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July 6, 2010
Is Ministry a Job or Vocation?
And what difference does it make?
Eugene Peterson laments in For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (Baker Books, 2010) that he has been “trying for fifty years now to be a pastor in a culture that doesn’t know the difference between a vocation and a job.” It was a bunch of artists that clued him in on the difference.
Definitions are in order. According to Peterson, a job is “an assignment to do work that can be quantified and evaluated.” Most jobs come with job descriptions, so it “is pretty easy to decide whether a job has been completed or not…whether a job is done well or badly.” This, Peterson argues, is the primary way Americans think of the pastor (and, presumably, that pastors think of themselves). Ministry is “a job that I get paid for, a job that is assigned to me by a denomination, a job that I am expected to do to the satisfaction of my congregation.”
A vocation is not like a job in these respects. The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare, “to call.” Although the term today can refer to any career or occupation (according to Webster), the word (vocatio, I imagine) was coined to describe the priestly calling to service in the church. So vocation=calling. This is how Peterson is using the word, anyway. And the struggle for pastors today, he continues, is to “keep the immediacy and authority of God’s call in my ears when an entire culture, both secular and ecclesial, is giving me a job description.”
During his seminary education in New York City, Peterson worked with a group of artists. They were dancers and poets and sculptors, and they all worked blue-collar jobs as taxi drivers, waiters, and salesmen—whatever they had to do to pay the rent and put food on the table. Soon enough Peterson realized that “none of them were defined by their jobs—they were artists, whether anyone else saw them as artists, and regardless of whether anyone would ever pay them to be artists.” That is to say, being an artist wasn’t a job for them, but a vocation. Their jobs simply kept them alive so they could pursue their vocations. “Their vocation didn’t come from what anyone thought of them or paid them.”
I found this discussion both liberating and convicting. Looking back over the past decade or so, I wonder if the angst I’ve experienced while trying to figure out what to do with my life has stemmed from confusing these two categories.
In my senior year of high school, I “surrendered to the gospel ministry” (that’s what we called it). I sensed a calling to dedicate my life and career to serving Christ through the local church. I immediately understood that vocation in terms of the jobs that commitment made possible or impossible. Before then, I wanted to teach high school English for a living. After, I knew that a call to ministry meant abandoning that career. At the time, the only ministers I knew were senior pastors, youth ministers, and worship leaders. The job description of pastor seemed the best decision.
In college I waffled. I was pastoring a church and didn’t appreciate the identity foisted upon me when people from church introduced me as “Pastor Brandon.” I still felt the sense of vocation, but didn’t like the job. Since then I’ve been trying to figure out what job would be enable me to live out my vocation.
The trouble is, I’m not sure I could tell you in a sentence what I feel called to. I have several jobs: editor, writer, college instructor, doctoral student (not paid for it, but it sure is work). None of those things are “ministry” in the strictest sense. Yet I feel “called” to ministry still, and there are parts of each of my jobs that satisfy my sense of calling. But it sure would be nice to answer the question, “What do you do?” with a sentence that doesn’t begin, “Well, it’s complicated…”
Jobs pay the bills; vocations may or may not. I suspect bi-vocational pastors, as they’re called, must have a deeper sense of vocation than the rest of us. So many men and women who feel called to the ministry drop out when they can’t find a job at a church that’s big enough to pay their rent and student loans because we tend to think of ministry as the job that will put food on our tables. I admire the men and women who do what they have to for a living so they can do what they are called to do for the kingdom.
Comments
it's interesting how often I hear something like "I admire the men and women who do what they have to for a living so they can do what they are called to do for the kingdom" from ministers with full time religious gigs. Also interesting is how few people in full-time ministry would actually go beyond the platitude and work for free...
Posted By: Scott | July 6, 2010 10:32 AM
I knew that there was a ministry "call" on my life but could not never see it as pastoring. Fortunately, counseling surfaced as an option and I am privileged to be leading a ministry that focuses in that area. I have an advanced degree, am ordained and licensed. People understand that pastors are "paid" by the church but it amazes me that some cannot accept that other ministers should "charge" for their services.
Posted By: Don Ibbitson | July 6, 2010 10:46 AM
The problem you identified in the 2nd-last paragraph is one of the issues inherent in the current usage of 'vocation.' Very few people have a single vocation throughout their lifetime, or as you discuss at any one time in their life. One helpful alternative is suggested by Miroslav Volf in "Work in the Spirit" (1991). Rather than vocation, he argues that spiritual gifts is a better way to talk about work.
Also, although it's implied in the discussion of artists, I think it should be stated clearly that vocation is not limited to religious work. This is the move first made by Martin Luther and shouldn't be ignored. The priesthood and the monastery are not privileged positions from which to serve God. According to Luther, all people, no matter what they do, have a calling from God.
Posted By: Len | July 6, 2010 10:50 AM
As a "full time vocational minister" for quite some time now I have been blessed to serve churches and people in a capacity that allows me to maximize my gifting and calling to serve God's people. Much of what I do is the kinds of ministry and matters that most church members and attenders don't notice...or even think about. Yet they are things that need to be done.
It is a blessing to be able to serve and receive a salary for doing what I am called to do. In affirming 1 Corinthians 9, ministers do have a calling to lead a flock and are worthy of support in doing so. There is a biblical teaching that it is okay to pay ministers. Yet that is part of my vocational calling.
I believe all believers are called to ministry and called to vocation. We are all called to be part of a local body of believers where we can learn, grow, and implement our unique spiritual gifts. We are all called to this. One of sad things we see all too often is believers who don't realize how important it is to give and receive while in church...and I'm not talking about money here.
I'd gladly so what I do for free but I suspect my mortgage company would have a problem with that. Payment is one aspect of my service, but my ministry is not defined by my paycheck.
Posted By: Robert | July 6, 2010 11:13 AM
I appreciate your responses. Len, I appreciate the nuance. I certainly didn't mean to imply that vocation is limited to religious work. That is a very important point. In my case, though, I believe it is (and I was speaking primarily from personal experience).
Robert, I also appreciate your feedback. I am not among those that believes a minister ought to minister for free. I have no problem with full-time vocational ministry. My concern is those people who abandon a clear call because they can't find a ministry job that pays them enough.
Posted By: Brandon | July 6, 2010 2:10 PM
In the Lutheran tradition we talk a great deal about the concept of vocation, but are constantly battling against the way it's used as either a synonym for "career" or the calling of an ordained minister.
But Luther saw vocation as the consequence of justification. He reasoned that when people are freed from the need to earn salvation through good works they are then able to direct their activity outward to the neighbor rather than upward toward God.
Luther also argued that all people, not just clergy, have a holy vocation. Anything that we do in service to our neighbor is sacred. In Luther's mind parenting, volunteering, and one's career were all expressions of vocation. And in this "priesthood of all believers" the Pastor's vocation is no more important than that of the teacher or the stay at home Mom.
Posted By: Brian Beckstrom | July 6, 2010 2:24 PM
As a bivocational pastor I relate to Peterson's observation about the artists. I work for Walmart, but that is just my job. I do that so that I can pastor the small churches God has called me to in the Mississippi Delta area of Arkansas. And yes, I would gladly serve my church for free but it is good for them as stewards to pay me what they can. I would hope that all pastors would see their ministry as just that--ministry and not a job.
Terry Reed
smallchurchtools.com
Posted By: Terry Reed | July 6, 2010 8:38 PM
Oh, and btw Brandon: don't worry too much about a title for your ministry. I can't speak for others, but you minister to me and I am thankful to the Lord that I am finding men like you as I search the net.
Terry Reed
smallchurchtools.com
Posted By: Terry Reed | July 6, 2010 8:42 PM
Though defining the differences between vocation, job and calling I don know this. When the times have been tough, and they have often been so over 30 plus years, it was the sense of calling that kept my hand to the plow. It was also that same sense of calling which hopefully was communicated and demonstrated in my life to my family and congregation.
Posted By: Mike Whitesell | July 7, 2010 1:04 PM
I have had the struggle for years, both as a pastor in the church and a pastor outside of the church. Inside, in terms that I ministered primarily to a congregation. Outside, in terms that I served as a chaplain in hospice/hospital. What I discovered about my "calling" is in the words I used when describing my "job choices". With Church ministry I said "I have too ...preach...lead small groups...attend leadership meeting etc. when describing the chaplaincy I used the words "I get to...minister to the sick...support the bereaved...instill the hope of God with people who wouldn't think about going to church...etc." For me it was the difference between "I have to" and "I get to"
Posted By: John | July 7, 2010 3:15 PM
Of course, if pastoring is your vocation, you'll need a job as a pastor (even if it's not paid) if you're going to practice that vocation. To some extent, doesn't your calling depend on your life situation, including your employment?
Posted By: Nate | July 7, 2010 8:44 PM
Read the article published in Christianity Today in 2003 by Gordon MacDonald called "God's Calling Plan". Very insightful, sure helped me sort out a few things.
Posted By: Spencer Van Der Walt | July 7, 2010 10:32 PM
I think the job-vocation war for clergy could be related to how extensive the clergyman's job has become. I remember telling someone older how my friend pastoring a rural church was struggling, because even though his wife was working, his income from the church wasn't contributing enough to meet their needs, so he was confused over what to do next. The person I was speaking to replied along the lines of, "well, why doesn't he get a job on the side? If he is meant to pastor, he'll find a way to do that." Because of what the church was requiring of him - not only to prepare and deliver sermons, counsel sheep, and do visitations, but to act as a sort of president and CEO, in the office for a a 9-5 type of work week managing resources, finances, everything the church needed to function. And he's not the first person I've seen wind up in a situation where a church's changing expectations of a pastor's role didn't mesh with their willingness to pay him fairly for those increased responsibilities. The only thing my friend would be able to do here is take a night job, because that's the only time he'd be able to take extra paying work - and to me, that's just not right (nor good for his marriage!).
As a professional artist who doesn't make a living off my art - like most of the other professional artists I know - I suspect that what allows us as a group to pursue our vocation so actively while working a job to support it is the freedom of how and when we pursue that vocation. I can just go to the studio on weekends, or tinker with projects at home while watching telly, or meet another artist for drinks or coffee...all very flexible things. A pastor, especially a contemporary Can-Am pastor, doesn't have that kind of freedom - I've known so many who work at the church all week and then take their work home with them, because of how their boundaries between job and calling have been blurred. I think one solution could be for individual churches and their pastors to re-evaluate his or her role within the church, and set boundaries on that role that are fair and relieve financial burdens from both pastor and church while not compromising doctrine or calling.
Posted By: elly | July 8, 2010 12:09 PM
In the church where I grew up the pastor tended to measure the impact of his ministry by how many of his sheep wandered over to "full-time ministry." And so it became pretty clear to us that ministry trumped those other career paths in terms of the spiritual hierarchy. As years went by, I've learned that as believers we are all in full-time ministry. My wife is a flight attendant and I promise you, it's a ministry. I'm an ad guy, and believe it or not, there's a ministry in that, too. I care less about what my kids do and what they call it, than who they are as representatives of Jesus in the workplace. (It might be the toughest place to be in "full-time ministry."
Posted By: Bruce Schultz | July 8, 2010 2:32 PM
Len, thanks for reminding us all that vocation is not limited to religious work. Brandon, I was glad to hear you clarify that you were speaking from personal experience in that regard.
Sheerahkahn, I'm going to take you at your word about discussing the idea of vocation and work in more detail.
At TheHighCalling.org, HighCallingBlogs.com and Christianity Today's FaithInTheWorkplace.com, we've had several authors, leaders, and pastors, address this issue over the years. Here are a few highlights from some of my favorites:
Bonnie Wurzbacher, a VP of Coca-Cola, said, "We don’t get meaning from our work; we must bring meaning to our work. God needs his people in boardrooms and business offices as much as in operating rooms and classrooms."
Earl Palmer, a pastor and writer, said, "My discipleship goal is to obey the great commandment and the great commission while I do my work, wherever it takes me. We are called as God's people, young and old, to find out what we do well and enjoy doing, then cheer each other on to 'go for it'—which makes education and training so important to keep the doors open to what I want to do."
Gary Klingsporn, a New England pastor, said, "Calling, vocation, purpose is often revealed through our own experience of the call of God. It is always a sacred or holy moment, no matter how small."
Jonathan Dodson, a pastor, said, "I can subtly replace identity in Christ with my vocation. ...The challenge is not to put vocation before identity. We are disciples first, then pastors and professionals."
Most of all, I'd be curious what resources pastors are using to think about the ideas of vocation and work.
Posted By: Marcus Goodyear | July 8, 2010 2:38 PM
I've been bi- & tri- vocational for almost 42 years. I finally came to realize that my vocation was pastoring, I loved it, and know that it is my "calling". However, I've also been a businessman, as that has paid the bills so I could minister in my calling. I've been at peace with this for a long time, but it sure is hard to explain to people...so I quit trying to just "explain" it & went on "doing it".
Posted By: Bob Young | July 9, 2010 8:40 AM
I've found that my job and vocation happen to carry the same title. There are elements of my role that I consider my job---stats keeping, menial administration work and so on. I wouldn't do them if I had a choice, but if I didn't do them my denomination would show me the door very quickly.
On the other hand, I also get to do things that are more 'ministerial'---preaching, travelling with people and so on. These are the things God called me to, and they are the things I signed up for. The denomination is far less likely to complain if I'm not doing these because they don't keep track of them.
There have been many times when I've shed tears because my job is getting in the way of my work. But generally, my role is great. I get to combine my job AND my vocation and even get to use the same stationery for each!
CAPTCHA: An lifework. Yep, sums it up nicely.
Posted By: Cameron | July 12, 2010 1:25 AM
"…been “trying for fifty years now to be a pastor in a culture that doesn’t know the difference between a vocation and a job.”
Maybe the culture knows more than Eugene. Maybe his understanding of Col. 3:23 has been severely warped by tradition to realize minatory, job, vocation, etc are all in the same box for God because they are all to be done as service to Christ, not men. It's all ONE ministry, one calling. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men…" Maybe Eugene has been trying too hard to justify a "special" kind of ministry for the clergy orientation that has been around for so long.
"In my senior year of high school, I “surrendered to the gospel ministry...”
It was the same for me, however as I began my pastoral studies I realized what the Bible's description of shepherding was far different than what the clergy system said it was. I told myself, I'll do what the Word says and everyone will understand." I was so wrong. God helped me realize my "clear call to THE ministry" was a call from tradition, not the Lord himself. I am so thankful God helped me figure out the deep systemic errors so I could enjoy the freedom and reward that comes from "refusing" the right to be paid and ministering free of charge like Paul taught and modeled (1 Cor. 9. The part about the freedom and reward is at the end. Don't miss it.) The old rational about Paul only meaning that for himself is such a shallow interpretation. I remember hearing Swindoll chuckle as he said that in one of his "ministry" sermons.
"I admire the men and women who do what they have to for a living so they can do what they are called to do for the kingdom. "
How sad that even today, men who say they dedicate their lives to God's people and God's Word insist on separating secular job from sacred kingdom. It's all kingdom! It's all service to the Lord". God's Word is so clear unless you read it with clergy glasses on. Getting this right with God's design pays big rewards.
Posted By: Tim | July 12, 2010 4:23 PM
Sheer
Yes, protestants have several catholic hangovers that were left unreformed. It's sad to see a room full of "royal priests" designed by God to "proclaim the glories of Him who called you out of darkness into the light.." programmed by the system to say not one word of personal expression of truth to one another when they gather for worship time. Proclaiming all outsourced to one guy. It's not to late to fix it. God can do it if saints are willing. He won't force anyone out of the mold. He has outrageous rewards for obedience.
Posted By: Tim | July 12, 2010 8:02 PM
If you believe you are called to ordained ministry, there is a prescribed path to follow. It may vary from one denomination to another, but the basic path is the same. But what about someone who feels "called" but has clearly figured out that it's not a call to ordained ministry?
That's sort of "off the map" in the sense that there isn't a clearly defined path to follow to find clarity on one's calling the way there is for those pursuing ordained ministry. You sort of have to find your own way, and it's not easy. In fact, it's rather frustrating.
My job is as a Science Writer for NASA; my call... As Brandon says, that's harder for me to express in a few words. I know it has something to do with writing, so I suppose that what I do can be seen as a "partial reflection" of who I was born to be. But I also know beyond knowing (after more than 9 years on the job!) that the kind of writing I do on my job for NASA doesn't really bring my heart fully alive.
So I try to live out my calling "on the side" as I write for on-line publications, and participate in ministry at my church. But sometimes I feel like a house divided -- I'm not able to fully commit to my job or my calling. I wonder if God will someday lead me to a "job" that closer meshes with what I really am "called" to be?
I believe my calling is real. It nags at me; it haunts me... it won't let me go... In short, I think that's the "call" that I seek to understand and answer.
Posted By: Alan Ward | July 13, 2010 12:45 PM
I think we can understand the "calling" aspect of what we do better than the "job" part. My work in Christian leadership (not in a pastoral setting) is certainly rewarding, but parts of it are routine and not always that interesting -- and so be it. I imagine pastoral service would be the same. Yet Scripture has a ton to say about diligence! Professionalism, respect for authority, caring for the little things, giving a day's work for a day's pay: these may or may not relate to some romantic notion of "calling." Yet clearly, they matter to God.
Posted By: Elizabeth | July 13, 2010 1:15 PM
Alan Ward sums it up for the rest of us nicely. Well written--consider that comment a part of fulfilling your calling, Alan. :-)
Posted By: Nate | July 13, 2010 6:59 PM
Yes, thank you Alan. You're speaking my language exactly!
Posted By: Brandon | July 13, 2010 8:39 PM
For the last 25 years I've served both as a "full-time" and "Bi-Vocational" pastor, and quite honestly I've never felt that I fit any slot/title offered me. I've wresteled with feeling legitimate during the bi-vocational times, and felt like a "user" during the "Full-Time" assignments. Then I really looked at Paul's life - he served in both positions, and struggled with insecurities ("am I not an apostle?"). It's in the struggle that we "forge" our relationship with Father, and realize that it's what He thinks that counts. True ministry can only come from a relationship so forged.
Posted By: Brad | July 14, 2010 9:53 PM
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