Pastor’s Toolbox
The Pastor’s Toolbox was created to help pastors and church leaders to equip your congregation in a lifegiving theology of work and to affirm that their Monday to Saturday work is valued by God.
Why Use this Toolbox?
Dear Church Leader – thank you for taking the time to look at this simple one-page ‘toolbox.’ We appreciate the many labors you do every week to encourage and equip your congregants in the Lord, in His Word, in fellowship with each other and in outreach to their communities. We recognize that your time is precious.
This entry-level faith and work integration toolbox is provided to assist you in taking practical steps toward equipping your flock in a life-giving theology of work. God is a worker (John 5:17) and wants to be glorified as such. He made us in His image to work. He deeply values the Monday-Saturday work of His people and wants His Church to minister deeply to His working people.
Per the figure below, most of the people in your care spend 50% of their waking hours in the workplace. We hear repeatedly, from hundreds of Spirit-led ‘workers’ in the workplace, that it is confusing and hurtful if this huge part of their lives is ignored by the people they love and respect in the Church. Many saints have been laboring ‘as unto the Lord’ in the workplace for decades; they have a real need to hear & know that their work is important to God and to their Church. We believe that this type of basic care will multiply their fruitfulness in all dimensions of their lives.
Basic ‘screwdrivers’ and ‘wrenches’ are provided in this toolbox to help you communicate to God’s people that both God and your Church care deeply about their work. It is hoped that you can take one simple idea from the one-page list below and implement it in the coming month.
1: Meet with Congregants
Go to lunch or breakfast in a work-centric location of one of your congregants; talk about what they do at work and, if possible, how it relates to their faith.
2: Tools for Sunday or Saturday Corporate Worship
Interview and/or pray pastorally for one of your workers.
Pray corporately for people in an occupational group (e.g. healthcare workers or those in the trades).
Tell workplace personal stories, the same way you would tell stories of missionaries & ministry leaders.
In preparing sermons, consult the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.
3: Small Group Tools
Connect small groups with faith and work integration resources. We have developed a small group curriculum called Doing God’s Business, to help Christians integrate their faith with their work. Our friends at the Theology of Work Project have developed a list of small group studies related to faith & work integration.
Initiate small groups with vocational themes.
4: Christian Education Tools in the Local Church
An Adult Education class on work; led by Mon-Sat workers, if possible. Some books we recommend are:
Work Matters, by R. Paul Stevens
Every Good Endeavor, by Tim Keller and Katherine Alsdorf
Seven Days of Faith, by R. Paul Stevens
Books and online resources on work, for individuals or groups. Please visit our recommended book list, our blog, and our podcast for examples of resources you can use for your church.
5: Seminars for the Local Church
Offer short seminars on aspects of work life, led by Mon-Sat workers, if possible. Here are a few seminars that the Institute for Marketplace Transformation offers:
Whose Work Matters to God
Discerning Your Calling
Taking Your Soul to Work
6: Communication Tools
Recognize workplace milestones like honours or unusual workplace stresses due to pandemics, extreme weather, or global conflict.
Share short videos about members in the workplace, like you would share videos about missionaries and ministry leaders.
Contact us.
If you would like to discuss this toolbox with an experienced faith and work practitioner who has a heart to help Church leaders take the next step forward, please contact us and we will connect you with one of our practitioners.