Bible Study Companion

Back in the Garden, work was fun. Yet, in today’s fallen world, joy and work are rarely used in the same sentence. But God really does intend for us to find joy in our work.

Join Dr. Raymond Bakke, Brad Smith, and Bill Hendricks as they explore what the Bible says about the purpose of business and your right to a joyful workplace. No matter where you spend those 50 or 60 hours during the week — whether it’s in business, government, or the nonprofit sector; in church, at home, or anywhere else — God intends for you to find joy in your work.

This 10-week study and Bible Study DVD accompanies Joy at Work, the national bestseller by Dennis Bakke, co-founder and CEO of AES, a worldwide energy giant with 40,000 employees in 31 countries. Shaped by his faith, Bakke recounts his quest to create the most fun workplace ever — using principles established in the Garden. This study provides the biblical map that he used as he charted and led that journey.


What's the study about?

    • It focuses on the topic of work — how God views my work and what difference that makes
    • It is a hands-on Bible study that explores the theme of work from Genesis to Revelation
    • It is advanced — ideal for existing groups that are looking for new challenges
    • It includes hard-hitting discussion questions for ‘get real’ group interaction
    • It includes a DVD that complements the study with real stories from the front-lines of work

About the Authors

Dr. Raymond Bakke is the founder of International Urban Associates and chair of the Board of Regents at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle. A professor of urban and global leadership, Raymond Bakke has authored The Urban Christian, A Theology as Big as the City, and A Biblical Word for an Urban World.

William Hendricks is president of The Giftedness Center, a Dallas-based consulting firm specializing in organizational design and strategic people management. Bill is the author and coauthor of fifteen books, including the classic Your Work Matters to God, The Power of Uniqueness, and The Light That Never Dies: A Story of Hope In the Shadows of Grief.

Brad Smith is the president of Bakke Graduate University. He co-founded the Center for Christian Leadership at Dallas Seminary, spent years consulting with both nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies, pastored an urban church and served as president and CEO of Leadership Network in Dallas.

Visit Bakke Graduate University


Dennis Bakke's Latest Articles

Christianity Today: Some people find it hard to utter the words joy and work in the same breath. Is this idea even biblical?

Dennis Bakke: Of course! I was teaching from the parable of the talents at a church stewardship class. The boss sends folks out to make all the decisions. He doesn’t guide them from afar. He says, “Come back when you’ve risked all, invested things, made decisions.” The people who take the biggest risks are the ones rewarded. The one who didn’t take any risks gets soundly chastised. Someone in the class pointed out this little tag line that follows after the master says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” And what does it say? “Enter into the master’s joy.”

Read more from “Dennis Bakke’s Ode to Joy” from Christianity Today

Dennis Bakke wants to change the world. He wouldn’t word it that way, would probably blush at the mere thought. But what else would you say about a man who built a $27 billion dollar company — the global energy behemoth AES — with a management style that flies in the face of everything business management gurus have been preaching for a century? A man who left that company only to travel to universities and seminars decrying all that’s wrong with corporations today?