MACON, Ga. — Nearly 500
high school, college and seminary students from 15 states converged at “KALEO:
Georgia ‘10” as part of their quest to find God’s will for their lives.
The gathering was the 11th KALEO weekend since 2006 sponsored by the North
American Mission Board’s KALEO Network. (KALEO is a Greek word meaning “to call”
or “to call out.”)
More than just a weekend event, KALEO is an ongoing network that serves as both
a career database and a “farm system” for young people exploring or pursuing a
call from God to ministry. In addition to networking, KALEO focuses on personal
development, including coaching and mentoring.
Photo by John Swain North American Mission Board national missionary Kerry Jackson, an Atlanta artist, paints a portrait of Christ in about 10 minutes’ time, demonstrating to the 500 students at a KALEO student conference how they can use their talents while on mission for God. |
“Just like major league sports franchises, the KALEO network serves as a farm
system for the next generation of Southern Baptist leadership,” said Donald
King, KALEO coordinator and events director for NAMB in Alpharetta, Ga. “And
just like any sports team, the Southern Baptist Convention needs a strong and
deep bench. With KALEO, it is developing one.”
Southern Baptists, with the KALEO Network, now have a process in place to
identify, track and cultivate students who accept a call into ministry. “There’s
a framework and resources available to churches and pastors for the coaching
and mentoring of these students,” King said.
A seminary president, a seminary professor, senior pastors, missionaries,
campus ministers were among the speakers at the Feb. 5-6 KALEO sessions at
Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon co-sponsored by the Georgia Baptist
Convention. Representatives of NAMB, the International Mission Board and the
Georgia Baptist Convention also were featured.
Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill
Valley, Calif., recounted to the students, “I’ve been a Christian for almost 40
years. I became a Christian when I was 13. In 40 years as a Christian, I’ve had
five call experiences — just five. They don’t come often and when they do, they
are so profound that they stamp your life for decades. They establish
parameters for your life, which must be lived in the context of that call.
“That call can only be altered by a subsequent, superseding impression from
God,’ Iorg continued. ‘That means that if and when you are called, you are
called. You’re not released from that nor can you walk away from that. The only
thing that can change your call is another call.”
Iorg said all believers receive a universal call to Christian service and
growth at the time they accept Christ as the Lord and Savior.
“That call can be expressed by any honorable vocation,” Iorg said. “So relax if
you want to be a music teacher, mechanic, architect, engineer, physician or
nurse. It’s possible to do any of those things as a Christian, yet serving and
growing in Jesus Christ in those professions.
“Don’t devalue the universal call to Christian service,” he said, “because for
98 percent of all Christians that’s the only call they’ll ever receive. God
expects them to express that call through an honorable vocation and live in the
world making a difference for Jesus Christ.”
But a minority of Christians also receive a second call — a general call to
ministry leadership, Iorg noted, while even fewer Christians receive a third
call — a specific call to a ministry assignment.
Allen Jackson, associate professor of youth ministry at New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary, addressed the question of “How can I know God and how can
I know what He wants me to do?”
There are three signs of a person who wants to know God, Jackson said: a person’s
attitude in approaching God; a person’s availability to spend time with Him;
and a willingness to adapt to His will.
Photo by John Swain Paul Coogle, left, a high school sophomore from Eastman, Ga., was among 25 students in a breakout session by North American Mission Board representatives on what it takes to be a NAMB missionary. |
“If we’re not willing to make our life available to Him and adapt to His will,
then we’re not really interested in God or what He wants us to do,” Jackson
said. “But four ways to know God and His will are through prayer; studying God’s
word; seeking wise counsel from mentors you consider wise, such as pastors or
youth pastors; and being aware of circumstances in your life. If we know that
we know Him, we will recognize what He’s doing in our lives.”
One of KALEO’s highlights was a presentation by NAMB national missionary Kerry
Jackson, an Atlanta artist who uses his drawing ability to share Christ with
art students, other artists and in churches as part of his “Drawing to the Rock”
ministry.
With music in the background, Jackson took only 10 minutes to paint a portrait
of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns at the crucifixion. Afterward, Jackson
told the students, “I wish I had had someone in my life to tell me what I’m
about to tell you: If you have compassion, a gift, a talent — no matter what
you’re gifted in — you can be on mission for Him.”
Jackson’s message on ministry and the arts resonated with one KALEO attendee,
art student Alyssa Johns, who attends First Baptist Church in Eastman, Ga.
In a follow-up email to Jackson after the Feb. 5-6 conference, Johns wrote, “I
recently talked to you about being an art student and not understanding how God
receives glory in my work. Meeting you and seeing your work completely changed
my mind. I now know that God can and does use my talents in the fine arts to
minister to others and bring Him glory.”
One of the younger students at KALEO, 14-year-old Daniel Choi of Alpharetta,
Ga., had been struggling with a decision to enter the ministry for 18 months.
The son of the pastor of a large Atlanta-area Korean Baptist church, Choi was
one of several students who were driven to KALEO by his mom, Tina.
While Daniel said it was “strange” to be with all the older high school,
college and seminary students, he said KALEO gave him “strength for the future”
as he continues to consider and pray about entering youth ministry.
Paul Coogle, a sophomore at Dodge County High School in Eastman, Ga., who is
considering becoming a missionary, was one of 10 students from First Baptist
Eastman to make the one-hour drive north to Macon for the KALEO weekend.
“A recent church retreat opened my eyes to what my brothers and sisters in
other countries are going through,” Coogle said. “It broke my heart. It was
like God told me to go to a closed country like China, Iraq or Iran. I felt a
call and needed to come to KALEO to nail it down. I have a passion to go somewhere
and do something. I just don’t know where.
“Last night (during KALEO) my friends and I stayed up until 3 a.m. to talk to
each other about our struggles,” Coogle said. “It’s amazing to see how God is
working in our group.”
In addition to Georgia, King said states represented among the 490 students at
KALEO were Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama,
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Maryland, Texas, Oklahoma, California, Kansas
and Virginia.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Noah is a writer for the North American Mission Board. “KALEO:
Arkansas ’10” is coming up at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.,
on Feb. 27. For more information, go to www.KALEOConference.com. For general
information on the KALEO Network, visit www.KALEONetwork.com or call
1-888-554-7729.)