Living for God on the Job

The ways of God are often surprising, regularly amazing, and always inspiring. Just ask Dr. Daryl Smith, Associate Professor of Management. And as Daryl has discovered, this amazement and inspiration with the ways of the Lord should permeate all of life, especially in our careers, where a great majority of our waking hours are spent.

Before his tenure at Cedarville, Daryl met his friend and brother in Christ, Chuck Proudfit, who inhabits this theme. Proudfit had a career in corporate America that spanned several big-name multinational players, such as Procter & Gamble and LensCrafters. But at the beginning of his career, after earning his degree from Harvard, he had an epiphany that his work life as a source of purpose would be found wanting. And this led him on a spiritual search, which eventually led to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

As a student of the Bible, and in particular the New Testament book of Acts, Proudfit saw how God changed the world through believers who brought their faith into every aspect of life. He wanted to see this in his own life and formed a small group of about a dozen like-minded Christian professionals for accountability and encouragement to live for the Lord in their professions. The life group at work quickly grew beyond 300 members.

That group has today become At Work on Purpose (AWOP), a decentralized organic network of spiritual influence for the Lord. Cedarville and AWOP share the goal of helping Christians live out their convictions in a winsome and transformational way on the job. Because of this like-minded spirit, AWOP members are eligible for a 15% discount on most classes offered through The Graduate School at Cedarville, including the fully online MBA.
“What moves me the most is to see that one Christian who is so committed to faith at work that they consistently integrate rather than isolate their faith at work,” Chuck shares during the podcast. “They consistently respond to God’s vocational call rather than resist it; they consistently commit to kingdom standards at work rather than compromise; they consistently serve people through work rather than sit back; they consistently steward the resources of the workplace for the common good of the city where they work and live rather than spend it on themselves.  

“And when you find just one working Christian who lives and works like that, you’re inspired. I dream of the day when every working Christian works like that.”

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Daryl spoke during Cedarville’s Veterans Day chapel on November 11