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1) The church is looking for people of deep faith and personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

Ministers must be serious about their spiritual lives and must place a high priority on prayer and Scripture study. Campbell states, "The spiritual growth which comes from the disciplined life of prayer and Scripture study is essential to discerning the call to ordained ministry, to sustaining the call through years of preparation, and to keeping the call alive in diverse and difficult ministry settings."11

2) The church is looking for people who have gifts for intellectual development and a concern for learning.

In order to be an effective minister, you do not have to be a gifted student; however, you must possess a life-long desire to learn. In order to lead others in faith, you must have a commitment to learning and to teaching them. Education for the minister is not a personal pursuit but is a pursuit on behalf of the church — you are learning in order to lead the church more effectively.

3) The church is looking for people who have the ability and commitment to apply their learning to the actual work of ordained ministry.

Ministers must be diligent in applying what they learn for the sake of the congregation. They must be practical learners and able to make applications from the theoretical and philosophical. They must be effective communicators and be able to build support from others. They must possess the ability to see the big picture and not allow the draining work of ministry to cause them to lose perspective.

4) The church is looking for people who have a genuine love of people, an outgoing personality, and developed relational skills. Ministers must love all kinds of people and enjoy being with them, and an effective minister will have an outgoing personality that attracts people to him/her. Without relational skills, a minister will not be effective. He/she will not be able to minister appropriately to the wide range of people who comprise the church.

5) The church is looking for people who are willing to model servanthood.

Ministers are called to be servants, and churches need ministers who will model this concept. Ministers must be servants to the congregation and to the larger community. Over time, they create models for other Christians.

ssessing Your Abilities

Most of us hold the position of minister to near impossible expectations. In her book Sorting It Out, Alice A. Cullinan tells of meeting with a ministry class and asking them what qualities a minister should possess. Eventually, the list filled an entire board in the classroom. When she asked the class to remove the qualities that they didn't see as essential, nothing was removed; however, when she led them to discuss how many of the qualities they exhibited in their lives, the students were quick to admit that they lacked many of the qualities desired in a minister.1

This story quickly points out the gap between expectations and reality related to personal and professional qualities of ministers. While all of us (ministers included) have unusually high expectations of ministers, we also must realize that no person can embody all the characteristics that we deem necessary for ministry effectiveness.

Assessing one's abilities and giftedness for ministry must be an ongoing task for young ministers still discerning a ministry call and for experienced ministers who are refining their professional and ministerial skills. Throughout our lives we should participate in regular self-evaluation and should regularly listen for the voice of the community in relation to our ministry. There is no substitute for the voice of the Christian community in refining our call and evaluating our continued effectiveness. The collective voice of those who love us and are committed to God's work in the world is one of God's best ways of continuing to teach us. The voices of those we love and trust are particularly effective since sometimes we are unable to view ourselves as others see us.

We are strongly influenced by our backgrounds. Where we grew up, our families of origin, our early religious experiences, and other early events influence who we are and our suitability for ministry. Have you always been interested in helping others? Have you been involved in music since you were a child or teenager? Do you have organizational skills? Have you been a leader in groups of which you've been a part? Do you have an interest in studying the Bible and pursuing spiritual issues? Questions such as these are helpful in evaluating your ministry interest and aptitude.

Understanding of Self

Ministry effectiveness requires an honest assessment of self. When we understand ourselves, we are better able to understand others and to relate to them in a healthy manner. The following can be helpful in gaining a better understanding of self:

Self-Awareness – People who are self-aware understand their inner strivings, their strengths, and their limitations. Their assessment of themselves is closely aligned to how others view them.

Self-Confidence – Self-confident people are realistic about their abilities and recognize their weaknesses and strengths; however, they don't obsess over weaknesses and become frustrated or defeated. They are willing to take risks and to move into positions of leadership. They are internally motivated and have a high degree of selfacceptance based on accurate self-knowledge.

Sexual Identity – Potential ministers must be secure in their sexuality. They must be comfortable interacting in same-sex and opposite-sex personal encounters.

Self-Esteem – How we feel about ourselves should come from God. Our identity should be determined by how highly God values us. In addition, we should also feel good about our abilities to do things well. It is important that ministers feel good about themselves in order to lead others effectively.

Need to Be Needed – Most people who are effective ministers have a strong need to be needed; however, the need to be needed must not control them. Many ministers are unsuccessful because they have such a strong need to be needed that they are willing to do anything to please others. When our self-esteem is too strongly tied to being needed, we are ultimately only serving ourselves, and our service becomes merely selfish ambition.

Personality Traits

Your personality is the combination of all that you are — physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally. Your personality can be either positive or negative in ministry, but traits that might be negative for ministry may be positive for another vocation. The following are examples of personality traits that ministers will need:

Independence – Independent people are motivated by their own initiative. They are not dependent on others to motivate them, and they do not have to have approval prior to action.

Emotional Expression – Ministers must be able to express emotions appropriately and accurately.

Energy Level – Being a hyperactive person is not the same as having a high energy level. Energy level often refers to ability to concentrate and maintain focus for long periods of time. It also refers to being upbeat and positive. People with high energy are usually able to use their energy for practical and constructive means.

Good Character – Ministers must be morally, ethically, and spiritually sound. They must be trustworthy and dependable.

Maturity – Ministers should be stable, dependable, and faithful in moments of difficulty. They must respond with balance and courage in the face of challenge.

Understanding of Ministry

A realistic and healthy understanding of ministry and its demands is important for the potential minister. However, a healthy understanding of ministry involves careful attention to ministry's rewards and difficulties. Ministers often receive little encouragement or recognition and feel that their work is not appreciated. The stresses on their family can be great as they live in a "glass house" existence. As a spiritual leader, ministers often give so much that their spiritual lives can become depleted and empty. Being a minister can be a difficult and lonely calling. However, ministers are often highly esteemed by their congregants and the community. They are able to help many people and the rewards for faithful service are well worth the difficulties that ministry can present.

Active Faith – A minister's faith must be dynamic, i.e., his/her faith must be based on God's recent work in his/her life, not on actions from the distant past.

Commitment – Full commitment to Christ and his teachings is non-negotiable for a minister.

Ability – Ministers should possess the abilities necessary to do their work. Ministers need specific skills, leadership abilities, and degrees to serve effectively.

Concern for Others – Ministers must have a concern for others that motivates their service. Love for people is the hallmark of an effective minister.

Willingness to Work – Ministers must have a high work ethic. They must have the ability to plan and carry out tasks and lead others to follow them; however, they must avoid becoming workaholics. Ministers must learn to balance the rigors of ministry with the need to play and relax.

Goal Setting – Effective ministers are able to see the long-term results of their efforts. They are able to plan ahead for desired results.

Understanding of Others

Effective ministers understand others and learn to appreciate differences. They develop good relational skills that allow them to effectively lead and minister.

Relationships – Interaction with others is always necessary in ministry. Effective ministers form close relationships and work effectively with many different types of people.

Tolerance Level – A high tolerance for frustration and failure marks an effective leader and minister. They view problems as challenges and are able to move forward when directions are not clearly specified. They realize that they will not always be liked, and approval of others is important but not necessary. They are also tolerant of the opinions of others even when they strongly disagree.

Summary

The list of qualities of effective ministers could be almost endless. When music ministers consider the musical roles needed to be effective (performer, teacher, conductor, composer, arranger, voice coach, musicologist, and theorist), and add on the ministerial roles (speaker, counselor, pastor, and administrator), the job can become overwhelming. At this point, one realizes that only by God's grace is this possible. In actuality, that is the point where we should find ourselves — dependent on God's grace in our lives.

Tests and Other Assessments

Many measurements can help us to learn more about ourselves and our abilities, interests, aptitudes, and methods of personal interaction. Every time you participate in a test or assessment, you always learn something about yourself that either allows you to enhance a neglected area or encourages you to continue in a particular direction. Assessment tools are not to be feared, for they simply assist in learning more about our selves. Consequently, we are better able to assess our ministry abilities and gifts through the information that we learn. Assessment tools come in many types:

Intelligence – Intelligence tests are available to measure one's ability to succeed in academic tasks. They often distinguish between verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Intelligence is often expressed in terms of I.Q., or Intelligence Quotient. School grades and other performances that measure intellectual acumen can also assess intelligence.

Aptitude – Aptitude tests measure one's ability to master a specific skill. For instance, aptitude tests measure one's ability for music, mechanics, mathematics, and other talents.

Interest – Interest tests are often used to help people decide for what type of career they are well suited. Interest tests combine personal characteristics into categories that help us to understand if we have qualities that are suitable for particular types of careers, i.e., helping professions or technical professions. Interest surveys can help us to avoid careers where our interests and personal characteristics may not be adequate. Several years ago, a group of students in one of my classes took an interest survey. One of the students who intended to be a music minister discovered that he preferred to work alone, did not like crowds, and had a strong dislike for personal interaction; therefore, the survey suggested that he was wellsuited for a job such as computer programming, accounting, or research. Through this survey, he became convinced that he should become a bi-vocational music minister and should use his interest in mathematics and science in a research field. He later earned a double major in music and math and has since earned an advanced degree in math. He works as a minister of music in a small church part-time and works in a math-related vocation full-time.

Personality – Personality profiles can help us to discern whether our personality is compatible with a particular career or ministry. Such profiles help us to know if we are introverts, extroverts, sanguine, choleric, or something else. These profiles are also useful in helping us to learn to get along more effectively with others.