For two Saturday mornings this March (11th and 18th), I will be conducting a seminar on how one can discover one’s calling in life with the Discipleship Training Centre. I have taught this course in various forms in various institutions for many years. It is one of the most satisfying courses I teach. With great joy, I have seen many discovering or getting greater clarity as to their personal life missions.
When I mentioned that I was teaching this course, a number asked if this course was meant for young adults. My answer is yes, but it really is for people at all stages of life. Young adults need pointers to figure out what they are to do with their lives. But issues of calling should be revisited at all stages of life. Mid-life is a good time to think about vocation. Having some life experience under our belts, we now have more of life to reflect on and therefore more clues to help us have greater clarity as to what may be our unique life mission. And since more and more of us will live longer lives, we should also re-examine issues of vocation in the third third of our lives. Some of us may find that we may have more freedom to pursue our vocation later in life. So this seminar is really for folks at all stages of life.
Others are curious as to why I am teaching this course for the Discipleship Training Centre (DTC) and not for some other theological school. Those who know me and our ministry, Graceworks, and who know the ethos of DTC will probably not be too surprised. We at Graceworks are committed to relational transformation—the conviction that people are transformed through the Spirit and the Word in the context of close face-to-face relationships.
David Adeney (founder of DTC) insisted on a distinctive ethos of training within a community in which staff and students would live together. (Source: DTC)
DTC has always been counter-cultural in their approach to training God’s servants. They have chosen to focus on relational depth rather than on numbers. I am delighted to be able to do this seminar with them since Graceworks has the same ethos. In their brochure, they have a quote from Frederick Schmidt.
. . . as many new creative approaches to education as there might be, a residential model of focused, face-to-face education and formation in the faith is the best means of preparing a generation of thoughtful, faithful servants of the Gospel.
I particularly like the part that says “face-to-face education and formation. . . .” While DTC remains committed to a residential approach as their primary offering, I am glad that they are also open to other expressions of face-to-face formation. And helping people understand their calling in the context of community seems an ideal way to experience this.
P.S. Lunch together is a compulsory part of the seminar!
There is still time to sign up for the seminar here.
