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Reading Around Vocations
Sometimes we may be aware of our calling because we recognise it ourselves or because others have encouraged us to consider specific areas of service or ministry in the church. One way of exploration is through finding out more about vocation (lay or ordained) by reading around the subject.
This reading list provides a number of books looking at vocations from a general viewpoint and others looking more specifically at a call to lay ministry or to ordained ministry.
There is a good variety and selection in this list – some more academic, some written years ago but the content of which is still applicable today, others that are more recent and written in an accessible, challenging, inspiring and honest way.
General Vocations
- Stephen Croft: Ministry in Three Dimensions (DLT 1999)
- Marcus Throup: When Jesus Calls: Finding a simpler, humbler, bolder vocation (Canterbury Press 2022)
- Marcus Throup: All Things Anglican (Canterbury Press 2018)
- Sam Wells: What Anglican’s Believe: An Introduction (Canterbury Press 2011)
- Mark Tanner: Faithful? Foolish? Called: Recognizing God’s Call and What to do about it. (Little House in Joppa 2023)
- Francis Dewar: Called or Collared: Called or Collared? – An Alternative Approach to Vocation (SPCK New Edition 22 Sept. 2000)
- Four Ministries One Gospel: Richard Burridge
Lay Ministry
- Marcus Throup: When Jesus Calls: Finding a simpler, humbler, bolder vocation* (Canterbury Press 2022) *lay and ordained
- John Adair How to Find Your Vocation: A Guide to Discovering the Work You Love (Canterbury Press 2012)
Ordained Ministry
- Rosalind Brown: Being a Deacon Today (Canterbury Press 2005)
- Cocksworth/Brown: Being a Priest Today (Canterbury Press 2002)
- George Guiver: The Fire and the Clay (SPCK 1993)
- John Pritchard: The Life and Work of a Priest (SPCK 2007)
- Michael Ramsey: The Christian Priest Today (SPCK revised 1985)
- Graham Tomlin: The Widening Circle: Priesthood as God’s way of blessing the world (SPCK 2014)
- Magdalen Smith: Steel Angels: The Personal Qualities of a Priest (SPCK 2014)
- John Francis Friendship: Enfolded in Christ: The Inner Life of a Priest (Canterbury Press 2018)
- Stephen Cottrell: On Priesthood: Servants, Shepherds, Messengers, Sentinels & Stewards (Hodder and Stoughton 2020)
- Sam Wells: Incarnational ministry: being with the church (Canterbury Press 2017)
This link will take you to an amazon list of reading material as a guide to books that you may find interesting and informative reading. There is no requirement to purchase through Amazon, the list is intended as a starting point only.