Introduction to the Vocation Project Business Plan

The Center for Public Theology (CPT) proposes the development of a new initiative known as Vocation Project.  The primary objective of the project is to create a ‘Vocational Parish’ within a geographically defined community.  For individuals of faith seeking a greater sense of alignment with God, community, and self in their lives, the Vocation Project will help them in their journey by providing resources and opportunities to discover and live out their calling.  The Vocation Project will help institutions within the community to achieve their goals by providing ways for the institutions to further support and engage the community in which they reside.  By serving each of these constituencies, and by serving the process of Vocation itself, the project hopes to reestablish the original rich and spiritual meaning of Vocation within the public sphere.

To understand this initiative, it is important to first understand the Lutheran concept of Vocation, as well as the context in which the CPT operates. Unlike popular understandings of vocation that relate primarily to a job or career only, Vocation (designated here with the capitalized “V”) is more holistic and applies to every area of one's life.

Loosely stated, Vocation (coming from the Latin vocare meaning "to call") is about discovering God's calling for one's life.  In reality, there are many callings that reflect the many areas of our lives, but, ultimately, they are all callings not to one thing or another so much as callings from God and to God.

As Gene Edward Veith notes in his book, "God at Work":

"The doctrine of vocation, though it has to do with human work, is essentially about God's work and how God works in and through our lives.  Finding our vocation is not just "finding my lifework," nor even "finding what God wants me to do." 

Though these may be part of the vocational cross we have to struggle with, finding our vocation is largely a matter of finding where God is, the God who hides Himself in our neighbors, in ourselves, and in His world.  Once we notice the Hidden God and realize how He is at work - in the workplace, families, the community, and the church - and when we realize the part we play in His design, we have found our vocation." (p. 60)

The CPT takes this concept of Vocation and seeks to apply it within the context of public theology that is grounded in the realities of life within a given community.  Since Vocation cannot be lived out apart from others (our very economy is, in theological terms, merely the intersection and interaction of Vocations), it is by nature a public issue.  This is especially so since a core aspect of Vocation is service to others.  Although our Vocations are a calling from God, they are discovered most often in the public realm, that is, in interaction with others and in the messy, mundane, and potentially amazing spaces of our daily lives.

Not only is Vocation public in nature, but it is, in essence, a theological concept.  However, the roots of Vocation, as clarified by Luther but also found in the teaching of St. Ignatius and others, lie in an understanding of theology that addresses both thinking and doing (i.e. orthodoxy AND orthopraxy - literally right thought and right action). Vocation is therefore both aspirational and practical.

This practicality is an important aspect of Vocation Project because the initiative is, quite literally, grounded in a distinct geographic area and addresses the corresponding needs of that community.  The intent of the initiative (as clarified and expanded upon in the rest of this document) is to assist individuals in better understanding and living out their Vocations within the context of their families, workplaces, schools, congregations, and local institutions.  To do this, the Center for Public Theology will work predominantly with existing organizations and institutions within a given community so that individuals not only start to find their own Vocations, but can live these out through local entities in service to others, thus strengthening and reaffirming the Vocation of both the individual and the organization.

Read the whole business plan here.