TheOoze.com – Re-Careering Clergy.
I saw this today on TheOoze.com. It reminded me of a thought I had this past weekend. This is kinda in honor of Rev. Chad Canipe who often talked about having a single vocation and not being “bi-vocational”.
I understand the intent of when someone says (as I have said many times) that I am “bi-vocational”, but the more I reflect on it the more it bothers it me. I’d like to think of myself as being “uni-vocational”. I have but one vocation – one calling – to be the beloved child of God living on purpose in the place that God has placed me.
That one calling expresses itself in pluriform – as a pastor, teacher, IT guy, husband, father, friend, son….
The language of bi-vocation bothers me for two reasons:
1) Atoms. In science, there is a way of reducing things down to their smallest parts in order to understand them. I think this may lead to a fragmented or compartmentalized world-view. Certainly we need to compartmentalize in order to deal with complex problems or situations, but I wonder if “vocation” or God’s calling should be.
2) If life – and calling – is fragmented then I wonder if there is an implicit de-valuing other parts of my world. If I define my calling as “pastor” or “bi-vocationally” as pastor and IT guy/teacher then what does that mean for my role as husband or father or friend or ______? Or is my calling more fundamental – to be the beloved of God and that all other roles overflow from that. My identity isn’t wrapped up as a pastor, teacher, IT guy, or whatever. It reminds me of the stories I’ve heard of retired folk who feel they have lost their identity when they are no longer working as a CEO, manager, factory worker, or whatever. ala mid-life crisis.
So those are my thoughts toward a uni-vocational world-view.
