Empowering the Christian Community in Trinidad and Tobago, to Identify Their God-Given Call: A Research Plan for the Production of a Study Guide and the Development of a Natural Gifts and Abilities Program for Adolescents

by Lori-Ann N. Keane
April 4th, 2017
The purpose of this project is to document and respond to the existing perception of what it means to be called that currently exists within the Christian subculture in Trinidad and Tobago. The data on Christian perception was gathered through the use of questionnaires, which were administered to 106 participants, from the seven main Christian denominations in Trinidad.

The data collection exercise was constrained by the inability to engage the leadership of the denominations in the process. The use of existing networks and relationships was still able to yield approximately 75 percent of the desired participant number. The findings, however, overturned the assumption that the Christian subculture in Trinidad viewed calling within the context of church-based ministry only, with the majority suggesting that it could be expressed in both sacred and secular realms. Personal opinion was listed as the factor that most influenced this point of view. While there is majority agreement on the “where,” approximately half of the participants are still choosing to use their gifts and talents within the context of church-based ministry.

More than 80 percent of the surveyed population desired access to more information on calling. This response, coupled with the positive feedback from the presentation and piloting of the Natural Gifts and Abilities program, vis-à-vis a Study Guide entitled “Discovering Your Calling” developed for this project, reinforced the need for such an intervention. The Christian community’s perception of calling is now being shaped by influences apart from the church. The Natural Gifts and Abilities Program has a place in this process, although care must be exercised to ensure that any distortion or biased perception of what it means to be called is not propagated.