General Studies Related to Vocation
- Badcock, Gary D. The Way of Life: A Theology of Christian Vocation. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- A biblical and theological exploration of the Christian idea of vocation that argues vocation is not an occupation but a calling to live and love according to the model of Christ
- Bolles, Richard Nelson. How to Find Your Mission in Life. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1991. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Short theological reflections by the author of the popular career counseling book What Color is Your Parachute on the three missions in life: living in God's presence, improving the world in general, and using one's unique gifts for God's purposes.
- Brooks, David. The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life. New York: Penguin Random House. 2019. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Discusses vocation as one of the four commitments that define meaningful lives (alongside spouse and family; philosophy or faith; and community).
- Cahalan, Kathleen. Calling All Years Good: Christian Vocation Throughout Life’s Seasons. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2017. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Constructs a framework for understanding how vocation emerges, evolves, and remains relevant over the course of one’s life—from childhood to old age.
- Cahalan, Kathleen and Douglas J. Shuurman. Calling in Today’s World: Voices from Eight Faith Perspectives. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- An exploration of what vocation means in eight different faith traditions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, secular humanism) with the goal of building understanding and promoting interfaith efforts to build a more humane world.
- Cahalan, Kathleen. The Stories We Live: Finding God’s Calling All Around Us. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2017. Find online.
- Uses Christian Scripture and personal stories to invite readers to consider vocation as active, ongoing participation in the story of God. A conversation guide for use in small groups and leadership groups is available here.
- Center for Faith & Work.
- Center associated with Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City that discusses work from a Christian (and specifically Reformed) perspective. The website includes a blog, newsletter, and various resources on vocation, including in relation to different industries.
- Collegeville Institute. Called to Life small group program.
- Free program with facilitation guide, videos, and other resources. The program itself is six weeks and covers questions of vocation and calling.
- Collegeville Institute. Lives Explored video storytelling project.
- Interfaith video exploration of how people listen for God’s voice in their everyday lives.
- Conyers, A. J. The Listening Heart: Vocation and the Crisis of Modern Culture. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2009. First published 2006 by Spence Publishing. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Argues that vocation—a sense of responsibility to an external “Caller”—is an essential part not only of the Judeo-Christian tradition but human society broadly. Modernity has witnessed the loss of vocation and the consequent rise of problems such as personal alienation, social fragmentation, and widespread violence.
- Conyers, A. J. “The Meaning of Vocation.” Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics 10 (2004): 11–19.
- Seeks to correct common secular and theological misunderstandings of vocation and to return to a biblical idea of calling as a summons from God to a life of faithfulness and—despite challenges—fullness.
- Crouch, Andy. Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling. IVP, 2013. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Discusses the Christian calling not only to critique, copy, or consume culture, but to make it.
- Daloz, Laurent A. Parks, Cheryl H. Keen, James P. Keen, and Sharon Daloz Parks. Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World. Boston: Beacon, 1996. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Examines the lives of people who are committed to working on behalf of the common good in a wide variety of ways.
- Daniels, Denise, and Shannon Vandewarker. Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2019. Find online.
- Summarizes a theology of work and describes different spiritual practices related to orienting to work (e.g., praying during the commute), engaging in work (e.g., practicing gratitude and celebration), and reflecting on work (e.g., Sabbath). Each chapter on practices includes stories of people who have used these practices and questions for discussion and reflection.
- Denver Institute for Faith & Work.
- Nonprofit dedicated to helping people serve God, neighbor, and society through work. Resources include fellowships, conferences, online courses, a blog, videos and articles posted on the website, a podcast, and print publications.
- Dik, Bryan J., and Ryan D. Duffy. Make Your Job a Calling: How the Psychology of Vocation Can Change Your Life at Work. Templeton, 2013. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Explores how life can be made more joyful if one finds a sense of purpose in any and all careers. Includes several lessons on how the power of calling can shape individuals and society as a whole.
- Dik, Bryan J. Redeeming Work: A Guide to Discovering God’s Calling for Your Career. West Conshohocken: Templeton Press, 2020. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Shares the tools needed to find opportunities for Christians to forge their own careers, fuse faith with life at work, and find purpose for the work they are doing in a rapidly changing world.
- Garber, Steven. Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2014. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Presents a vision of vocation as involving actively loving a world that is often problematic, painful, and ugly. Offers real life examples from a variety of contexts (e.g., education, marriage and parenting, politics, the fast food industry).
- Hardy, Lee. The Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice, and the Design of Human Work. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Thorough historical, philosophical, theological, and practical study of work from an evangelical perspective.
- Kaemingk, Matthew, and Cory B. Willson. Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Many theologians suggest that the best way of addressing the problematic division between faith and work is to develop and disseminate a better theology. This book suggests that worship itself should become more "vocationally conversant," offering a theology of work that is embodied among worshippers.
- Keller, Tim. Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work. New York: Penguin, 2014. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Explores how the Christian notion of work as service to others rather than the self can provide the foundation for a healthier professional and personal life.
- Klein, William W., and Daniel J. Steiner. What Is My Calling? A Biblical and Theological Exploration of Christian Identity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022. Find online.
- Dismantles notions of what it means to have a calling and works to create a more precise definition. Authors seek to construct a theological reorientation of calling and reinforce conclusions from biblical studies.
- Koskela, Douglas M. Calling and Clarity: Discovering What God Wants for Your Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Helps young people carefully distinguish between “missional calling,” “direct calling,” and “general calling.” Additional clarification about the relationship between gifts, passions, and vocation offers practical guidance for discernment about a proper vocational life.
- Kruschwitz, Robert B., ed. Vocation issue. Christian Reflection: A Series in Faith and Ethics 10 (2004).
- A series of essays and devotional/worship material related to Christian vocation.
- Law, William. A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. New York: Penguin Random House, 2002. Preface by William Sloane Coffin Jr. Find online.
- Originally published in 1729, this work argues that because God is humanity’s greatest good, we should live our lives in a way that pleases God. Includes guidelines on spiritual practices such as prayer, charity, the use of Psalms in private devotion, and humility.
- Lewis, C. S. “Learning in War-Time.” In The Weight of Glory and Other Addresses, edited by Walter Hooper, 47–63. New York: HarperOne, 2009. First published 1949 by Macmillan. Find online. Find further commentary.
- A 1939 lecture that calls for the surrender of every aspect of life—including learning—to God (cf. 1 Cor 10:31). Factors such as one’s upbringing, talents, and circumstances will contribute to the work one offers to God.
- Maros, Susan Lynn. Calling in Context: Social Location and Vocational Formation. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2022. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Explores how dimensions of social location (race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, and gender) shape assumptions about vocation. Helps Christians in the United States see that ideas about calling such as certainty, career paths, and personal achievement arise from cultural priorities.
- O’Donnell, Michaela. Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2021. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Defines what the Bible says (and does not say) about calling as well as helping develop a new mindset and habits for a new world of work. As the way people operate in a workplace has changed dramatically over the course of the last few years, they now need to equip themselves with better tools and strategies to forge a path towards more meaningful and impactful work.
- Palmer, Parker J. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Encourages engagement in spiritual practices that will equip people to discern how their vocation emerges from their own lives rather than from external pressures. Directed to teachers, but has broad relevance.
- Pathak, Jay, and Dave Runyon. The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Articulates and answers questions regarding value, the good life, and God’s home in the world, arguing that such questions call for a recovery of theology.
- A recovery of theology is vital to help us understand these questions
- Placher, William C., ed. Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Anthology of biblical, theological, literary, and philosophical writings on vocation from Christian history.
- Regent College Marketplace Institute. ReFrame.
- ReFrame is a free video-based Bible study that explores how Christians can discover how their ordinary lives are part of God's mission today.
- Regent World Magazine. Vocation Reimagined: Being the Church in a Time of Uncertainty. The Regent World Magazine. Volume 33, Number 1, Spring 2021. Vancouver, BC: Regent World Magazine, 2021.
- Magazine issue filled with articles featuring the stories of individuals and churches rethinking their vocation in a post-pandemic world. Helps its audience think creatively about how to forge new paths forward in this changed world.
- Reyes, Patrick B. The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. 2021. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Whereas much vocational literature speaks of individuals as needing to identify their purpose and pursue it, Reyes addresses the "purpose gap" that exists between opportunity and purpose, especially within marginalized communities.
- Sayers, Dorothy. “Why Work?” In Creed or Chaos? Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster (Or, Why It Really Does Matter What You Believe). Bedford, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 1999. First published by Harcourt Brace in 1949. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Argues that work has an intrinsic value as the means through which people offer themselves to God. Humans are created to work and should approach it with the goal of doing it well—whatever “it” may be—rather than merely as a means to other ends.
- Schwehn, Mark R. and Dorothy C. Bass, eds. Leading Lives That Matter: What We Should Do and Who We Should Be. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006 (1st edition) and 2020 (2nd edition). Find in the Baylor library. Find online. Resource for discussions.
- Anthology of writings from a wide variety of cultures, genres, and perspectives that relate to vocation and the idea of life’s meaning, purpose, and significance.
- Sherman, Amy L. Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society. Made to Flourish Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2022. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Illuminates God’s call to all Christians to participate in his redemptive mission through a multifaceted, biblically grounded framework in six areas of civilizational life (the Good, the True, the Beautiful, the Just, the Prosperous, and the Sustainable).
- Sherman, Amy. Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Builds on Proverbs’ picture of “the righteous” to explore how Christians who follow their calling—which involves seeing themselves as stewards of God-given gifts—give the world a foretaste of the kingdom of God.
- Smith, Gordon T. “Seeking Congruence: The Nature of Vocational Integrity.” In Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential, 33–55. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2011. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Builds from the idea of three expressions of vocation (a general call to be Christians, a specific call to how each person lives out Christ’s mission in the world, and an immediate call to current responsibilities) and argues that one can help maintain vocational integrity by living a life congruent with who we are in terms of gifts, personalities, and desires.
- Smith, Gordon T. Your Calling Here and Now: Making Sense of Vocation. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2022. Find online.
- Invites Christians to reflect and step into God’s calling for their lives with theologically and historically grounded reflections and spiritual practices to help discern God’s call.
- Snowden, Matt, and Joshua Hays. Soul Culture: Stewarding the Five Ingredients of Our Common Life. Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2023. Find online. Baptist Standard book review.
- This book, which was supported by the Soundings Project, addresses the culture of Christian communities that seek to discern and follow God's call. Questions for discussion and a group discussion guide make it a helpful resource for congregations and small groups.
- Stevens, Paul. “The Church and Vocation.” Regent Exchange, Churches for the Common Good. 4 July 2022.
- Short video in which Stevens explains that he prefers the word calling over the word vocation because it includes the fact that God is calling us to something greater. The role of the church is teaching the meaning of the workplace.
- Stevens, Paul. “What is Vocation?” Regent Exchange, Churches for the Common Good. 4 July 2022.
- Short video first defining vocation as a summons from God. Stevens asserts that there is no Christian life without vocation. We are called to belong to God and be his people.
- Thurman, Howard. "The Sound of the Genuine." Baccalaureate Address at Spelman College. May 4, 1980.
- Admonition to listen to the sound of the genuine both in oneself and in other people. Such listening is a discipline that everyone must cultivate.
- Tooley, Bren. "The Winding Road: Discerning Vocation Late in Life." Vocation Matters. October 30, 2018.
- Reflection on vocation at different stages of life, including the opportunities that arise from intergenerational relationships.
- Vibrant Faith. CallingNow.
- Collection of resources for individual or group use. Includes videos and graphics, with the curriculum itself spanning six sessions. This resource is free to those within the Called to Lives of Meaning and Purpose Initiative. If you are interested, please contact us.
- Volf, Miroslav. Work in the Spirit: Toward a Theology of Work. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2001. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Approaches the idea of work in relation to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and economic theory to construct a Protestant theology of work as cooperation with God.
- Wadell, Paul J., and Charles R. Pinches. Living Vocationally: The Journey of the Called Life. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2021. Find in the Baylor library. Find online.
- Theological exploration of vocation using the metaphor of a journey. Examines historical Christian ideas about vocation, vocation through the different stages of life, and the virtues required to pursue one’s callings.
- Theology of Work Project.
- Large collection of resources related to faith and work. The website includes various articles, a blog, a podcast (titled Making it Work), devotionals, small group resources, and the only commentary on the Bible that addresses work throughout. Almost all resources are free, but some are available for purchase as well.
- The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture.
- This website contains various reflections to help Christians see how our daily work is part of our calling within the mission of God in the world.