Written by: Telile Fikru Badecha on February 21, 2014

One of the things my ministry in partnership with the local churches in Ethiopia has been doing over the years is training local evangelists, church leaders, and young people in the church to become self-supported ministers. My ministry adapted the concept of “tentmaking initiatives” based on the apostle Paul’s mission strategy. Our tentmaking strategy benefits the church ministry in three areas. First, it increases the number of professional ministers in the church who support themselves, which will alleviate the financial burden from the church. Second, it broadens the horizons of these mission-committed believers who will make Jesus known both at work and other places. Above all, in our context, it legitimizes their presence, especially in the areas where people are not open to receive the good news. Third, it provides a natural and sustainable approach since their support will not depend on the church. These church leaders and evangelists realize the increasing level of poverty in the church, which in return has been affecting both the ministries of the church and the lives of their evangelists, whose income depends on the support they receive from the church. However, they could not comprehend how a person who is called by God to sing or preach the gospel can do other jobs. Some also were afraid that doing other jobs besides ministry might affect their evangelistic work. But on the other side, I know many solo singers who have plenty of time during the week to farm, study or do other businesses, but instead sit around until they receive their next invitation to sing.  They have convinced themselves that their calling in life is only to sing for Jesus, ignoring their responsibility to find others ways to support their family.

I do not really know when and how the Protestants in my country developed the concept of calling to ministry as a lifetime occupation, but it is clear that the religious connotation behind the phrase calling is deeply ingrained in the minds of our leaders and believers that they will not consider other approaches. As I write this blog, I realize that since I have never been appointed by the church as an evangelist or pastor, I do not really understand how difficult it might be for some to put those traditional religious titles aside and become a teacher or a nurse or whatever skill their ministry context requires to share Jesus both in words and deeds. One thing is clear though, church ministers in Ethiopia are not alone in their understanding about calling. As Max Weber depicted in the second chapter of his book, The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism, early church reformers such as Martin Luther at first “thought of the activity in the world as a thing of the flesh, even though willed by God” (p.80). Weber tells us that Luther’s view on calling evolvedlater with his development of “the conception of sola fide in all its consequences, and its logical result, the increasingly sharp emphasis against the Catholic consilia evangelica of the monks as dictates of the devil, the calling grew in importance.” For Luther, Weber adds, “… labour in a calling appears to him as the outward expression of brotherly love” (p.81).  What is so interesting about Luther, Calvin and other reformers is not their different theologies, but how they carefully craft their views against each other and the Catholic Church. They all picked the Bible verse suited to their doctrines and interpreted them the ways they wanted. Now, centuries later, Christians demonize each other over their doctrinal differences.

Yesterday, I received a facebook notification that someone added me to a group called “Heresies of Orthodox Christianity.” I clicked on the page and all I saw were young Protestants and Orthodox Christians who have the money and time to be on Facebook criticizing one another using Bible verses. In fact, this has been the common approach among Ethiopian Christians. I know it is partially because of the Protestant Christians’ insensitive approach toward Orthodox Christianity that we face hatred, although the Orthodox Christians see Protestants as second-class citizens. But I have come to believe that shaming someone’s religion is not only a wrong approach, but it generates antagonism, which eventually leads to religious war. I do not thing anyone want this to happen in Ethiopia. But who will help us find a common ground? The bigger issue for us (Protestants) is how do we understand our calling when relating to our brothers and sisters of other faith. I wonder what Luther and other great reformers would say today about all the different thoughts we have on their theologies. We know what Jesus commanded us, to love one another as he has loved us. We know what Paul said and how he lived. He said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). My hope and prayer is for our churches is that we return to the teachings and examples of Jesus and Paul which would help us overcome cultural and religious differences and realize the things we have in common.

About the Author

Telile Fikru Badecha