Help is On the Way

Could help for the Work-Weary be found in the fifteen pastors from five continents seated comfortably around a classroom in Toronto? I threw out a simple question that let me see hope in this unexpected place. I asked, "How many of you have been "reincarnated" as a pastor from a former life as an ordinary lay person?" They were transformed as they shared their past lives with surprising enthusiasm. I saw a dentist from Malaysia, an accountant from Korea, a medical technologist from Canada, an English instructor from Indonesia, a manufacturer from Hong Kong, a soldier from Singapore, a tool and die maker from Australia.

"Did your congregation support you when you served in the arena of daily work?" Their response began with a whispered "no" and rose to an angry "no way!" as they got in touch with feelings of abandonment by their churches. In that moment they faced the church's tradition of drawing an artificial line in the sand and calling "church work" sacred and daily work in the world secular. They caught the painful feelings of the Work Weary abandoned by the church to the six-day-a-week work world.

Church Scattered

I believe the Work-Weary can find help in their congregations. We must stop denial of the fact that nurturing and supporting Christians in the arena of daily work is important.

Before entering seminary, Dennis had worked for two years as a boilermaker in a Sydney shipyard controlled by a communist labor union. He was called before the labor bosses on his first day on the job. "Dennis, we hear you are a Christian". "That I am," he replied. "Then perhaps you can tell us how Noah got the kangaroos on the ark before the flood and back to Australia after the flood". Dennis replied, "I can't answer that one, but I assure you there are some questions I can answer". With his Australian accent he said to the class, "My two years in the shipyard were my most productive period of ministry, even counting my 17 years of ordained ministry, but I haven't thought about it for years."

Pastors return home from the class and do more research on discipleship in daily work. They join with lay leaders to grapple with any tradition that limits the view of authentic discipleship to "church work". They visit their laity in their place of work, listen to their stories and preach on the Church Scattered. They allow laity to preach sermons and share experiences of struggle and ministry in the work place. A pastor from California preached ten sermons on faith at work and reported the most favorable response ever to his preaching. Congregational leaders rewrite congregational mission statements to include the church's commitment to support their people in the work place. Christian Education programs add elective classes on ministry in the workplace.

Form Discipling Groups

Discipling communities in the congregation are needed to nurture disciples in the arena of daily work. I insert a brief 12-Step exercise in the lecture schedule to provide an example of a lay led discipling community. We each read a paragraph from Sam Shoemaker's "Twelve Steps to Power", an early Faith@Work article where Sam describes application of the Twelve Steps of AA to Christians. Each reader is free to talk about anything they want or to say nothing and pass. To my great surprise, the pastors use this simple exercise to share personal experiences with honesty, depth and vulnerability.

Over the last ten years, I have listened to stories of painful life experiences, abusive families, addicted parents and spouses, broken marriages and career disasters. As I listened, I realized that pastors are among the Work Weary. Out of this sharing experience came a cry that is truly hope for the Work Weary. "Give us community where Christ transforms people at their point of hurt and deepest needs! We need transformation, not more information!"

Spiritual transformation comes in places that allow me to share with honesty and confidentiality how it is going with my work, my family and my service in the church community. When congregations form discipling communities that recognize and nurture the call to discipleship in both the Church Gathered and the Church Scattered, Work Weary clergy and laity can find healing and support in the place they call church.

Shortly after the class, Faith at Work received an e-mail request from one of the pastors in Malaysia. He said he was starting small confessional sharing groups for professionals serving Christ in the workplace and wanted to call them Faith at Work groups. My prayer is that the rest of us Work Weary can find relief without traveling to Malaysia.

Bob Slocum is both an "ordinary Christian" as a Presbyterian layman and a high-tech entrepreneur as founder of Polatomic, Inc. a Dallas TX company that specializes in new product development.

His book Maximize Your Ministry has been reprinted and is available from FAW.