Faithful Work: In the Daily Grind with God and for Others

by Ross Chapman, Ryan Tafilowski

One-third of our waking lives is spent at work. Work is where we make culture and come into contact with our world. Work is central to God's mission to redeem souls, systems, and structures. And God works through our work to bring hope to the brokenness and fallenness of our surrounding culture. The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for the world, and that includes the transformation of our ordinary work into a sacred calling. Ross Chapman and Ryan Tafilowski show how work is a way to love God, serve our neighbors, and demonstrate the gospel. With a broader understanding of God's work in the world, we are able to engage our daily work as part of how God makes all things new. This guide invites you to reflect on the meaning and purpose of your life's work and to transform your work into service to those around you.

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

Ross Chapman is the CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work. He previously founded and served as president and executive director of For Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. He holds a doctorate of ministry in faith, work, economics, and vocation from Fuller Theological Seminary. He lives in the Denver area with his wife, Candace, and their three sons.

Reviews

[Jillian B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an encouragement to those Christians who have chosen not to go into vocational ministry (which is, of course, the majority of us!) It’s a reminder that one can glorify God and serve his Kingdom in nearly any job. I liked that it is inclusive of unpaid forms of labour as well; the important work of stay-at-home parents and familial caretakers of the elderly is far too often diminished by our capitalist culture. I would recommend this to anyone who is feeling disconnected from God at work. It is a blessing and encouragement to workers of all stripes.

[Lea Deisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a way to start the New Year! This book helped me to see that our work is God ordained and so is our rest. It is absolutely essential for us to make time to rest and spend time with God to make our work more meaningful and enjoyable. I wish I had this book while I was still working for pay, but the book also helped me to see that while the volunteer work I do now, since retired, is essential as well, rest needs to be a part of my life too. Highly recommend this book for anyone feeling stressed, overworked, or unfulfilled.

[Bill Pence · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Faithful Work" is the third excellent book on faith and work to have recently come out of the Denver Institute for Faith and Work group, following books by Joanna Meyer and Jeff Haanen. The book was written by Ross Chapman, current CEO of the Denver Institute for Faith and Work and Ryan Tafilowski, pastor and assistant professor. With this short book, the authors hope to stir the reader’s mind and heart toward a renewed vision of daily work. They hope to “increase the understanding of what it means for our faith to intersect with our work, and that through this understanding, our cities will be filled with disciples of Jesus—good citizens who will live out the implications of the gospel, not just in church on Sundays but every day in all of life.”
The book touches on a number of important subjects, including what the Bible says about work, the so called sacred/secular divide, redeeming work, a two-part or “truncated gospel”, the instrumental and intrinsic understandings of work, a crisis of place, our primary and secondary callings, politics, and a renewed vision of rest.
The book concludes with an “Epilogue: A Framework for Change” by Jeff Haanen and Ross Chapman about the five guiding principles that are used to guide the work at the Denver Institute for Faith and Work.
"Faithful Work" is a good introduction to the Christian understanding of work and how to integrate our faith and work, and thus a worthy addition to your library.
Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book:
• Scripture has a very high view of work.
• Work was given as a good gift and an invitation to be cocreators with God.
• To redeem work or to work redemptively means, simply, turning bad and broken work into good and godly work wherever it is encountered. That is the task of the worker who follows Jesus.
• The daily work of Christians is the church’s greatest opportunity to complement God’s work. Yet for centuries, that opportunity has been largely ignored and often squandered. It must not continue.
• Doing our secular jobs in a spiritual way is a deeply Christian way of being in the world.
• Work is our chance to participate in God’s great plan to reconcile the world to himself in Christ. Work is our chance to participate in the redemption of all things. Work is where we shape our one small corner of the world.
• Work, whether paid or unpaid, is an opportunity for being involved spiritually in the world today.
• Faith and work should not be separate; instead, the heart of our faith is meant to be lived out during the day-to-day work of home and business.
• Work is the greatest vehicle many of us have for loving our neighbors as ourselves. It’s at work that we find our most frequent opportunities to serve the public good by using our talents and skills to serve others.
• When our faith is integrated with our work, it transforms us to become passionate about finding the true, good, and beautiful in the work God has called us to do.
• If our understanding of the gospel is too narrow, we will arrive at an instrumental understanding of our work, meaning that work is good only because of the value it can create for something else. But if we allow Scripture to expand our understanding, we can include an intrinsic view of our work, meaning work itself is valuable.
• Work is the greatest opportunity many of us have for fulfilling the calling of Christ and his command to love our neighbors as ourselves.
• It is at work where we often see our greatest opportunities to use our talents and skills to love and serve others.
• Paid and unpaid work allows us to participate in God’s redemption and restoration of all things, and that is where God has placed us to shape our small corners of the world.
• Our day-to-day tasks, no matter how small, when done as a response to God’s calling, matter from an eternal perspective. This is the promise of our Christian faith.
• Practicing sabbath is counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, and counter-productive.

[Dylan Frercks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book and found some helpful points in it but felt like there could have been more content. It seemed a little short and I was hoping for something more comprehensive to help lead my life group.

[Kathleen Krynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, effective introduction to the important role of daily, ordinary work in the Christian life. I was able to finish it in a couple of hours - I can see how it would be an encouraging little read for any Christian struggling with motivation or passion for their work.

I have read other Christian books on work before, but what was unique about this one is how it tied various aspects of work into the overall gospel narrative. Keeping the story of the gospel at the forefront of discussion of work was really helpful. I also appreciated how this book wasn't just geared toward middle-class office workers - it emphasized real issues of classism, unjust work practices, and policies that need to change. The authors are clearly aware of both systemic injustice and individual sin.

One weakness of this book is that the chapter on politics felt disjointed. I was expecting this chapter to dive into how to deal with controversial issues at work while staying true to one's faith, but instead it was just a general guide on engaging with politics as a Christian. Another weakness: it's just too short. There is so much more I felt the authors could have delved into (e.g. providing examples of different sectors of work, more detail on differentiating between job and calling, etc) but that there was simply no room for.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any Christian working in a "secular" profession who wants help shifting their mindset about the daily grind.

(I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review).

[Tori Rumschlag · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting piece on keeping our eyes on God through the everyday hustle of staying afloat in the world. I really appreciate the author's contribution to this field. My only criticism is that the author doesn't necessarily offer anything truly revolutionary; I was more impacted by works such as "Garden City" or "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" by John Mark Comer (which also tackles the issue of working in the world while working towards the Kingdom). Would recommend this title to anyone in the faith who is struggling with their purpose-driven work life.

[Sarah Worland · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When we begin to see work - our occupation and responsibilities - as an invitation to participate in God’s reconciliation of all that is broken, we start to infuse our daily tasks with a sense of purpose and calling” (46).

Thanks for this great encouragement, Ross and Ryan!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource for thinking about work theologically and practically as a way of loving your neighbors and working for justice.

[Jacqueline Isaacs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adequate introduction to the theology of work. Would be suitable for a small group discussion or undergraduate class on vocation.

[Andrea Stauffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

for seminary

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been curious as to how to live and work for God, always asking if what I am doing is right and aligned with God's kingdom values and reading this book was encouraging especially for those moments when it feels like a decision could lead you farther away from where you think you ought to be.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.