Date

2-2022

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (EdD)

Chair

Stephen Lowe

Keywords

Discerning God's will, passion, spiritual gifts, need, vocational calling

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

Discerning God's vocational will for one's life is a question that most people have faced. Many books, publications, and sermons have been written on this subject. The problem examined in this study is whether or not a proposed biblically-based, practical, three-step model utilizing the intersection point of one's passion, spiritual gift, and need for helping college students discern God's vocational will for their lives is empirically valid. There is a gap in the literature in this regard. The research reveals that a few authors mention one or perhaps even two critical elements for determining God's vocational will, but no current model suggests all three of these foundational elements be considered collectively. This study sought to determine if the researcher's proposed model provided a valid intersection point for these three critical criteria as the basis for discovering God's vocational will. This researcher taught this proposed three-step model in two one-hour classroom presentations to a group of 1,116 college students aged 18-25 at an evangelical Christian university in the eastern United States. The quantitative empirical data to determine the student's level of understanding of the model and utilization of the model was collected and analyzed by administering a series of three surveys – pre-presentation, immediately following the second presentation, and two weeks following the second presentation. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and determined that students both understood the model and found it effective and helpful in discerning God's vocational will for their lives.

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