As promised in my last post I gave an historical overview of the Faith and Work Movement and the circumstances that created the need for it. Today my goal is to zoom into the last 40 years of our movement.

The trends of the modern era of the Faith and Work Movement are not as linear or easy to label, partly because we are looking at a much shorter window of time and we are so close to it – chronologically and personally. It wasn’t that long ago that it began and we are still inhabiting this time frame.

There have been two major thrusts in the modern Faith and Work Movement.

The first prioritized evangelism as the ultimate purpose for work. All of us would agree that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) applies to where and who we work with. No doubt you have heard inspiring testimonies of people who came to faith through the consistent witness of someone they worked with. And we believe that we will continue to hear stories like that for years to come due to the commitment of a multitude of Faith and Work organizations.

The second thrust emphasized the value of work itself. We are so grateful that God raised up people like Tim Keller to help us understand the First Commission (Genesis 1:27-28). His Every Good Endeavor, became a foundational resource in “connecting your work to God’s work.” Jordan Raynor picked up the baton and is helping a new generation of faith and work enthusiasts see the intrinsic value in their work. “Your work matters for eternity even when you’re not leveraging it to the instrumental end of sharing the gospel with those you work with.” 1

We at Workmatters are taking the valuable threads of Faith and Work above and incorporating intentional spiritual formation to our approach. We are braiding “a cord of three strands [which] is not quickly broken.” 2

Our vision is to see everyone formed into the image of Christ in work, at work, and through work.

• In our work we can yield to the Holy Spirit and be formed into the image of Christ. Solving problems, collaborating with others, submitting to our boss, and doing hard things are all opportunities for us to become more like Jesus.
• At our work we can join the Holy Spirit and be part of the spiritual formation of others. We can join the conversations that God is already having with the people we work with.
• Through our work we can collaborate with God to bring redemptive change to the world. Our work is the primary way we partner with God to become the answer of Jesus’ prayer, “Your Kingdom come – your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

For the rest of 2024, our blog posts will focus on how we plan to bring our vision to life in 2025 and beyond..

1. Jordan Raynor, The Sacredness of Secular Work, page xi
2. Ecclesiastes 4:12, New International Version