Ending, Sending, and the Gift of Vocation
Rev. Dr. Jeremey King
May 26, 2026
Dear friends,
As we move into graduation season, there is a natural tendency to ask, “What comes next?” We speak with graduates about plans, careers, and next steps. I find myself hearing that question often at home as well, as my son Gabriel approaches his high school graduation this month.
Last week, we celebrated graduating seminarians at The Master's Institute and we prayed for their futures. In doing so, we are also attending to something deeper than transition points: the Church’s ongoing work of formation and sending.
At The Master’s Institute, and in the wider life of the Church, we often describe this as formation in the head, heart, and hands. Christian vocation is not merely about information gained (head), or even character formation (heart), but a life shaped for faithful practice in the world (hands). Seminary formation, and indeed all Christian formation, is the slow, faithful integration of these dimensions so that Christ is formed in us for the sake of others.
“What appears ordinary is often where divine love is most active and tangible.”
Vocation itself is one of the most formative gifts of my Lutheran heritage. It confesses that God is not only active in explicitly “religious” spaces, but in the ordinary, daily callings of work, family, community, and service. In Christ, every believer is placed into the world as a neighbor who bears God’s love in concrete ways.
As Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23). The Christian life is not confined to a sacred sphere or a single role, but is lived out in the everyday places where God has already placed His people.
This is also where the seminary vision of formation becomes so important. A seminary is not only an academic institution; it is a formative community in which the Church learns to recognize God’s calling, discern His presence, and practice faithful ministry in real contexts. Yes, we are formed with knowledge, but we are formed for faithful presence, as pastors and leaders shaped for the lived realities of the Church and the world.
This becomes especially visible as we give thanks for our 2026 MDiv, MA, and Micro MDiv Students. We celebrate their faithful work and time of study. They have been formed in head, heart, and hands, deepening theological understanding, cultivating interior life with Jesus, and being shaped to service in the Church.
In all of this, we see that graduation is not merely an ending, but a sending. MI does not simply produce graduates; it participates in God’s ongoing formation of His people and bears witness to the Father who calls and sends them into the world.
To this end we are excited to announce the launch of our very first Doctor of Ministry cohort in Spiritual Formation and Discipleship. Steve Turnbull, Tara Beth Leach, and myself will lead up to 20 candidates through a series of 6 intensives (curated conversations) with key thought leaders in the area of Spiritual formation and christian discipleship. The goal of this program is to help each pastor find their voice in writing for their context and that we would all grow in our understanding of how disciples of Jesus can be better formed and released for ministry in the Church.
The Reformers described vocation as the “mask of God,” reminding us that God is often hidden in ordinary callings: a teacher shaping a classroom, a parent raising children, a leader stewarding an organization, a neighbor caring for a community. What appears ordinary is often where divine love is most active and tangible.
So as we celebrate these graduates and look to the launch of our next program, we also celebrate the larger truth to which their lives point: Christ is at work in the world, and He delights to work through His people formed for faithful presence.
And for all of us, whether graduating, beginning something new, or continuing faithfully in long-standing callings, the invitation remains the same: to receive and share the love of Jesus, and to ascribe unsurpassable worth to every person we encounter.
We do not have to find our purpose. We are called into it by Christ, formed in community, and sent for His purposes in the world.
Rev. Dr. Jeremey A. King
President - The Master's Institute Seminary
