…is more than just focusing on how a specific job and its tasks connect with God’s mission because vocational formation is about more than just work. The word vocation has been secularized over time to mean mainly our work, but vocational living is the mindset of knowing that all of our roles are opportunities to live intentionally with God’s purposes in mind: being a friend, colleague, boss, spouse, child, parent, community member, etc. Each of these provide us with a circle of influence and opportunities to do Kingdom work alongside our daily activities.

   So as a supervisor helping form interns vocationally means caring about them as a whole person, but with emphasis on helping them see how their various roles in the workplace are opportunities for Kingdom work, as an intern, colleague, observer, learner, customer service representative, etc. Doing this well is twofold: 

Caring for Your Intern as a Whole Person

   This means learning more about them than just where they are in their tasks. It means building relationships and showing genuine interest and care in the things that matter to the student, both within and outside work-related efforts. You can do this by:

-being intentional to ask how they’re doing, how their weekend went or how their summer/semester/classes are going. Ask about their hobbies and extracurriculars when appropriate. And then listen, engage, and make note of important things they say.

-remember when your intern has told you something is coming up in their life and check in on it later (Ie: “how’d that test go?” or “how was the concert?”, etc.)

-pay attention to their mood and recognize when an extra check-in may need to happen. Do they seem sullen, aggravated, antsy, etc.? Don’t push, but ask if they need anything and ensure they know you’re available.

-and if you’re able/open to it, ask about their faith walk. Do they go to church or are they a part of any small groups? How are they feeling about their ability to invest in their faith during this season or within this work? This would work best if you also open up about your faith first. Even just casual comments can springboard recognition of similar interests, beliefs, or struggles that you can connect more on. Don’t be afraid to share and open a door if your workplace allows. One tip for working ACU students specifically is that our students are required to take 15 hours of Bible classes and to go to chapel every semester, so there should be things happening in our student’s regular week related to this topic. 

Helping Students See the Workplace as an Opportunity for Kingdom Work

   This means helping students see that the workplace is about more than just accomplishing tasks or making money, but its also about relationships. With very few exceptions, almost every job requires people to work together to accomplish goals. God’s top commandments are to love Him and love others, so because there are “others” at work, it’s an opportunity to act out His commandment to love them.  And because work often requires us to make ethical choices or deal with human brokenness, it’s also an opportunity to act out His commandment to love Him first.  

   I know different industries, companies, and employers will have different expectations on how this kind of conversation can play out in the workplace. And I recognize that sharing this type of work with students is hard, especially if you don’t feel like you’ve mastered the ability to walk out your own faith in the workplace, but you can still be open with students about the realities of faith in your context. What have you seen that’s worked? What do you know doesn’t work? What’s “allowed’ or not? What are some stories from things you or others have tried and failed or succeeded at? What are some unique ways to incorporate faith, even if it’s heavily individual (prayer, lunchtime bible studies, faith-inspired comments without direct connections, etc.)?  Is there another person in your office that you could point a student to as a good example? Many times students have questions and just need to know you’re a safe place to ask them, so don’t be afraid to open the door and don’t be afraid to give honest, authentic answers. Students can sniff out disingenuine responses easily and are extremely turned off by them, so transparency and authenticity are best. 

If your workplace allows, here are some other things you can do that are more open: 

-Read a book together about faith and work as part of the internship expectations 

-Invite your student to practice spiritual disciplines with you

-Attend a faith-related conference or training together (ie: Kingdom at Work)

-Share about the power of prayer in the workplace: pray with your student, pray with colleagues or clients and let your student be a part of it when appropriate, share about prayer requests and answers you’ve experienced in the workplace

Regardless of whether your workplace allows bold faith conversation, here are some things you can always do:

-Speak life and value into your students, colleagues, and clients. Pay attention to the positive things they bring to the workplace and call those things out. Let them know they’re appreciated, seen, and an encouraging part of your work. 

-Express gratitude for this life, your work, your community, and your nation. Yes, there is probably plenty of negative in each of those, but as Christians, we have been given hope for something to come – live into that and let it flow from you.

-Serve those around you. This can be specific to your natural way of loving others (gifts, acts of service, words of affirmation, etc.), but what are small things you can do to brighten the days of those around you? How can you show them that you care about their work and their lives? Maybe bringing them their favorite Sonic or coffee/tea beverage, or helping them with a project, or writing a hand-written note letting them know their work is valued. Or if you have the power, show appreciation (or care or concern) by letting someone leave a little early, come in a little late, or take a longer lunch to deal with or enjoy something going on in their lives (not hindering their normal pay, of course). 

-Provide grace and forgiveness when things don’t go well. This especially goes a long way for interns and people new to the professional field. There can still be consequences even when grace abounds, but how a supervisor responds in the heat of failure speaks volumes. 

   For all of these examples, my prayer is that you can act on the opportunity to love God and others well in your workplace as an example, not just to your intern, but to all those around you. Be encouraged, even if you’re not great at this stuff now, it is never too late to start building these practices. A great way to make this more effective is to set up accountability for yourself. Ask a colleague, friend, or family member to hold you accountable for these things. Give colleagues permission to observe you and ask about how you’re doing. Practice spiritual disciplines yourself (prayer, scripture reading, silence & solitude, Sabbath (my favorite and most impactful practice so far!), etc.) or with a group of people so you are more grounded as you step into this territory. We were never meant to walk out our faith alone.