You can’t talk about higher education long without the word “vocation” coming up. Students are supposed to pick a vocation, and school itself is sometimes referred to as vocational training. The word has become synonymous with career and occupation.
But the word vocation is actually a little more complex than that. It comes from the root word vocatio, meaning literally “a divine calling from God.” In simple terms, it isn’t what you pick—it’s what you were made for.
Many of us have picked up a calling on our lives to serve God professionally. But oftentimes, we try to fit that calling into preconceived notions, boxes that are a little more obvious than others. Ask most people what serving God professionally looks like, and you’ll inevitably get answers like pastor, youth pastor, and field missionary. And those are all great things; but not everybody was made to be a pastor, youth pastor, or field missionary.
Growing up in youth group, I heard several times that you don’t have to be the best speaker or leader to be a pastor. That may be true, but you still won’t be the best speaker or leader. Play to your strengths. If you’re a mediocre speaker but a great artist, doesn’t it make more sense to put that skill to effective use?
Hundreds of churches, charities, and missions organizations need graphic designers, businessmen, lawyers, writers, event planners, musicians, mechanics, teachers, and almost anything else you could aspire to be. And they need people who are good at those things, just like churches need people who are good at pastoring.
I spent some time working with a missionary organization, and when reaching out to high school and college students, our unofficial slogan was, “Anything but bartending.” I worked as a writer and web designer. Yes, we needed speakers and translators—but we needed teachers for missionary children growing up overseas. We needed mechanics to fix vehicles that went out of service. We needed businessmen and women to run our offices, and accountants to manage our finances, and web designers to give us an effective presence online. All of these people were just as crucial as our missionaries in the field. (Our other unofficial slogan was, “Saving the world… from the office!”)
Fields like medicine and law have vast outlets in the Christian world. Medical missions are a huge need in the world today, and medically trained individuals are needed like never before. Even a nurse’s training can help save hundreds of lives. Those with legal training can work with organizations and governments to help stop systemic injustices and put processes in place to protect those who can’t protect themselves.
An increasing number of churches are also in need of artists like graphic designers and video producers. Even if you can’t find employment in a church doing these jobs, having those skills will allow you to volunteer in your free time and meet those needs, even if you’re working elsewhere.
Now, even though I’m not working for a missionary organization any more, I work in the education industry, helping others find and respond to their vocations. It took me a while to give up on being a pastor, but I feel like, for now at least, I’ve found my vocation.