Confidently Called

It’s been nearly seven years since Madison R. Andrews sensed God directing her into ministry. She took a major step toward fulfilling that call with her first sermon to an adult congregation at the Arkansas Assemblies of God’s Section 8 spring meeting held at Arkansas’ Brinkley First.

Preaching from 1 Kings 18:21-22 (her father’s text for his first sermon) in “No Turning Back,” the 17-year-old member of Sheridan First talked about Christians needing the kind of boldness Elijah displayed in confronting 400 prophets of Baal.

Referring to the remarkable power the Old Testament prophet demonstrated, Andrews pointed out that believers today need the same kind of authority and clear voice.

“People in other countries are being martyred for their faith,” she told the congregation, made up of adherents from 15 churches. “You must have courage. … It takes more courage to stand alone.”

After describing starting her intermediate (grades 3-5) school’s first-ever Christian club, which is still active eight years later, she added, “God gave me the courage to do what I didn’t think was possible.

“The results of having courage in the Lord will go beyond anything that you can imagine, if you walk in the confidence that God will take care of it.”

The invitation resulted from a series of 17 letters the future Nelson University enrollee sent to section presbyters around Arkansas, offering to speak at their meetings.

After receiving one, Section 8 Presbyter Matthew T. Hodges, 43, decided to invite Andrews to speak at the section’s first event of 2026.

The pastor of Wynne First says a primary reason was to spotlight a new generation of church leaders and persuade older believers to trust them with the pulpit.

“I had heard some statistics about the age of Arkansas’ ministers, and it’s increasing,” says Hodges, pointing to nearly half of the state’s 369 pulpits being filled by those 67 or older. “To intentionally transfer to the next generation, I couldn’t think of a better way to do it than giving her a chance to speak.”

Andrews’ father, Ben R. Andrews, 40, student ministries director of the Arkansas district, loves seeing his daughter following the same call he sensed at age 14.

“My wife and I prayed for our kids since before they were born, that they would love ministry as much as Lindsey and I do,” says Ben, former pastor of Sheridan First. “To see that come to fruition and see them engage the ministry is very surreal.”

The student ministries director says the AG’s youth and discipleship programs, like Fine Arts Festival, Speed the Light, and youth camps, deserve a lion’s share of the credit for preparing Andrews for a future in ministry.

“We definitely feel like my role in the local church has also given her opportunities,” says Ben, a pastor for 13 years prior to joining the district. “She’s been allowed into the room for a lot and at the district and national level has been exposed to a lot of great ministers and events.

“She’s been able to go on overseas mission trips, too,” Ben adds. “Taking advantage of her opportunities has made a big impact on her. I shouldn’t be surprised she has turned out the way she has. The foundation and preparation were there.”

Hodges called the spring meeting a triumph. Not only did Andrews do a phenomenal job speaking, he says, afterwards he asked older people to pray for all the youth, and then for young people to pray for the older generation.

“I think it was a wonderful service, and Madison had a big part in that,” Hodges says. “It was a neat time to see the generations come together.”

Despite the happy ending, when Andrews moved to Sheridan in third grade from a smaller town two hours away, she struggled to fit in. On the first day of school, her mother insisted that she make a new friend.

That friend later accompanied Andrews to a counselor’s office, and then to the principal’s office to discuss starting a Christian club.

Andrews called stepping out to form the club a major turning point for her, which changed her life.

“It was definitely out of my comfort zone,” says Andrews, who served as president for a total of six years in intermediate and middle school grades.

Though not an officer in the high school club, Andrews is one of the 50 to 60 students who attend weekly meetings.

Her arrival at Sheridan High School brought another call from God. At a youth conference before her freshman year, Andrews sensed the Holy Spirit telling her that this was her mission field.

The Lord reminded her of that when she considered being homeschooled or graduating early.

“He’s calling me to make more personal relationships with people,” Andrews says. “I’m trying to point people toward Him in that way.

“I didn’t have a lot of those one-on-one conversations with people in middle school, and I felt that was one thing God wanted me to do in high school.”

Ironically, the night she sensed God’s original calling to ministry at a summer camp, Andrews also received her Holy Spirit baptism.

While she doesn’t remember a particular moment when the Lord said to go into ministry, that night she just knew that there was nothing else she could pursue.

“Before I encountered God that night, I was opposed to ministry,” Andrews recalls. “I don’t know if that’s because of what my parents did, but there was no way I wanted to be in ministry. And when I left, that’s exactly what I wanted to do.”