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“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” – 1 Corinthians 12:7

Mission

The goal of the CTU’s Pathways in Professional Ministry program is to support the transformation of CTU students’ vocations, as evidenced by their charisms, talents, and aptitudes, into fully actualized, marketable skills for pastoral leadership in the Church (ad intra) as well as outside the Church (ad extra). The program also offers skills training for mission-driven careers in the nonprofit and business sectors. The services are available to all current students, whether on an ordination track, religious, or lay.  Alumni are welcome to access the resources as they transition during their ministry careers and are invited to mentor and coach current students.

Our goal is to help students’ career planning such that every student will have a paid ministry placement waiting for them prior to graduation or be better skilled to provide pastoral leadership in their desired  ministry.  The Career Services program is guided by a Spirit-inspired mission culture of career readiness.

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1Cor. 12:7)

Vocational Discernment: Navigating Your Career Ministry Journey

This guide of Ten Modules offers a holistic approach to exploring your ministry calling,
recognizing that your career is not just a job but a sacred path of service.

We invite you to explore the Ten Modules, and then reach out to Gerald Doyle, Career Services, by completing the form below.

Here are the Ten Modules

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Resources

INSPIRATION and MISSION

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • What inspires you personally?
    • How is that expressed? It could be in words, images, videos, music, art, performance, symbols, or objects.
    • Purpose, calling, mission, vision, values, goals, ambitions, symbols, and stories, are all welcome.

Reflection Questions:

  • What stirs your soul?
  • Where do you see God’s fingerprints in your passion?
  • How do your deepest inspirations connect to broader ministry needs?

Recommended Practices:

  • Reflective journaling
  • Contemplative prayer
  • Creative expression workshops
  • Personal mission statement development

VISION and DISCERNMENT

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • What is your career vision?
    • What is your vocation at this moment, as you understand it?
    • How do you wish to be in service (to the Lord)?
    • How do you feel called to express your creativity?

Theological Foundations:

  • Understanding vocation as a divine conversation
  • Ignatian discernment principles
  • Listening to God’s subtle invitations

Exploration Techniques:

  • Vocational mapping
  • Reflective direction sessions
  • Discernment retreats
  • Collaborative vision crafting
  • Assessments:

MARKET / DEFINING A UNIVERSE OF TARGETS

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • What fields or fields (markets) do you want to explore?
    • In what areas of activity can you best give your gift?
    • What areas excite your curiosity?
    • In what areas do you see the greatest receptivity (economically and otherwise) for your gifts (charisms)?

Ministerial Landscape Analysis:

  • Mapping ministry opportunities
  • Identifying emerging church and social service needs
  • Aligning personal charisms with institutional requirements

 

Strategic Exploration:

  • Informational interviews
  • Contextual ministry research

Cross-denominational networking

CAREER SEARCH

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • What is your job search strategy?
    • What is your plan for searching out opportunities?
    • How can you make your strategy both effective and efficient?

Holistic Search Strategy:

  • Integrating appreciative/reflective intuition with practical job search techniques
  • Developing a faith-informed professional network
  • Balancing openness with intentional targeting

Search Toolkit:

  • Ministry-specific job platforms
  • Denominational career resources

Professional development workshops

NETWORKING and BUILDING A TRANSITION TEAM

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • How will you develop and engage with your network?
    • How do you understand your network?
    • What is your plan to develop and grow it?
    • How will you serve and be served by others in your network?

Relational Ministry Approach:

  • Understanding networking as a mutual accompaniment
  • Building authentic, reciprocal professional relationships
  • Creating supportive ministerial ecosystems

Networking Practices:

  • Strategic relationship mapping
  • Professional and ministerial mentorship
  • Community engagement strategies
  • Financial relationship mapping
  • Health and wellness/well-being relationship mapping

MENTORS and BUILDING AN ACCOMPANIMENT TEAM

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • How will you engage with mentors (including coaches, teachers, MasterMind)?
    • How will you find them?
    • How can you build relationships with them?
    • How can you give and receive value with/from your mentors? (and mentees?)

Mentorship as Spiritual Practice:

  • Selecting mentors aligned with your vocational vision
  • Developing mutually transformative relationships
  • Creating accountability and growth structures

Mentor Engagement Strategies:

  • Formal and informal mentorship models
  • Reciprocal learning frameworks
  • Ministerial and professional growth plans

CHARISMS, BRAND and PERSONAL MARKETING

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • What is your personal “brand” – your offering to the world?
    • What is your offering, your unique gift?
    • How will you articulate it?
    • How will you develop and refine it over time?

Personal Charism Development:

  • Identifying unique ministerial gifts
  • Articulating your ministeriall and professional narrative
  • Personal branding as ministry invitation

Presentation Strategies:

  • Authentic self-marketing
  • Digital ministry presence
  • Communication that reflects spiritual depth

AGILE PLANNING

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • How will you create an integrated, dynamic plan for your career journey?
    • How will you enunciate your big-picture goals? (L1)
    • How do you understand the streams of effort required to deliver big goals – and the specific objectives over the next few months? (eg quarter) (L2)
    • How will you define your particular actions in the next few days or weeks, linked to the L2 goals? (L3)
    • Continually observe and understand your successes and failures, retrospect and refine the plan dynamically

Integrated Life Planning:

  • Multi-level goal setting (ministerial, professional, personal)
  • Dynamic planning methodologies
  • Continuous reflection and adaptation

Application Techniques:

  • Ministry-informed resume development
  • Cover letter articulation of vocational call
  • Interview preparation as a spiritual practice

APPLYING, CLOSING and DISCERNING YOUR “YES”

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • How will you reach agreement on your next role or engagement
    • How will you prepare?
    • How will you engage?
    • How will you agree?
    • How will you follow up to cement, confirm, and build on the agreement?

Vocational Agreement Principles:

  • Discernment in professional and ministerial decisions
  • Integrity in negotiation
  • Alignment with a deeper calling

Decision-Making Framework:

  • Ignatian “consolation and desolation” method
  • Collaborative decision exploration
  • Ongoing spiritual confirmation

LEARNING: WITHIN, ACROSS, AND BEYOND YOUR SCHOOL

 

Career Services for Ministry Lens:

  • How is your career ministry journey linked to your learning journey?
    • What have been your key learnings that got you to today?
    • What do you need to learn to win your next targeted engagement?
    • What do you need to learn to succeed and grow in your role once you have secured it?

Lifelong Learning as Spiritual Formation:

  • Continuous personal and professional development
  • Integration of academic, spiritual, and ministerial learning
  • Adaptive learning strategies

Learning Pathways:

  • Formal and informal educational opportunities
  • Cross-disciplinary skill development
  • Reflective learning practices

    Concluding Reflection

    Vocational discernment is not a destination but a continuous journey of listening, responding, and transforming. May your path be blessed with clarity, courage, and compassionate service.

     

    Recommended Resources

    • 1- “The Personal Career Services Roadmap” by Scott Downs and Gerald Doyle
    • 2- “Conversations of Inquiry” by Scott Downs and Gerald Doyle
    • 3- “9 Questions for Leadership in Life and Work” by Scott Downs and Gerald Doyle
    • 4 – “Reflections on Career” by Scott Downs and Gerald Doyle
    • 5- “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life” by Henri Nouwen
    • 6- “Holy Listening” by Margaret Guenther
    • 7- Being Grounded at Work by Richard Rohr

    To begin a 1v1 30 minite conversation with Gerald Doyle regarding your career ministry journey,

    please fill out the form below to schedule the meeting.

    Note:

    • This service is available to CTU students, alumni, and friends.
    • We also welcome students, alumni, and friends from the Association of Chicago Theological Schools to reach out as well for a conversation about how these services might accompany and provide assistance to your career ministry journey.

    Ready to get started? Explore your ministry options or next career move. 

    Contact careerservices@ctu.edu to schedule an appointment.

    Or reach out directly to one of our career services team:

    Herb Quinde at hquinde@ctu.edu

    or Gerald Doyle at gdoyle@ctu.edu.

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