A Make-it-Happen Approach
to Today's Job Market
by Frank X. McCarthy

At a primal or deep spiritual level, you and I want to be remembered for having left a valuable legacy for those who come after us. Prompted by the Spirit of God, we need to make a contribution of ourselves to our families and friends, and the wider world in which we live.

For many of us, that drive to contribute led us to follow a path through priesthood ministry and / or religious community. Shaped by our Churchﾒs theology, philosophy, history and spirituality we experienced ourselves called to ﾓlive apart from the world.ﾔ Celebrating the transcendance of Godﾒs Spirit, we formally ministered to the needs of the People of God in parishes, schools, and religious-based institutions. At some moment in our personal history, prompted by that same Spirit many of us have experienced a new call to ﾓembrace the worldﾔ and celebrate the immanence of God.

This embrace, however, has required that we take a fresh look at ourselves and identify practical ways to earn a living alongside our sisters and brothers in the marketplace. Most of us have been in a quandry as we resonate the scripture passage ﾓto dig I am not able, to beg I am ashamed.ﾔ

People generally feel lost as to how to go about finding work when they have to change ﾓcareers.ﾔ Even under the best of circumstances, job or career change prompts people to go through the ﾓFive Stepsﾔ enunciated by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in On Death and Dying. Having seen our ministry more as vocation than an employment opportunity, we face a few additional challenges as we move toward ﾓacceptance.ﾔ

Many of us need to begin to look specifically at the talents, skills and abilities we utilized in our particular ministry. We need, at least momentarily, to separate the WHY of what we did from the WHAT. Taking a fresh look at who we are, we can then begin to re-invent ourselves for the next step of our lives. With that fresh look, we can then set about identifying employment opportunities which allow us to generate the income we need while allowing us to remain faithful to our deeper calling. Take a read of Matthew Foxﾒs The Reinvention of Work.

A personal example: Early in my personal transition from canonical ministry to ﾓworker priestﾔ my resume announced proudly that I had most recently been an Associate Pastor. Employment interviewers were more often interested in WHY I was transitioning rather than the marketable skills I presented. From experience, I learned that each different employment culture, whether business, government, education, social services, military, or the Church has its own particular vocabulary. Shifting to a new culture required that I translate my cultural vocabulary into words and concepts that my listener could understand. Shifting my title to Associate Director for Community Services provided the opportunity to discuss WHAT I had to offer.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE in your experience!! Numerous others have walked this path of religious transitioning before and alongside you. In the major upheaval of the employment market over the past quarter century, hundreds of thousands of our non-ordained brothers and sisters have been forced to transition from their initial career of choice. Employment counselors tell us today that most people will change not just jobs, but careers several times during our working career. Each in our own way, from our own uniqueness, has had to face the sometimes painful challenge of totally re-inventing our ﾓemployableﾔ selves.

The Next Step was written from the wider perspective of job and career change. While not specifically addressing your transition from formal church ministry, you are invited into the world of career change experienced by the People of God. Speak to others whoﾒve had to redirect their lives. Take some time to explore where you can continue to make a contribution. Settle in with the program.

Set a goal, make a plan, take action. But through it all, allow yourself to experience the promptings of the Spirit of the incarnate and resurrected Jesus.

Let us know how we can be of support.
Russ Ditzel
Corpus Career / Transition Management