📝 Worksheet 8.5: Calling, Vocation, Leadership, and Image-Bearing Opportunity
📝 Worksheet 8.5: Calling, Vocation, Leadership, and Image-Bearing Opportunity
Purpose of This Worksheet
This worksheet helps you use a ministry genogram conversation to explore calling, vocation, leadership, work, education, creativity, stewardship, and new opportunities.
A ministry genogram is a formation map, not a destiny map. It can help people notice family patterns that shaped how they view leadership, work, ministry, education, risk, confidence, money, creativity, service, and spiritual calling. The master template for this course emphasizes that genograms should reveal not only wounds and burdens, but also strengths, blessings, missing models, calling obstacles, and image-bearing opportunities.
The goal is not to pressure someone into ambition. The goal is to help people discern how Christ may be inviting them to live more fully as image-bearers in ordinary life, ministry, work, family, church, Soul Centers, chaplaincy, coaching, and community service.
Part 1: Key Concept Review
Complete the following sentences.
A ministry genogram can help someone notice how family formation shaped their view of calling, vocation, leadership, work, and __________________________.
Calling discernment should not become pressure, ambition, or the need to prove __________________________.
A missing model in leadership or vocation does not mean a missing __________________________.
Image-bearing opportunity means asking how a person may live more fully as God’s __________________________.
A family pattern may reveal what someone is called to interrupt, reclaim, carry forward, or __________________________.
Holy courage is different from performance __________________________.
A faithful next step should be wise, supported, humble, and small enough to __________________________.
The ministry leader helps a person discern calling but should not declare the person’s calling with false __________________________.
Part 2: Personal Discernment
Use this section privately unless you are in a safe and appropriate ministry setting where sharing has been invited and is fully voluntary.
A. Calling and Vocation Formation
Place a check beside any area where your family story may have shaped your view of calling, vocation, or leadership.
☐ Work ethic
☐ Education
☐ Ministry calling
☐ Spiritual leadership
☐ Entrepreneurship
☐ Starting something new
☐ Money stewardship
☐ Creativity
☐ Public speaking
☐ Teaching
☐ Hospitality
☐ Service
☐ Helping professions
☐ Manual skill or craftsmanship
☐ Family business
☐ Risk-taking
☐ Confidence
☐ Failure
☐ Authority
☐ Leadership by men
☐ Leadership by women
☐ Emotional courage
☐ Church involvement
☐ Community service
☐ Other: __________________________
Choose one checked area.
Area noticed: _______________________________________________
How my family story may have shaped this area:
B. What Was Passed Down?
What strengths, habits, or values related to calling or work were passed down in your family, church family, or spiritual formation story?
☐ Hard work
☐ Faithfulness
☐ Responsibility
☐ Service
☐ Courage
☐ Prayer
☐ Hospitality
☐ Creativity
☐ Problem-solving
☐ Perseverance
☐ Generosity
☐ Leadership
☐ Teaching
☐ Practical wisdom
☐ Love for learning
☐ Care for the vulnerable
☐ Evangelism
☐ Craftsmanship
☐ Business sense
☐ Other: __________________________
Choose one strength you may want to carry forward.
Strength to carry forward: ___________________________________
How Christ may purify or strengthen this gift:
C. What Was Missing?
Place a check beside any missing model that may affect calling, vocation, or leadership confidence.
☐ No model of spiritual leadership
☐ No model of women leading wisely
☐ No model of men leading gently
☐ No model of starting a ministry
☐ No model of finishing education
☐ No model of healthy ambition
☐ No model of entrepreneurship
☐ No model of public service
☐ No model of wise financial stewardship
☐ No model of creative work
☐ No model of rest with responsibility
☐ No model of asking for help
☐ No model of receiving correction
☐ No model of servant leadership
☐ No model of confident humility
☐ No model of peaceful authority
☐ No model of calling language
☐ Other: __________________________
Choose one missing model.
Missing model noticed: ______________________________________
How this may affect my confidence or calling:
What support could help?
☐ Mentor
☐ Pastor or ministry leader
☐ CLI course
☐ Soul Center leader
☐ Ministry coach
☐ Chaplaincy mentor
☐ Small group
☐ Accountability partner
☐ Practice opportunity
☐ Reading and study
☐ Counseling or professional support
☐ Other: __________________________
Part 3: Genogram Conversation Practice
Imagine someone says:
“No one in my family ever led anything. I do not think I am leadership material.”
Write a wise, permission-based response.
My response:
Now imagine someone says:
“I feel called to start something, but I am afraid people will think I am arrogant.”
Write a response that distinguishes calling from ambition.
My response:
Now imagine someone says:
“My family worked hard, but no one talked about ministry or calling. I feel like this is completely new territory.”
Write a response that honors family strengths while naming the missing model.
My response:
Part 4: Practice Phrases
Rewrite each poor response into a wiser ministry phrase.
1. Poor response:
“You are obviously called to lead. You just need to stop doubting.”
Wiser response:
2. Poor response:
“Someone has to break the family pattern, so it might as well be you.”
Wiser response:
3. Poor response:
“If no one in your family modeled leadership, you need to prove it can be done.”
Wiser response:
4. Poor response:
“Your fear shows you are probably not ready.”
Wiser response:
5. Poor response:
“God gave you gifts, so you should use them publicly right away.”
Wiser response:
6. Poor response:
“Your family did not understand calling, so you need to move beyond their influence.”
Wiser response:
Part 5: Boundary Check Scenarios
For each scenario, choose the wisest response.
Scenario 1: Calling or Ambition?
A student says, “I want to start a ministry, but I worry I just want to be important.”
What is the wisest response?
☐ A. “That concern is worth discerning. Let’s ask what fruit, counsel, humility, service, and faithfulness are present.”
☐ B. “If you worry about ambition, that probably means you are not ambitious and can move forward quickly.”
☐ C. “Wanting to start something is always a sign of calling if the desire continues long enough.”
☐ D. “You should ignore that concern because the enemy often attacks people who are called.”
Why?
Scenario 2: No Leadership Model
A person says, “No one in my family led spiritually, so I feel fake when I lead prayer.”
What is the wisest response?
☐ A. “This may be a missing model, not a missing capacity. What safe practice or mentor could help?”
☐ B. “If prayer feels fake, you should wait until it feels natural before leading anyone else.”
☐ C. “You should lead prayer publicly so you can get past the fear as fast as possible.”
☐ D. “Your family’s silence about prayer means you must become the spiritual leader now.”
Why?
Scenario 3: Pressure to Be the First
A mentor says, “You are the first person in your family with this opportunity, so you must succeed.”
What is wrong with this statement?
☐ A. It turns opportunity into performance pressure and places too much burden on the person.
☐ B. It is too cautious and may fail to inspire the student toward bold leadership action.
☐ C. It avoids the biblical truth that first-generation leaders must carry family responsibility.
☐ D. It gives too much attention to the student’s family story instead of public ministry success.
Why?
Scenario 4: Family Strength and New Calling
A student says, “My family never talked about calling, but they taught me to work hard and serve people.”
What should the leader help the student discern?
☐ A. How Christ may use inherited hard work and service while forming new calling language and spiritual leadership.
☐ B. How to leave behind family work habits because ministry calling requires a completely different identity.
☐ C. How to prove that ministry is more spiritually important than the family’s ordinary work ethic.
☐ D. How to reinterpret the family’s lack of calling language as spiritual failure and limitation.
Why?
Scenario 5: Leadership and Safety
A student wants to launch a ministry immediately but shows signs of exhaustion, unresolved crisis, and lack of accountability.
What is the wisest response?
☐ A. Encourage prayerful slowing, mentoring, oversight, and possible referral before public launch.
☐ B. Encourage immediate launch because ministry activity may help the student heal through serving.
☐ C. Tell the student the desire to launch proves calling and should not be delayed by fear.
☐ D. Ask the student to lead privately without oversight until confidence and energy improve.
Why?
Part 6: Field Handbook Tool
Calling and Image-Bearing Opportunity Map
Use this tool only in appropriate ministry conversations after permission has been given.
Opening Permission Script
“Would it be helpful to look at how your family story may have shaped your view of calling, leadership, work, education, ministry, or new opportunities?”
☐ Yes
☐ No
☐ Not now
☐ Maybe later
Step 1: Notice Calling-Related Formation
What did your family, church, or spiritual formation story teach you about work, leadership, ministry, education, risk, or calling?
What did you see modeled?
What did you not see modeled?
Step 2: Name Strengths to Carry Forward
What strengths may support your calling or vocation?
☐ Work ethic
☐ Prayer
☐ Service
☐ Hospitality
☐ Courage
☐ Learning
☐ Creativity
☐ Responsibility
☐ Compassion
☐ Leadership
☐ Practical skill
☐ Perseverance
☐ Generosity
☐ Peace
☐ Other: __________________________
Choose one strength.
Strength: ___________________________________________________
How might Christ use this strength in a redeemed way?
Step 3: Name Missing Models
What model may be missing?
☐ Spiritual leadership
☐ Ministry calling
☐ Education
☐ Entrepreneurship
☐ Healthy authority
☐ Rest
☐ Financial stewardship
☐ Public speaking
☐ Teaching
☐ Prayer
☐ Confidence
☐ Courage
☐ Starting something new
☐ Other: __________________________
How does this missing model affect confidence?
Step 4: Distinguish Calling from Pressure
Signs of Christ-centered calling may include:
☐ Growing desire to serve
☐ Confirmation from wise believers
☐ Humility
☐ Willingness to learn
☐ Love for people
☐ Faithfulness in small things
☐ Prayerful discernment
☐ Openness to correction
☐ Patience with timing
☐ Peace with accountability
Signs of performance pressure may include:
☐ Need to prove worth
☐ Desire to impress
☐ Fear of being unseen
☐ Refusal to wait
☐ Avoiding correction
☐ Carrying the whole family story
☐ Resenting accountability
☐ Rushing public action
☐ Shame-driven urgency
☐ Comparing constantly
What do you notice?
Step 5: Identify Support
What support would make this opportunity wise rather than rushed?
☐ Mentor
☐ Pastor
☐ CLI training
☐ Soul Center guidance
☐ Ministry coach
☐ Chaplaincy mentor
☐ Practice setting
☐ Small group
☐ Prayer partner
☐ Accountability rhythm
☐ Practical planning
☐ Rest
☐ Counseling or professional support
☐ Other: __________________________
Who could help?
Step 6: Choose One Faithful Next Step
A faithful next step should be:
☐ Prayerful
☐ Humble
☐ Supported
☐ Accountable
☐ Small enough to begin
☐ Meaningful enough to matter
☐ Not driven by shame
☐ Not driven by pressure
☐ Aligned with wise timing
☐ Open to correction
My faithful next step:
Part 7: Local Ministry Application
Choose one ministry setting where calling, vocation, leadership, or image-bearing opportunity conversations may arise.
☐ Soul Center
☐ Ministry coaching
☐ Chaplaincy
☐ Pastoral care
☐ Small group ministry
☐ Marriage ministry
☐ Premarital mentoring
☐ Family ministry
☐ Recovery ministry
☐ Anger reset ministry
☐ Leadership development
☐ Discipleship mentoring
☐ Online ministry conversation
☐ Christian education
☐ Church volunteer training
☐ New ministry launch conversation
☐ Other: __________________________
Answer the following questions.
1. What calling-related questions may arise in this setting?
2. What family formation themes might influence confidence here?
3. What would be helpful for the ministry leader to ask?
4. What would become pressuring or intrusive?
5. What oversight, mentoring, or training should be available?
6. When would referral, pastoral oversight, or professional support be needed?
Part 8: Calling and Readiness Reflection
Complete these sentences.
One calling or vocation area I want to discern is:
One family strength that may support this area is:
One missing model that may affect confidence is:
One fear I need to name honestly is:
One sign that this may be Christ-centered calling rather than pressure is:
One sign that I may be drifting into performance pressure is:
One mentor, leader, course, or community that could help me is:
One faithful next step I can take is:
Part 9: Prayer and Commitment
Use this prayer as a guide. You may personalize it.
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for creating me as your image-bearer.
You know my family story, my strengths, my wounds, my missing models, and my fears.
You know the opportunities before me and the motives inside me.
Help me discern calling without ambition, courage without pressure, and service without self-proving.
Show me what to carry forward, what to release, what to learn, and what to begin.
Give me mentors, training, accountability, humility, and wisdom.
Teach me to take one faithful next step instead of trying to prove my whole future.
Use my work, ministry, leadership, learning, creativity, and service for your glory.
Keep me rooted in Christ, not performance.
Amen.
Closing Formation Prayer
Lord, make me a wise and humble Christian leader. When I listen to someone’s calling story, help me avoid pressure, flattery, ambition, and false certainty. Teach me to notice family strengths, missing models, image-bearing opportunities, and wise next steps. Help me encourage holy courage without creating performance pressure. Let every conversation protect dignity, honor timing, invite discernment, and point toward faithful service in Christ. Amen.