Labor Day weekend is coming early this year, which means the summer is beginning to wind down. While the holiday offers many a three-day weekend off of work, it also invites us to consider the meaning and value of our work. Whether you’re heading back into a busy fall schedule or simply looking for fresh inspiration, this is an ideal time to pick up a thoughtful book that deepens your understanding of faith, work, and economics.
Here are seven new (and upcoming!) reads that will inspire you to see your vocation through a biblical lens and engage more purposefully in your work.
1. Mere Economics: Lessons For and From the Ordinary Business of Life
Dr. Art Carden & Dr. Caleb Fuller
In this approachable and engaging introduction to economic principles, economists Art Carden and Caleb Fuller invite Christians to see economics not as a dry academic subject, but as a vital tool for faithful living. Mere Economics connects basic economic theory with a biblical call to responsibility, stewardship, and human flourishing. It’s a helpful resource for anyone seeking to think more deeply about how faith intersects with economic wisdom. Don’t miss our excerpt here.
2. Redeeming Monday: 30 Prayers for Business Leaders
Dr. Robert J. Pacienza
Published by our partners at the Institute for Faith & Culture, Redeeming Monday offers a powerful collection of prayers designed to bridge the gap between Sunday worship and Monday work. With clarity and conviction, Robert Pacienza helps business leaders ground their daily responsibilities in God’s truth. Each prayer encourages readers to view their work as worship and their workplace as a mission field, bringing fresh purpose and a kingdom perspective to the start of every workday. Check out an excerpt here.
3. You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful
Dr. Karen Swallow Prior
This highly anticipated contribution to the faith and work conversation comes from award-winning author and cultural commentator Karen Swallow Prior. In You Have a Calling, Prior offers a refreshing and theologically grounded vision of vocation—challenging the common assumption that our work must align with our passions to be meaningful. She draws a vital distinction between passion (which comes from within) and calling (which comes from without), helping readers see how even ordinary work can serve a higher purpose. With rich reflections on truth, goodness, and beauty, this book invites readers to embrace their work as a way of living out your image-bearing and contributing to human flourishing—whether or not it feels like a “dream job.” Our friends at the Acton Institute have published an excerpt here.
4. To Invent Is Divine: Creativity and Ownership
James Edwards
In To Invent Is Divine, James Edwards explores the profound connection between human creativity, ownership, and flourishing, grounding these ideas in the character of God himself. Drawing from scripture and economic insight, Edwards shows how our ability to invent and innovate reflects God’s image and contributes to the common good. This thought-provoking book bridges theology, economics, and technology, offering a fresh perspective on how faithful stewardship includes both creating and owning. A book review will be published by IFWE soon—stay tuned!
5. Faith & Work: Galvanizing Your Church for Everyday Impact
Missy Wallace & Lauren Gill
What if every member of your church viewed their daily work as a vital part of God’s mission? In Faith & Work, Missy Wallace and Lauren Gill offer a practical, theologically grounded roadmap for pastors and ministry leaders seeking to equip their congregations to live out their faith where they work. Drawing from their work with Redeemer City to City and churches around the world, the authors share frameworks, tools, and real-life examples to help churches connect Sunday worship with Monday calling. Be sure to check out IFWE’s review by Pastor John Pletcher and an excerpt we have published for more insight into this timely and impactful resource.
6. The Good Investor: How Your Work Can Confront Injustice, Love Your Neighbor, and Bring Healing to the World
Robin John
In The Good Investor, Robin John, entrepreneur and CEO of Eventide Asset Management, casts a bold and inspiring vision for how investing can be an act of love, stewardship, and redemptive impact. Drawing from his journey from a small village in India to leading a multibillion-dollar investment firm, John challenges the view of investing as merely a pursuit of profit. Instead, he calls Christians to align their financial decisions with their faith, using capital as a tool to serve others and heal a broken world. Watch for IFWE’s upcoming review.
7. Leading Worship for Workers: How to Design Liturgies for All of Life (Available for Pre-Order)
Dr. Matthew Kaemingk & Kathryn Roelofs
As a follow-up to the influential 2020 book Work and Worship, theologian Matthew Kaemingk and experienced worship leader Kathryn Roelofs will be offering church leaders a practical guide for bridging the gap between Sunday worship and weekday work in February of next year. Leading Worship for Workers, will offer creative tools and thoughtful liturgical resources to help pastors design worship services that speak directly to the lived experiences of working Christians. IFWE has previously published excerpts (here and here) from Work and Worship, and we’re eagerly anticipating covering this next contribution to the work and worship conversation. You can pre-order it here.
