Rick Wright said in college, speech was his worst class.
“I dreaded it, and I hated it in high school too,” he said. “But when God gets hold of you, he can take care of all those things that are fears.”
Wright, now pastor of The Church at Chelsea Westover, shared that with his congregation Aug. 10 as part of Calling Out the Called Sunday, an emphasis encouraged by the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions’ office of LeaderCare.
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Three families and two young men responded to an altar call at The Church at Chelsea Westover that day to indicate that God was dealing with them about the possibility of serving in ministry.
Culture of intentionality
“It was a pretty unforgettable experience for my church as we joined with so many across Alabama to call out the called,” Wright said.
He said his church tries to create a culture of intentionality to send out pastors to the ministry, but the Calling Out the Called gave him new ideas about how to emphasize that message.
“I encourage churches to make this a part of who you are regularly, whether it’s Calling Out the Called Sunday (or other times) … we have to continue asking people and calling them to answer God’s call,” Wright said.
Bryan Blass, director of the SBOM office of LeaderCare, said Wright was the first pastor he heard from after the emphasis Sunday.
“I was blessed to hear how God was glorified as several answered His call for service,” Blass said. “Only God can place His call upon a servant’s heart; however, there can be great joy in the life of the church as ministers and church members alike encourage and spur on those who are experiencing that individual call.”
All ages can respond
He said as church leaders share their own stories of their call into ministry, those testimonies can help clarify some questions for others who might be dealing with a call.
“Our God is not limited, so do not be surprised when people of all ages begin that journey to follow God in service, wherever He leads,” Blass said. “While some answer ‘yes’ from a call early in their life, others are asked to say ‘yes’ to His call even in their retirement years.”
He shared Wright’s story through a video at the Alabama Baptist State Convention annual meeting Nov. 11. He also shared the story of First Baptist Church Trussville, which held a luncheon for people exploring a call to ministry.
Pastor Buddy Champion said the Calling Out the Called emphasis “really rang” with them because “each one of the team members knew of an individual, a man or a woman or a young student, who had spoken with them about the vocational ministry.”
So they decided to invite those individuals to a luncheon but also extend the invitation to anyone who might be considering a call.
Cultivating the call
“We just began the luncheon with some of the team members just telling their story, and then we walked through a quick Bible study talking about how God calls us all to a specific ministry, sometimes in the secular world but sometimes in vocational ministry,” Champion said. “And then we talked about how do you cultivate that call, not only cultivate it but what areas could God possibly be calling you to?”
More than 30 people from age 14 to 64 attended the luncheon.
Blass said he’s convinced that “when we see the need to have servants step up and say, ‘Yes I feel God’s call, I hear God’s call, I’m going to answer God’s call,’ I’m convinced He will give us the tools that we need to be able to extend those invitations and come alongside them.”
The next Calling Out the Called emphasis Sunday will be Aug. 9, 2026, but Blass said he encourages churches to prioritize God’s call on people’s lives throughout the year. Resources and more information are available at callingoutthecalledal.org.
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