The best of all professions? Really?

“The Christian ministry is the worst of all trades, but the best of all professions.” – Sir Issac Newton

Here’s a portion from a paper presented at the Orthodox Church in America’s 14th All-American Council “Our Church and the Future” in Toronto (2005): “A “normal” North American family seldom if ever encourages a child to pursue a religious vocation. Why is this so? This may be a generalization, but the priesthood is suffering from low self-esteem. Whether this is the product of priests giving a poor impression of themselves or from widespread secularization, priestly ministry is not the high profile career it once was. If in past times an ecclesiastical career was synonymous with social prestige and financial security, today pastoral ministry means being part of a class of people who are on the fringe of society and who may in fact be destined for a life of financial insecurity.” (p. 9)

I am reminded of the "hireling" figure mentioned in John 10:11-13 when considering some that might pursue ministry for its “social prestige and financial security.” Motivation for vocational ministry is such a dynamic thing. A once enthusiastic pastor can sadly be drained of their motivation by the struggle with conflict, bureaucratic structures, the slow pace of change, and a nagging sense of powerlessness to make a difference.

Consider Paul’s experiences compared to the “super-apostles” as recorded in his second letter to the Corinthians:

“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? ” (2 Corinthians 11:23–29, NIV)

But then suddenly Paul pauses to write: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (v. 30). Garland (2001) writes: “It is odd to boast about one’s weakness, but Paul’s declaration in 2 Cor 12:10 becomes the key for unlocking the purpose of this peculiar tactic. His weakness has a “revelatory function.” He will therefore tell tales of battle skirmishes, heavenly journeys with divine revelations, and miraculous cures but turn them on their heads. They do not show how brave and wonderful he is, but how great and wonderful the grace of God is that sustains him in his weakness.”

God triumphs amid human weakness, embodying the principle of Christ’s crucifixion and perhaps the notion of filling up in our flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions (cf. Col. 1:24).

Maybe now is the best time to encourage a child to pursue a religious vocation. When the social prestige and financial security are lessened the wonderful grace of God that sustains us is truly known.

 

References:

Garland, D. E. (2001). Vol. 29: 2 Corinthians (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (p. 504). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

“Our Church and the Future”. (2005). Orthodox Church in America’s 14th All-American Council, Toronto, ON. Retrieved from www.oca.org/PDF/14thAAC/Clergy%20Formation.pdf