Quentin Schultze on Vocation

The following quotes are from Quentin Schultze who is a professor at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. His teaching on calling listed here is in Here I Am: Now What on Earth Should I Be Doing? (2005, Baker Books.)

Scripture and life experience both demonstrate that God calls us on two levels. One is the vocation shared by all followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that each of us is called to care for God’s world. The Old Testament defines this caring as ‘being a blessing to others.’ The New Testament focuses on ‘loving God and neighbor.’ God calls his people of all ages to be sacrificial care-takers, not to [be] selfish career-seekers.

The other level of calling includes each person’s many stations – the particular places, relationships, and work in and through which a person cares. … God wants us to respond favorably to our shared vocation and to our own stations so that we might flourish in community, serving others as they serve us.

Our calling is a lifelong process of connecting our shared vocation with our individual stations. As Scripture puts it, we are called to ‘work out’ our faith just as God works in us. In short, throughout life we need to ask ourselves how to apply our faith to our stations. Answering that question faithfully is the daily adventure in vocational living.” (9-10)

Occupational callings emerge out of a faithful relationship with God, not just a message from God. (Page 13)

None of us can determine from the Bible precisely which stations to pursue. Most of our stations emerge as we pay attention to the needs and opportunities that present themselves. (Page 16)

For additional perspectives on how career, calling and profession are given for the sake of others and not merely ourselves consider looking at Profession-als: Men and Women partnering with the Trinity in Everyday Life.