Tracking the Need for TOW

Tracking TOW's Mission

Tracking TOW's Progress

  Literally, the Theology of Work Project was born in a season of prayer.

     Four men from three Christian organizations* met in Hamilton, Massachusetts (US) regularly to pray and encourage one another, and to find ways their organizations could collaborate on work/faith ministry ideas.   

     One of the four was writing a new series of work/faith Bible studies. A retired human resource professional who had returned to seminary for training as a pastor/chaplain/writer, he was stunned to discover no database existed with answers to work/faith questions workers have asked throughout history: "Is there a specific calling for every person?" "Does Christian ministry matter more to God than driving trucks?"  Over lunch one day, he mentioned this to his prayer partners; none of them knew of such a resource either. While most ministry fields had whole theologies to draw upon, and even research associations advancing their fields, workplace theology lacked even a cogent central database of generally accepted truths. It appeared to invite a free-for-all of this-is-what-I-think responses.

     The four began to pray about the gap, and to wrestle with ideas to fill it, but it seemed too expensive, too complicated, and too big for such a small base.

     It would be five years before their prayers found feet.

     In early 2005, a gathering of work/faith ministry professionals** from around the country was meeting in Atlanta, and the hosts were inviting ideas for key topics/issues to advance the field of workplace ministry. Drawing on the long hours of discussions emanating from those early prayer sessions, one of the four original prayer partners drafted a proposal for the Atlanta group to consider. Kent Kusel, a new, fifth member of the prayer group, and president of the Boston area workplace ministry where Kilgore was a writer, carried the proposal to the Atlanta group.  While it met with sincere interest there, no concrete action plan emerged. The Boston group was encouraged to proceed, and ICWM members were invited to volunteer their interest.

     Returning from Atlanta, Kilgore, Kusel and Messenger decided to try to move forward using Boston-based resources to launch. In December, 2005, an ad hoc committee*** was formed to explore the idea, with logistic support from a Boston-based workplace ministry and with financial support from Thomas Phillips and Joanna Mockler.

     Despite the flurry of activity, though, the Project still seemed unable to generate enthusiasm or volunteers.

     Then Dr. Haddon Robinson agreed to chair the ad hoc committee.  Both Kilgore and Messenger, two of the original four early prayer partners, point to that moment as the Project's true birth.

     "Until that point," Kilgore notes in an article about the Project's early days, "we were still a regional collection of fairly new thinkers in the field. Nobody was going to risk tackling such a mammoth task based on our suggestion alone. Almost overnight, though, support and encouragement began to flow in when Dr. Robinson stepped forward."

     Next Tom Phillips, former Raytheon CEO and known to many as the man who helped Chuck Colson understand his need for Jesus Christ, agreed to co-chair the ad hoc committee with Dr. Robinson. Now the Project had leaders highly regarded in both theological and workplace settings. (Later, another retired CEO, Andy Mills, also stepped forward to serve as an active co-chair, and the Theology of Work Project was suddenly no longer a pipe dream.) 

     Initially, Dr. Robinson and Mr. Phillips wrote to more than 130 leading Christian thinkers, academics, workplace ministry professionals and Christian workers around the world, polling these leaders about the need for a theology of work. In a stunning statistical aberration, over 95% of those contacted responded: It was unanimous acceptance. (Meanwhile, Mr. Mills worked to help the Project improve its' business plan and raise resources. His leadership would lead directly to the receipt of the Project's first major gift of $1 milllion.)

     Meanwhile, Dr. Robinson wrote back to the respondents, asking for nominations to a committee to guide the Project, as well as suggestions and ideas about the key issues to be researched beyond the books of the Bible. Nominations poured in, as well as over 400 issues and ideas. 

    The same names kept popping up in the nomination process, and it wasn't long before a potential Steering Committee had been selected to replace the ad hoc committee. Dr. Robinson assigned Kilgore to contact the nominees, poll their interest and answer their questions; then he (Dr. Robinson) contacted them, formally extending an invitation to help guide the Project as a member of the Steering Committee. 

     Kilgore and Messenger were then drafted to design the strategy and business plan, making use of the Lausanne Covenant's template from the field of missions.  Their work was presented to the newly-formed Steering Committee, and following lengthy discussions and significant revisions, Dr. Robinson officially gaveled the Theology of Work Project, Inc. into existence in January, 2007.  To see what's happened since, please click here.