Why the disconnect between work and worship? To reckon with this question, the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE) blog recently launched a series on “Work and the Church Today.”
In part one, Hugh Welchel, Executive Director of the IFWE, addresses the widening distance between the pew and the cubicle and, in response, prods the Church to invest itself in the lives of its businesspeople. Without any integration of faith and work, he says, professionals will continue to feel discord between their religious and working lives.
Welchel concludes with a widened definition of vocation. He cites Tim McConnell, formerly of the Center for Christian Study, to advocate a view of vocation that groups Sunday and Monday morning under the same umbrella of Christian service. According to McConnell, vocation should be “an element of Christian discipleship; a habit of the mind and heart of listening for and responding to the voice of the Lord.”
IFWE’s introduction to the topic is a helpful one. It is also worthwhile to check out parts two and three. And while on the topic, be sure to check out the work of Abraham Kuyper, who has written extensively on Christian engagement across spheres. His work is featured in Wisdom and Wonder, part of a Kuyper translation project with which the Acton Institute is affiliated.
