"Vocation is where the world’s
greatest need and a person’s greatest joy meet,"
say theologian Frederick Buechner. Vocation is one’s
life work. Today many people are seeking to align their
faith in God with their work.
Vocational formation is the process of discovering and
nurturing one’s great joy in the content of the
world’s needs. For people of faith, this process
of discovery and nurture is closely tied to their spiritual
formation.
Congregations are places where vocation is nurtured. A
congregation has a mission and a program of work. Members
of congregations collectively share in this work. Each
member and small group should also have a mission in which
they are engaged, inside and outside the church. For the
individuals, their mission is the person’s vocation.
Congregations should be actively encouraging the formation
and articulation of vocational identity.
The Center for Congregational Health® in partnership
with the Wake Forest University Divinity School is developing
services to assist individuals and congregations with
the work of vocational formation. These services are at
an early stage of development, but we see this arena as
one of our most significant ministries in the future.
For a more extensive article on our understanding of vocation
click on "Perspectives on Vocation" at the right.
