Concordia symposium explores vocation — and the joys and struggles of calling
Pursuing a calling means bringing together ideas of personal passion, purposeful action, and factors that may include everything from religious beliefs and financial needs to individual abilities and limitations.
Concordia College invites the public to campus to explore the transformative power of vocation in the upcoming 2026 Faith, Reason, and World Affairs Symposium, “Passion to Purpose: How Vocation Shapes Wellness and Meaning,” on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The event is free and open to the public.
Keynote speaker Dr. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, the author of “Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies About Calling,” taught for 35 years, and for more than 20, served as the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor Emeritus of Religion, Psychology, and Culture at Vanderbilt University. Miller-McLemore has authored, coauthored, and edited 18 books, as well as more than 100 chapters and articles, and is recognized internationally as a leader in pastoral and practical theologies and women and childhood studies.
Her keynote address shares a title with “Follow Your Bliss,” a thoughtful examination of the joys and struggles people pursuing a calling experience throughout their lives, from missed callings to conflicted callings, and even the challenges of a calling’s end.
Beyond the keynote, the symposium will also include a number of interactive sessions, including a campus prayer walk, a mindful eating meditation, an artistic jam session, and conversations on majors, grief and resilience in vocational development, how vocations can unfold over time, how environment shapes vocation, rebuilding identity after a devastating setback, and how liberal arts help people develop career readiness skills and prepare students for lives of purpose. The event will close with time for reflection, with options that facilitate quiet contemplation and small group discussion.
The symposium will explore how Lutheran higher education helps students and communities discover purpose, cultivate well-being, and pursue lives of meaning in a globally connected world.
- 9:15-10 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
- 10:15-11:45 a.m. Opening Plenary Session, including the keynote address
- 1:15-2 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
- 2:15-3 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
- 3-4 p.m. Reflective Spaces and Activities
All sessions for the symposium are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule and a detailed list of interactive sessions, visit ConcordiaCollege.edu/Symposium.