100 Atlanta Coffees, 004: Dr. Ellen Ott Marshall
Embracing grace and authenticity in a vocational calling
Professor of Christian Ethics and Conflict Transformation, Director of the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory’s Candler School of Theology
Met at The Candler School in Decatur
As a refresher, I’m grabbing coffee with 100 good people in Atlanta and sharing inspiring takeaways. If you’re new, subscribe to follow along!
Finding peace and purpose through accepting a vocational calling
Dr. Ellen Ott Marshall gives off an aura of intellectual peace, gentle kindness. We met in her office at the Candler school, where one wall is covered in floor-to-ceiling book shelves that reinforces the professorial vibe. I asked her what percentage of the books she’s read, and she laughed and said, “Well that’s a nasty question to start with!”*
Everything about Ellen’s countenance suggests she’s in the perfect role as a professor of theology. But she didn’t always embrace her calling to teach.
Ellen came from a family of professors and ministers but wanted to feel more like she was “doing something” while still remaining connected to the spirit through instruction and service. Her desire to contribute meaningfully to social justice initiatives manifested in her involvement in leading refugee resettlement programs.
She loved both instructing churches about ways to build their refugee ministries and working with the families directly, but disliked some of the more adversarial elements of the work like negotiating with landlords. She recalled practicing multiple times before relatively simple phone calls, during which she’d sweat and be physically unsettled.
Looking back, she calls this a period of vocational discernment, where she realized she was called to teach. She said something striking - she came around to giving herself permission to pursue something she enjoyed that also felt comfortable.
Ellen legitimately enjoys teaching and research, and she’s at peace while doing it. It feels natural. She believes we each receive God’s grace and are compelled to channel it through our unique abilities and share it with the world. She’s done that through her teaching and writing.
Defining success for her contributions
Ellen has written three books and edited two more. I highly recommend her most recent project, Parenting for a Better World. Each chapter is from a different collaborator and focuses on a practical tool for raising children who are conscious of social justice. The text also considers the web of demands on a family like balancing budget, ethics, and time, let alone your children’s desire to fit in with their peers. Small wins matter. We’re inspired to plant a seed with our toddler as a little way to teach her about caring for the creation.
I asked how she decided to write three books and not one, or ten, given that she would have the ability and platform to publish should she desire. Her criteria has been to write when she believes there is a topic about which she can contribute meaningfully and say something that would be helpful to people.
Success then becomes relatively qualitative. Sure, she’s aware of the book sales numbers and speaking opportunities that present themselves, but she’s more keyed into the ways the material is being received and utilized by individuals and groups studying her content.
Embracing grace and authenticity in a career
Ellen's work as a professor of theology and author is driven by a deep-rooted desire to share God's grace through her unique abilities. Her career is grounded in service and positively impacting people's lives, embracing a vocational calling that allows her to be at peace with herself while making a difference. She has no delusions of grandeur, isn’t caught up in glitzy vanity metrics, and doesn’t need to be the most-followed author to be satisfied.
Her perspective challenges the prevailing notion of success, where society conditions us to believe that we are failing if we don't achieve maximal greatness compared to those we read about on Forbes.
I’m in between full-time endeavors and thinking through what’s next, balancing a desire to achieve success, have impact, and be emotionally available for my family. Ellen’s example challenges me to examine my pursuit of career success (and what that actually means) and what I’m prioritizing along the way, believing that there can be a path of contentment and fulfillment that coexists with, and even enhances my ability to make a positive contribution to the people around me.
**For the record, she’s read about 60% of the books and takes comfort that the rest are there for her when she needs them. So relatable.
Questions for Reflection:
What’s the thing you’re happiest doing that you give yourself the most judgment about, or the least permission to spend time on? What stories are you telling yourself that hold you back from spending more time there?
What in your current role do you feel least comfortable with? Do you view it as a positive because you’re being stretched and grown, or do you feel it subtly points to some incongruence in how you’re devoting your professional energy?
Bonus reflections from yours truly:
About Candler School of Theology
I almost don’t even want to write this and spoil the secret.
Our picture is from Ellen’s office, but the real gem is the Candler Theology Library.
It’s a peaceful, well-lit, high-ceilinged room that makes me feel both spiritual reverence and academic invigoration.
I’m going roughly once a week. It’s open to the public from 7:30a-5p, and all it’s missing is bottomless coffee. Please bring me some decaf if you come.
About 100 Atlanta Coffees:
Through LEAD Atlanta, church, and business networking, I’ve gotten to meet some amazing folks who have sharpened my thinking, broadened my understanding, and inspired me.
I decided to publish 100 of these coffees and my reflections as a way to shine a light on some of the good souls, and local spots, in our city.
I attend church with Ellen and have been intending to pick her brain about continuing spiritual education for some time. As we go, we’ll be expanding into other folks I’m introduced to.
