THE PROJECT ON THEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF VOCATION sponsors a wide-ranging set of programs designed to help students deepen their sense of vocation as they prepare for their future work and formulate their life commitments. Addressing every stage of the university career and every field of study, the Project encourages students to consider how their lives and work may be informed by their deepest beliefs and conducted in service to others.  It also encourages faculty and staff to develop theological perspectives on vocation in their teaching and in their own lives. 

This Project belongs to a nationwide initiative of the Lilly Endowment, which has challenged church-related colleges and universities across the United States to encourage students to reflect on how a theological understanding of vocation can inform their life choices. Valparaiso University developed a plan and was awarded a grant of $1,965,150 to support Project activities during 2001-2002 and the three subsequent years.

“Vocation” is a rich concept within the Christian tradition, and especially within Lutheranism.  One aspect of the Project emphasizes “church vocations” – the recruitment and preparation of students who anticipate careers of full-time church service.  However, since “vocation” also refers to other worthy paths of life and service, the Project also emphasizes vocational reflection that reaches beyond the church, exploring other fields of endeavor and drawing on a range of theological and other perspectives.  By considering the complex meaning of vocation – in classrooms, on retreats, through civic engagement, and elsewhere – members of the Valparaiso University community may reflect more deeply on our life and work, today and as we move into the future.

For more information, please browse our website or contact the Project Director,
Dr. Arlin Meyer at Arlin.Meyer@valpo.edu or (219) 464-5770
or one of our assistant directors,
Dr. Steve Driver at Steve.Driver@valpo.edu or (219) 464-5470
Dr. James Old at James.Old@valpo.edu (219) 464-6948.