Malyon Workplace

Unlocking the Five Motivations for Work in Your Ministry Leadership

While this article from Will Mancini has a specific focus on vocational Christian ministry, it applies broadly to any work to which a Christian is called.

We all have motivations that get us out of bed in the morning. And, we all have a wide array of forces that impact our sense of identity as it relates to work.

I have found it helpful to identify these and to explore their interrelationship. In doing so there are multiple benefits to fortifying your life as a ministry leader. In fact, great leaders deeply understand these benefits ?in their own life. In addition, these motivations and the benefits of understanding them, become very helpful in stewarding the gifts and talents of others. What are the benefits of exploring the five motivations? They include:

  • Building self-awareness
  • Bringing a higher perspective to everyday work?
  • Enhancing a God-focused life
  • Aiding in value-based, directional career decision-making?
  • Finding health and balance in your job.?

Explore these ?five motivations for your work. While some of these categories may be defined from a negative point of view, (Careerism is selfish), I consider them from positive perspective.

#1 Work as Job: ?I get paid in order to live.?

All of us, with few exceptions, start here. You get a job to put bread on the table and to pay the rent. It?s a baseline and noble motivation- survival.

#2 Work as Career: ?I advance my life.??

In addition to getting paid, its nice to know you will get paid more in the future. Progress is a life impulse biologically and emotionally. When you ad a little testosterone to the equation, watch out. ?The impetus to win and to have more influence and to ?better your position? becomes a significant, if not dominating motive for most people. While Jesus never rebukes the motivation for progress, he does rebuke the selfish and worldly interpretation of what progress looks like (lording over people verses serving them).

#3 Work as Fulfillment: ?I enjoy using my life?s talents and abilities.??

When people cultivate an awareness and practice of their gifts, new things begin to emerge in the motivational dynamic. ?Work as job? and ?work as career? motivations begin to shift. For example, I might be willing to trade financial benefit or title of influence for the euphoria of a tightly aligned role match with my passion or talents.

#4 Work as Calling: ?God created my life for a unique purpose.??

The definition of calling may have some nuances depending on your faith background. Here, I mean the term to reflect a personal relationship with God that brings the revelation of a life agenda or purpose or destiny. ?It?s the movement from occupation to vocation. This is more specific than a generic, ?I follow Jesus? or ?God has a wonderful plan for your life.? ?And this specificity is very real and concrete to those who discern it or find it or receive it. Luke wrote of Paul in Acts 13:36, ?For David, after he had served the?purpose?of God in his own generation, fell asleep??

#5 Work as Convergence: ?I enjoy life for God?s glory.??

I have struggled with the idea of calling being the ultimate ?right? motivation. In some ways, that is the obviously answer. In other ways, ?I believe in the nobility of every level and the opportunity to engage in as many levels as possible. ?Work as convergence? is the answer. Even though one may be clear on calling, isn?t it still natural to desire a sense of fulfillment and advancement? I think so. As the Westminster Confession reminds us, glorifying God isn?t separable from enjoying him. On another practical level, convergence brings the overlap of ?work as job? and ?work as calling.? Many feel like they have to work a ?job? in order to serve God (calling) in some other area of life. In this case there is an opportunity to explore convergence.

Why your church needs vocation groups – Gospel Coalition article

In this article on the Gospel Coalition site, Jeff Haanen explores how churches can develop behaviours and habits that encourage Christians in the workplace.

Quoting Lesslie Newbigin (“The congregation has to be a place where its members are trained, supported, and nourished in the exercise of their parts of the priestly ministry in the world. . . . There is need for “frontier-groups,” groups of Christians working the same sectors of public life, meeting to thrash out the controversial issues of their business or profession in the light of their faith.”), he suggests that vocation based groups are excellent examples of ‘frontier groups’.

In summary, he provides some advice for pastors wanting to form?vocational groups within their congregations:

1. Visit church members at their work: ?“When you consider forming vocation groups, the best place to start is by listening. Visit five to ten people at work, see their craft, and hear of their triumphs and challenges over lunch …?Vocation groups begin with a well-informed pastor who understands the real difficulties of where his congregation spends the majority of their waking hours.”

2. After a sermon series or class on faith and work, organize vocation groups

3. Commit to resourcing your vocation groups.

Read the full article for some very helpful suggestions and insights.

Vocation: What will I do with my 100,000 hours of working life?

I recall clearly after high school trying to decide which college I should attend to pursue a vocation in teaching. ?My calling (though I would probably not have used that term then) was clear – I wanted to be a teacher, a secondary maths/science teacher specifically. ?

But the big question was whether to head to the bright lights of Brisbane or the safer and more familiar environment of nearby Toowoomba. Funny, it does not sound like such a big question now.?

Eventually, after prayer and consideration of the pros and cons with my parents, I decided on Toowoomba. ?Of course, that started a chain of events including meeting a delightful young woman through the activities of the Christian Fellowship group we established who would later become my wife!? [Read more…] about Vocation: What will I do with my 100,000 hours of working life?

Called to be a recycler!

?We are a small ? company. We were into recycling but it?s not that profitable. Our attention turns to waste disposal. My job is to run the place: I organise and do some paper work. We do garbage and recycling?. There?s three guys, and we start at 3 am?. I drive the compactor for half the run, and I run at the back of the truck for the other half. I?ve been doing this for six years. I process the recycling every day. ? It?s heavy manual work. There is lifting, lots of noise especially when you?re processing. Running ? steep streets is physically demanding particularly in the summer ?. You?ve got to get going early, and that is disruptive to family life. You work all days, all weather, even public holidays. As an essential service you can?t have time off. I like the challenge of the physical aspect: how fast and efficient can we get?

But it?s pretty mindless ? smashing bottles, running behind a truck?. People ask me about my work and some see me as a bum. In some way it is an end of the road job. But it is essential and people rely on you. If we went on strike, and waste started to build up, it would be a health risk. ? Recycling is more important these days, and I?m respected a bit. My daughter?s school asked me to speak to the children about recycling. These recycling issues affect us all so my role is important. I know that even if it?s sometimes hard to say, God has called me to do my job.?

[Graeme Marriot, reflecting on his callings as a father of three children and foreman of CBM Waste Management, quoted in Gordon Preece?s article ?Vocation in Historical-Theological Perspective?,?http://www.theologyofwork.org/auxiliary-pages/vocation-depth-article

Workplace Myth #8: ?If I?m unable to work in a paid job, I?m not contributing to society?

Don’t miss this very thought-provoking article from the Threads people: ?Two quotes to whet your appetite:?

Work is, I think, anytime that we give from ourselves for others, whether we are talking, cooking, doing the dishes, cheering someone up, volunteering or doing our paid jobs. I?m not all that sure that work looks all that different to just ?being?.

Honestly, I think God uses me more in my stillness and ?unproductivity?, and in my weakness, than if I was working every hour of the day. We take ourselves far too seriously. I mean, God spoke through a donkey in the Old Testament, I?m sure He can use me even with anxiety and without a paid job!

Read the full post here.?