Most of life happens outside the church walls, yet many Christians still feel a gap between Sunday worship and Monday work. How do we connect what happens on Sunday morning with the work that fills the rest of our week?
In this AMR theological short, Sean Lucas, Joel Sinclair, and Jenilyn Swett explore the deep biblical roots of vocation and the practical ways churches can support vocational discipleship. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture frames work as part of God’s good design: an arena where spiritual gifts are exercised, culture is cultivated, and Christ is glorified. This conversation explores how churches can bridge the sacred–secular divide, offering practical ways to pray for, encourage, and equip people in their vocations so that faith takes root in every corner of life.
Outline and Highlights
On connecting Sunday to Monday
“This is most of our people’s lives. It is how we spend the vast majority of our waking hours during the week. And so we have to help people think about what the things we’re doing on Sundays actually mean when I go into my office or sit at home on remote work.”
On resisting the sacred–secular divide
“Oftentimes people divide their lives up into slices of pie… church on Sunday, work the rest of the week. But because of God’s vocational call and the gifts of the Spirit, our worship and our work both bring him glory to the ends of the earth.”
On the biblical roots of work
“As much as we talk about the frustrations we have in work, that’s not the beginning of the story. Work was in Genesis 1 and 2. It started out good—it’s something we were made for from the very beginning.”
On vocation and calling
“By framing work as vocation or calling, people can begin to see: God has given me gifts. How do those come to bear on what I do with my time in a given week?”
On practical church practices
“Every Sunday morning we pray for two families in our congregation—by name, for their needs, and usually for their work. Over time, people hear doctors, contractors, stay-at-home parents prayed for, and they glimpse the variety of callings God has given.”
On mentoring and formation
“We started a medical mentoring program where students share meals with seasoned professionals. It’s not just about praying with patients—it’s about driving back the darkness through healing, as a sign of the new heavens and the new earth.”
On resources for going deeper
“Tim Keller’s Every Good Endeavor has been invaluable. And Steven Garber’s Visions of Vocation helps us wrestle with what it means to love in the midst of a broken world.”
Resources for Diving Deeper
Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller
Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good by Steven Garber