Barnabas File

Despite the vast changes in work and society, we continue to ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”   We plant in children at an early age that their work, their job, will be an important part of their identity.   Perhaps we would serve them better if we asked the question, “What will you become?” There seems to be renewed interest among Baptist Christians in the concepts of vocation and calling.  The words are used in different ways in various contexts.  Although we tend to think about only those who work with the sacred as having a “calling” and those who work in the secular world as having a “vocation,” this is not true in all Christian traditions and is probably poor theology. Whether we see what we do as a vocation or a calling, they are intertwined.  The message is the same:  We serve God by responding to the prompting of God to do that for which we are best equipped. Our vocation or calling should be an expression of what...

In a recent blog , writer Ben Schiller suggested that n ew technologies will change the kinds of jobs people will have in coming years. He says, “Don't be surprised if one day you've taken on the position of microbial balancer, corporate disorganizer, or urban shepherd. ” This got me to thinking:  “What are some ministry roles that might emerge in the next decade that will reflect not only changes in technology but the evolving needs of the churches?”  Here are some ideas.  You might want to add your own. 1.         A “death with dignity” pastor would help churches to die with dignity.  Despite their best efforts to survive, some churches need to receive permission to go out of operation.  Christ promised that the “gates of Hades” would not overcome his church (Matthew 16:18), but He was undoubtedly talking about the universal church rather than its local expression. Churches are planted, they flourish and grow, an...