Introduction
The Nourishing Vocation Project (NVP) invites individual participants and whole congregations to deepen their understanding of God’s call upon their life and work so that they might more intentionally live life on purpose and engage in ministry on purpose for the common good. It is a project of the Thriving Congregations Initiative of Lilly Endowment Inc., through the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf College. As one of our participating pastors has said, “this is not just another strategy pulled from the secular world, or a list of necessary tasks to complete, or a ’10-step program for growth.’ It is entirely rooted in a Spiritual practice returning us to the core of what discernment truly is.”
Through intentional cohorts and learning communities, the NVP is a project for the spiritual renewal of individuals and whole congregations, rooted in the belief that thriving congregations are composed of thriving people. Guided by three primary questions – Who are we called to be? What are we called to do? Why are we here? – Participants embrace an openness that leads to action and embodiment of the ever-evolving, present-tense call of God upon their life.
Throughout the project, participants apply the primary questions, both personally and collectively, to five critical concerns facing the church today – well-being, antiracism, economics, young adults, and digital ministry – while seeking ways to intentionally engage with their neighbors as responsible and accountable partners.
Foundational to the whole experience is the Vocare spiritual practice that invites ongoing, regular reflection upon values, openness, call, attentiveness, regrets, and experiences of God’s presence in daily life.
St. Olaf College, residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) challenges students to excel in the liberal arts, examine faith and values, and explore meaningful vocation in an inclusive, globally engaged community nourished by Lutheran tradition. In the belief that theology and the practice of vocational discernment enhances both individual and collective thriving, St. Olaf College has a long standing commitment to education for vocation. The Nourishing Vocation Project is an extension of this commitment.
The Project
I Discern:
Participants nourish holistic personal vocational discernment so that they might more intentionally live life on purpose for the common good
We Discern:
Participants nourish congregational vocational discernment so that they might more intentionally engage in ministry on purpose for the common good
We Act:
Congregations put into practice just one thing from their discernment so that they intentionally engage in ministry for the common good.
We Reflect:
Congregations reflect on their discernment experience and make plans to live their vocations in the future so that they will continue to engage in ministry on purpose for the common good.
Each phase includes a 4-step process, rooted in the words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 3:6. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Participants will prepare, plant, nourish, and grow.
Prepare:
The plan for the phase is developed. The plan is intentionally nimble so that adaptations can be made as needed.
Plant:
The seeds for the phase are planted.
Nourish
The needs of the phase are tended.
Grow
The growth of the phase is both anticipated and celebrated.