Is there room for the church to give more vocational guidance as Christians enter and navigate the workforce?

The answer is yes, according to a recent Barna Group study that came out this month.

The study noted that,

Only 40% of practicing Christians say they have a clear sense of God’s calling on their lives. Christian Millennials are especially sensitive to this divine prompting—nearly half (48%) say they believe God is calling them to different work, yet they haven’t yet made such a change.

The report goes on to say,

Nearly two-thirds of churched adults say it has been at least three years or more since they heard church teachings on work and career, and yet, the workplace is where most Americans spend a the biggest share of their waking hours.

To complicate matters, today’s workforce involves taking a multi-career path, in which workers shift from opportunity to opportunity on a regular basis and hold part-time jobs on the side. Nearly seventy-five percent of working adults are looking for ways to make a difference in life and many are afraid of making the wrong career choice. The Barna group says,

In fact, less than one in five adults (19%) say they’re extremely satisfied with their current work, prompting many to get creative in finding work that truly matters.

Though the statistics are new, the trend is not – and the church is uniquely equipped to address it. As Os Hillman wrote in the Christian Post in response to the Barna Group’s findings,

There is no institution like the local church on earth that brings together weekly those who can most affect society the most, and yet, church leaders rarely preach, teach and affirm the call these people have in their own workplaces where the people that most need to be effected live.

As Christians seek to find their significance in the workforce, there are still many opportunities for the church to provide support and reinforce the spiritual significance of all work.

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