God did not create work to be drudgery, but due to the effects of the Fall and our sinfulness, work can definitely not be what it should be. But that does not mean that work is all bad.

In fact, work is where we often find purpose and joy.

Dr. Chip Roper is the Founder and President of the VOCA Center. The VOCA Center is a faith-based organization that brings God's wisdom to your work through teaching, coaching, and leadership development.

It recently partnered with the Barna Group to conduct a research survey to discover what brings joy and what brings challenges in the contemporary workplace. This “Life@Work 2025 Report” is free to download here.

Our conversation with Chip Roper:

* We discuss practical strategies to increase joy at work for both workers and leaders.

* The study discovered that the majority of U.S. adult workers (7 out of 10) say that they experience joy more than half the time they’re at work.

* What brings us joy at work includes (1) work relationships, (2) our achievements and purpose, and (3) helping others and making a difference.

* Workers who derive their primary satisfaction from helping others are nearly 3 times more likely to experience high levels of joy compared to those motivated primarily by financial rewards.

* Gen Z and Millennial workers seek meaning beyond the paycheck and find joy in helping others in and through their work.

* While relationships with people bring joy at work, what’s ironic is that this is the same category that scored high on what creates challenges at work.

Scroll down to learn more about Chip Roper.

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.

Dr. Chip Roper

Dr. Chip Roper is the Chief Solutions Officer and President of the VOCA Center. He earned a Doctorate of Ministry from Missio Seminary and an Executive Coaching Certification from Columbia University. He coaches business leaders, drawing on his 30-plus years of experience in Profit & Loss leadership.

The way of Jesus is for organizations to nurture flourishing individuals and societies.

But many of us have experienced the devastating effects of a toxic work environment.

This is not the way God meant organizations to run. From the ancient Old Testament Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, everything in life is meant for universal flourishing, or Shalom.

Our guest is Dr. Justin Irving, Professor of Christian Leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. His newest book is titled, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish (Baker Academic, 2024), In it, he provides theological foundations for healthy Christian leadership in for-profit corporations, nonprofits, and churches. He also provides insights from interviewing over 200 executive leaders.

In our discussion, we discuss:

* Leadership for human flourishing

* Cultivating healthy teams

* Delegation for the good of the people we lead and for the organization

* What hinders good organizational communication

* How to measure how healthy an organizational culture is

* How to be sure that every aspect of an organization aligns with the organization’s values and beliefs

In our conversation, we discussed the Good Place Operating System (GPOS), from The Good Place Institute, for which Bob Robinson is a Partner Consultant. The GPOS is a systematic approach to clearly stating a purpose and mission in a charter, to build all the systems in an organization to align with the charter, and then to measure success on business dashboards. If you’d like to explore implementing an operating system meant for kingdom purposes in which people are valued, communities flourish, and profits are made for these regenerative purposes, connect with Bob by emailing him at Bob.Robinson@goodplaceinstitute.com .

Scroll down to learn more about Justin Irving.

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Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.

Dr. Justin Irving

After serving for 20 years at Bethel Seminary in a variety of faculty and administrative roles, Dr. Justin Irving now serves as Professor of Leadership, Chair of the Department of Leadership and Discipleship, and Director of the Ed.D. program at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Check out his Purpose in Leadership blog. Dr. Irving is a member at Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky. He is married to Tasha, and they have five children.

Would you consider buying Dr. Irving’s books from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore? They are eager to serve God’s people with great books. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about the book on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off.

Some people are lucky enough to get paid to do what they love. But many are not.

In You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful, (Brazos Press, 2025), award-winning author Karen Swallow Prior has encouraging news: If you pursue the good, true, and beautiful in all your work, you will find your greatest fulfillment.

In this conversation, we discuss:

* The difference between passion and calling. How does this help us make vocational decisions?

* What are the various callings we have, not just in our 9-to-5, but in all of life?

* How does our context determine our callings, including when and where we live, who is in our lives, and what needs arise?

* How are our callings from outside ourselves, often in the service to others?

* How can we find meaning in every role, regardless of what our career is?

* How can we reintegrate our vocational lives through truth, goodness, and beauty?

Our discussion will help anyone and everyone who wants to know that our daily work, ordinary though it may be, can fulfill a higher calling to God. You will gain a renewed sense of purpose, knowing you are created for virtue in all that you do.

Scroll down to learn more about Karen Prior.

Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app:

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with your friends. Your hosts are Dr. Bob Robinson and David Loughney. For further resources on reintegrating all of life with God’s mission, go to re-integrate.org.

Dr. Karen Swallow Prior

Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is the 2025-26 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary. She has been a reader and a writer her entire life. She earned her PhD in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She has taught at Liberty University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has written or co-written several books, including study guides for some of the greatest books in British literature.

Would you consider buying Karen’s books from independent booksellers Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds Bookstore? They are eager to serve God’s people with great books. Order online through their secure server or call 717-246-333. Mention that you heard about these books on the Reintegrate Podcast and get 20% off.