Rich Villodas has a passion to teach and equip God’s people to live on mission with him right in the places they already are–especially in their daily labors. In this conversation, Rich walks through a sermon he preached on Colossians 3:23-24, where he reframes everyday work as full-time ministry.

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Matt’s book about pastoring with congregants’ work in view releases from InterVarsity Press in Spring 2026.

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***Get Free Books*** Many Christians say their churches don’t prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of daily work. We call this the Sunday to Monday gap — a disconnect that can cloud our sense of God’s purpose in the world and our place in it. To help church leaders bridge that gap, we’re offering a free box with practical books, including The Flourishing Pastor by Tom Nelson, and the latest issue of Common Good magazine. Get yours at madetoflourish.org/box.

In this episode, Matt interviews Charlie Dates as they discuss a sermon he preached on Matthew 5:13-16, on Jesus’ message about salt and light. It’s a familiar text for many people, but Charlie finds fresh ways to apply this familiar biblical text about our identity as salt and light to people’s everyday work.

Matt Rusten serves as the president of Made to Flourish. Previously, Matt pastored at churches in Kansas City, and Madison, Wisconsin. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Doctor of Ministry in Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Matt’s book about pastoring with congregants’ work in view releases from InterVarsity Press in Spring 2026.

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***Get Free Books*** Many Christians say their churches don’t prepare them for the challenges and opportunities of daily work. We call this the Sunday to Monday gap — a disconnect that can cloud our sense of God’s purpose in the world and our place in it. To help church leaders bridge that gap, we’re offering a free box with practical books, including The Flourishing Pastor by Tom Nelson, and the latest issue of Common Good magazine. Get yours at madetoflourish.org/box.

Welcome to season two of The Flourishing Pastor podcast, now hosted by Matt Rusten.

This season, we’re exploring what it means to preach to the people in our pews who spend the majority of their week at work — whether that’s in an office, a warehouse, a kitchen, a classroom, or in the unpaid roles of caregiving, volunteering, or community leadership.

Through conversations with thoughtful pastors from around the country, we’ll look at how the preaching ministry can become a powerful means of connecting the Word of God to the real, everyday lives of people in their work. Each episode is anchored in a specific sermon and text of Scripture, giving us a grounded, practical look at how pastors are helping their congregations live out their faith where they labor.

The goal? To help pastors steward the pulpit more intentionally — so that the unchanging truth of Scripture can shape and form people not just on Sunday mornings, but in the Monday-to-Saturday realities of their calling.

The Flourishing Pastor podcast is brought to you by Made to Flourish, a national nonprofit that empowers pastors and churches to integrate faith, work, and economic wisdom for the good of their communities.