What does it mean to be called by God and then shaped in and for the work?
Over the years, Joanna Meyer has noticed what she calls a “critical gap” in discipleship for women in Christian churches and organizations. She states, “As our roles in public life have grown, the church’s vision for women’s work and calling has not grown with it.” Women, Work & Calling (IVP 2024) provides a theological framework for women's work and influence and offers resources for the challenges of working life. In it, we are helped to:
- Ignite our vocational imagination, with a biblical framework for work and calling.
- Build strength from within, with emotional and spiritual health to support our work.
- Navigate common workplace challenges, with practical tools to help our influence grow.
- Pursue purposeful relationships, collaborating and building strong relationships with others.
Joanna Meyer is Executive Director of Women, Work, and Calling a national initiative at the Denver Institute for Faith and Work that equips Christian women for godly influence in public life. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked in global telecom, nonprofit consulting, and campus ministry with Cru. Joanna served as associate faculty at Denver Seminary and completed a certificate in Women in Leadership through Cornell University. She contributed to Women and Work and has written for Faith Driven Entrepreneur and various Denver Institute publications. She lives in Aurora, Colorado where she enjoys, among other things, the rich variety of foods and cultures from around the world.
Discussion Guide
Session 1
Part I: Ignite Your Vocational Imagination
1. Why do you think Joanna Meyer chose to start with the creation account in Genesis 1 and how does this frame the conversation about vocation or calling?
2. What does being made and called to work together say about God’s character and his design for human flourishing?
3. How do you respond to the following statements (pages 12 and 13)? Is it helpful to think “bigger” about work?
…our work becomes more than just a way to support ourselves financially. It becomes a response to God’s love and sacrifice (p.12)
…[we] see ourselves as stewards of our talents across various life stages (p.13)
4. Meyer makes the following statement about vocation. What has been your understanding or thinking about calling/vocation? How does what you’ve read challenge or strengthen these?
Living your call does not depend on God declaring a single, glorious vision for your life. Rather, it is a lifelong journey that combines spiritual discernment, courage, and creativity as God helps you become the woman he designed you to be. (p.27)
5. Reflecting on page 13, consider your daily work with a broad view of the gospel in mind. What is broken or strained in your current workplace or its systems? Where do you see opportunities to infuse qualities such as goodness, beauty, or truth?
6. From chapter 5 — Did you find the “flare and focus” ideas helpful? Why or why not? She describes what she calls a “flare moment” on page 27. Name a flare moment you’ve had in your career — something new you tried that didn’t follow your usual pattern. What did you learn from deviating from the norm?
Part II: Build Strength From Within
7. Meyer identifies some internal challenges to knowing and pursuing our call:
- Limiting thoughts
- Navigating the pull of arrogance and self-sufficiency vs. humble confidence
- Impostor syndrome
- Obsession with productivity/accomplishment
How would you describe “humble confidence” (p.44) and how does it differ from the kind of confidence our culture produces?
How ought we navigate the challenges around self-promotion especially in situations like interviewing or resumé-producing? Have you seen this done well?
8. The final chapter in this section talks about Sabbath. What are other spiritual habits we can practice or lean into that will help mitigate against some of these internal defeating attitudes or postures and, instead, provide opportunities for the Spirit to grow in us a humble confidence in God who equips us for what he calls us to be and to do?
9. Spend some time praying with and for one another (either in a large group or in pairs).
Session 2
Part III: Navigate Common Workplace Challenges
1. Which chapter in Part III did you find most engaging and why?
2. Chapter 13 (p. 68) is entitled “Resist the Need to Be Perfect.”
How much do you think this is a problem? Is it more of a problem for women or does it show up differently in women than it does in men?
3. Meyer lists some of the costs of perfectionism. Have you seen any of these — in your life or in someone else? Are there other costs she didn’t list?
4. Chapter 15 (p. 79) “Beware of the Double Bind” — this is the challenge of having to choose between competent OR likable. Have you experienced this in your work or student life? If so, how? Are there ways this bias (likable OR competent) is reflected in leadership styles of men or women you know?
5. Do you find Meyer’s suggestions on pp. 80-81 helpful? Are there any you would add?
Part IV: Pursue Purposeful Relationships
6. Which chapter from Part IV did you find most engaging and why?
7. The final chapter is entitled “Don’t Lean In, Lean Hard.” Have you read Lean In? In what way(s) was it helpful? In what ways wasn’t it? What do you think about this idea of “lean hard”?
Wrapping Up
8. As you read Women, Work, & Calling, did you learn anything new? Or did you find yourself thinking about a familiar topic, but in a new way?
9. Are there things you want to point out, comment on, or ask about that we didn’t get to yet?
10. On page 108, the final reflection question invites us to identify key takeaways from the book and action steps to apply them. Let’s spend a few moments in silence and then if anyone feels comfortable, share a takeaway you have with the group.
11. Spend some time praying with and for one another and close with this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Tips for Discussion
- Begin the first session with a time of introduction. Share names, locations, and something that you love about your work or what you are studying. Briefly share what you have appreciated generally about what you have read thus far.
- For our book club, we hosted two conversations for this book, discussing two parts of the book in each. Split them up if you want to take each part of the book as one discussion.
- If your group has 6 or more people, we suggest occasionally breaking into groups of 2 or 3. For Session 1, break into small groups to discuss questions 7 and 8, then come back together, report on your discussion to the larger group, and discuss questions 9-11. For Session 2, break into small groups to discuss questions 4 and 5. Come back together, report on your discussion to the larger group, and discuss questions 6 – 11.
