached with a friend when she was thirteen. She had important things to say to the congregation, and we saw a glimpse of the ways she was called into the life and work of the church.

Practicing worship intergenerationally means letting go of our need for perfection and allowing others,  who may see the world differently than we do, to lead. It’s a practice of releasing our expectations for worship and a way to build the church of the present and future.

4. Offer scholarships

If there’s someone who may be feeling the call into the work of the church, can your congregation offer a scholarship to help them get through seminary? If there’s someone that really wants to go to a Mennonite college, can your congregation offer a scholarship to aid them in that pursuit? These are important ways we can put our full support behind the youth and young adults in our churches to prepare them to lead.

5. Celebrate!

The world feels scary and challenging these days. Our youth come to church worried about the future. Let’s make the church a place where we celebrate what God is doing and where we are fully rooted in the hope of the good news of Jesus. Joy is subversive and is something that comes from a community deeply rooted in love and care for one another. When the world feels challenging and discouraging, community and care are key. Modeling this good news of Jesus makes work in the church appealing to our youth and young adults.

Explore MC USA’s partner seminaries, colleges and universities

Seminaries

Hispanic Ministries

  • Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA)
  • Seminario Bíblico Anabautista Hispano

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