Q&A: Grace Church's Steve Futrell

Steve Futrell is currently one of the associate pastors of the children’s ministry at Grace Community Church, responsible for around 100 Sunday school teachers on Sunday mornings who are involved with that ministry. 

It is his job to facilitate the ministry of the Sunday school teachers. He comes alongside those teachers with pastoral care and creates opportunities for equipping people in the ministry through monthly teacher training and other events to help them grow.

Q: How and when did you get into ministry?

A: My first kind of formal role in ministry would go back to high school when I started playing on our church’s music team as a high school student. Then when I was just out of high school, I took a gap year program and did an internship with a program in inner city Atlanta, where I served with a church there doing typical urban ministry-type stuff. 

I ran and helped facilitate an after-school program for kids, and volunteered at a homeless shelter for the year that I was there. It’s just been a lifelong involvement in ministry in the local church, serving in various capacities from music ministry to student ministries and preaching ministry now here in California.

Q: What did you learn from your time in ministry?

A: I’ve learned increasingly over the years the sufficiency of God’s Word for all of our problems, whether it’s a personal spiritual challenge or interpersonal difficulties. If you’re trying to do ministry, and you're relying on any other source of authority other than the scriptures, you’re going to cut yourself off at the knees before it even begins. 

Secondly, I’ve learned that people have problems. Oftentimes people in ministry can look around and think that everyone has reached a place of spiritual maturity where they don’t struggle with things that they’re struggling with. 

The reality is that most people are dealing with spiritual challenges and spiritual battles in a very real way. The church is a place where there are a lot of people who are believers who are struggling and they need encouragement. And so, our primary task as believers is to build one another up and to encourage one another in the things of the Lord.

Q: What advice would you give to students wanting to join the ministry?

A: I would advise a TMU student to get started right now, to not think of ministry as a formal vocation, although it can be that, but to start serving whenever you can and wherever you are in the local church. I’m employed right now by a church, the vast majority of my ministry has been a volunteer or kind of part-time ministry position where I was just serving where there was a need. And so wherever or however you’re equipped to start serving, I would just advise you to get started serving in ministry. The church needs people at all various levels.

Q: Is there a specific time that would be best for them to get involved?

A: I think with young college students in particular, there’s always a feeling of a time crunch. If you can find a way to be at church and also serve on Sunday morning, that’s a great way to make the most efficient use of your time. Whether it’s serving with some sort of hospitality ministry on Sunday morning, serving in Sunday school or serving in some sort of music ministry, there’s a lot that goes on on a Sunday morning. 

These opportunities do not pull you away from your college studies or your university studies during the week. I would just advise a young person who’s going to get involved in ministry to look for opportunities to double dip on their time, if you will. 

Q: Is there anything else you would like to say?

A: In the spirit of Ephesians 4 we’re all being built up for the work of service in the church. For college students or university students, now is a great time for you to be equipped by other people and to just enter into service ready to learn from the saints that are around you. Those who are pouring into your life and making spiritual investments. If you’re faithful where the Lord has placed you in this season, there’s gonna be new opportunities that present themselves as you go along throughout life. And so, I would just encourage people to just be faithful wherever they are. Look for the work that needs to be done, start laboring on that work, and be faithful wherever the Lord’s placed you.