Missional Calling View
May 22 2025
The Missional Calling View sees vocation as advancing God's Kingdom and world renewal rather than an individual career path. Particular vocations are ways to participate in God’s mission of reconciliation. Vocational discernment is finding one’s way to participate in this mission.
Means of discernment: Reason is valued as a tool to practically implement God's mission of justice and reconciliation. Scripture is important as it reveals the divine mission and prayer helps individuals align with it. Direct supernatural revelation is less emphasized but can play a role.
The divine mission is communal. The community can help orient individuals towards God's mission and help them discern their ways to contribute.
Example: A Christian with the Missional Calling View might consider how a career decision aligns with the broader mission of advancing God’s kingdom and bringing justice to the world. They might ask, “How can I serve the world and further the reconciliation of all things under Christ through my work?”
Comparison with the CFI view: The Missional Calling View sees impact as advancing God's mission of reconciliation in the world. CFI similarly thinks of impact as making the world more like God wants it to be. However, in the Missional Calling View, quantification of impact is not emphasized—comparing the impact of different options is not a prominent consideration in the same way it is in the CFI view.
Key thinkers: Christopher Wright, John Stott, N.T. Wright