Why Your Work Matters
How God Uses Our Everyday Vocations to Transform Us, Our Neighbors, and the World
Where to Purchase
About
Americans spend a majority of their waking hours working, whether paid or unpaid. Due to rapidly advancing technology, hybrid work, shifts in the economy, and more, the working world has become an increasingly complex place to navigate.
In this newly expanded and updated version of his 2011 book, Work Matters, author and pastor Tom Nelson wrestles with the latest trends and dynamics of work, including remote work, work-life balance, technology, the meaning of Sabbath, and working for the common good.
Nelson explores the grand story of work in the Bible, revealing that all work matters in God's economy and that Christians can love and serve their neighbors no matter what they do for their daily vocation. He helps readers discover that their work matters deeply--not just now but for eternity.
Why Your Work Matters contains 70% new material and has been updated throughout. It includes six new chapters and a new introduction.
Contents
Introduction
Part 1: God's Story
1. Why Work?
2. Work's Great Tragedy
3. Work's Gospel Transformation
4. Work's Grand Future
5. Jesus the Carpenter
Part 2: Your Story
6. Thank God It's Monday
7. Neighborly Love
8. Avoiding Burnout
9. The Changing Seasons of Work
10. The Changing World of Work
11. Your Monday Mission
Endorsements
"I've learned more about integrating faith and work from Tom Nelson than from anyone else. That learning continued in this book through his timely treatment of topics such as AI and remote work. I can only imagine the difference it would make in the church and in our world to see Christians catch and implement this vision for their work."
Collin Hansen, vice president of content, The Gospel Coalition; author of Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation
"In Why Your Work Matters, Tom Nelson encourages and challenges readers to cultivate a 'hopeful realism' in their approach to work. Though we live in a broken world, Tom emboldens readers to work with and for God, detailing inspiring stories of whole-life transformation and renewed identity in Christ. This book is a helpful guide for those seeking to commit their work to the Lord and honor him in their callings and career paths."
Robin C. John, founding member and chief executive officer, Eventide
"In Why Your Work Matters, Tom Nelson provides an eminently readable overview of the why, where, and how of work. If you judge a book by its relevance to your life and its ability to bring you closer to knowing God, then you'll be hard-pressed to find a better book from the past five years."
Henry Kaestner, cofounder of Faith Driven Movements, Sovereign's Capital, and Bandwidth
"Tom is one of the great shepherds of our age. He possesses the unique skill of writing with the pen of a pastor and the heart of an entrepreneur. His passion is to awaken a vision within us driven by the truth that our work matters. Every page echoes with words of ancient wisdom and powerful affirmation that your work matters to you and your community, that's is a praise to God. Why Your Work Matters removes the fog, allowing us to see clearly God's plan for using us to shape and share his story of redemption."
Chris Brooks, senior pastor, Woodside Bible Church; host of Equipped with Chris Brooks
"Dallas Willard said that our work is our primary place of discipleship. How could that truth not cause us to take a more reflective look at the work we do? As well, the landscape and future of work looks very different. Tom Nelson's work helps us sit with these issues and consider deeply how to reorient ourselves to God's story about our vocation. Sit with these pages. You and the world will be better for it."
Nancy Ortberg, chief executive officer, Transforming the Bay with Christ
The Author
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Jeannie Lucas Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson is an award-winning author and speaker and the founding pastor of Christ Community Church, a large multisite church in Kansas City. He is founder and executive chairman of the national nonprofit Made to Flourish, which helps church leaders equip...
Continue reading about Tom Nelson