Ron Marrs, Associate Professor of Youth and Pastoral Ministry, Western Seminary
I have become increasingly concerned about the use of the word “calling” in the discussion of a theology of work. The primary use of “calling” in the New Testament focuses on the call of every Christian to salvation (e.g. Ephesians 4:1, 4). The use of “calling” to refer to one’s role in the world of work is troublesome to me, because I think it is difficult to support biblically, in spite of numerous attempts to do so. I agree that it’s vitally important for us to help people discover the meaning and purpose of their work in God’s plan; my concern is about the way we use “calling” in that effort.
Typically, support for the use of “calling” in this way comes from the anecdotal use of stories like Moses, Paul, Jeremiah, Esther, and others. Yet this does not give us a specific, biblical definition regarding the word itself. Many, including Calvin and Luther, argue that in 1 Corinthians 7:17-24, “calling” is used with the sense of one’s role in the world of work. This line of argument, however, seems lacking. The passage focuses on three states that people found themselves in: marriage/singleness, slave/free, and circumcised/uncircumcised. I think it is a stretch to consider this to be a discussion of one’s role in the world of work.
The history of the use of 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 to talk about “calling” in the discussion of work is acknowledged in J.I. Packer’s discussion of “call, calling” in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Packer says that the sense of “occupation” or “trade” the reformers saw in 1 Corinthians 7:20 is not quite accurate. He goes on to say, however, that “their revaluation of secular employment as a true ‘vocation’ to God’s service has too broad a biblical foundation to be invalidated by the detection of this slight inaccuracy (p. 200).”
Since I want to help people discover the meaning and purpose that God has for them in their work, I propose the following alternative constructs. In my course “Discovering and Developing Your Ministry Potential” at Western Seminary, I make a distinction between a “Christian vocation” and a “calling.” I am aware that the word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare (to call), but in light of our culture’s century-long use of this word in the world of work (vocational counseling, vocational development theory, etc.), it seems prudent to continue this usage. Space doesn’t permit me to lay out the biblical arguments for every element of these constructs, but I believe they exist.
A Christian vocation is:
- An approach to a particular life role in the realm of work;
- Discovered through the prayerful examination of one’s passions, gifts, natural talents, and personality through personal reflection and input from the Christian community;
- Oriented toward demonstrating or deriving a sense of purpose or meaningfulness in the pursuit of the glory of God and the fulfillment of the Great Commission that;
- Holds other-oriented values and goals as primary sources of motivation in obedience to God’s command to love others.
A Christian vocation, then, is a settled alignment between God’s purposes, your design (based on a healthy and realistic view of yourself), and the needs of people. Amy Sherman calls it your “sweet spot” in her book “Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good.”
Meanwhile, a calling is:
- A summons by God;
- Experienced as originating beyond the self;
- To approach a particular life role in a manner oriented toward demonstrating or deriving a sense of purpose or meaningfulness in the pursuit of the glory of God that;
- Holds other-oriented values and goals as primary sources of motivation in obedience to God’s command to love others.
A calling, then, is God summoning a person to a specific role or task in a particular historical context to accomplish God’s purposes (Moses, Isaiah, Esther, Paul, et al.). When applied to one’s role in the world of work this calling is best confirmed through a process of engaging the Christian community for affirmation.
Over the semester, we work to encourage the students to develop a journey of vocational discovery that will allow them to say the following:
- I have established my identity in Christ.
- I have studied the passions, purposes, plans, mission, and commands of God. I have them in mind during this whole process.
- I have examined my gifts, abilities, passions, temperament.
- I have considered the needs of people.
- I have weighed the variety of life’s obligations: work, marriage, family, church, etc.
- I have discussed all of this with trusted friends and family.
- I have prayed.
- I’m on this journey to contribute to the lives of others in the world of work.
- I consider it a privilege to help students in their journeys of vocational discovery.
These constructs are still works in progress as my thinking develops. I would welcome input on them, supportive or critical, from the other theological educators in the Oikonomia Network community.
