CHAIRMAN'S CORNER
Is pro-life work a valid lay ministry or just another
charitable action?
It can be either. But an authentic, Holy Spirit-inspired pro-life
ministry requires a level of commitment and effort in excess of that
associated with the timid, "head-in-the-sand" attitude of many
pro-lifers today. It requires always putting God's will in the matter
uppermost in one's mind and empowered in the world in the form
of a specific action plan.
How then do we know if God is calling us to a pro-life ministry?
First, let me define the term "pro-life ministry." By that term I
mean a routine of organized Christian outreach activities directed at
saving pre-born innocent life through anti-abortion interventions that
address the spiritual, financial, intellectual, psychological and/or
familial needs of women, or activities devoted to the care and support
of rescued children and their mothers or the healing of post-abortive
women.
Though Scripture underlie all pro-life work, those engaged in pro-life
ministry are not primarily Preachers (although Preaching and soul-saving
may, at times, be inspired and prompted by the Holy Spirit). They are
consolers, nurturers, assistance providers, truth-tellers, and, in the case
of sidewalk counselors, life-savers as well, who will use all appropriate
sidewalk counseling and counter-opposition means--including Scripture,
psychology, logic, pop culture, theater, art, signage, music, entreaty, etc.
--to achieve their life-saving ends.
Praying "unceasingly," however, as the Bible commands, is a
concern of pro-life ministers, and a requirement that should be satisfied
both in and around and away from the activity site.
Now, back to the question of whether or not one is being called
to this ministry.
The Lord has unique ways--usually tailored to each individual's unique
personality--of calling His people to any given ministry, but a divine
calling to the pro-life ministry can be marked by certain general
characteristics.
First, since the Lord ranks the saving of innocent life second only to
the saving of souls, a personal conviction as to the seriousness (for
the Lord, the mother, and the child) of pro-life work is usually a sign of
a calling to the pro-life ministry.
Then, there is the issue of one's deeply felt priorities. The
inclination to see pro-life work as a top priority--superceding all
other social, recreational, civic, and lay witness activity--is
another possible sign of a calling to this vital ministry.
Because of its importance in the eyes of God, a pro-life ministry
surpasses--and should not be confused with--other social, civic,
professional, and even charitable activities (with the exception of
direct soul-saving), and those who feel this way almost certainly have
a calling to the pro-life ministry.
Finally, a calling to the pro-life ministry may be revealed in
the "fruits" of a pro-lifer's activities.
In the sidewalk counseling area, such "fruits" include
manifestations that turnarounds have resulted from one's pro-life
activities, that babies have been saved, that "pro-choice" opponents
have been foiled and their ranks diminished, and--greatest of
all--that happy mothers have returned with their rescued children to
render thanks.
And, in addition to possibly signifying a calling to the pro-life
ministry, these "signs and wonders" should reassure practicing
pro-life ministers in their present ministries and in God's Biblical
promise to shepherd His people through their trials and tribulations
until "the consummation of the world."
They also serve to call practicing pro-life ministers to
the necessity of rendering honor and glory to God, help these
ministers see more clearly the path before him, and provide them with
God-given opportunities for consolation and encouragement.
The biggest consolation of this ministry, however, is the
knowledge and satisfaction that the "good race" is being run,
and that a heavenly reward awaits those who persevere.
