Could your next vicar be in your pews? Praying for vocations on Ember Days

Ember Days, sometimes called Embertide, are quarterly periods of fasting and prayer. Traditionally, these days are times to give thanks for God’s creation and to pray for those in Christian ministry, particularly ordained ministry.

But vocation is never just about a few individuals; it involves the whole people of God.

The calling of every baptised person

The Revd Canon Sam Taylor, Diocesan Adviser for Vocations and Director of Ordinands, explains: “Living Christ’s Story begins with recognising that God calls every one of us. Vocation is not reserved for a few, nor confined to those who wear a collar or hold a licence. From the moment of our baptism, each of us is invited into God’s work of love, reconciliation, and hope in the world.”

Across the diocese, churches depend day by day on the faithful ministry of lay people. Churchwardens, PCC members, pastoral visitors, children and youth leaders, administrators, musicians, sacristans, welcomers, coffee brewers, prayerful intercessors, and many others quietly enable the life and mission of our parishes to flourish. Much of this ministry happens unseen. Yet it is deeply valued by God and vital to the Church’s witness.

Encouraging ordained vocations only makes sense within this wider culture of calling. As Archbishop Stephen shares in our Ember Day video: “Every one of us, because of our baptism, is called to use the gifts, the experiences, the passions, the opportunities we have in the service of the gospel.”

Raising up those called to lead

Alongside this shared calling, the Church also needs those called particularly to leadership. Archbishop Stephen shares: “God does call some of us to particular ministries, to ministries of evangelism, preaching, leadership, and oversight in the Church.”

If the Church is to flourish in every community, it must both live out its shared vocation and actively pray for new leaders to be raised up. He continues, “All that we long under God to do through Living Christ’s Story requires… each and every one of us to understand we have a vocation… but also to work for and pray for the raising up of vocations.”

Ordained ministry does not appear from nowhere. It is nurtured in local congregations and begins with encouragement, conversation, and prayer.

Nurturing a culture of holy conversation

Sam Taylor reflects that discernment often begins in small, faithful moments: “At times, God’s call may stir in new ways. For others, the nudge may come through the affirmation of someone else: ‘Have you ever thought about…?’ These holy conversations are often the starting point of discernment.”

She is clear that vocation is not about filling gaps: “Vocation is not primarily about meeting institutional need. It is about listening – to God, to the Church, and to the deep gladness God has placed within us.”

That listening may lead to authorised lay ministry, a new expression of service, or sometimes to ordained ministry. Just as importantly, it may renew confidence and joy in the ministry someone already exercises.

A shared responsibility

Clergy and lay leaders are encouraged to shape prayers, preaching, and conversations around vocation, particularly in this Ember season and in the lead-up to Vocations Sunday on 26th April.

Archbishop Stephen also offers a gentle reminder that prayer for vocations is not limited to particular dates. It is something the Church can do every day, asking God to raise up women and men to serve, and to give each of us courage to respond to his call.

During these Ember Days, parishes might ask:

• Who among us might God be stirring?
• Whose gifts and faithfulness suggest a deeper call?
• Who might need someone to say, “Have you ever thought about…?”

These conversations are often where discernment begins. But it is not the work of a small diocesan team alone. It is the shared responsibility of the whole people of God. When parishes pray for vocations, speak openly about calling, and encourage one another, they help shape the future leadership of the Church.