Gospel Ministry Call
My name is Kitty Matz and I have a Gospel ministry call. I live in the United States where religious freedom is celebrated but also frowned on. Depending on where you are and who is around, sharing your faith in the Lord can get you scorned, avoided and in some cases fired from your job.
I was raised in the mid-west where my parents taught me ethics like hard work and loyalty, but I was not brought up in a Christian home. I did not start going to church until second grade and then attendance was very sporadic. My father passed away when I was 15 years old which sent me into a tailspin of bad choices and no Christian guidance. I still attended church, but my heart was not in it. I met an incredible woman who encouraged me to develop a relationship with God, starting me on my spiritual journey. I met my husband who was raised in a very loving and Christ-centered family. It was their dedication to the Lord that opened my eyes to the love of Christ and lead me to find myself on this path toward ministry.
My dream is to pursue a degree in ministry and to someday serve my church home in a women’s ministry role. I want to make a difference in the lives of the women in our church. The Getting Started class at Christian Leaders Institute has allowed me to search deeper into my soul to determine if this is indeed where I am being led on my Gospel ministry call. I have already learned a new way of praying and the importance of journaling my prayer. I am spending more time meditating on His word and absorbing the teaching of the Bible.
I feel like I identify with several ministry words: Pastor, Evangelist, and Small Group Leader. I would like to start small and work my way up. What prompted me to pursue ministry is I desire to share the Gospel with those who don’t know it and I want to bring those who do know the Gospel closer to God.
Challenges in my area are that this is the Bible belt. There are churches on every corner and people from different religions knocking on doors on a daily basis. Getting the truth out there for people to know is hard when so many variations are being shared.
Connecting to the Bible has brought me into a relationship with God. I always knew that He was my Father in Heaven because that was what I was taught as a child, but I know now that He really is my Father, that He loves me, He cares for me and He wants me to be all in, in this relationship with Him. I am the daughter of a King, and I matter! I did not know that someone could love me as much as He does.
My church is wonderful in praying for me, supporting me and mentoring me. Our lead pastor asks how my studies are going and he offers me advice. One of his suggestions for me was for me to study like I am saving lives, not like I am getting a degree. My mentor checks in on me and answers questions when I have them. My adult Bible study class prays with me and for me and supports me on my journey. I would certainly not succeed without their support.
My husband and children are very supportive and excited for me on this endeavor and are active in our churches. Our youngest son serves in the U.S. Army and attends church on the post where he is stationed. When he comes home, he visits our church. I am honored to be part of the praise team and our middle son sings with me. My husband helps with Sunday morning services running the visual program. I schedule a team of people to serve Communion weekly to our homebound members, and we all volunteer regularly for special events.
A scholarship to Christian Leaders Institute will allow me to pursue a formal degree in Christian education without putting my family into debt for the next 20 years. This scholarship will help me to attain the level of education necessary to make a difference in the lives of others in my Gospel ministry call. I would ask for prayer regarding God’s plan for me, that He lead me to the path that He wants me to be on regarding this ministry, and walks with me on the journey.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Young Adult Ministry
I feel called to a young adult ministry. I am currently living in Western Australia, a truly beautiful part of the country. I thank God every day for my surroundings and the people that I have been blessed to find myself with.
I first came to know Jesus as a child through my parents and the typically English upbringing of Sunday school and church activities. I enjoyed a positive upbringing within the church family until approximately 14 years of age. That is when I turned away from church life and spent the majority of my adolescence doing the opposite of what I should have been doing. I formed the first ‘Death’ metal band in Perth, Western Australia in which I played guitar and did vocals for the next three years. I was also struggling with alcohol addiction.
Sometime later, approximately in my early 20s, I repented and asked Jesus for forgiveness. I had lost a dear friend and it brought home the feelings and the need for Jesus in my life. The relationship I was in at the time wasn’t supportive of my return to faith. Thankfully, after some years struggling with that, God led me to meet the woman who is now my wife. She encouraged my faith journey and together we found a local church to be planted in. Which, by the grace of God, was headed by the Pastor who had been leading the church I was involved in as a child. His wife was my formeSundayay school teacher.
I’ve now been at Spires Life Church for many years and head up both the Media team and the Young Adult ministry. At times, I struggle with some of the teachings and some of the ideas and ‘human’ ways that the church staff can do things. My desire is to reach the world and bring more people to Christ, so I think I can put up with the church problems to reach my end goal.
My ministry dream would be an outreach to all people, particularly young adult ministry through the use of media and technology, bringing people to the Lord. Another one of my ministry goals is to one day lead my own church for the purpose of bringing Christ’s teachings into people’s lives in a modern way.
I have started looking at some things differently because of this first course at Christian Leaders Institute. A clear perspective on how to lead others in the correct way has been a major benefit of completing this course. The ministry word I most identify with would be Youth Leader or Pastor. I would like to give perspective to others about the teachings of Christ when God deems me ready to do so.
A key experience that made me want to pursue ministry is that I saw many people missing out on hearing the teachings of Christ in our area for various reasons. I felt that I could use my talents and gifts to effectively reach the people in my community.
Some unique challenges in Australia are the distance between places and the general attitude of Australians. Maybe you have heard, “Shell be right mate” demonstrating the easy-going nature of Australians. This sometimes gets in the way of the important things, and it’s not cool to be a Christian. I see the Bible as a roadmap to my life. It has shown me how to live my life in such a way that I become more like Christ every single day.
My church has been very accommodating by allowing me to expand my media team as I see fit. They have given me the freedom to implement new ideas and pursue my vision for our local church. I would like to expand it beyond the walls of that church to the wider community. A scholarship with CLI is important to give my ministry some weight in my pursuit. Please pray that God will use me to further his kingdom in any way that suits his plans for me.
Learn about local ecuministry ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
