Introduction by The Archbishop of Canterbury

What sort of experience do you need to work in the full-time ministry of the Church of England? Well, first and foremost, the experience of relationship with God through Jesus, and the recognition by other Christians that you may have something quite distinctive to share arising out of that experience.

When the Church takes seriously the calling of its younger members to ordained ministry, it has to start with this—not with stereotypes of the sort of thing you need to have been or done before you can be listened to.

What the Church asks of its ordained teachers and pastors is that they will keep the Good News fresh for them; help them to hear it as really new. And this means that the ordained minister needs to work at maintaining the freshness of the vision for himself or herself—needs to be daily amazed and excited by the gift of God.

That amazement and excitement is not the sole property of younger believers; what a very dull Church it would be if that were so! But if we fail to attract and to nourish younger Christians in thinking about their calling to ordained ministry—indeed any kind of long-term ministry—we are going to lose a hugely precious resource of enthusiasm and hopefulness in our life together.

A new focus on encouraging younger people to consider their calling will make us ask quite difficult questions at some points about habits and styles we take for granted in our life of witness and worship—and we may be surprised when what we older believers think works for younger Christians turns out to be wildly off the mark. But it will also open doors for all of us into new insights, new inspiration.

So I hope and pray that this CALL WAITING… initiative will enrich the whole of our Church and allow more people, old and young, to grow into the fullness of the gifts God has given them.

+Rowan Cantuar: