Note: this is Part 6 of a series. Here are the links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 7.

Among the many revolutionary aspects of the theology of Martin Luther, prominent among them is his reimagining of human vocation.

The medieval western church so elevated the ministry that the work of laypeople was considered comparatively insignificant. But Luther’s recovery of the doctrine that all believers are priests before God became transformative to the field of human work.

Lutheran theologian Robert Benne puts it this way:

“All Christians are called by God through Christ to be his beloved and forgiven children, and they need no mediators to receive that graceful call directly. At the same time, however, Christians who receive that grace through Christ become priests to their neighbors, mediating God’s love through them to the neighbor.”
—Robert Benne

On the one hand our calling is simply an invitation to be the children of God. On the other hand God calls us to specific relationships and specific contexts in which we are to love our neighbors.

“[Believers] do that very concretely,” Benne concludes, “in their vocations.”

For the past several weeks I’ve been leading you through a journaling exercise I call a raison d’être—your reason for being.

We began with central questions around why we exist, what we believe about God and what we believe about ourselves.

We considered the context God sovereignly placed us in, and then what we do well and why.

Now it’s time for us to consider what Luther called our vocation.

What are we here to do?

Part 4 – My Vocation

Where has God called you to serve? What does he want you to do?

Here are four or five spheres of life to explore.

1. My Calling

Given everything you’ve written so far, What do you believe God put you on earth to do?

Be as specific as possible. In this exercise, resist the urge to use familiar euphemisms or broad biblical statements.

Push through sentences like “Love God and love neighbor” or “Be a growing, missional Christian” or “Walk in the good works God has ordained for me” and give them personalized definition.

Let your answer be as unique as you are.

If your response to this question can be affirmed by most people in your church, it’s not specific enough.

By the grace of God you have a specific job to do.

What is it?

I suggest writing and rewriting this answer until you can get it down to one memorable sentence, something you can easily call to mind when you feel adrift.

Add to this section your Personal Goals. Given your sense of calling, what do you want to accomplish in life?

Don’t wait until your calling statement is perfectly crafted before writing your personal goals. The two share a symbiotic relationship—one affects the other and vice versa.

In fact, should you have trouble summarizing your calling in one sentence, you may want to begin with personal goals and discern your calling inductively.

2. My Calling at Home

Now let’s get more specific with different relationships in life, beginning with your family.

Give thought to this question: What do you believe God wants you to do at home?

Depending on your age, marital status, and whether you have children, you might take this question in different directions.

Here’s what it looks like for me.

I currently have four children at home plus one in college. Two of them are in high school and heading for college in the next two years. So with each passing year my answer to this question changes.

Given my family’s situation, I phrase the question this way: What kind of a home do I want to create?

Your unique circumstances shape your response. Roommates (short-term or long-term), aging parents you actively care for, estrangement from family members, living by yourself—every situation has opportunities and challenges designed by God for you.

So what is he calling you to do at home?

To this section add your Family Goals. Given your particular situation, What do you want to accomplish with your family and for your family?

3. My Calling at Church

Next let’s move to your ministry.

God formed you as you are for where you are and has good intentions for your ministry moving forward. What do you believe God wants you to do for his church?

Can I pause this exercise for a really important warning?

I’m concerned that some of you won’t have anything to write in this section because you already answered this question earlier under “My Calling.”

Look back at your answer there.

To what extent is your response to the first question above tethered to your ministry as a pastor?

If there is a high correspondence between your calling generally and your calling at church, you might be enmeshed with your ministry. That is, your identity may be so intertwined with your work that a threat to one is a threat to the other.

And that’s not good.

God may have put you on the earth to be a minister, but his purposes for you are wider than that.

Some of you may need to copy the section you wrote above and paste it here, then start from scratch on defining your calling.

Ok, warning over.

As before, keep working on your answer to this question until you can get it down to a single, memorable sentence.

And then add your Ministry Goals. What do you hope to accomplish with your church and for your church?

4. My Calling at Work (Optional)

Since many of you are paid to be pastors, I entitled the previous section “My Calling at Church.”

But others of you are bivocational or covocational pastors. Others of you are not pastors at all.

If that’s your situation, I suggest adding a separate section describing “My Calling at Work.” Think about the question, What do you believe God wants you to do through your job?

And add your Professional Goals to your answer. What do you hope to accomplish through your work?

God has good things in store for the world through your non-ministry labors.

Write what you think those good things are.

5. My Calling in Society

Too often we neglect the vast majority of people around us—our next-door neighbors, shoppers at the grocery store, fellow coffee lovers at a café.

If we think of them at all, we probably think of them only in relation to our church—that is, in terms of evangelism. And while evangelism isn’t inherently church-centered, we pastors tend to make local evangelism all about increasing the size of our church.

We need to expand our horizon.

The question we’re pondering is, What do you believe God wants you to do for your neighborhood (or your neighbors, or your community, or your city, or your nation)?

I present multiple forms of the question because each presents a different nuance, and possibly requires different responses.

See if you can summarize your response in a single sentence, perhaps including evangelism, but no doubt a whole lot more.

As with your Personal Goals, it might be helpful to start with your Community Goals. What do you hope to accomplish with your neighbors and for your neighbors?

It might include coaching Little League baseball, volunteering at the hospital, tending to the community garden, advocating for the disabled, and a whole lot more.

Let your single sentence of calling in society emerge from the many community-oriented goals and projects you are involved in. Try to identify the one thing you’re trying to accomplish through all of the ways you’re engaged with your neighborhood.

That’s a lot of work—well done, friends!

Next week I’ll wrap up this series with how I use, edit, revise, and rewrite my raison d’être to remember who I am, to remember whose I am, and to keep me focused on my calling.

I’ll give you a hint—this exercise helps me say No.

Fulfill Your Calling—Here’s How to Define What God Has You Here For