Carly Ball : My Leadership Pathway

Leadership has always felt natural to me.

I’ve been involved in leadership since middle school. I attended a camp for Christian athletes for two years and helped lead a group at my school. I spoke about my faith at a local church. I was involved in a mission trip to Haiti the summer before my sophomore year in high school, and trips to a Wyoming Indian reservation three summers in a row. I did peer mentoring, tutoring, ministry student leadership, and was a Resident Assistant in my college dorm. In college, I was given even more distinct leadership roles.

I’ve always had a heart for people to truly be heard. I absolutely love psychology, but after my first year of college I realized there was no way I could ever counsel people without Jesus. As I entered my senior year of college, I was extremely drawn to missionary care. My heart longs for overseas missionaries to feel valued, and have on-site support while serving God’s Kingdom.

I now serve as an apprentice in young adults ministry and missions at Crosspoint Alliance Church in Lewiston, Idaho. I know I’m very much at the starting line, but I’m confident my leadership experience is equipping me in more ways than I know. So far, it’s been awesome being on staff and I already feel like I’m making a difference. I’m co-leading a young adults group and receiving spiritual mentoring each week. It’s exciting to use my gifts and passions to share Christ’s love with my own generation of young adults as I help build and strengthen our mission’s ministry. I’ve felt so welcomed to the staff here, and I love my team.

There have definitely been several situations where I’ve realized ministry is harder than it seems on the outside, but by no means impossible. I’m realizing that the church is full of broken people. I’ve had several hard conversations that left me feeling hurt, defeated and misunderstood. But God has been so gracious to reveal that imperfections and brokenness exist in the church, but can be dealt with in a healthy way when God’s people are truly seeking Him.

For me, living out my calling means living my life as a follower of Jesus everywhere I go. It means my attitude is just as important at my part-time job selling hot dogs and churros at Costco as it is in my work at church. I love when a customer asks, “Are you always this happy?” To know that God is using me to bless people in the smallest of ways is a good reminder that being a light for Jesus is often simpler than we realize.

To others searching for their pathways, I would say it’s important to remember that all that really matters is what God is doing, not always how He is doing it. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the details and want an entire plan set before us. But we’ve got to trust the process. It’s your job to push the gas pedal, but leave the steering wheel in God’s hands.

 I’m Carly Ball, and this is my leadership pathway.