{"id":326,"date":"2008-01-17T01:01:59","date_gmt":"2008-01-17T01:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/01\/a-review-of-god-at-work-the-history-and-promise-of-the-faith-at-work-movement-by-david-w-miller-section-3.html"},"modified":"2008-01-17T01:01:59","modified_gmt":"2008-01-17T01:01:59","slug":"a-review-of-god-at-work-the-history-and-promise-of-the-faith-at-work-movement-by-david-w-miller-section-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/01\/a-review-of-god-at-work-the-history-and-promise-of-the-faith-at-work-movement-by-david-w-miller-section-3.html","title":{"rendered":"A Review of God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement, by David W. Miller (Section 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the series: God at Work: A Review of the Book by David Miller
\nPermalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a><\/em>
\nSo far in this series I’ve examined some of the main ideas in God at Work<\/a><\/em> by David Miller. In my last post I focused on Miller’s criticism of the church’s failure to help working people see their workplace as a context of ministry. In this post I want to explore Miller’s recommendations for the church and the theological academy.
\nThese recommendations are found in Chapter 8 of God at Work<\/em>: “The Future of the Faith at Work Movement.” Miller believes that change needs to happen if FAW is to thrive, with the end of church and social transformation. His proposals begin this way:<\/p>\n

A logical starting place for change is the place where clergy are trained. Seminaries and divinity schools should recognize anew the theological, practical, and pastoral importance of the workplace with a view toward training pastors to minister more intentionally and effectively to their parishioners in the business world and other workplaces. (p. 144)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/a>This will be especially challenging, Miller notes, for seminary professors who, especially in mainline seminaries and divinity schools, almost always assume that capitalism is necessarily evil. One practical suggestion Miller makes is for seminaries and denominations to “expand the conception of clinical pastoral education (CPE) and field education programs from the traditional realms of hospitals, prisons, and psychiatric wards to include internships in local businesses and workplaces” (p. 144). This is a phenomenal idea, in my opinion. But I can only imagine the responses of many who have vested interest in the status quo of CPE and internships, and who couldn’t imagine pastoral training happening in the context of what they would think of as godless capitalism.
\nThough Miller has more suggestions for theological academies, he offers several challenges for churches and clergy as well:<\/p>\n

Pastors and churches that wish to respond seriously to the Sunday-Monday gap will need to develop new strategies of equipping laity for a ministry of integration that connects the Christian faith to the workplace in meaningful and constructive ways. (p. 146).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Miller believes that the church has strong potential to make a difference in this regard. But it requires more than just the addition of a special class or sermon series. According to Miller, “this attitude needs to be evident in all dimensions of ministry” (p. 146).
\nClergy bear a significant burden in Miller’s envisioned future of FAW. He recommends, for example:<\/p>\n

Clergy who wish to equip their people to integrate faith and work effectively will first need to develop a ministry of presence and listening<\/em> in the work sphere. Clergy should go to their parishioners’ places of work for short visits as regularly and naturally as they make hospital and home visits. (p. 146).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I agree with Miller on this score. In fact, I expect that I spent more time with people in their places of work than I did in the hospital, partly because I had other pastors who did the lion’s share of hospital visitation. I loved to see where my church members worked. One highlight of my ministry at Irvine Presbyterian Church was visiting a church member who happened to be our congressman in his place of work. But, throughout the years, I visited schools, law firms, accountants offices, building sites, and dozens of other kinds of workplaces. (When I was an associate pastor in Hollywood, I once visited the workplace of a Hollywood set designer, and got to stand on the stage while they were filming part of the Brady Bunch Christmas Special<\/a>. Think of that!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the series: God at Work: A Review of the Book by David Miller Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series So far in this series I’ve examined some of the main ideas in God at Work by David Miller. In my last post I focused on Miller’s criticism of the church’s failure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-god-at-work"],"yoast_head":"\nA Review of God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement, by David W. Miller (Section 3) - Mark D. 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Miller (Section 3)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/","name":"Mark D. Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}