From Career to Calling
Believe it or not, I didn’t start out in the role I have now. I didn’t always work at a seminary. Neither have I always been in ministry. Actually, my first career was teaching industrial arts to middle schoolers—quite a shift! I got here through a long circuitous route. But the first step was making the decision to leave one career for a calling I couldn’t shake.
After years of wrestling with what I thought God wanted me to do with my life, in the spring of 1993 my wife and I decided we were going for it: regardless of circumstances, that summer we would leave our home in south Florida and move to a small town in Ohio to attend seminary in the fall. Within a few weeks I resigned my tenured teaching position, we accepted a bid to sell our house, and promptly found out we were expecting our third child. There was a sudden catch of breath, some icy fear in the gut, a bit of panic about the great unknowns, and then a remarkable peace settled in. We didn’t understand how the terror wasn’t overwhelming, but we took it as a sign that the move was something that God was truly directing. We sold our house, packed all our belongings and two children in a rental truck, and drove 1200 miles north. Within three days of arriving in Ohio I had a job offer that proved to be one of the most satisfying ministry experiences of my career. Not only that, but the seminary I attended introduced me to the denomination that I served for over 20 years.
It is never easy to make the transition from an existing career to seminary and ministry. Even though things worked out well for us, it was still a difficult decision to make, and an even tougher one to step into. It illustrates a principle that I have experienced over and over in life: often God meets us after we’ve stepped out in faith. We see it when the fledgling nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership. God had promised to stop the water, similar to the Red Sea experience. Except this time the priests, carrying the ark of the covenant, had to actually step into the river. They literally had to take a step of faith and get their feet wet before the waters backed up and the people could cross.
I think there are times like that in our lives as well. Times when we need to step into the water in order for God show up and show us the way. All I know is that when I left my career in public education to attend seminary to prepare for whatever he was calling me to, God met me. In powerful ways. I encountered faculty who were more concerned with me as a person than as a student. I was exposed to theological and historical perspectives that didn’t just fill my head with knowledge, they transformed how I thought and provided foundations on which to build. I discovered much about myself and how I relate to others, and how to position myself to serve and lead well. Of course, seminary didn’t prepare me for everything that I would encounter in the years of ministry and leadership that followed. But they provided a community which modeled a transformational model of discipleship that was centered in Christ, grounded in scripture, and open to the Spirit. I was overjoyed when, sixteen years after I had graduated, I was able to step into the role of a retiring professor who had been a beloved mentor to me.
If you’re reading this, you may be sensing a similar calling. It might be clear as mountain air, or foggy as a west coast morning. But you just can’t escape a sense that God is calling you. Maybe you’re in a job that isn’t fulfilling. Or you may be wonderfully successful in your career, but you sense that you should be doing something else. It might be merely a niggling in the back of your mind. You have a career, but you believe you have a calling.
The truth, of course, is that every Christian is called—we are called to be witnesses, bearers of the truth of Jesus Christ, examples of his love, and servants to those around us. But there is also this sense of “a calling.” A feeling some people have of a direction God wants them to move, or a goal he wants them to pursue. We see it clearly in many of the leaders in Scripture. Moses had the burning bush; Gideon had the threshing floor. Many were reluctant, like those two were. Then there are others, who are eager, like Isaiah: “Here I am, send me!” The point is that even though all followers of Christ are called, not all have a calling to leave what they are doing and do something else.
I think it’s harder when your calling is undefined. “Go tell Pharaoh to let my people go!” is pretty clear. But what about Abram? “Leave your home and everything you know, and go…well, I’ll tell you when you get there.” What is God doing here? Why would he call someone without a clear indication of what they’re stepping into? Maybe a little ambiguity is necessary to position the men and women he’s calling, so they are prepared to step into service and leadership regardless of its setting. In a church? Sure. But also in non-profits, community development, social-help agencies, and other non-church related fields. And maybe you are part of what’s needed. Perhaps God is calling you to prepare, to train, to become equipped, for the yet to be discovered needs of the people that God loves so much.
It’s scary to leave what you know. Or even to shift your routine. It’s a sacrifice to give up the familiar and comfortable for the unknown and the challenging. But if you take that step, if you get your feet wet, you will be amazed how God shows up.
If you’re sensing a call, but aren’t sure of the next step, we’d like to talk with you. I’d like to talk with you. Every person’s journey is different, and only you can make that decision. But sometimes even a brief conversation can offer a direction that you never even imagined. And sometimes, when you turn in that direction, you end up living a life you never dreamed.
Contact me. I’ll tell you about one of those conversations that changed my life. Maybe you’ll have one, too.
John Swope is an educator and leader offering pastoral care, leadership development, and church consultation through Parhelion Counseling & Care, LLC. He lives by the mantra, “Question everything,” and is known for seeing things from a perspective that others often miss.