Vocatia

Vocatia collaborative

Overview

The Vocatia Collaborative is a multi-school effort focused on strengthening the Church by forming more pastors and better supporting those who serve. The development and launch is supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Wesley Biblical Seminary, who invited GBSC to collaborate.

Vocatia is led by Wesley Biblical Seminary and brings together GBSC, Kingswood University, and Stark College and Seminary. Each institution contributes its own strengths while continuing to steward its existing programs and mission.

What is Vocatia

Vocatia is a collaborative initiative designed around two closely connected goals:

• Supporting co-vocational pastors and churches, recognizing that many pastors serve faithfully while also carrying another calling in the workplace or community.
• Developing pastoral-training pathways for oral-preference learners, helping future pastors receive formation in ways that fit how they best learn and communicate.

Together, these goals address a shared challenge facing churches today: the need for more well-prepared pastors who can serve sustainably and connect meaningfully with the people in their congregations.

How GBSC is Participating

GBSC’s role in the Vocatia Collaborative focuses on formation, learning, and service—equipping people for ministry rather than shifting ownership of programs.

1. Strengthening Formation for Oral-Preference Learners
   GBSC faculty will engage in learning and collaboration focused on supporting oral-preference learners—students who learn most effectively through spoken communication, story, dialogue, and practice.

   This work helps:

• • More students flourish within GBSC’s existing academic programs.
  • Future pastors become better equipped to minister to oral learners in their congregations.

By strengthening how we teach, we strengthen how our graduates pastor.

2. Supporting Co-Vocational Pastors and Churches
   GBSC will also contribute to work that supports co-vocational pastors and the churches they serve.

   In this model, co-vocational ministry is not viewed as a limitation or a temporary arrangement. Instead, a pastor’s second vocation is understood as a calling that can enhance the church’s presence and witness in its community.

   This approach reflects the realities of many churches today and helps pastors serve with greater sustainability, integrity, and connection to everyday life.

Why This Matters

The heart of this work is simple: the Church needs pastors.

By partnering with Wesley Biblical Seminary and others through Vocatia, GBSC is investing in pathways that help more people prepare for pastoral ministry and help churches be better served by those they call.

This collaborative effort strengthens GBSC’s mission to prepare students for ministry and for life.

Looking Ahead

As this work develops, we will share updates, stories, and resources related to GBSC’s participation in the Vocatia Collaborative.

We invite you to pray with us that God will use this partnership to multiply fruit for His Kingdom and to raise up faithful pastors for the Church.

God’s Bible School and College is a participating institution in the Vocatia Collaborative, led by Wesley Biblical Seminary.