{"id":330,"date":"2008-01-21T01:01:44","date_gmt":"2008-01-21T01:01:44","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-5.html"},"modified":"2008-01-21T01:01:44","modified_gmt":"2008-01-21T01:01:44","slug":"a-review-of-god-at-work-the-history-and-promise-of-the-faith-at-work-movement-by-david-w-miller-section-5","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-5.html","title":{"rendered":"A Review of God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement by David W. Miller (Section 5)"},"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>
\nYesterday I suggested that David Miller’s recommendations for clergy are basically fine, though I think lay people have more power to influence clergy, and therefore churches, than Miller seems to think. This leads to perhaps my only significant unhappiness with God at Work<\/a><\/em>, a book I have found to be, overall, most helpful and worth reading. I highly recommend God at Work<\/em> to all readers, both clergy and lay.
\nNevertheless, it almost seems at times as if David Miller has bought into the idea that “the church = the clergy.” It is most telling that his excellent chapter on recommendations for the church contains five, explicit, strong recommendations for clergy, and zero explicit, strong recommendations for laity. Though I fervently agree with Miller that the church has a great opportunity to make a difference in FAW, and though I fervently agree that pastors can and should contribute to this difference, I also believe that, in the end, the church is not the clergy, but the people of God, the laos<\/em>, of which the laity (non-clergy) are the vast majority. Pastors can be hard-headed and hard-hearted. But if lay people want to have more integrated lives, if they want to be equipped for workplace ministry, if they want to live out their faith at work, then they ultimately have the power to make this happen, in spite of what pastors might do to the contrary. At least they do in Protestant churches.
\nI do not mean to pit the clergy against the laity, however. On the contrary, as I’ve said above, I believe most clergy sincerely want to help their people live out their faith in all sectors of life. If pastors aren’t dealing with issues of workplace discipleship, it’s because they haven’t realized how much it matters.
\nI can easily imagine a scenario in which a lay person makes an appointment with a pastor in order to share some challenges at work. In the conversation, the lay person says, “Pastor, I really need some help with this. Have you every thought about dealing with this sort of thing in your sermons? Or could you do a Wednesday evening class on business ethics? It would be wonderful if you did.”
\nSure, some pastors would get defensive. But many would say, “You know, that’s a helpful suggestion. What specific things might I preach about?”
\nAnd, yes, other pastors would feel insecure, realizing that they don’t know how to talk meaningfully about workplace issues. The healthy ones might say, “You know, that’s a fine suggestion. But, honestly, I’m not sure how I’d go about it. Would you be willing to help me? Perhaps we could do some research and reading and get back together in a couple of weeks to share what we learned.”
\nOf course a pastor who truly believed in lay ministry might go a step further and say, “I’m willing to incorporate more work related material into my sermons. But, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I have the expertise or even the time to teach a class on business ethics. Would you be willing to help organize such a class? You don’t have to teach it. But maybe you could gather some others together to help. And you could figure out some speakers we could invite? Since you’re every bit as much a minister as I am, would you be willing to take this on?”
\nOkay, I’ll admit this imaginary conversation sounds a bit canned. But I have participated in many conversations just like it. No rose colored glases here. Just lots of experience as a pastor listening to my people.
\nDavid Miller concludes God at Work<\/em> in this way:<\/p>\n

The church and the theological academy have a choice: they can sit on the sidelines, ignore the [FAW] movement, and let it pass them by, or they can learn from it, engage it, and help shape the theology and practice of faith at work. The church and the theological academy . . . have the chance here to participate in the FAW dialogue, help set the agenda, address the Four E’s, and thereby influence societal structures by affecting and even transforming individual lives, corporations, and the broader marketplace. The church and the academy can offer theological resources and practical tools to equip those whose calling is to serve in and through the marketplace. For the church to do anything less is to abandon millions of Christians for five-sevenths of their week, and to abdicate responsibility for and influence over this important sphere of society. Indeed, active participation in the transformation of individual employees, their workplaces, and the overall marketplace may be one of the most powerful means to help feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome the stranger (p. 153).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/a>To this I would add an enthusiastic “Amen!”, though with one exception. I see in this paragraph hints of the kind of problem I referenced earlier. Consider, for example, the sentence that reads: “For the church to do anything less is to abandon millions of Christians . . . .” Stop! This sentence seems to imply that the church is something other than millions of Christians. In fact, the church is<\/em> these same millions of Christians. Yes, of course the church is an institution. And, yes, of course it has its many gatekeepers (usually but not always the clergy). But, theologically speaking, the church is not the buildings and the bosses. The church is the people of God, the body of Christ. Thus if the church does anything less than Miller recommends \u2013 recommendations with which I heartily agree \u2013 then it’s not that the church is failing millions of people, but rather that the millions of people who make up the church are failing themselves. Ultimately, of course, they are failing God and his kingdom. (Photo: The High Calling<\/a> website is meant to encourage ordinary Christians to live out the high calling of their daily work. Most of the writers on the site, by the way, are lay Christians, as are all of those who work on it regularly, expect for me.)
\nTo use theological language for my critique of God at Work<\/em>, I’m concerned that Miller’s ecclesiology, his doctrine of the church, is formed too much by the institutional status quo and too little by biblical teaching. If we really believe that the people of God are the church, that the members really are the body of Christ, that the Spirit is given not just to the clergy, but to all believers, then the way forward might look quite a bit different. It would be filled with hope for workplace discipleship, whether or not clergy found the wherewithal to lead the movement. I believe that lay people have vastly more power than they realize, not because they currently experience this power, and not because they never feel frustrated by clerical resistance, but because, in the end, they are the laity. They are the laos<\/em>, the people of God. They are the church, filled with the very Spirit of God. And it is God, above all, who seeks for his people to live out their faith at work.<\/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 Yesterday I suggested that David Miller’s recommendations for clergy are basically fine, though I think lay people have more power to influence clergy, and therefore churches, than Miller seems to think. This…<\/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-330","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 5) - Mark D. 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Miller (Section 5)"}]},{"@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\/330","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=330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/330\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}