Early in my career someone convinced me that the corny saying, “Leaders are readers,” was true, and I’ve chased that wisdom ever since. So, here in the middle of July I’d like to offer a few Faith & Work suggestions for your summer reading list.

The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You’re Not Sharing the Gospel) by Jordan Raynor. This book is great to read on your own or with a group. In fact, our team read it together earlier in the year. Jordan addresses the dichotomy of the sacred/secular split and offers a solid scriptural perspective that all work can be worship. It’s not all theory. He also provides practical insights and strategies for applying these principles to various vocations, helping readers find purpose and meaning in their daily work. Bonus: Jordan is one of the keynote speakers at the Workmatters Conference on September 12, 2025.

Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann. In my six+ years at Workmatters, I have noticed an increasing amount of pushback on the idea of rest in conversations around work. Many Christians have gone beyond winking at the fourth commandment to utterly disregard it. This small book, only 150 pages, builds a compelling biblical case for Sabbath as a powerful tool for resisting the pressures of modern life and embracing a more balanced and God-centered way of living. Brueggemann draws a compelling parallel between the systems of Egypt and our current culture of production, and points us back to the gift of Sabbath at Sinai. The book also includes a study guide for further processing.

Forming the Leaders Soul: An Invitation to Spiritual Direction by Morris Dirks. While Dirks writes from a pastoral perspective the insight he offers is applicable to leaders in corporate and non-profit organizations. He describes his collision with burnout and how he moved through burnout into healthy rhythms and sustainability. Dirks pulls no punches stating, “The destructive consequences from leaders who fail to work out of a deep sense of their inner self are staggering…Leaders have a particular responsibility to know what is going on inside their souls.”

The Reinvention of Work: A New Vision of Livelihood for Our Time by Matthew Fox. This is an older book, published in 1994. Fox pulls from ancient Christian sources who understood the sacredness of work and didn’t deal with the disintegration of faith and work that permeates the modern world. He also considers the historical factors like the Industrial Revolution that have impacted Christians understanding of work. I will be honest, while I loved this book it was a little more challenging and academic. I think it would be great to read with a partner to discuss chapter by chapter.

Hopefully one of these will strike a chord with you.

Please let us know whenever you come across a book that would help us better serve the Workmatters Community.