It’s your call
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ”
Ephesians 4:11-12 (New Living Translation)
This sentence from scripture urges us to realise that people are Christ’s gift to the church and that all God’s people have a part to play serving God in the world and in the church.
What is less straightforward, however, is knowing just what part we might play in this wonderful tapestry of roles and acts of service.
This is where the idea of a ‘vocation’ or a ‘calling’ comes into play, and the role of the Vocations Team is to help you discern where your passions and your giftings might be leading you. This could be to a paid or voluntary role in a church. It might be in the community, in the workplace in schools, prisons or the armed forces. It could be that you enter a formal ministry such as being ordained or being a licensed lay worker. It might be something that you need to train for, or something you could start right away. It might be something that no-one has ever done before, and it will almost certainly be something that changes over time.
The key is to start a conversation now
Start talking to God about the things that you are passionate about or gifts that you want to use to serve him. Start talking to friends, colleagues and family and ask them what they’ve noticed in you that might be a calling. Start talking to leaders in your church about what they do and what they think you might be able to join in with. You can also contact any of the people listed below if you would like to start a conversation with the diocesan Vocations Team.
Stories
We’ll be asking different people in Canterbury Diocese to share how their vocation has grown and been developed and what they are doing now. Please check back regularly to see these short videos.
If you want to find out more about some of the specific ministries overseen by the diocese then please follow the links below.
- Lay Ministry
- Reader Ministry
- Ordained Ministry
- Anna Chaplaincy
- Lay Worship Leading Ministry
- Lay Pastoral Ministry
Young Vocations
If you are under 30 and beginning to explore a sense of call, you might find these webpages helpful - they contain information about the Church of England Ministry Experience Scheme, which is a good opportunity to spend a supported year in a parish placement as part of your discernment process.
Get in touch
The Vocations Team can be contacted on 01227 459401, or by clicking the relevant name below
- The Revd Jon Marlow, Head of Vocations
- Jacquie Town, PA to the Head of Vocations / DDO
- Nigel Collins, Lay Ministries Adviser and Warden of Readers
- Lynne Preston, Mission and Ministry Administrative Assistant