Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.
Parker J. Palmer
FTE strives to equip the next generation of leaders who are inspired to do God’s work in the world through his or her own church or academic community. With support, diverse young people can enliven their vocational pursuit, becoming intellectually and spiritually whole leaders. We provide resources created to meet the unique needs of those who are seeking their purpose, passion and call, and the partners who nurture them on their journey.
Articles / Whitepapers Featured
2017 Christian Leadership Forum PublicationDiverse and creative Christian leaders of many ages and traditions, from a multitude of places and points of view, gathered at the Forum to distill the essence of what it means for Christians to lead change for good. Read insights from participants from the 2017 gathering.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Theological Institutions, Diversity, Doctoral Education, Leadership Development
Articles / Whitepapers Featured
Calling for More “Than We Have Got Thus Far”This review includes a historical statistical analysis of people of color in theological education from 1998 to 2016. The updated review of literature focuses on best practices for supporting people of color in the academy. The resources reviewed were all published since 2006, and represented fields across higher education—first targeting the humanities, then incorporating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and business and law. The review also provides thematic summaries and annotations of literary resources. Additionally, it incorporates findings from the 2016 FTE Doctoral Fellows Report on the status of FTE Doctoral Fellows who received fellowships from 1999 to 2016.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Diversity, Doctoral Education, Leadership Development, Articles / Whitepapers
Articles / Whitepapers Featured
Seven Insights on Leadership the World Needs NowWe know that communities everywhere need inspired leaders to shape a hopeful future. But can we actually create the conditions in which faithful, wise and courageous leaders will thrive? We believe the answer is “yes.” And doing God’s work in the world depends on it. Over 18 months in seven cities with 200 conversation partners, FTE explored three questions: What are the leadership questions you wrestle with in your context? What kinds of leaders does the world need from the church today? What attributes must these leaders have to make a difference in the world?
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Theological Institutions, Students, Young Adults, Doctoral Education
Books Featured
The FTE Guide to Doctoral EducationThis guide provides insights from those who have pursued the doctorate, obtained degrees and now mentor the next generation of scholars in religion, biblical studies, and theology. Here we pull back the veil of the doctoral degree process, making plain the essential considerations about doctoral programs in theological education. Our guiding purpose for writing the guide is to help you discern your next most faithful step.
Tags: Students, Doctoral Education, Books
Tools
5 Cups of CoffeeAsking questions can help us unlock our deep gladness and how we experience the world’s deep hunger. Do you know someone struggling to know what God’s call is in his or her life? Invite them to join you for a cup of coffee and share with them in each of these 5 important conversations.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Theological Institutions, Students, Young Adults, Leadership Development
Books
A Guidebook of Promising Practices: Facilitating College Students’ Spiritual DevelopmentA Guidebook of Promising Practices: Facilitating Students’ Spiritual Development summarizes campus-wide initiatives and institutional practices from colleges and universities across the country, and features examples of practices that can facilitate students’ spiritual development. This guidebook can serve as a companion to Cultivating the Spirit: How College Can Enhance Students’ Inner Lives by Alexander W. Astin, Helen S. Astin, and Jennifer A. Lindholm (Jossey-Bass, 2011). Promising Practices is designed for use by administrators, faculty, student affairs professionals, and student leaders who are committed to supporting students’ spiritual development.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Theological Institutions, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books, Curriculum
Books
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided LifeFour themes that build on Palmer’s earlier writing are explored in this book: the shape of an integral life, the meaning of community, teaching and learning for transformation, and nonviolent social change.
Tags: Campus Ministry, High School Ministry, Leadership Development, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Vocational Discernment, Books
Articles / Whitepapers
A Letter from a Pastor to a Young PersonA letter from a pastor to a young woman whom he believes has a call to pastoral ministry.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Articles / Whitepapers
Books
A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to DoIn this slender volume, bestselling spiritual guru Moore (Care of the Soul) says that finding the right work, finding one’s vocation, is also part of the care of the soul.
Tags: Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
A Ray of DarknessA collection of sermons and addresses that show how faith equips for engagement with the world.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Spirituality
Books
A Sacred Voice Is Calling: Personal Vocation And Social ConscienceIncludes wisdoms from many traditions including Native American and Christian to better hear the call to action for others as the journey toward vocation.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Seminary Education, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
A Work of Heart: Understanding How God Shapes Spiritual LeadersA Southern Baptist leader looks at the lives of biblical leaders for six factors shaping leaders’ hearts.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment
Articles / Whitepapers
Active Faith Matters: 2015 FTE Christian Leadership Forum ReflectionsDoes an Active Faith Matter? This is the question explored by nearly 200 faithful leaders at the 2015 FTE Christian Leadership Forum. Over three days in Dallas, FTE hosted a diverse, intergenerational gathering of Christian leaders—seminarians, faith-based community workers and volunteers, doctoral students, leaders of theological schools, congregations and church-related organizations. This publication includes insights and reflections from several Forum participants as well as written pieces from FTE’s Stephen Lewis and Dori Baker.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Theological Institutions, Students, Young Adults, Diversity
Books
Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing DownDr. Jones is an adjunct professor at Andover-Newton Theological School and a popular 2008 Boston VEV presenter. Audio CD.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Pastoral Ministry, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American ReligionWuthnow is a sociologist at Princeton. Recommended by Mike Wilker, former president of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, this book gives a view of American religion decades into the future.
Tags: Faith-based Volunteer, Young Adults, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Books
Books
All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our TimeSaints in history who had a capacity for goodness and love, which led to true happiness.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books
Books
Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American ChurchBased on the National Study of Youth and Religion—the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers—Kenda Creasy Dean’s compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice.
Tags: High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Leadership Development, Books
Books
Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of FaithHow Norris learned to use religious words. Norris is a best-selling author, poet, feminist, theological conservative and Benedictine oblate.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books
Tools
American Academy of ReligionAs a learned society and professional association of teachers and research scholars, the American Academy of Religion has more than 10,000 members who teach in some 1,500 colleges, universities, seminaries and schools in North America and abroad. The Academy is dedicated to furthering knowledge of religion and religious institutions in all their forms and manifestations through Academy-wide and regional conferences and meetings, publications, programs and membership services.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Students, Doctoral Education, Seminary Education, Tools
Tools
American Academy of Religion Career Guide for Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the ProfessionA source of reflection upon and understanding of religious traditions, issues, questions and values through excellence in scholarship and teaching in the field of religion.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Students, Diversity, Doctoral Education, Tools
Books
An Ignatian Spirituality ReaderSelections by Ignatian spirituality experts, including Howard Gray, William Berry, Dennis Hamm, Ron Hansen and others.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books
Books
Answering the Call in the SpiritOne of the first works attempting to offer a theology of calling for Pentecostals.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Seminary Education, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment
Books
Answering Your Call: A Guide for Living Your Deepest PurposeA spiritual “how-to” book that helps readers discern what they are called to do, find the courage to respond to that call and stay the course to make that vision reality.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
Anxious Souls Will Ask : The Christ-Centered Spirituality of Dietrich BonhoefferA brief, brilliant book that shows the prison reflections of Bonhoeffer for those who desire to walk more closely with Jesus in today’s troubled world.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books
Books
As Leaven in the World: Catholic Perspectives on Faith, Vocation, and the Intellectual LifeIlluminating essays by well-known American Catholic intellectuals about the interaction of faith and work.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Seminary Education, Service, Activism & Volunteerism
Books
At This Time and In This Place: Vocation and Higher EducationGrowing out of a year-long seminar sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges and its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), this book brings together a nationwide group of scholars from a variety of disciplines in order to produce new scholarly writing on this topic. It offers a historical and theoretical account of vocational reflection and discernment and also suggests how these endeavors can be carried out through specific educational practices. Attending both to the current state of higher education and to broader cultural trends, the contributors examine the contours of vocation from historical, theological, and philosophical perspectives. They consider the relationship between vocation and virtue, both of which encourage the cultivation of habits that lead to a life marked by flourishing and fulfillment-for oneself and for others. The authors also discuss how to engage students in actively reflecting on questions of meaning and purpose through classroom conversations, co-curricular activities, programs for community engagement, and attention to a campus’s physical features. At This Time and In This Placeoffers a compelling argument for vocational reflection and discernment in undergraduate education and represents a significant contribution to the emerging scholarly literature in this field.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Doctoral Education, Seminary Education, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
At This Time and In This Place: Vocation and Higher EducationSeeking to deepen current scholarly engagement with vocational exploration in both theory and practice, At This Time and In This Place champions the themes of calling and vocation as key elements of effective undergraduate education.
Tags: Campus Ministry, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
ATLA Religion DatabaseATLA provides an index to journal articles, book reviews and collections of essays in all fields of religion. Click here to log into ATLA Database. If you do not have a login, please contact FTE.
Tags: Students, Doctoral Education, Seminary Education, Books, Curriculum, Tools
Articles / Whitepapers
Auburn: Report on a Study of Doctoral Programs that Prepare Faculty for Teaching in Theological SchoA study that reflects more than 25 years of study by Auburn with the purpose of tracking patterns of doctoral preparation of seminary faculty.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Students, Diversity, Doctoral Education, Articles / Whitepapers, Tools
Articles / Whitepapers
Auburn: Study of Theological EducationAuburn’s Center for the Study of Theological Education is the only research institute in the nation focusing specifically and comprehensively on theological education. Established in 1991, it identifies key challenges, explores them in depth, and shares the results with theological schools, religious communities and other educational institutions.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Theological Institutions, Students, Diversity, Doctoral Education, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education, Articles / Whitepapers
Books
Awakened to a Calling: Reflections on the Vocation of MinistryMs. Wiginton is the former VP of Ministry Programs and Planning at FTE. This is a collection of sermons on the theme of discerning a pastoral vocation.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education
Articles / Whitepapers
Becoming a Pastor: Reflections on the Transition into MinistryPublished by the Alban Institute, this is a web-based e-book resource about how to start, administer and review a TiM-style program.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Pastoral Ministry, Articles / Whitepapers, Curriculum
Books
Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and Other Saints (Christian ClassHow becoming who you are, the person God created, is the path to happiness, peace of mind, and sanctity.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
Being Consumed: Economics and Christian DesirePositive and inspiring vision of how the body of Christ can engage in economic alternatives.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment
Books
Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community DevelopmentPerkins has been a leader in economic development and empowerment as part of the mission of the church, a theme very close to the hearts of volunteers.
Tags: Faith-based Volunteer, Young Adults, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Books
Books
Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose, and FaithYoung people need to be challenged to find a center for their beliefs and a focus for their lives.
Tags: Faith-based Volunteer, Young Adults, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Books
Books
Black American Feminisms: A Multidisciplinary BibliographyThis multidisciplinary subject bibliography of black American feminist writings is an effort to combat the erasure of black feminist subjectivity and thought through the promotion and use of the literature for the general public, students, scholars and life-long learners seeking information on African American feminism and African American feminist interpretations of a broad range of issues. The bibliography documents and validates an intellectual tradition that is continuously ghettoized within black studies, women’s studies and society as a whole. Moreover, the bibliography serves to ensure a place for black American feminist thought in the social change discourse, ensuring its preservation and perpetuation.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Students, Doctoral Education, Seminary Education, Books
Books
Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching WorldDescribes five ancient practices important for the social, economic, and political witness of the church today. Yoder is well known among the Anabaptists within the VEV partnership.
Tags: Faith-based Volunteer, Young Adults, Service, Activism & Volunteerism, Spirituality, Books
Books
Book, Bath, Table, and Time: Christian Worship as Source and Resource for Youth MinistryThis book gives youth, youth ministers, congregational leaders, and seminary students ideas for and suggestions on how to practice the liturgical holy things of the ordo - the ancient church’s life “ordered” around its liturgical “holy things” - bath (Baptism); book (Scriptures); table (Eucharist); calendar (the prayerful patterning of time) - in order to provide the church with a faithful ecology of life that is capable of forming Christian youth who experience God’s presence, identify God rightly, and take up their baptismal vocations before God and for the world.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Leadership Development, Spirituality
Books
Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South BronxAn FTE Fellow, this parish pastor in the south Bronx shares insights and inspiration through her own ministry.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Pastoral Ministry, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Books
Books
Calling & Character: Virtues of the Ordained LifeWillimon, a United Methodist bishop, popular preacher and former dean of the Chapel at Duke University offers a clear and compelling picture of pastoral life that can inform those considering ordained ministry.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Doctoral Education, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education, Spirituality
Audio
Calling Cast Podcast SeriesA podcast to support future pastors, those who teach them, and the communities who call them.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Theological Institutions, Young Adults, Doctoral Education, Leadership Development, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education, Service, Activism & Volunteerism
Books
Callings: Twenty Centuries Of Christian Wisdom On VocationAn incredible anthology of passages about work and vocation from the greatest writers in Christian history.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Seminary Education, Spirituality
Curriculum
Calvin Institute of Christian WorshipThe Calvin Institute of Christian Worship aims to promote the scholarly study of the theology, history and practice of Christian worship and the renewal of worship in worshiping communities across North America and beyond.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Students, Doctoral Education, Pastoral Ministry, Seminary Education, Spirituality, Curriculum
Curriculum
Campus MinistryThe best environment in which to learn about oneself as a leader is in the practice of leadership. The Campus Ministry course is designed to give students practical experience in organizing, planning, designing, and implementing a small group curriculum in the context of peer groups. Using the ‘classroom’ of the campus and the text of Philippians, students will use peer groups to develop a small group strategy for their dorm areas.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Leadership Development, Pastoral Ministry, Curriculum
Curriculum
Center for Effective Teaching and LearningThe Center for Effective Teaching and Learning (CETaL) promotes excellence in university teaching and learning. Support for UTEP faculty and other instructors in the region in instructional design, development and evaluation. The Center works with faculty to develop teaching materials that clearly communicate to students how to succeed in completing course requirements and in learning course material.
Tags: Theological Institutions, Students, Doctoral Education, Seminary Education, Curriculum, Tools
Books
Centering Prayer: Renewing an Ancient Christian Prayer FormPennington is a leading authority on spirituality, especially centering prayer.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books
Blogs
Century BlogsA progressive, ecumenical magazine that explores what it means to believe and live out the Christian faith in our time.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Spirituality, Vocational Discernment, Blogs
Books
Christ At Work: Orthodox Christian Perspectives on VocationTheologians from Eastern and Orthodox traditions write on the topic of vocation.
Tags: Campus Ministry, Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, High School Ministry, Students, Young Adults, Seminary Education, Spirituality
Books
Christian MeditationA short work that is not a “how to” book, but reflections about Christian meditation, its experience and union with God.
Tags: Congregations & Church Related Organizations, Faith-based Volunteer, Students, Young Adults, Spirituality, Books