Malyon Workplace

Taking your pastor to lunch – conversation starters

Taking your pastor to lunch is a great way to begin a conversation about the intersection of your faith and your work.?

The folk at the Celebrate Your Work have put together these conversation starters (and they even have a sample invitation) for such a situation.

Conversation Starters | Take Your Pastor to Lunch

?Use these questions as a guide for your conversation.

?Suggestions to begin:

  • Tell your pastor how much you appreciate the ministry of the church.
  • Comment on a recent sermon that touched you in some way.
  • Show your pastor around and introduce co-workers as it?s appropriate and doesn?t disturb their work.
  • As you visit, explain what you do on a daily basis.
  • Mention any specific struggles that people in your line of work deal with. [Read more…] about Taking your pastor to lunch – conversation starters

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.

Six Ideas on How to Lead Congregations to Integrate Work and Discipleship

Workplace visit“Most Christians do not have a theological framework that accommodates the integration of faith and vocation. Many are even hostile to the idea. They are more comfortable with a life that is not integrated, compartmentalizing work and discipleship. Any attempts at integration feel like intrusions into their private lives. Worship is viewed as an escape from ?secular? concerns. And let?s face it, if we really pursue integration, we will discover uncomfortable things about our lives.”?

Michael Kruse shares six ideas for pastors who want to help their congregations integrate their faith and their work more effectively – to be whole-life disciples:?

  • Confess your insecurities and be open to learn
  • Get curious – as theological questions
  • Go to work – start with five members of the congregation and join them in their workplaces
  • Preach with awareness – use workplace stories as sermon illustrations
  • Foster a movement – start work/faith conversations in your faith community
  • Institutionalize?? find ways to incorporate work and discipleship into the life of the congregation.? [Read more…] about Six Ideas on How to Lead Congregations to Integrate Work and Discipleship