The role of vocational training

There is a great deal of uncertainty in the contemporary Church concerning the ministry to which God calls all believers, confusion over the duties and responsibilities of various orders of ministry, inconsistency in processes for discerning vocations to the diaconate and priesthood, misunderstanding of the respective roles of different groups in affirming a specific call to ministry, ignorance of the demands associated with preparation for ordained ministry, and inadequate appreciation of what an ordered religious life will mean for family and friends.This collection of essays has been prepared to assist the people of God to think about whom God calls to minister, discerning the specific ministries to which some may be called, and preparing them for the exercise of those ministries. It will help those managing vocational discernment to be aware of the evolving demands placed upon leaders in a mission-shaped Church and the aptitudes and abilities that are integral to emerging models of ministry. With the continued proliferation of specialist ministries, those experiencing a call to ministry will come from more diverse backgrounds and possess more varied gifts. Responding to the needs of a mission-shaped Church will require broader vision from the entire Christian community, especially those charged with determining those men and women God has indeed called to ordained leadership.