I'll add this caveat though. I think ministry is much more available in churches without denominational tags than it is in churches like the UMC. Let me explain.
I felt called to ministry as a senior in high school. My senior pastor, though I believe he cared about the youth of the church, was uninvolved in the youth ministry. Out of respect for the youth minister, he left that work up to her (I'm sure he had plenty to do anyway). I was fortunate enough to have a youth minister that could relay me back to the pastor and a pastor that was willing to take time for a teenager.
Not every student has that opportunity though. Sometimes, when a teen has that experience, they might report it to their youth pastor. Generally, that youth pastor isn't ordained and isn't aware of how ordination works or even what it means. The discovery process might end there.
Sometimes, the pastor relies solely on the youth pastor to make the important connections with his or her youth and to nurture them into adulthood when the pastor begins to interact with them. By that point, either the call to ministry has been quieted or alternative options have been made available to the teenager.
My Annual Conference has done a good job in recent years to make exploration of ministry easier for candidates and also for their pastors. These are things I would have benefitted from as a teen and things that I can see benefitting others. What are some ways we can improve these ministries?
Thoughts? Comments? alexander.stroud (at) gmail.com
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