"God called me to child care"

Very often in interviewing someone for a position in child and youth care work the reason given for making the application and wanting to be a child and youth care worker is " God called me to do this," Many already in the profession say " God called me." I say this too." I was called."

In South Africa we have a long history of having  agencies and programs for children, largely orphanages,     which originated as "welfare" projects in churches, denominations and faith based organisations generally. Many have  managed to stay the course of time and history. Some of course closed, yet others spring up as 'houses" of  care for children all over the country. Attitudes toward the requirements for employment can range considerably.Some of the church- based facilities will employ only from their own communities and insist on a divine calling and that the doctrinal beliefs of the child care worker are consistent with that of the sponsoring church. Some employ more generally but insist on the worker being a "Christian" and have a calling to do the work. The employer who does this frequently says that the Christian "called" people stay when the going gets tough, whilst others tend to leave Whether any of this would stand up to the scrutiny of the South African Constitution I have sometimes wondered. The idea that child and youth care is a "calling", a "ministry" or a "vocation" is somewhere deep rooted in our history and professionalisation in some many instances is viewed with suspicion. ... It has in many cases to do with a fear that the knowledge base will or is not consistent with doctrinal belief, or has to be secular, or that the worker will have to be payed more. Comments I have heard have ranged from "Here, we pray them good"  to ...'Their lives wont change unless they accept........................."..

I have seen children beaten to remove their demons.

AND SO


There are employers who view the statement "God called me" with great suspicion.

I certainly was not appointed to a large international child care agency when I said at interview that the agency met with all the requirements that God had asked me to pursue in the calling He had placed on me. One of the interview panel members said " You can just ask your present agency to move into those directions... you don't have to come here !!" In the training I received once, an American -based organisation,in the writing of a CV, trained us not to mention in your CV anything to do with 'God", "Church", and certainly not to say that you are in any way called or guided by the Divine. They said that you stand the chance of being eliminated before interview.... then , they said, don't mention it at all at interview. Employers in the field they said, just don't want God ,or one's personal religious beliefs brought into the mix.

It seems that there is space for talk in child and youth care on the issues of "God called me", " it is ",God's ministry". "my vocation", " I do it for Him "  AND the concept of child and youth care as a "profession". Are these two concepts oppositional,... parallel ?.... Can they be merged?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?