From Secular to Sacred: Bringing Work to Church

Abstract

Work and faith are significant life commitments for many people. Understanding how people integrate these facets of life is important for scholars, faith leaders, and religious communities. We use data from Faith at Work: An Empirical Study, which includes a U.S. general population survey (n = 13,270) and in-depth interviews. Drawing data from a Christian sub-sample we ask: How do Christians draw on their faith community in relation to work? For those in different social locations, in what ways does talk about work come up in churches? Finally, what work-related challenges do Christians experience, and how do Christians want their churches and pastors to address them? We find that many Christians see faith as a resource for enhancing their work lives but do not often encounter discussion of work at church or talk with pastors about work, though Black congregants are nearly twice as likely as whites to hear their pastors discuss work. Further, specific groups of Christians want their pastors and churches to do more to support them in their work and/or to help them navigate faith in the workplace. They also want churches to better accommodate the needs of working people at church, so they can more fully participate.

The Limits of Congregational Support for Working Women

“…Churches are increasing efforts to support congregants’ work lives (Ecklund et al 2020a). As this happens, our study shows that it is not enough to offer theological support to women’s paid labor.…”

“…The research that does examine the ways that religious communities address the topic of work suggests that churches do not attend sufficiently to the work lives of their congregants. Work by Ecklund et al (2020a) shows that just under half of practicing Christians (41%) feel supported in their work/career by their religious community. They also find that only 35 percent of practicing Christians participate in groups at church concerning work and only 16 percent report hearing their faith leaders discuss workplace issues.…”

“…Despite their prevalence, these churches are not universally prepared for the issues their members face at work. Research suggests that church members do not feel their secular employment is valued within religious spaces (Ecklund, Daniels, and Schneider 2020; Nash and McLennan 2001; Wuthnow 1997). Furthermore, some employees doubt that even well-meaning clergy can understand their experiences, given that many clergy have not worked outside of religious institutions.…”