"I graduated with a degree in Youth Ministry." "Oh that's wonderful! What church do you work at?" "I don't. I teach Nutrition and the importance of being Physically Active to local elementary schools and nonprofit agencies." "Oh..." The conversation ends abruptly.
All too often this has been the conversations I partake in when I meet individuals connected to churches. When people learn I went to a Christian Liberal Arts and have an occupation that does not seem to line up with my degree they give me skeptical looks or want to let me know that "it's okay..." or "one day you'll get that job you studied for."
Unfortunately what people do not see or understand is that I chose this route. I chose this job. I had a job at a traditional church in youth ministry and then even in Family Ministry and I decided it wasn't the path for me. I felt like God had other plans. There is nothing wrong with Family Ministry, Youth Ministry, or Children's Ministry in a traditional church. There are many individuals out there who are incredibly gifted in those areas and should not consider other occupations--many of my mentors could be some of those people.
I, however, in this point in my life, am not one of those people. I have a heart for holistically helping others. I firmly believe that Jesus cares about our whole selves and not just our spiritual selves. The idea that God would only care about our spiritual selves is very dualistic and that is not how I believe we should live. I am not saying that ministers in traditional churches are all dualistic or that they cannot serve others holistically, but what I am saying is that I felt led to minister outside of the church walls--completely. In my occupation.
I accepted this job because I wanted to meet individuals where they are at and not try to convince them to enter a church building. I accepted this job because I believe in eating, acting, and living in a healthy manner and if I can help teach others that I want to. I took this job because I believe that the government should provide benefits to those who need it and if we need to provide education in order to make sure that those benefits are being used wisely and in a health-conscious manner then I want to help provide that education.
So often when we think of ministry we think of "professional ministry." We think of paying people to do ministry while the rest of us do our "regular jobs." I would propose that everyone is called to do ministry. Everyone is called to be a Priest in their community. We all have different skills and abilities; we all have different ways to impact others around us. We all have something to bring to the Table. Let us stop relying solely on "Professional Ministry" or "Professional Pastors"--though they are very great--and remember the Priesthood of all believers and go out in our communities to make a difference with those we come in contact with.
