I work half the week at church and decorate for the rest...

Meet 28-year-old Craig Walker – currently Elim’s youngest minister following his ordination in June. As we celebrate this year’s new ordinands we caught up with Craig to ask how he’s finding his new role

Craig, did you always want to go into ministry?

No, not at all. I grew up in a missionary family – my dad was a missionary and an Elim pastor. I loved Jesus and being involved in church too, but I really didn’t want to go into full-time ministry because I didn’t want to be stressed out and poor!

What else did you have in mind?

My plan was to go down the maths/ finance route. As a teenager, though, I’ll admit I sensed a calling. Then it was probably at Limitless Festival where I clearly sensed God ask, “What are you going to do? Will you trust me and do what I’m telling you to do or not?” At that point, I accepted I might go into ministry. But I thought I’d make a load of money first.

What happened next?

To test that calling I moved from Birmingham to Southport and did a gap year with an organisation called Pais – they offer free gap years in schools ministry. I thought, if I can get up in front of a school hall full of teenagers and talk about Jesus, anything else will feel easy! I really enjoyed going into schools and being involved in youth ministry in church. I sensed that was what I was meant to be doing. On the back of that, I got offered the job of youth pastor at Lakeside Elim, where I got involved in schools ministry too.

I served there for three years and that was confirmation of my calling. I realised I would just trust that God would figure out the finances and everything else.

Was that good experience of hearing and obeying God?

Yes, and it happened again when I was studying. I started studying part-time with Regents while I was in Southport, with a view to applying for Elim ministry. As I was starting the application process I realised I needed to spend more time praying about it. It just didn’t feel right.

Long story short, I felt God telling me it was time to leave Southport and study full-time at Regents to get a better foundation for ministry. That wasn’t what I wanted but I sensed God say it wasn’t the right time to apply for Elim ministry. Looking back, I’m really glad that happened because my time at Regents was so important, not just in terms of learning but more importantly developing my character.

Where did you go after Regents?

I applied to be an MiT and went to Letchworth Garden City Church for three years as part of that process. I learned a lot there – like how to minister to people and the practicalities of preparing sermons, weddings, funerals.

I learned more about myself and what God has gifted me to do too – if you look at the APEST assessment, I come out as a shepherd. I also learned about the person God wants me to be. Again, it’s continual shaping of character as you try to become more like Jesus.

And now you’re at Formby Lighthouse Church?

That’s right. I finished at Letchworth in January, took three months off to go traveling with my wife, then I joined the team at Formby as Associate Minister at the end of April. The church is amazing; a really welcoming, passionate group of people and a growing mix of ages. I’m also a part-time painter and decorator.

How do you find being bi-vocational?

It’s early days but so far I’m enjoying the mix. I work at the church two-and-a-half days a week, then paint and decorate the other two-and-a-half. I like that it means mixing with people you wouldn’t normally engage with as a minister. It frees finances up for the church as well.

Do you have any future dreams?

I would love to plant a church at some point. Whether that happens with the church here or elsewhere, I don’t know. I’m not really sure what that looks like at this stage.

Mark Pugh highlighted a lack of ministers under the age of 30 in Elim. As Elim’s youngest ordained minister currently, what do you think about that?

I’m 28, bald and not exactly a picture of youth. If I’m the youngest that probably does highlight the issue!

What would you say to any young people feeling called to ministry like you did?

I’d say pray about it and test it. Ministry is incredibly rewarding, but it can also be quite difficult so it’s not something to go into lightly.

If God has called you he will provide and look after you, though, and it will be the best choice you can make. Look for opportunities to test if you’re called, whether that’s getting more involved in your local church, looking at gap year programmes within or outside Elim or studying to develop your skills.

What advice would you give to churches about supporting young people exploring ministry?

One thing that was really key for me was the opportunity to explore my calling. Being completely honest, the main reason I did Pais was because it was free and because food and accommodation were included. I wonder if there are people who want to test a calling but aren’t able to because of the cost involved. Churches may offer free internships, for example, but if you have to sort out food and accommodation too it can become a blockage, particularly for people from less privileged backgrounds.

I wonder if there’s something we could do either as a movement or as individual churches to give young people the opportunity to explore ministry? I believe God is calling people of all ages to serve his Kingdom, but sometimes it takes an extra step to get there.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.