Equipping Pastors: The Call to Integrate Faith and Work

For the rest of the summer, the Theology of Work Project blog will explore the call of the church – and pastors in particular – to equip Christians in their everyday work. We will provide practical resources for the challenges pastors face in their mission to address the intersection of faith, work and calling.

The Call for Pastors to Equip the Called

Ephesians 4:11-13 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

The largest force the church has to accomplish its mission is the priesthood of all believers. The church can only fulfill the Bible’s three great callings: the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38) and the creation calling–or “Cultural Mandate” (Genesis 1:25-28), if we mobilize and equip every Christian to hear and respond to Jesus’ voice in the calling of everyday work. Whether unwittingly or by design, the church has at times failed to embrace everyday work as sacred activity, to its own detriment. The average person spends over 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. And yet, 90-97% of Christians have never heard a sermon relating biblical principles to their work life.

The Barna Group’s research on faith, work and calling trends in 2014 found that three-quarters of U.S. adults say they are looking to have a more meaningful life. 60% of adults say they want to make a difference in the world.–They want to feel “called” to their work and life choices.–Christians add to this desire the question “What does God want me to do with my life?” But only 40% of practicing Christians say they have a clear sense of God’s calling on their lives. They also discovered that young adults – Millennials born between 1984 and 2002 – are leaving the church. However, those who stay in the church are four times more likely to say “My church teaches me how the Bible relates to my field or career interests.”

Robert Lewis, pastor at Fellowship Bible Church, says it clearly, “Underneath the fabric of American Christianity are people who are crying out for a personal, hands-on experience of being difference makers, not serving difference makers. They come to the church to be cared for and challenged, but there needs to be a point of ultimate destination – a hands-on ministry of their own. Helping them find this opportunity should be our greatest passion.”

The Challenges of Vocational Discipleship

The concept of a theology of vocation was first developed during the Reformation. Vocation comes from the Latin word vocari, meaning to call, and is roughly translated today as calling. Prior to the Reformation, it was believed that only clergy members had a calling from God that mattered. Lutherans, however, proposed that every person is called to work that matters to God and His kingdom. Though it’s been hundreds of years since the Reformation, we have yet to see the full unleashing of the power of the body of Christ to fulfill these callings. What would it look like if Christians were equipped to participate in what God is doing—in the places where they already spend the majority of their time? And practically speaking, how do churches grow in the practice of vocational discipleship?

Among pastors who agree that they are called to “equip the called” in the workplace, there is intense interest, but uncertainty about what to do. Pastors might encounter resistance in many forms – even from within their own churches or denominations. A 2011 report “Equipping Pastors Conversations” summarizes findings from discussions with dozens of pastors about the challenges of equipping church members in the their everyday work. Major roadblocks include: uncertainty about how to affirm the work of God in believers’ lives outside of the church; a need for theological grounding; preconceived definitions of sacred and secular; busyness; and anxiety about creating yet “another program”, among others.

Today, we find many examples of pastors and ministries forging ahead despite these challenges. We’ll explore the theology of work and practical ideas for vocational discipleship in future articles. What questions do you have? What resources would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below.