CFI View
May 22 2025
CFI wants to help Christians find impactful roles where they can effectively bring positive change to the world. CFI is focused on career advising, but we believe that vocation also encompasses roles such as parenting and serving in church ministries, in addition to professional employment.
CFI places significant emphasis on analytic thinking, reason, and evidence when making career decisions. We view reason as a crucial tool provided by God to help Christians make wise and informed choices about their careers. Many other Christian views on career see reason as a useful tool, but do not emphasize it as much as in the CFI view.
A strong emphasis on impact is another distinctive aspect of the CFI view. It stresses the importance of making a maximum positive impact through one's vocation as a primary criterion for career choice, but notes that not everyone is called to careers that are generally considered high-impact. In the CFI view, impact is defined as contributing to making the world align more closely with God's intentions, focusing on spiritual, moral and tangible outcomes.
Prayer and Scripture are considered important under the CFI view. Prayer is encouraged as a part of the career discernment process. Scripture provides guidelines and teachings that Christians can apply to their specific situations. Additionally, Scripture serves as a source of comfort, encouragement, and admonition to help believers pursue their vocations faithfully.
We acknowledge direct supernatural revelation, but regard it as a rare occurrence, typically reserved for exceptional circumstances. God can tell some people directly what He wants them to work on, but we don’t think this should be sought as the general way to make career decisions. Apparent direct supernatural revelation should also be approached with care and discernment, as sometimes psychological or medical phenomena or even demons can create experiences that may seem like revelations coming from God.
Community plays a significant role in the CFI view. Discussing career decisions with trusted individuals and seeking collective wisdom is encouraged. CFI specifically offers advising and mentor connections that people can make use of in their discernment process.
Example: When someone is thinking about a career decision, CFI would encourage them to ask questions like “How can I use the talents the Lord has given me to do the most good with my career?” and “How can I have a maximum impact on some of the most pressing problems in the world?” CFI’s ideas about career discernment are detailed in our career guide or, in a shorter form, our 10-minute guide.