Theology of work, Vocation, Calling and the Purpose of Workd

1. Vocation, Calling and the
Purpose of Work
Andrew Sears
President
City Vision

2. Outline of Course
 Weeks 1-2: The Startup of You & Life Plan
 Weeks 3-4: Tools for Identity and Calling
 Week 5-6: Worldview, Faith and Work
 Week 7: Rough Draft of Final Project & Peer
Feedback
 Week 8: Submit Final Project

3. Final Project
 Work on it each week
1. Literature & Video Reviews (5-8 pages)
2. Vocational Reflection & Life Plan (15-25 or 10-
15)
◦ Part 1. Personal Life Plan
◦ Part 2. Your Story
◦ Part 3. Identity & Unique Calling
◦ Part 4. Worldview and the Role of Work in your Grand
Narrative
3. Self-Evaluation, Reflection and Contributions
for Future Courses (2 pages)

4. - Frederick Buechner

5. Four Questions of Personal Vocation
Calling
What are you good at?
Does the world need?What do you enjoy?
Will the world pay?
Internal Motivation
(deep gladness)
External Motivation
(world’s deep hunger)
Status
Meaning
Status without Meaning
• Empty success
• Corporate drone
Meaning without Status
• Financially unsustainable
• Starving volunteer
Internal
• Underemployed
• Starving artist
External Motivation
• Burnout
• Joyless worker

6. Personal
Vocation
Christian Vocation:
Love God, Love
Others
Human Vocation:
Co-Creators
Human, Christian & Personal Vocation

7. Dimensions of Christian Vocation
From The Other Six Days. R. Paul Stevens

9. The Power of Metaphor
What is the dominant metaphor for your career?

10. The Power of Metaphor
What is the dominant metaphor for your career?

11. The Power of Metaphor
What is the dominant metaphors for life?

12. The Power of Metaphor
What is the dominant metaphor for life?

13. Part 4. Collective Worldview
1. I need a community of support with a healthy
comprehensive worldview
Part 2 & 3. Personal Story & Identity
1. I need values that bring success
2. I need transformation of worldview
3. I need acculturation
4. I need emotional and relational health
Part 1. Personal Life Plan
1. I need more education
2. I need better people skills
3. I need access to opportunities
I want an good job
(paradigms)