Is it just me, or does it sometimes seems like the only two things Sunday and Monday mornings have in common are subpar coffee and business-casual attire?

Church can feel like a vacuum from our outside life—a time to carve out for spiritual formation and community. A time to learn deeply important theological truths. And a time to self-reflect on our walks with Christ.

But what if Sunday morning didn't simply provide the space to reflect—what if it also gave direction and encouragement for our jobs—our vocations—for those things we do 40(ish) hours a week?

That was the focus of Leadership Journal's very first live event: Redeeming Work. The first of five events, Leadership Journal brought together over 150 local church leaders in the city of Chicago to discuss how we can do exactly that: redeem work. Redeem the everyday grind, the office space, the commute, the people we sit in meetings with … how do we make that holy? And how do we find out what our true callings are?

Holy Work

First up for the day was Amy Sherman, author of Kingdom Calling and director of the Sagamore Institute's Center on Faith in Communities, who spoke on how we can bring Christ into the work people do outside of the church. She talked about friends who have found their vocational callings in everything between owning a restaurant and starting a financing business. Each person Sherman introduced used their gifts in a unique way, but they all had one thing in common—they were doing great work for the Kingdom of God, and shining the light of Christ onto the world around them in enormous ways.

"It's okay to say that some jobs are just trivial. It's okay to say, 'Why would you spend 60 years of your life on that?' But the "mundane"—that's different. The ordinary things have a lot of opportunity to encourage propel that even in their spheres they can connect it to what God's doing in the world. He's sustaining the creation through all the stuff that had to get done. The guy that drives the bus between gate F and gate C at the airport might feel like his job isn't important, but to me, his job is very important. If he didn't do it, I wouldn't get home, or where I need to go. His work matters. Should we overly romanticize it? No. But the work that that guy does matters, and if he does it with a cheerful attitude, you can make something out of that job.

"The danger of the vocational discussion is that we might end up getting our value and significance in our specific calling, not in our HIGHEST CALLING as a child of God. If you don't have choice in your vocation, that doesn't make you any less significant."

Skye Jethani, executive editor for Leadership Journal, then spent time unpacking what is to redeem vocation.

"It is this planet," he said, "that we will occupy for eternity. But it will be a transformed world. And if that's the case then there is work we will accomplish on earth that will matter in eternity. We've inherited a theology where there's no room for theology of vocation.

"We need to understand the full scope of God's redemption. He's not throwing away this planet—the work called to in communion in Christ endures for all eternity. What is the full scope of his redemptive work? He's interested in redeeming work. When God created the universe he didn't then retire into full time ministry.

"The danger of raising up ministry jobs is that we end up with people in ministry, not because they're gifted of called to ministry, but because they're looking for significance. That's a problem. There are so many significant jobs outside of the church. As a matter of fact, if the only things that matter are the things that the church does, then the church has to do a whole lot."

Conversations like these, and more, were the center of the Redeeming Work event. To say it was a fruitful time would be an understatement. Held at a working class studio, Ignite Chicago, attenders enjoyed a mix of discussions, Q&A, videos, worship, speakers, and local food and coffee. The evening dinner session was led by Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales, who shared his own personal journey with work and faith.

We ask you to pray for the Leadership Journal team as they continue to plan and hold these events across the country.

Interested in attending? Check out our registration site for dates and locations near you!