Supporting Christians at Work

• Faith and Work

Faith and Work

Since 2003 the Methodist Diaconal Order’s Faith and Work Group has been offering encouragement and support to deacons as they enable and educate lay people for their ministry and mission in the world of work.

These downloadable worksheets offer a range of reflections, ideas, skills and resources. They aim to raise the awareness of and support “the people of God in the world” in their ministry at work, both paid and voluntary. Click on the title of each worksheet to view it as a pdf. Alternatively you can download all worksheets as a single pdf file.

In time, the range of worksheets will increase to focus more specifically on the nature and expression of lay ministry and mission within the workplace.

For comments on the worksheets and suggestions for future topics contact Deacon David Clark (Convenor of the Diaconal Faith and Work Group).

A Faith and work

A1 Faith and work and index of worksheets
An introduction to the worksheets and the Faith and Work programme

B Overview and analysis

B1 'The two cultures'
Contrasting the cultures of church and workplace and addressing the challenge of building bridges between them

C Ethics and Issues

C1 What can the circuit, local church or church member do to invest ethically?
How churches and church members can use their wealth to support ‘kingdom values’

D Sectors

D1 Celebrating education: supporting local schools
How congregations can support the work of local schools

E Lay ministry and mission in the workplace

E1 Discerning the gifts of the kingdom community at work		E2 Handling difficult conversations at work
Some tools to help discover the kingdom of God within the workplace		An approach to difficult conversations that can be of benefit to those at work and the organisations which employ them

E3 Addressing stress at work: a group work approach
A biblically-based group session dealing with stress in the workplace

F Engaging the institutional church

F1 Engaging the circuit with the world of work		F2 Engaging the local church with the world of work
Equipping the local circuit to engage with the world of work		Ways in which the local church can support and equip lay people for their ministry and mission in the world of work

F3 A 'local church at work' booklet and display		F4 A local preachers' workshop
Ideas to help the church affirm and celebrate the work of its members		Helping preachers/worship leaders reflect on their experience of workplace issues and engage with themes relevant to faith and work in their services

F5 A 'community at work' celebration
Ways to celebrate the working life of the area in which the local church is situated

G The role of the ordained ministry

G1 City centre chaplaincy
Some biblical passages to use as a reflection on the everyday life of the city in the context of chaplaincy

H Worship and the world of work
Some suggestions for worship which engages with the world at work (with lectionary links)

H1 'All of life belongs to God' and 'Spiritual armour'		H2 'Our Christian calling' and 'God as midwife'
- There should be no separation between ‘God-time' and ‘work-time. - How a modern work situation can help us to understand our spiritual needs		- How we can witness to our faith in the workplace. - Considering the image of God as midwife and affirming those who work in the National Health Service

H3 'A day in the life of…' and 'Lord of time'
- Looking at a day in the life of Jesus and exploring what light that throws on a typical day in our lives. - Examining the balance of work and rest in our daily lives

I Education for the world of work

I1 The use of small groups
An example of small group work using the course Christian Life and Work

J Spirituality

J1 Prayers for the working day
Two pages of prayers relevant to the world at work

K Resources

K1 Literary resources		K2 Faith and work associations and groups
A list of noteworthy books relevant to the theme of faith and work		Contact details for a wide range of groups involved in linking faith and work