Faithful Work

"Your work needs a new story. This is the heart-arresting challenge Faithful Work compels us to consider. Drawing from the ancient wisdom of the biblical story, common cultural distortions and soul-suffocating clutter are carefully and gracefully swept away. A clarifying vision emerges, guiding us to embrace the life-giving rhythms of a seamless way of living into our daily work. Whether you enjoy your work or are struggling with it, this well-crafted and practical book will help you discover how faith shapes and brings meaning to your Monday world. I recommend it."

-Tom Nelson, president of Made to Flourish and senior pastor of Christ Community Church, Kansas City

"In this short but essential primer, Ross Chapman and Ryan Tafilowski have created a down-to-earth guide to understanding God's view of work, which is meant to play a redemptive role in a broken world and in our individual lives. This book has helped me look at my own work—both the paid and unpaid varieties—in a new and hopeful light."

-Angie Ward, associate professor of leadership and ministry at Denver Seminary and author of I Am a Leader: When Women Discover the Joy of Their Calling

"Grounding their argument in the mission of God, vocation and calling, and even political theology, Ross Chapman and Ryan Tafilowski speak to our deepest longings to participate in God's holistic, redemptive activity and to love our neighbor. They inspire our imaginations with a call to see daily work as intrinsically valuable, missionally focused, life giving, and transformational. Embracing the theology of work the authors carefully unpack in this book will lead to new joy in our daily work, new vision for its purpose in the world, and new hope in its capacity to contribute to the flourishing of all. This is a must-read."

-Patty Pell, assistant professor of theology, justice, and social advocacy at Denver Seminary

"Faithful Work is succinct and well written and deeply grounded in theology. The authors account for the realistic tensions of living in an increasingly pluralistic and polarized culture yet offer a hopeful account of how our work can participate in the redemption of all things. It is an extremely helpful guide for those looking to connect their faith with their work."

-Kenman Wong, professor at Seattle Pacific University and coauthor of Business for the Common Good: A Christian Vision for the Marketplace

"Faithful Work is a helpful primer for those seeking to lay the foundation of their work on the right Cornerstone. This succinct, accessible manual replaces common, erroneous thinking, such as the sacred/secular divide, with a perspective of God's seamlessness. It calls us to perform good work in the places where God has called us and inspires us to work made intrinsically good because God works. Faithful Work maintains a foot in the reality of working in the world as it is, not as we wish it were, and leaves us with an important question: What if our daily work is the central place where the church embodies the gospel in daily living?"

-Barry Rowan, author of The Spiritual Art of Business and former C-suite executive for four public companies

"Faithful Work encourages us to make our prayer for the manifestation of God's kingdom consistent with the practice of doing redemptive work. The book is full of pertinent and practical insights that can be applied by workers in any occupation and will help readers make their work more meaningful."

-Shundrawn A. Thomas, author of Discover Joy in Work: Transforming Your Occupation into Your Vocation

"Ross Chapman and Ryan Tafilowski offer a theologically sound and biblically rich guide for our work, something we all need. I highly recommend Faithful Work to anyone who is looking for a compelling vision for their work."

-David Spickard, founder and CEO of 11 Ten Leadership

"With refreshing brevity, biblical wisdom, and consistent attention to the daily grind of work, Faithful Work invites Christians to see their work as an essential element of God's redemptive activity. This book is perfect for all workers who are eager to find deeper meaning and purpose in their daily work. It would also be an effective discussion starter for small groups, adult classes, and faith-based employee resource groups. Faithful Work inspires us with the bold claim that 'our greatest opportunity is daily work.'"

-Mark D. Roberts, senior strategist for Max De Pree Center for Leadership