Date of Award
2-2019
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Department
Seminary
First Advisor
Kurtley Knight, DMin
Second Advisor
Bo Sanders, PhD
Abstract
Work is a central part of being human. Yet, in the Church, few discuss how one’s faith impacts his/her work. Laity struggle with discerning how their faith should be integrated with their career. While this is a problem in many churches and denominations, it is prevalent in churches from the Wesleyan theological tradition. This dissertation lays the groundwork for developing a Wesleyan perspective on the integration of faith and work.
Chapter one addresses the problem many experience in the Wesleyan tradition to find any substantive literature that provides a uniquely Wesleyan perspective on work and faith. This chapter looks at the problem of integration as a historical problem that, until recently, has not garnished as much theological reflection as other doctrinal issues.
Chapter two addresses work from a biblical perspective. It addresses the struggle with providing a theology of work, as well as viewing work through four theological movements—creation, the Fall, redemption, and the Kingdom of God.
Chapter three begins to lay the foundation of a Wesleyan perspective of faith and work by highlighting the practical implications of Wesley’s understanding of the image of God.
Chapter four addresses in more detail the practical implications of the renewal of the image of God and its impact on work. It looks at the teleology of work not as a means of financial growth, but as an act of stewardship.
Chapter five addresses the Wesleyan emphasis on the integration of faith into all spheres of one’s life through meaningful group formation, namely through the class meeting. It begins to reveal how the class meeting assisted early Methodists to resist compartmentalization by living more integrated lives.
Chapter six provides an adapted class meeting to be held in the workplace as a model to assist laity to integrate faith and work.
Recommended Citation
Wellman, Jason, "My Daily Labor to Pursue: A Wesleyan Perspective on the Integration of Faith and Work" (2019). Doctor of Ministry. 297.
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/dmin/297