Discerning the body: Recentering Christian community in the vocational formation of university undergraduates

Abstract

We report and analyze undergraduate students’ perceptions of vocation and propose constructive responses that prepare students for purposeful Christian lives. Discussion in focus groups elicited accounts of vocation as oriented toward positive relational impact but shaped by a latent individualism and an underdeveloped sense of the vocational implications of Christian community. We propose expanding on this relational orientation by helping students to “discern the body” in three ways: reflecting on their own embeddedness in the body of Christ, participating in the body through mentoring relationships, and grounding their future vocational journeys as part of a body shaped by Christological hope.