Career Path Planning Workshop

Career Path Planning is a familiar HR process in the Business world. It has a different focus for us – teaching our staff the importance of seeking God’s continued leading and direction for their lives. This process ensures they are at the center of His will and making maximum ministry contributions for His kingdom. So when a country invited me to facilitate a virtual Career Path Planning Workshop for their winter staff development program, I eagerly accepted. As communication continued, however, I learned that the course would take place three hours a day over five days (a total of 15 hours), which was quite a challenge because I only had about five hours of material at that time. I decided to step out in faith and trust God to provide and lead.

Later I discovered that the felt need for the course was so great that 60 staff from around the country had registered for the workshop! The question now was, how to facilitate a virtual workshop for 60 staff with different levels of experience and different expectations? I needed to trust God to design a 15-hour virtual Career Path Planning Workshop almost from scratch. Despite the challenge, I experienced God’s leading.

My workshop highlight was listening to the participants’ deep sharing after daily small-group discussions. They engaged well and showed a clear understanding of the content. It was a joy to see God working through the time!

I want to close by sharing some encouraging comments from the participants about how the workshop impacted them:

• I mastered the idea of career planning and felt equipped for my LDHR role. When sharing my calling testimony in the group, I felt the fire and excitement in my heart!
• I learned a practical tool and re-examined my calling to ministry. It helped me understand that career planning is constantly adjusting myself to follow God’s leading and to better understand my gifts and talents. It helped me rediscover my passion for ministry.
• It helped me recognize and affirm my gifts and strengths and understand that knowing God’s calling for me is a spiritual exercise.
• I know myself better. I am also encouraged and affirmed as I see God’s wonderful guidance in my previous roles, and I trust in God’s leadership and authority over the next stage of my journey.
• I learned a method of seeking and planning, and also had the opportunity to know God’s design and guidance for me. Through these tools, I can confirm God’s current leading and His design for me. I also learned that in the future, I can help others who need it to walk through this process.

For more Career Pathway resources, check out LDHR.org / Career Pathways.

How have you used the Career Pathway process or materials in your country? In what areas do you need help?