Pastoring for Monday: Helping the Church Take Work Seriously | Matt Rusten

What would it look like if the church took seriously the 80,000 hours most people spend at work over a lifetime? In this conversation, host John Terrill sits down with Matt Rusten — pastor-turned-vocational-discipleship-advocate and author of Pastoring for Monday: Help Your Congregation Integrate Faith and Work — to explore one of the most neglected dimensions of Christian formation: our everyday work.Matt shares the story of Tom Nelson — founder of Made to Flourish — who famously confessed to his congregation that he had been "committing pastoral malpractice" by equipping people for a minority of their lives while ignoring where they spent most of their time. That confession became the seedbed for an entire movement, and it shapes every page of Matt's new book.Together, John and Matt trace the biblical arc from creation to new creation and show why work — far from being a necessary evil — is woven into the fabric of what it means to be human. They discuss four postures Christians take toward workplace engagement (boxing gloves, latex gloves, camouflage gloves, and work gloves), unpack a powerful framework for pastoral care drawn from the stages of enchantment and disenchantment in Ecclesiastes, and offer practical handles for how sermons, small groups, and outreach ministries can begin integrating a theology of vocation — without creating new programs or hiring a "faith and work pastor."Whether you are a pastor, a church leader, or simply someone wrestling with purpose in your daily work, this conversation offers both grounding and hope.WHAT YOU WILL LEARNThe origin story of Made to Flourish and the "pastoral malpractice" confession that launched a movementWhy faith and work discipleship is a biblical, historical, and pastoral priorityA creation–fall–redemption–new creation framework for understanding workFour postures for cultural engagement: boxing gloves, latex gloves, camouflage, and work glovesLessons from Lesslie Newbigin and Tim Keller on mission, vocation, and the local churchPractical tools for pastors: preaching, small groups, outreach, and vocational formationThe enchantment–disenchantment–re-enchantment cycle and how the Gospel reframes workMade to Flourish's three initiatives: Common Good Magazine, Scatter, and pastoral residencies GUESTMatt Rusten — Executive Director of Made to Flourish; author of Pastoring for Monday (IVP, 2026)LINKS & RESOURCESPastoring for Monday (IVP Press)Made to FlourishCommon Good MagazineMore episodes & podcast offerings — SLBF StudioSend us Fan MailCONNECT WITH USSubscribe to The UpWords Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and visit slbf.org/studio to learn more about our work at the intersection of faith, the academy, and the marketplace.This episode was created by the SLBF STUDIO at Upper House.Produced by Daniel Johnson and Dave ConourEdited by Dave Conour