You’re not a pastor, missionary, or religious professional. You’re a mere Christian like me who works as an entrepreneur, accountant, or barista. And you deeply want to glorify God in every aspect of your life—including your work.

But what on earth does that look like practically?

I could tell you answers to that question through theological exposition. Or I could show you through stories. There is a place for the former. But this book gives you the latter.

And I can’t wait to introduce you to five men and women whose unforgettable life stories are full of wisdom for how you can glorify God through your work today.

Ole Kirk Christiansen

Founder of LEGO

Christiansen's story will show you how to glorify God by: 

• Persevering through life’s most brutal trials
• Embracing playful work the world calls “useless”
• Committing yourself to the highest standards of your craft

Fannie Lou Hamer

Civil Rights Activist

Hamer's story will show you how to glorify God by: 

• Working for justice without hating the unjust
• Embracing the tension between trusting in God and hustling at work
• Believing that God is creating an impact through your work even when that work appears to be in vain

C.S. Lewis

Author of The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity

Lewis's story will show you how to glorify God by: 

• Finding your ultimate joy in Christ and not your work
• Treating everything at work as evangelism, not just your words
• Embracing your role as a mere Christian as one of the Church’s most effective means of making disciples of Jesus Christ

Hannah More

Poet and Educator

More's story will show you how to glorify God by: 

• Refusing to isolate from “dark” industries and workplaces
• Working to change the world through culture and not just politics
• Showing an uncommon audacity that can only be explained by a humble confidence in God

Fred Rogers

Creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Rogers's story will show you how to glorify God by: 

• Treating your current job as a “priestly” duty
• Making time to truly experience the love of God while you work
• Living at a pace that allows you to extend that love to others you encounter Monday through Friday

Pastor Tim Keller once said, “You never learn anything spiritually valuable by being told. You have to be shown.” Case studies are stickier than commands, which is why this book will forever transform how you work!

Reading Five Mere Christians was a joy. And what I discovered is so helpful. Wonderfully insightful, instantly digestible, and terrifically applicable to daily life, this is a fun, breezy read while also being deeply meaningful—with its anchor firmly secured in Christ. I believe this book is one you’ll be excitedly recommending. 

—John Tinker, Executive Producer of When Calls the Heart and The Practice

Jordan and Kaleigh have crafted a finely cut diamond of a book, brilliantly demonstrating how to reflect the light of Christ into the world’s darkest corners. Plenty of books tell you how to glorify God in your work. This one shows you. These binge-worthy biographies are entertaining, encouraging, and enlightening, blending inspiration with practical guidance. You won't be able to put this book down! 

—Marcus Brotherton, New York Times bestselling author of Blaze of Light and We Who Are Alive & Remain

This collection of inspirational biographies far exceeded my expectations. The writing is both lively and well researched. If you’re looking for practical ways to live for Christ, to be salt and light in our world, I highly recommend you start right here. 

—Shirley Raye Redmond, author of Courageous World Changers: Fifty True Stories of Daring Women of God, Christianity Today Book Award Winner 2021

In Five Mere Christians, Jordan tells captivating stories that remind us that the grandeur is in the ordinary, and we can love big as disciples of Christ, right where we are, with what we have. What a relief and excitement! 

—Tori Hope Petersen, bestselling author & speaker 

One of these five biographies is worth more than the cost of the entire book—especially the exceptional one on LEGO's founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen. The story of LEGO's founder is still relatively unknown. I'm praying this riveting telling of it will make God's glory shine brighter amongst this generation of mere Christians! 

—Tim Croll, LEGO Masters contestant and Director of Serious Play at Narrative.live

When we understand how your work connects to God's mission, everything changes. Five Mere Christians will baptize your imagination to that end, showing you exactly how to leverage your current job to glorify God and participate in heaven's invasion of earth. 

—João Branco, former CMO of Arcos Dorados

The stories in this book are bound to lift a heavy weight off the shoulders of passionate Jesus followers who have felt their work life is inferior without an official “ministry” title. What a need! As a Christian who makes silly songs on the Internet for a living, Five Mere Christians has shown me that God sees my career as far from trivial—and as Raynor references from Psalm 37, that the Lord “delights in every detail” of the lives of the godly. What a blessing to see how I can further glorify God through the unlikely ministry of spreading childlike playfulness online. 

—Sarah Maddack, silly song artist and YouTuber

A timeless, collective testimony of God doing extraordinary things through ordinary people, Five Mere Christians is a much-needed reminder that all of us—from poets to toy makers and everyone in between—can glorify God through our work. As someone who doesn't work in “traditional” ministry, this book encouraged me to think about my vocation in a whole new light. 

—Ashlee Gadd, author of Create Anyway and founder of Coffee + Crumbs

As a writer of superheroes and fiction, it may surprise some that I’m a huge fan of biographies. Jordan and Kaleigh's written portraits about five, real-life superheroes inspire as fully as they entertain; stories sure to inspire readers to equally heroic works of kindness and change. 

—Mike Maihack, cartoonist + creator of Cleopatra in Space

As a pastor, I try hard to help people understand the sacred significance of everyday work. Five Mere Christians makes that so much easier! Jordan not only tells you your work matters but shows you what that looks like in the lives of some of the most inspiring people in modern history. Read this book and get extra copies to give away! 

—Mike Kelsey, lead pastor at McLean Bible Church

Few people in ministry get asked the question more, "But what if I'm not in full-time ministry?" That's why Jordan Raynor and Kaleigh Cox's new book Five Mere Christians is such the perfect answer. Every follower of Jesus is in full-time ministry. Our lives are ministry. Our vocations simply look different. I pray this book will encourage every believer to know that we are all commissioned to impact our sphere of influence and that the beauty of the body of Christ is we will all do that in different ways. A gift of a book to the body of Christ. 

—Denise Jones, author of Reclaiming Your Heart and Flying Solo and founder of Reclaiming Hearts Ministries

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