This is what I told my dad when I made the dramatic degree change from biology to philosophy and religious studies. I was surprised when his reaction wasn't excitement and it was difficult to hear his council that "not everyone needs to study that to be in ministry." What did he mean? My older brother was a youth pastor, so I thought that this news was going to be better received. His wisdom and experience, however, allowed him to see my zealous naivety. This side of a Bachelor's and most of my Master's degree, I see now what he meant.
One of the major distinctive beliefs of German reformer, Martin Luther's theology was what has been termed as the "priesthood of all believers". In a way, this is what my dad meant; that is, ministry is not a profession but a vocation. What? Are those not the same thing?
No, a career is not necessarily a vocation.
A career is what one does with the time that they have in devotion to an end (be it provision for family or passion for the career). Career's are essential to being a productive human and can be the same as a vocation, but the differences are real. A vocation, when properly understood, is a calling. In fact, the word "vocation" is based on the Latin root-word voca which means "to call". This is a much more profound concept than simply a career. So what does it mean to be called?
I find it most helpful to understand a calling as merely that "thing" that you cannot help but feel inclined to do. A calling is not a logical choice in which you see the kind of life that a specific career leads to and decide "I'll do that because of the pay out". Instead, a call is that deep seated, gut knowing that "I must do this with my life if I want to live any kind of full life." As such, a calling can be a job or it could be a hobby; either way, it is seemingly unavoidable and usually pleasurable.
So...
going back to the question which titles this post, there is a certain sense in which one can be called to ministry. I would caution, however, from confusing this with the calling of all believers or Luther's "priesthood". I would equate a calling to formal ministry as analogous to a calling to work with mentally handicapped or troubled teens; specifically, it is not in everyone's capacity to possess the skills or to learn the skills to serve these specific cases with passion, day in and day out. Similarly, though all are called to be a witness to the light of Christ, not all are called or gifted with the ability to serve and lead in a formal capacity. This is important for believers who, in their passion for their faith, run out and make big decisions which disappoint in the end. I fear too many leaders are in positions in which they are not equipped and the modern expectations of many pastors often do not match that pastor's gifting; this exponentially compounds the problem.
So, is there anything wrong with having "just a career"? No, as long as you are passionate enough to do it well; everyone needs to be productive with excellence and this glorifies God in and of itself. I would also say that a person could have more than one voca or callings. In all of this, the important thing is to self-reflect and decide for yourself what you are meant to do with your natural gifting and passions.
So, are you in ministry?
Yes, you are... and maybe no...but mostly yes. :)
peace,
C.M.
