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--------------- Click Here To Download The Postscript PDF Document ---------------
“I have read Joy at Work twice and especially loved the Postscript—Enter
into the Master's Joy—a clear exposition of the biblical truth that shaped
his radical approach to servant leadership in the work place.”
Steve King, Cherrydale Baptist Church, Senior Pastor
Enter Into the Master’s Joy is more than just the Postscript to
Dennis Bakke’s national bestseller, Joy at Work—it is the inspiration
behind the book’s title, and the start of a movement to change today’s
workplace. Found at the end of Joy at Work, for a limited time, the postscript
is available for you to download and enjoy at no charge.
“Where do these ideas come from?” was a frequently asked question
following my lectures at business schools and other forums on the subjects covered
in Joy at Work. “Enter Into the Master’s Joy” is my response.
It is an attempt to describe the integration of my faith and the secular work
to which I have been called. For clergy, this chapter is one person’s
view from the pew.—Dennis Bakke
Enter Into the Master’s Joy
Miss McInnes, a petite woman in her early 50s, was my math teacher from
8 th to 11th grade. Polio had left her with a withered arm, but her brilliance
and dedication were her most important features. During my senior year, I decided
to stay at school before home football games, which were played on Friday nights,
instead of spending an hour and a half riding the bus home and then turning
right around to get back in time for the game. Miss McInnes invited me to have
supper with her before those games, at the local cafe about a quarter of a mile
from school. One evening she asked the question put to every high school senior.
“What are you going to do with your life?” I gave her my usual answer:
“I don’t really have any idea, although I am hoping to go to college.”
I thought the college answer would bear out the faith she had shown in me. Fewer
than 40 percent of my classmates planned to attend college. “I have some
advice for you,” she responded without hesitation. “Raymond and
Lowell [my older and younger brothers, respectively, both of whom had scrupulously
avoided taking math from her] have already committed to be pastors. Someone
needs to support them.”
To my knowledge, Miss McInnes was not a churchgoer or an amateur theologian.
But her advice to me captured what I had been taught about the purpose of work
and God’s attitude toward it. The best occupation for a devout Christian,
according to the teachings of my church, was to be a missionary, preferably
in rural Africa. My cousin Gordon Bakke filled that role for over 20 years.
Second best was to be a pastor or priest. My brothers were called to this kind
of work. Third in the hierarchy was the “helping” professions: teachers,
social workers, nurses, and others who served in similar ways, especially those
who were not paid high salaries. People seemed to get more credit if they performed
these kinds of jobs within a Christian-based organization, rather than working
for the government, a public school, or a profit-making organization. Next in
line was government work. Homemaking was a respected occupation as well. At
the bottom were commercial and business jobs such as secretaries, technicians,
factory workers, and executives. The primary path to redemption for these unfortunate
souls was to make enough money to support those working in “full-time
Christian ministry.” They could also atone by volunteering their time
to do something significant for the local church or another Christian activity
when not at their jobs. Miss McInnes had advised me to use my talents to play
the role dictated by my religious beliefs, at least to the extent that I understood
them at the time...
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