Proverbs 13.4
“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.”
It’s a delicate subject, but the uncomfortable truth is that many pastors do not have sufficient understanding of the realities and challenges that people face in the workplace. The consequence is that many Sunday sermons, while spiritually edifying, do not provide practical, real-world skills that directly apply to the work that people do every day.
I often ask pastors: “What is your church’s theology of skill-building for the marketplace? The people in your church spend the vast majority of their waking time working. How are you equipping them with the skills to do their job in a way that is highly productive and honors Christ?”
For many, it is the first time they have been asked this question.
The same is true for many staff of parachurch ministries. They are trained in evangelism and a certain but limited kind of discipleship, but they do not know how to equip people with practical skills for the marketplace.
Please don’t misunderstand. There are many wonderful pastors who faithfully preach and teach the transforming truth of scripture, and we are extremely grateful for that. There are many wonderful parachurch staff who lead people to Christ, teach bible studies, and provide much-needed encouragement and mentorship.
The challenge is that pastors and parachurch staff tend to over-spiritualize things. They are still affected by a dualistic theology, ironically even though they affirm that there should be no sacred / secular split. For many, God as Creator of the physical world is a doctrine they declare, but it is not a truth they understand. It is a “theology” they affirm but not a reality they live.
Knowing the Bible does not automatically make you effective in the workplace. It is possible to be saved, doctrinally sound, and mediocre at your job.
The great truth of the kingdom of God is that there is more to the Christian faith than being saved. Indeed, salvation isn’t the goal of the Christian life; it is only the beginning of it. Teaching orthodoxy is not the same as teaching orthopraxy, in particular with regard to applying biblical truth to the realities and challenges of the workplace.
There is a deep need for a foundational, robust theology of work that directs and develops the daily life of the Christian. We need a theology of work that integrates the kingdom of God, the truth of scripture, the laws of nature, the realities of the workplace, the effectiveness of Christians, and the ministry of the church.
When you work every day and are responsible for producing things, fixing things, making decisions, solving problems, and collaborating with people, you experience the real stuff of life. You discover the necessity of skill. You realize the importance of real-world wisdom. You experience first-hand the cause-and-effect nature of God’s creation, as well as the brokenness of the Fall.
If you are a faithful follower of Jesus, you give your heart and mind to working to bring restoration to the brokenness. You discover where your skills are effective, where you lack skill, and you do the work to get better. And you do this not in order to be saved, but BECAUSE you are saved.
“Whatever you do, work with your whole heart, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3.23-24)
