Tending Call: A Liberation of Vocation - by L Callid Keefe-Perry (Paperback)

About the Book

"Helps to discern vocations in life with attention to communities, power structures, and relational well-being"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Tending Call addresses the evolving landscape of theological education and ministry by offering a fresh vision for vocational discernment that critically engages with power dynamics, privilege, and marginalization. Inspired by the liberative pedagogy of Paulo Freire, this book asserts that theological education should empower students to reflect on their social locations, discern their unique callings, and act as faithful agents of personal and systemic transformation. It emphasizes the necessity of a holistic approach to vocational discernment that integrates spiritual formation with contextual education, attending to the intersections of identity.

Through a tapestry of personal narratives, spiritual wisdom, theological reflection, and thoughtful prompts, this book creates a space for readers to engage deeply with their own stories and experiences, discerning how their unique gifts and callings intersect with the larger work of liberation and social transformation. Organized around the evocative metaphor of seeds, growth, and abundance, the book mirrors the organic unfolding of the discernment process, inviting readers to cultivate a more authentic and embodied sense of purpose. As the author has been teaching courses on vocational discernment in seminary contextual education for over a decade, the book is organized intentionally for the practice of discernment in personal contexts and small-group contexts. The recommended readings and appended materials at the end further reflect the commitment to practical resourcing.

About the Author

L. Callid Keefe-Perry is assistant professor of contextual education and public theology, Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry. There, he directs the supervised ministry program for the master of arts degree. His areas of research include theologies of imagination, critical pedagogy, moral injury, and ministerial formation. He previously served as assistant director of contextual education, Boston University School of Theology, where he earned his PhD in theological studies, concentrating in practical theology and religious education. He is the author of Way to Water: A Theopoetics Primer (2014) and Sense of the Possible: An Introduction to Theology and Imagination (2023). Callid serves in the public ministry of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and is a member of the Religious Education Association, American Academy of Religion, the Association of Practical Theology, and the Association for Theological Field Education.