So if your pastor (or a pastor) could open up and share what he/she really feels when it comes to the subject of work, particularly his/her work, what would he or she say? In my last post, I shared 16 points that business people shared when asked, “How could your pastor understand your life at work better?” At the same gathering we asked the pastors present to break off in to their own sub-group and answer their own version of the question; “How... Read more
Recently I convened a group of pastors and business leaders with one aim: to better understand the other. After a good breakfast and introductions, we broke into 2 groups and the business types answered the following question: “What would you like your pastor to understand about your life at work?” The Raw Data: Here are 16 points that capture the themes from the business side of the discussion. It would help us if you’d be more intentional about bringing business... Read more
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)[1] is a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual. DID sounds like the way many of us work—we are one person on the job and another at home / church. (Not to take away from those who suffer from DID as a debilitating mental illness.) Forging two distinct identities is a symptom of the vocational divide—a compartmentalized approach to work that... Read more
Why is it that simply thinking our way through problems doesn’t produce lasting change? What hidden force lies below the surface in the people we are trying to work with, the force that seems to block real connection, communication and collaboration? Thinking Entrepreneurs Today, I had the privilege of joining 50+ entrepreneurs, business people, and pastor-types at Fivestone in Midtown Manhattan for a lunch and lecture. James K. A. Smith led us into some deep thinking about the force under the... Read more
Sunday was Easter, arguably the most significant annual event for Christians worldwide. James Martin’s The Challenge of Easter from the March 26, Wall Street Journal, does an excellent job explaining why. Here in this post, I will connect this ultimate of Sundays with your Monday reality. God, the Worker Work is the exertion of energy to employ some kind of resource to change reality. Hammering a nail to fasten two boards together, qualifies. Using market data to drive a... Read more
Do the Math: Here are 2 math problems for your local church. Most people will never be in paid “ministry” work. Less than .4% of US workers are in church or ministry work. Less than .4% of professing Christians and less than 1% of active church goers are in vocational ministry work. This means that 99% of the people of faith will never do “full-time Christian work.” Church Engagement is on the Decline. Almost 60% of Americans claim to have... Read more
Take Your Pastor to Work Day I showed up at his office and waited in reception. My host rushed in and greeted me. Was he nervous, excited, or weighed down by some new work crisis? The answer was some version of “all of the above.” He’d been working for several years on this project and now he had the opportunity to show me. He took me around, gave me a tour of the whole facility, showed me the systems he... Read more
At least 25% of us went to church yesterday. 60% of us will go to work today. Did what happened at church Sunday prepare us for what we will experience at work Monday through Friday? Perhaps if Church was really good, or you connected with some friends, you can carry an ecclesiastical buzz into the first day or so of your work week. Buzzes fade, however. Many of the individuals I serve find that their church experience is completely... Read more
The Pastor Factor There he sat on our platform. He had passion, was COO of a successful startup, and was talking about how his pastor had impacted his work life. His pastor had walked through the office one early morning and prayed over the cubicles with him. His pastor was available for emergency calls and counsel. His pastor viewed this man’s workplace as an extension of God’s kingdom. There she sat in her office over a historic theatre on Broadway.... Read more
Stuck in The Neighborhood: After a year in New York City, I’m somewhat surprised to see how people settle into a fairly small orbit, particularly if they work close to where they live. I expected to hear of this from lifelong New Yorkers who never venture from the neighborhood but have been surprised to find the same phenomenon among upwardly mobile transplants. This stay-in-your-lane mentality, a tendency towards creating silos of convenience or comfort, is a human tendency that... Read more
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