Editor’s Introduction

I n a series of four lectures given at a conference at Regent College in 2002 , Gordon Fee explored the Pauline understanding of “Vocation, Work, and Ministry.” His aim was to help pastors and laypeople serving God in a variety of settings to become theologically and biblically formed for their “full-time” service for God. These materials have been edited with attention to making an oral text readable, while retaining the more informal and personal communication inherent in a lecture presentation. I am especially grateful to Richard Wu for his assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. Readers should bear in mind that these lectures do not intend to offer a comprehensive treatment of the subject, but to provide an insightful biblical perspective on major themes in relation to vocation, work, and ministry. My hope is that a new generation of students, pastors, and lay Christians, whose daily work encompasses all walks of life, would be challenged and encouraged by this teaching from one of the leading evangelical scholars of his generation.