When You Feel Called to Teach: Serving Faithfully Under Elder Oversight
Since I began serving in the local church, I have had to navigate this tension: being a member of the body while also having the desire and gifting to teach. I have made some mistakes that I will address in this article, and I have learned from them, which has helped shape my philosophy of ministry now as a pastor. If you are unfamiliar with the “philosophy of ministry,” let me explain. I believe this is critical to understand, regardless of which church you attend, because each church, pastor, or elder team has a different philosophy. A philosophy of ministry is a church’s “why and how” for doing what it does, the guiding beliefs that decide what gets prioritized, how ministry is structured, and what methods are used to shepherd people faithfully. I am writing this for the members and regular attendees of 5 Bridges Church, as well as those considering joining our church family, to help them know and understand, as many are unfamiliar with “why” the church does what it does or what drives decisions about what is not done or allowed. Additionally, understanding our philosophy of ministry, I believe, will help clear up many unmet expectations and assist you in assessing whether this is the church where you want to covenant.
There are few things more encouraging than hearing a brother or sister say, “I think the Lord has given me the gift of teaching, and I want to use it for the good of the church.” That desire, in and of itself, is not something to be suspicious of. In fact, it’s something we should thank God for. The church is built up when God supplies gifts to His people (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11–16), and teaching is one of those gifts that can be a great blessing. At the same time, many of you have felt a real tension: “If I have this gift, why don’t I have a formal opportunity to teach in the church?” That’s a fair question, and it deserves a thoughtful answer, not a hasty response.
In our church, the bulk of teaching is done by elders because we take doctrine and its content seriously. This is not a “power move” or a personality preference; it’s part of our philosophy of ministry and our understanding of the biblical call for qualified shepherds to lead, teach, and guard the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9; 1 Pet. 5:1–4). When a church says, “We want the main teaching to be carried by elders,” what we’re really saying is: we believe the public teaching ministry is a major steering wheel for the whole church, and we want the men charged with oversight to also be the men most responsible for what is taught and where it is taking the people of God.
Additionally, we’re cautious about placing non-elders in teaching roles, not because we want to stunt anyone’s gifting, but because teaching carries a weight that Scripture itself emphasizes. “Not many of you should become teachers… for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). That’s not meant to scare faithful people away from serving; it’s meant to sober us up. As an elder group, we will give an account for how we shepherd and what we allow to shape the church (Heb. 13:17). And you, as an individual, will give an account for what you say, and yes, what you don’t say when you stand in front of people with an open Bible and claim to represent God’s truth. That caution is for the protection of the flock, and it’s also for your protection. It’s not to shut doors just to shut doors. It’s to ensure that what is taught is faithful, clear, and consistent with the church's doctrine and direction.
What We Look For in Those Who Want to Teach
So what do we want to see in church members who aspire to teach? First, we want to see that you’re already serving consistently in the life of the body, not chasing a platform but loving people in ordinary faithfulness. It’s a red flag when someone “feels called to teach” yet is hard to find in the day-to-day work of ministry. Teaching is not the fast lane to significance; it’s one expression of servant-hearted discipleship. Second, we’re looking for people who already model the Titus 2 pattern of life-on-life discipleship investment, humble instruction, practical godliness, and relational credibility (Titus 2:1–8). A great deal of real teaching in the church happens long before anyone stands in a formal setting: in conversations, hospitality, counseling moments, and helping someone learn to read their Bible, pray, repent, forgive, and endure.
It’s also important to remember that each believer has a variety of gifts, and God doesn’t design the church so that every gift is expressed in exactly the same way or in the way we might expect or prefer. Just because one of your gifts isn’t being used in the way you desire doesn’t mean you can’t be fruitful right now through other giftings and other arenas of ministry. The body has many parts, and not every part has the same function (1 Cor. 12). Sometimes the Lord uses seasons of “closed doors” to deepen our humility, strengthen our character, and teach us to serve without needing visibility. And sometimes those seasons reveal something else: that what we really wanted wasn’t the responsibility of teaching but the recognition that can come with it. That’s worth facing honestly.
Every Member Ministry
This is where we want to encourage what you might call an “everyone is a minister” membership. In other words, we do not believe ministry belongs to a handful of people with titles. We believe the whole church is called to disciple, admonish one another, encourage, teach what is true in appropriate settings, and build each other up (Col. 3:16; Heb. 3:13). There are ways to teach that don’t require a formal slot on a calendar: discipling a younger believer, leading your family in Scripture and prayer, walking with someone through a book of the Bible, helping a new Christian understand the gospel, or simply being the kind of steady, biblically-minded member whose words consistently bring clarity and courage to others. If the goal is truly to serve people with truth, there are more opportunities than we often realize, especially when we stop thinking of teaching as primarily “being up front” and start thinking of it as “helping others follow Jesus with God’s Word.”
At the same time, we want to be realistic and understanding: the church's leadership has structured the teaching ministry in a specific way to support the church's overall mission, direction, and health. That structure won’t always align with your personal expectations, even if your intentions are sincere. A healthy response isn’t resentment; it’s maturity and submission. And here’s a hard but necessary question: rather than approaching leadership demanding an opportunity, ask yourself why you so badly want to teach. Have you counted the cost? Are you willing to be known, examined, corrected, and guided by the elders? Are you willing to submit your content, tone, and approach to oversight not as a formality but as a protection? In a healthy church, aspiring teachers should not be people pushing themselves forward; they should be people serving faithfully enough that leadership begins to say, “We see consistent fruit, we see humility, we see doctrinal care, we see Titus 2 faithfulness, let’s bring them along.” If that posture bothers you, it may be worth revisiting what you believe teaching is for and what you believe you’re owed.
If you’re in that spot feeling the gift, feeling the tension, please don’t let it turn into cynicism, and don’t let it turn into passivity either. Serve where you are. Pursue faithfulness in the “small” places. Invest in people. Grow in doctrine. Grow in character. And trust that the same Lord who gives gifts also knows the right context and timing for those gifts to be expressed for the good of His church. Our desire is not to hinder your gifting, but to steward it wisely, so the flock is protected, Christ is honored, and you are helped, not harmed, by the weight of what it means to teach.
5 Bridges Church Philosophy of Ministry
Underlying everything we’ve said is a particular philosophy of ministry that we believe is thoroughly biblical and deeply pastoral. At the center is a Word-first conviction: the church is not a social club, a religious event, or a platform for gifted communicators, but “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). That means teaching is never treated as casual “sharing” but as weighty stewardship of God’s Word that shapes the doctrine, worship, conscience, and direction of the flock. For that reason, our church is structured so that the primary formal teaching is carried by elders, not because we distrust the body, but because elders are called to shepherd through teaching, to exhort in sound doctrine, and to refute those who contradict (Acts 20:28; Titus 1:9). In other words, in our church, oversight and doctrine travel together.
We also hold a high view of accountability. James warns that teachers will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1), and Hebrews reminds us that leaders will give an account (Heb. 13:17). So we are cautious about non-elder teaching opportunities, not to stunt gifts but to protect the flock and the individual from stepping too quickly into a role that carries spiritual weight and real consequences. At the same time, we are not flattening ministry into “elders do everything.” We believe in an everyone-is-a-minister membership, where every believer is called to disciple, admonish, encourage, and teach in appropriate contexts (Eph. 4:11–16; Col. 3:16). The difference is that we refuse to confuse every-member ministry with every-member public teaching authority. In this model, gifting is affirmed, but character governs access.
Growth into greater responsibility in the church isn’t driven by a strong personality or a loud desire for the microphone. I am not saying everyone who desires to teach has that as their motivation. However, they live a life that has quietly demonstrated trustworthiness over time: steady involvement, careful handling of doctrine, teachability, and discipleship that is already bearing fruit in ordinary relationships. For that reason, it’s wise to put your desire under the light and ask some hard questions: What’s fueling this longing to teach? Are you prepared for the weight that comes with it? Can you receive oversight, correction, and direction from the shepherds God has appointed? In most cases, the men and women best suited to instruct others aren’t those campaigning for the role, but those whose consistent ministry makes their readiness obvious. And that’s the point of the structure: not to bottle up gifts and restrict our members, but to protect the flock, form maturity, and make sure the voices shaping the church are sound, examined, and operating with a sober fear of the Lord.
What Next?
If this describes you, don’t let the lack of a formal slot discourage you or prompt you to walk toward the door. Instead, start with the basics and do them with joy: keep showing up, keep serving, keep loving people. Ask the Lord to deepen your humility and sharpen your handling of His Word, not for an audience but for faithfulness. Then look for real people, not hypothetical opportunities. Identify one or two younger believers, invite them into your life, open the Bible with them, and practice Titus 2 discipleship in the ordinary rhythms of church life. Let your teaching gift be evident in clarity, patience, and usefulness long before it is ever seen in a public setting.
At the same time, pursue growth with the right posture. Seek feedback from mature saints. Sit under your elders’ preaching with a teachable spirit. If your desire is to teach, show that you can also be taught. Over time, as your life and doctrine prove steady, humbly make it known that you’re available and willing, and give the elders room to lead. Trust that God can open doors at the right time. If He does, step into them with trembling seriousness. If He doesn’t, refuse the lie that you’re sidelined. The church needs faithful ministers in a hundred unseen places. Teach where you are, disciple those in front of you, and let the Lord decide the scope.
I pray you sense the care and sensitivity I have in writing this. My aim is not to create drama or pose a dilemma. My hope is to get everyone thinking, “Why do I want to do what I want to do?” It may not only be in teaching; it may be in singing, playing an instrument, serving on the security team, or being a greeter. As believers, we are called to serve, and we have the beautiful opportunity to do so. However, we must be cautious not to weaponize our service into bullets to be shot at the leadership or others when events or situations don’t pan out according to our timeline or preferences.
Coram Deo