ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Ministry is not a building (Neither is the Church as we often think of it as). It is not a title on a church directory. A woman's ministry, a men's ministry, a youth ministry, a nonprofit, none of those are the definition. Those are containers. Ministry is what happens inside them.
I taught this years ago and it's time to resurrect it.
Vocation, Webster 1828: a calling by the will of God. The bestowment of His distinguishing grace on a person, putting them in the way of purpose. Not a job title. A summons.
Avocation, Webster 1828: the smaller affairs of life. The occasional calls that pull you away from your main business. Webster even notes people were already misusing avocation to mean vocation, and calling that "very improper." That confusion is three hundred years old. You didn't invent it.
Your vocation is the Lord and the time and work you give Him. Everything else, business, women's ministry, C-suite training, is the avocation He assigns you to steward it through.
You don't have a business and a ministry competing for your calendar. You have one calling on your life, and He hands you multiple assignments to carry it. I train leaders headed for the C-suite. That's an assignment. I lead Kingdom women, a discipleship group. That's an assignment. Neither one is the vocation. He is my vocation, The Lord.
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 10:31, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. That's vocation language. The doing is avocation. The glory is the calling.
Colossians 3:23, work as unto the Lord, not unto men. Same split. The work changes. Who it's for doesn't.
Romans 11:29, the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Your vocation doesn't get reassigned when your avocation does.
