By Jake Thurston
“What am I called to do?”
That’s probably one of the greatest questions anyone could ask oneself. Every person on planet Earth wrestles with figuring out their purpose for being here. “Calling” is a deep-seeded purpose that perfectly resonates with the outcry of one’s soul and aligns with one’s giftings and skills.
But how does “calling” relate to someone’s career? Should one’s career be his or her calling? Can they be separate? And what’s the difference between calling, career, occupation, vocation, profession, and jobs? Is one calling higher than another?
As you’ve probably learned from your own life, figuring out what you’re called to do can be incredibly confusing (and it doesn’t get easier even when you’re older, believe it or not!). Furthemore, it doesn’t help that those who are considering a career in ministry may have heard the phrase that they are “called to ministry.” So even if calling and career are separate, why is it that those pursuing ministry seem to have them smooshed together?
Well, that’s because society’s view of “career” and “calling” has shifted a lot over the years.
Several centuries ago, people had their occupations assigned to them at birth. There was no such thing as “choosing your career,” because it was expected you would carry on the family business. If your family were shepherds, you’d be a shepherd. If your family were fishermen, you’d be a fisherman. Plain and simple. That was how people chose careers for thousands of years.
But then you get to the Reformation period in the 1400s, when influential Christians like Martin Luther and John Calvin started emphasizing God’s role in every dimension of life—including one’s work. Their work was their calling, because God was actively present in it. In fact, to have a “calling” from God was the same as having a “vocation,” since both words come from the Latin phrase ex vocatio. Whether you were a plumber, pastor, musician, missionary, accountant, carpenter, teacher, or farmer, you were fulfilling God’s call on your life through your vocation because he was actively present in it.
But that didn’t last forever. Eventually, “calling” shifted to being associated with religious vocations specifically. People would receive “callings” from God to be pastors, priests, and missionaries, while other occupations would simply be considered vocations. Your vocation was no longer your calling, because “calling” was elevated specifically to ministry roles. This formed a division between sacred and secular forms of work; either you were “called” to a religious job, or you just worked a "worldly" job.
This division still exists today. However, the common issue is that many people assume their callings must automatically equate to finding a career in the local church or fulltime ministry. This happens a lot when the church talks about “calling.” A prime example is when high schoolers attend summer camps and youth conferences. There’s always a night when the pastor preaches an incredible message that convicts people to receive “a call to ministry.” These sermons and services lead many to lay down their career options, vocations, and futures on the altar to serve God’s Church. Therefore, many students come out of these services with the conviction that “my career is God’s Church.” I was one of those students! And many of today’s pastors and ministry leaders can point back to moments like this where they received a call to ministry.
But it could still leave others wondering, “What if I’m not called to work in the church? Did I miss something?” Or even, “What if I work for a church and discover it’s not what I’m meant to do? Am I abandoning God's calling on my life?”
And so, the confusion between calling and career continues.
But here’s the thing. You can serve God’s Church without working in a church. You do not need a profession in the church to profess your faith in your work place.
In fact, the term “profession” originally referred to a job or work through which people could “profess” their faith! Of course, now, “profession” lines up with nonreligious vocations. However, more often than not, people in nonreligious professions actually have more opportunities to profess their faith with people who don’t know Jesus than pastors or ministry leaders. Why? Because these people's lives are more actively enmeshed with nonbelievers in their workplaces.
Every Christian has the same calling: To glorify God in everything we do, serve his Church, and make disciples of all nations. How that calling is lived out looks different for every person—and it could even change multiple times in one person’s life! Giftings, skills, occupation, and careers change over time according to God’s leading and direction. Sometimes God leads people to work in a local church or fulltime ministry. Other times God leads people to start businesses. Both are needed to effectively establish God’s kingdom on earth.
If you find yourself in a season of figuring out what career God wants you to pursue, whether it’s in the local church, fulltime ministry, or some other occupation, remember this: Everywhere you go is a mission field. And everywhere you go is an opportunity to represent the God who has called you. As the Apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, “Let each of you live the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God has called you” (1 Corinthians 7:17)
