© Mike Moyers, https://www.mikemoyersfineart.com/, used by permission

© Mike Moyers, https://www.mikemoyersfineart.com/, used by permission

Joan Huyser-Honig
Authors
Matt Busby
Published on
April 23, 2026

Most of us spend more time at work than in corporate worship services. Imagine how meaningful it might be to attend a worship service that blesses your vocational field! It would commission you to renew before God and one another your commitment to serve and love neighbors through your work. 

Many churches talk about the priesthood of all believers. Matt Busby led a 2024 Vital Worship, Vital Preaching Grant project that helped participants enlarge their imagination for how God works through them in their vocations. Busby is senior associate pastor at Mission Chattanooga, an Anglican congregation in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship funded the grant.

You can use or adapt Busby’s vocational commissioning service template. It can be customized for any field of work. Remember that parent, student, and retiree count as vocational roles too.

Opening Liturgy – Call To Worship

Songs of Praise

Select two songs of worship

A Time of Thanksgiving

This is a moment for workers to share testimony of how God has moved in their work. We explored testimony and gratitude in Session Two.

Offering

Offering is a natural response to praise and testimony. The offering can be donated to a ministry or nonprofit of the workers’ choosing, ideally related to their own work in the world.

Prayers of the People

Bring the needs and concerns of your work to God. This includes our petitions and our laments that we explored in the third and fourth sessions. Allow space for participants to express their own petitions, and end with praying the Lord’s Prayer together.     

The Lessons

Select a gospel passage and another scripture passage that will be meaningful to the workers and related to the homily.

The Homily

Either a minister or a practitioner provides a homily. In an ordination setting, this is often framed as a charge to the ordinands.

Confession

In the third and fourth sessions, we explored how our work and workplaces are broken and wrote confessions.

Passing of the Peace

Holy Communion

Vocational Vows

Workers stand before the Lord to make their vows, created in Session 5. Participants are anointed with oil upon making their vows.

Blessing and Benediction

A priest, representing God and the church, will offer a blessing over the workers and a benediction to go into the world equipped and empowered for the good work of their vocation.

 

Learn More

During graduate school, Matt Busby created a worship service for medical workers. It’s formatted with the order of worship on the left and his comments on the right. This will give you more insight into the reasons for each worship element.