Outline of the Episode
- Learn more about Dr. Chip Roper and the VOCA Center [1:00]
- How the VOCA Center chooses projects [5:14]
- Learn more about the VOCA Center coaching program [9:52]
Learn more about Dr. Chip Roper
Dr. Roper grew up outside of Philadelphia and majored in business in college. But during college, he had a spiritual awakening. Everyone told him to be a pastor. So instead of going to Wharton and getting an MBA, he went to Trinity, got a Master’s of Divinity, and became a pastor.
In 2011 he came across Tim Keller’s teachings on faith and work and became more intentional about pastoring his parishioners to minister in their workplaces. He launched a program at his church to do just that. They were taking what they learned and applying it at work every single day. It was transformative.
After his time as a pastor came to a close, he and his wife moved to New York City to start a faith and work program for a large non-profit that was working with Christian leaders. They sought to foster collaboration between marketplace leaders, non-profit leaders, and church leaders to amplify the impact of the gospel.
Dr. Roper was tasked with the marketplace segment, which is where VOCA—short for vocation—stemmed from. It soon became its own entity.
How the VOCA Center focuses chooses projects
The Voca Center conducts research yearly and then creates a solution set that they share on their blog and podcast. They also have a team of faith-driven professionally trained certified coaches. They strive to help people find clarity and confidence in who God has made them to be in the workplace.
Every year, the VOCA Center focuses on two projects: One that is solving general dilemmas at work and the other focuses on solving problems for women at work. Burnout was the #1 dilemma in 2022.
So in the Summer of 2023, they’re launching a program to help people reignite their fire for their work and combat burnout. It will include an online learning component paired with online coaching.
They’re about to release their findings on the women in work study. They also use this research to better serve the women in their stakeholder community.
Learn more about the VOCA Center coaching program
The VOCA Center has six coaches on staff, based all over the country. Their clients are broad, including college students to those looking to retire. But the majority of their clients are millennials with mid-level responsibilities. Dr. Roper believes that when a coach and a client work together, God’s presence and wisdom are there.
Coaches don’t provide the answers. They create a space for their clients to discover what to do. Secondly, the program is customizable to the challenges and needs of the client. They do have some curriculum on burnout, how to determine what causes it, etc.
Coaching is also action-oriented. You’ll always leave a coaching session with something to do. It’s powerful to have a safe, wise person help them sort through whatever they’re struggling with and help them map a path forward. Clients leave coaching with hope and a plan.
Resources & People Mentioned
Follow Dr. Chip Roper
- Connect on LinkedIn
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