The preparation for ministry process becomes more meaningful when understood as a framework within which to wrestle with, reflect upon, and grow in your vocation. Some points of our theology of call that may help include (1): 

  • Vocational "call" is first to Christ through our baptism. You are called as a child of God, as is each member of the Church. 
  • Your specific call within the body of Christ for service - for example, to ministry of Word and Sacrament - includes: 
    • An inward sense of call by the Holy Spirit ("the secret call"). This sense may have been what prompted you to enroll in seminary or express your desire to begin the preparation process
    • An outward recognition of your call by the body of Christ ("the ecclesiastical call").We believe that God calls through the church, and so your journey begins with your session - the congregation which knows you best - and moves on to include your presbytery representing the larger church. Your call is part of the larger call of the church. We believe, as Dr. Jack Stotts describes, that "it is the people who are called, prior to the individual. The people who are called are a people who have been prepared to discern the call and to respond. ... As God calls the church, so the church calls its leaders to particular church vocations." (2) 
    • Gifts appropriate to the vocation to which God is calling you ("the providential call").  In this aspect of discerning your particular vocation, your congregation, CPM/presbytery, seminary, and others will help you recognize the gifts give you, confirm that they are relevant for ministry of Word and Sacrament, and develop them throughout the preparation process. 

Your session and session liaison, presbytery and CPM/CPM liaison, are representatives of the church to which God has called you and through which you are being called to a particular vocation. They will want to hear about your experience of inward call and how it continues. As they know you, nurture you, serve you, are served by you, and serve with you, they will be the voice of the church calling you to a particular vocation within the church. As you explore your gifts and exercise them, they will help you discern what vocational shape these gifts take and encourage you in their growth. 

Though the session or CPM in some steps is designated to take initiative in the preparation process, do not hesitate to take initiative yourself and go the extra mile. Occasionally, your CPM may overlook a step or be unaware of a resources, or your liaison may be new to the committee. You can help them support you by being in contact regularly and faithfully preparing for each step in the process. Your initiative will not only be helpful to them in the ministry to you, but also will speak to them of the seriousness with which you take your call. 


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(1) H. Richard Niebuhr, The Purpose of the Church and its Ministry: Reflections on the Aims of Theological Education, 1965, Harper and Brothers
2) Stotts, Jack L. A Theology of Vocation, p 9, 12. 

Last modified: Friday, February 16, 2024, 11:13 AM