To the ends of the earth?

For the last nine months I've been exploring a call to Baptist ministry. To put it another way, having spent a good proportion of the last fifteen years either employed by churches as a youth worker or volunteering in a variety of capacities I was wondering whether actually being responsible for leading a local church was something I might be capable of doing and, more to the point, what God was calling me to.

To cut a moderately tedious story short, it turns out that although lots of lovely people have been very affirming about my ability to exercise leadership and pastoral care, the London Baptist Association have decided that at this stage accredited Baptist ministry isn't for me. Weirdly, I'm not particularly surprised by that decision and for a whole bunch of reasons I'm actually quite relieved that I won't be heading off to college in September. There are loose ends to tie up but for now it's back to the status quo.

Except that for me the status quo doesn't really exist at the moment. As I'm sure I've written about before, the last four years have been a transition but I'm still not sure what I'm transitioning into. The prospect of ordination seemed to tick that box but clearly that's not it. I'm living with a friend rent-free (this has become something of a pattern and has got me thinking about the nature of my 'welfare state', but that's a post for another day) and working five days a fortnight in a (just above) minimum wage job which I enjoy and has some scope for role development (although without extra hours or money). This is clearly not a state of affairs that can continue indefinitely.

So I'm at a point where I'm trying to reflect on the possibilities that might be open to me. They include (with varying degrees of practicality)...

1. Continuing to exploit the hospitality of gracious and generous friends, working five days a fortnight and spending my free time swanning around.
2. Moving back in with my parents without any immediate income.
3. Becoming part of a Christian community for a few months. This would enable me to exercise some of my ministry skills and contribute practically to community life, whilst having my board and pocket money provided.  
4. Getting a proper job. By this I mean full time employment which will enable me to rent my own house. Who knows how realistic a prospect that is in the current economic climate? 
5. Starting my own business. I've been doing a lot of baking recently and have realised that I really enjoy it and, it appears, I'm moderately good at it. However, this requires a kitchen which I don't have.
6. Seeing if there are any community initiatives / churches who are looking to develop projects around baking - a café, community bakery etc - who I could team up with to shape some kind of social enterprise.

There are several reasons why I've decided to share that list. One is simply that it helps me to collect my thoughts. But another is that I'm looking for some feedback on points 5 and 6.

Ten years ago I was almost half way through the Oasis Youth Work and Ministry Course and was beginning to think about what my next step might be. I told God I'd go anywhere and I ended up ten miles down the road (although it was a whole world away in many respects). I'm wondering whether I'm back in that place again. So if you know of great opportunities on the other side of the country, the continent or the world, you should feel free to share them. I'm not saying I'll definitely have the courage to go, but at least I'll know what I'm turning down.