Gordon Smith on How Individuals, Churches, and Pastors Can Discover Their Calling & Find Hope in Exile

How do we lead with vocational clarity in a culture where the Church’s purpose feels increasingly unclear?

This week, Jason sits down with Dr. Gordon Smith—President of Ambrose University and author of numerous books on calling and ecclesiology—for a timely conversation about pastoral leadership in a secular age. Gordon shares his personal journey from missions to theological education and reflects on the importance of helping pastors and churches rediscover the meaning of vocation—not just for ministry, but for everyday life.

Together, they explore how churches can become communities where electricians, teachers, engineers, and parents are equipped to live out their calling as participants in God’s Kingdom. As cultural tides shift, Gordon offers a compelling case for returning to foundational ecclesiology and leading with theological depth and pastoral courage.

In this episode:

• Why every follower of Jesus has a sacred calling

• Helping churches see vocation beyond the pulpit

• The Church’s role in a secularizing Canada

• Why teaching ecclesiology is more urgent than ever

• Encouragement for pastors in times of cultural shift

This is a rich, thoughtful episode for anyone discerning how to lead the Church into the next season with clarity, purpose, and hope.

Biography

Gordon T. Smith (PhD, Loyola School of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University) is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as professor of systematic and spiritual theology. He is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and a teaching fellow at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. He is the author of many books, including Institutional Intelligence, Courage and Calling, Called to Be Saints, and Evangelical, Sacramental, and Pentecostal.

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Guest Notes

• Gordon Smith website
• Ambrose University 
• Gordon Smith’s books 
• Parker Palmer - The Courage to Teach
• Alec Hill - Just Business

Show Notes

• Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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