POD 018 | Understanding the Connection: Faith, Work, and Discovering God's Will for Your Career
How should faith and work intersect? Today we have a special guest, Paige Wiley, joining us. Paige brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, having worked in various settings and ministries and now working within the team at Made To Flourish as the Associate Director of Engagement. In this episode, we explore the importance of understanding one's vocation and how it connects to our faith, as well as the anxiety and questions that arise when it comes to discerning God's will in our careers. Paige shares insights from her recent project on bridging the gap between college and the next phase of life as well as the fascinating concept of “skills mapping” for churches and how it can be utilized to foster community and discipleship. Listen now to this thought-provoking conversation about work, calling, and the journey towards finding purpose in our daily lives.
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The importance of integrating faith and work: There is a journey to understanding the connection between faith and work. Work is not just a means of evangelizing or giving money to the church, but a valuable way to live out God's design and contribute to the restoration of all things.
- Addressing vocational anxiety: There is increasing anxiety among college students about their future careers and which has increased the need to make a meaningful connection between work and identity. There is a common fallacy of viewing God's will as a specific target or destination, which can contribute to stress and anxiety. For this reason we need to talk early and often about faith and work to alleviate vocational anxiety.
- Utilizing skills mapping for church community and discipleship: Skills mapping is a process that helps churches understand the vocational skills and passions of their congregation, and can be used to create support groups and facilitate connections among individuals with similar professions or roles. We want churches to engage with people across different life stages, including young adults and older adults, to foster community and discipleship around the work that we do, paid or unpaid.
#FaithAndWork #CallingAndVocation #BridgingTheGap #SkillMapping #ConnectingCongregations #SundayToMonday #IntegratingFaithAndLife #SupportingProfessionals #ThirdThirdOfLife #ChurchBeyondSunday
GUEST BIO:
Paige Wiley grew up in a Christian environment where work and faith were presented as separate entities. This upbringing shaped her curiosity about the intersection of work and calling. While studying communications and media at Kansas State University, Paige was heavily involved in her campus ministry and also worked at a career center, helping students discover their career paths. This experience intensified her interest in understanding why people choose a certain profession and what drives their vocational choices.
QUOTES:
"At the end of the day, my belief was that work is part of this necessary evil that we have to do in order to either evangelize to our coworkers or to give our money to the church."
— Paige Wiley
"Within redemption, we get to see how work is a way of loving and serving our neighbor, and this allows us to see glimpses of heaven."
— Paige Wiley
“One of the ways that I like to frame it is: A good shepherd knows his sheep, and the skill mapping survey is really meant to ask folks where they're at. Instead of asking to put more on their plate, ask, “What's on your plate? What are you doing? Where are you already on mission, where are you already serving?””
— Paige Wiley
RESOURCES:
Worked Up - Paige Wiley & Luke Bobo
Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work - Tom Nelson
Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work - Tim Keller
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will - Kevin DeYound
Whatever You Do: Six Foundations for an Integrated Life - Luke Bobo
God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life - Gene Veith
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life - Bill Burnett and David J. Evans
KEYWORDS:
church, congregation, vocational skills, passions, survey, pastors, integration areas, discipleship, worship services, good shepherd, understanding, work and faith, college ministry, career center, calling, impact, public university, private ministry, theological ideas, anxiety, college students, future, identity, God's will, interviews, Sunday church service, congregation story, support groups, community, discipleship, data, youth pastors, early integration, work, discernment, careers, follow Jesus, resource, college students, young adults, Made to Flourish, skill mapping, purpose, information utilization, redemption, glimpses of heaven, already not yet, construction, education, retiree, grand plan, thirds of life, older adults
CHAPTERS:
[00:06:10] Faith and work: wrestling and finding fulfillment.
[00:08:10] God at the center, wrestling with work theology.
[00:12:51] College students struggle with identity and anxiety.
[00:15:14] God's will as a problematic treasure hunt.
[00:17:46] Gathering to discuss faith and work after college.
[00:22:20] Made to Flourish offers a skill mapping process.
[00:26:28] Interviews explore Monday life of congregation members.
[00:29:26] Connecting educators, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and parents.
[00:32:46] Is God with me in career choices?
[00:34:38] Dream job for Paige Wiley.
