His purpose is not to condemn the clergy, but to consider how they may minister more effectively to the person in the pew. It's noteworthy that many of the pastors whom Wuthnow interviewed begged him to make his findings known to the next generation of pastors. Pastors can no longer afford to dodge the issue of what it means to be a Christian in today's workplace. They have asked for an hour on Sundays but neglected the relationship between faith and the 40 to 50 hours that people spend at work. Of course, some church members may not want their pastor to call them to be faithful Christians where they work, live and play.
Many church members are all too willing to compartmentalize their faith from their economic life.
To better understand the crisis, Wuthnow examines five congregations. Each illustrates the truth that they are economic communities. Raising the funds to support their ministries depends upon the generosity of their middle-class members. Motivation to give depends heavily on the ways in which pastors understand the connections between faith and the economic problems of their members. They face a variety of workplace pressures, including an increase in the number of hours at work, emotional stress in the workplace, conflict with co-workers, burnout, as well as the struggle to juggle work and family commitments.