By Ryan Spilhaus

One of the interesting dynamics of working for a church is that often you transition from volunteering in an area you are passionate about to actually working in vocational ministry for that area. When this happens, it’s important to be able to find an area to serve outside of your actual job. Serving has been instrumental in my spiritual growth, and it’s something that is so important in our walk with God. My manager, AnnieLaurie, advised me early on to find an area of ministry outside of work that I could serve in.

I currently serve as a coach with The Gathering, McLean Bible Church’s college ministry. While some churches have a college ministry that meets at the church, The Gathering realized that to really impact the collegiate generation in Washington, DC they were going to have to go where the students are: on campus.

The Gathering and college students hold a special place in my heart. I came to know Christ in college through The Gathering, and I really do have a passion for college students. So it’s always special for me when I get to hang out with fellow Future Leader Allan McCullough over at The Gathering.

This past week, John McGowan, the pastor of the Gathering, was away in Rwanda on a missions trip, so each campus (American University, George Mason, and Maryland) had a guest speaker. My good friend Joe preached at American University and Allan preached at George Mason. I got the chance to head over to my old university on Tuesday and then head over to Mason on Wednesday to support my friends and help out.

Standing at the beginning of our lives, our careers, and our ministries, we’ve been talking a lot about our passions among the Future Leaders. What are you passionate about? What do you enjoy doing? I don’t think this is a question that you answer intellectually, but rather I think you have to experience it first, often completely by accident. You might not even know it while you’re experiencing it either, but when you come out of it you look back and say, “There is nothing else I would have rather been doing just then and there is no place I would have rather been.” Tuesday night was that for me. Looking out onto my old campus while listening to over 100 college students worshiping God showed me what and who I am passionate for. At that moment it all made sense, and I felt closer to God that I have in a long time.

God gives us these desires and these passions for a reason. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God gave us these passions and prepared us for the work He is calling us to. Core Value #7 of McLean Bible Church is “Every Christian has a God-given ministry.” That doesn’t just mean that we think that every Christian has something they’re good at, but it means that every Christian has a passion, a calling, and a desire to do something specific for God.

What do you want to do for God’s glory? What are you passionate about?