Items filtered by date: May 2025
Towards the end of last year I was fortunate to have some study leave, which I spent in Oxford as a visiting fellow at Harris Manchester College. For much of its history, the college had a particular affiliation with Unitarianism and there are still some reminders of that heritage. In the college chapel there is a set of windows depicting the six days of creation. Each of the six lights shows an angel holding a globe representing what happened on that particular day. Above each of the angels is a caption – Enlargissez Dieu – a quotation from the French Enlightenment philosopher, Diderot. It means something like, ‘Broaden your concept of God.’ The point is an obvious one. How do we find out about God through the workings of the created order? And how often do we choose to ignore that?
One of the leading figures in the college a hundred years was a man called L P Jacks. I came across a passage in one of Jacks’s books, about the place of religion in schools, which I think, despite its somewhat dated language and style, is a good example of what Enlargissez Dieu might be about:
Not long ago I met one of our great schoolteachers – a veteran in that high service. “Where in your time-table do you teach religion?” I asked him. “We teach it all day long,” he answered. “We teach it in arithmetic, by accuracy. We teach it in language, by learning to say what we mean – ‘yea, yea and nay, nay!’ We teach it in history, by humanity. We teach it in geography, by breadth of mind. We teach it in handicraft by thoroughness. We teach it in astronomy, by reverence. We teach it in the playground, by fair play. We teach it by kindness to animals, by courtesy to staff, by good manners to one another, and by truthfulness in all things. We teach it by showing the children that we, their elders, are their friends and not their enemies.”
“But what,” I said, “about the different denominations? Have you no trouble with the parents?” “None at all,” he replied; “we have half a dozen denominations. But we treat the children, not as members of this church or that, but as members of the school, and we show them that, as members of the school, in work and in play, they are members of one another. We teach them to build the Church of Christ out of the actual relations in which they stand to their teachers and their schoolfriends, because we believe that unless they learn to build it where they are, they will not learn to build it afterwards anywhere else.”
“Do you talk much to them about religion”? I then asked. “Not much,” he said, “just enough to bring the whole thing to a point now and then.”
Finally, he added a remark that struck me – “I do not want religion brought into this school from outside. What we have of it we grow ourselves.”
From A Living Universe (1924)
I see in the words of Jacks’s schoolteacher the articulation of a profound theology of mission. It has been said that the starting point of a conversation or process is likely to be the finishing point, too. If we start with a narrow, diminished concept of God, we are likely to see everything within that restrictive framework. Perhaps Enlargissez Dieu would be a better watchword for our thinking about apologetic and mission.
Archdeacon Christopher
I trained as a teacher and have spent most of my working life within a local authority context, but am now a Vocations, Learning and Formation Officer and loving it!
I am based at Church House in Derby but am happy to travel throughout the County.
I am inspired by the report ‘Setting God’s People Free’ and excited by the vision it presents of a truly enabled church.
I see vocation as God weaving each of us into a tapestry – each of us is a unique and vibrantly coloured thread which can only create a beautiful whole by interweaving with others.
It doesn’t matter what type of thread you are, what colour, or whether you are a bit frayed around the edges - God can use you to weave a better world by sharing the message of His love.
He is calling you to something uniquely wonderful -your vocation – whatever that may be.
I’d like to leave you with a question paraphrased from Paulo Coelho: ‘What are you doing with the talents that God bestowed on you?’
Please use the form below to get in touch with me and I will contact you as soon as possible.
NB: If for some reason you don't hear back from your chosen adviser within 10 days, please accept our apologies - it means something has gone wrong. If this happens to you, please email communications@derby.anglican.org and tell us how long you have been waiting and who your chosen adviser is.
I am one of the two Diocesan Vocations, Learning & Formation Officers.
It is amazing the different ways God calls each one of us to serve - in our families, work lives, in the church, through ministry and in our communities.
I love hearing people’s stories of how God has called them and help them in their process of discernment.
I am currently based in Church House but I live near Chesterfield, and I would be happy to advise people in any part of the Diocese.
Please use the form below to send me your details and I will get in touch as soon as possible.
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What do we mean by vocations?
Vocation is a difficult word. It can sound to many of us like a long-term professional undertaking of several years’ duration. And for those who wish to pursue ordination, a long term commitment is certainly required. But vocations can also have a different shape if we think of them as gifts or calling.
See the helpful helpful video above - from The Fund for Theological Education
Vocations, gifts and calling
We all possess some God-given gifts. But often we don’t fully recognise how gifted we are because these gifts have been with us for a long time and it is easy to take them for granted. Or they may have been hidden in the shadows for some time. But there is in all of us something that people recognise and come to us for. And their desire to do this is acknowledgement that we have something special that they don’t see in others. In other words, they recognise our gifts.
Our unique self
The wonder of being human is our unique quality. Our unique make up comes from a combination of many factors, some that are given at birth and the rest from our life experiences, education, and the skills and gifts that we gain and develop on the spiritual journey. We are all one-offs. And therefore by the same token we all have a unique gift to offer to God.
There are a myriad of gifts and callings in the midst of all churches. We may be a practical person, good with our hands, who can get on and make and fix things. There are those with great organisational skills, whom we all turn to when an event needs arranging. There are leaders, speakers, teachers, the artistic who make the music, write, provide the artwork in the church. These are but a small sample of the commonly found gifts within most churches in addition to the more spiritually orientated gifts.
However, it’s not always easy to recognise our individual gifts until we sit down and give this some thought. And then we may find it acknowledging the real gifts that God has given us and then take these further, developing and applying them in our spiritual walk.
‘Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms’. 1 Peter 4:10
Age is no barrier
And it doesn’t matter how old you are. From young person to retired, we all have gifts to offer and can all serve. It is always good to remember that the Lord has no arms and legs in this world other than ours.
Discernment
How can we discern these gifts? And how can we use them for God? After all, there are many ways. Some will be called to ordained ministry in one of its forms; some to lay ministry as a reader. For others, there will be lay roles within the church. Or others may be called to God’s work in their daily lives. What you do already may be your vocation. John van Sloten states, ‘There is no job so boring that it would disinterest God, because there is no person whom God does not love and see.’
There are a number of options available if you feel drawn to explore the subject of your gifts and calling.
1) The first stage is to give it in prayer. Here is a simple prayer to start the process:
‘Lord, help me to understand more clearly my gifts and calling. Bring the right people and situations to me to guide me in discerning a way forward. Amen.’
2) Talk it over with others. Discernment is not a solitary process. Talk with a trusted friend, a prayer partner or spiritual accompanier if you have one, or talk with your priest. This will help to give you some idea of a general direction.
3) What are your strengths, passions and gifts? Ask yourself this question and gain the opinion of those you know. There are likely to be clues here.
4) Push doors. See what happens as you move forward with certain ideas. ‘Have a go!’
5) Keep a journal of what you are noticing.
6) Recognise that discernment is a personal and individual business. There is no foolproof process and sometimes the unexpected can be a part of the discernment journey.
The Vocations Team
The diocese has a vocations team there to assist individuals to discern their vocation and discover what that means for you.
There are Exploration Days and other relevant courses that are held from time to time in the diocese for those wishing to proceed further.
Also, check out the Church of England website on vocations for further information: churchofengland.org/life-events/vocations
Introductory books on vocation and calling
Called or Collared – An Alternative Approach to Vocation – Francis Dewar (SPCK, 2000)
God of Surprises – Gerard W Hughes (Darton Longman and Todd Ltd, 2008)
How to Find Your Vocation – A Guide to Discovering the Work You Love – John Adair (Canterbury Press, 2002)
The Person Called You – Bill Hendricks (Moody Publishers, 2014)
Every Job a Parable – John van Sloten (Hodder and Stoughton, 2017)
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In a world where organisational shapes and approaches to leadership change rapidly, it is important that we evaluate the parish as our key unit of operation for mission.
Place
The enduring strength of our parish system is the importance of place. As human beings we have a deep sense of needing to be ‘placed’ – able to belong, feel secure with a setting that is familiar. The church building is often the minister of the centrality of place. The parish take this sense of place seriously.
People
Parishes are people – in an increasingly mixed and changing cocktail. There can no longer be a single offer or a simple formula. If the Gospel is to be proclaimed and witnessed to, then there will need to be variety, and a toughness regarding the choices of what might be possible with limited resources. Who are those most in need of the generous witness of God’s loving care?, and how might this offer be made?
Processes
God’s children live and grow through engaging with processes of formation. Public worship and the Occasional Offices have been one of our key contributions. Now the invitation has to be crafted more flexibly. Messy Church for young families, schools as structures for nourishing young people, breakfasts for men, festivals….. and moments to enable meeting others and sharing the love of God, made manifest most powerfully in appropriate worship and witness.
Parsons
The genius of the Church of England is the parson, our commitment to providing pastoral care that gives leadership for such formation. Rarely in our history has every parish had its own resident ‘vicar’. But always, each parish is embraced by the gospel caring and teaching organised by the Church. We all contribute to the work of being parson in our own communities. There are three classical models of parsoning:
- The priest, who uses the worship and teaching of the Church to mediate the Good News of Jesus Christ into everyday lives.
- The prophet, through whom the light of Christ proclaims a challenging critique of present failings, while proposing radical new possibilities.
- The prompter, who gathers and enables others to make creative responses to our challenges and opportunities, embracing those within the Church and those beyond our borders, in a common and connecting formation in goodness and grace. Calling all sorts and conditions of people to grow together as children of our Heavenly Father.
As the season of annual meetings is underway, we might like to consider in our own particular context how we can best be called to craft a parish for the future, and thus work seriously together on the future of the parish.
Bishop Alastair
My own vocational journey started as a teenager, has had many twists and turns along the way and continues to surprise me.
I am glad to listen to others who are also exploring where and how God is calling them to serve.
Now retired from the NHS where I spent most of my working life, I am licenced as a rural pioneer priest, based in Tideswell Parish, and Self Supporting (Non stipendiary) Ministry Officer for the Diocese.
I relax in the outdoors, walking and running round the beautiful area where we live. I am most available in the Peak Deanery and for people exploring self supporting ministry.
NB: If for some reason you don't hear back from your chosen adviser within 10 days, please accept our apologies - it means something has gone wrong. If this happens to you, please email communications@derby.anglican.org and tell us how long you have been waiting and who your chosen adviser is.
