It’s been more than three years since documenting the phrase Gig Economy into a journal. And for many years before penning that phrase to the page, I had an inaccurate definition of what the expression meant. Mistakenly, any time I heard a reference to a Gig Economy, my mind conjured up thoughts of computers, data, and tons of information; however, somewhere along the line, perhaps when researching the Great Resignation, someone used the phrase that made me aware of how completely off the mark I was in my understanding.

Mirriam Webster defines a Gig Economy as “economic activity that involves the use of temporary or freelance workers to perform jobs typically in the service sector.” Without rehashing the ideas shared in the Great Resignation, the idea remains that our workplace environment has undergone changes, which has resulted in an increase of a contract-only mindset. On the surface of this mindset, and in my personal experience, immediate financial savings through the elimination of existing personnel seems to take precedence over the long-term investing in people. This approach raises concerns about which is better: saving money on the front end or constant employee turnover? Is it better to invest in your current employees or continually investing time and resources in recruiting new people? This Gig Economy mindset is impacting all of the workforce, including higher education. Whether it’s the case of an athlete continually transferring from one institution to another in search of the greatest individual gain, or the reliance on adjunct faculty to fulfill teaching roles, higher education has and will continue to change.

How then should Christian higher education respond to the realities of the Gig Economy? Perhaps Larry Locke offers insight to this question in his posting on Christian Scholars Review as he describes the benefits of this vocational calling some of us have accepted as the Professor Gig. Recognizing the current reality that many individuals (aka parents) are questioning the investment into a college education as we see in numerous headlines, Locke offers that the Professor Gig and Christian higher education offer “opportunities to impact the world in more ways that just supplying valuable educational content…The students we teach hopefully continue to put our lessons into practice long after we have gone to our reward.”

Similar to my experience with Dead People, Locke recognizes how he regularly relies “on source material in [his] research from authors who have long since passed. They are still making an impact on [him] and on all those who engage with [his] own published word. In the same way, we can hope that our publications [and teaching] inform and alter the landscape of our disciplines…It is the legacy we hope to offer for those who come after us.”

A Professor Gig, and many other professions, offer opportunities to engage in “significant spiritual investment” in Emerging Generations. I can’t help but consider the parable from Scripture in the gospels of Matthew and Luke where the shepherd demonstrates the value of even one sheep. Which student sitting in front of us is the one sheep that needs our care, concern, and guidance? How do we know if they might be experiencing a Defining Moment in their life just by attending class? This is where I think Locke’s reminder really hits home: “We live in the same world as non-Christian professors…but because of our dedication to the Lord, exactly what we do and how we do it may sometimes look different. We may have the same publishing requirements as any other professor, but when a distressed student is outside our door seeking help and discipleship, the compassion of Christ will require us to [Be Interruptable] in our research and at least triage the student’s situation. We may grade the same student deliverables…but we commit our students to prayer and hope for their success.”

We will be called to make the choice of a Bathrobe or Towel, and it can be Swimming Upstream to resist the Gig Economy’s mindset which lures us to opt for the bathrobe, to only invest in the here and now, and not consider the long-term value of investing in others. May more of us take on Locke’s perspective. “There is unlikely any eternal significance in how many classes we have taught, how many articles we have authored, or the number of committees upon which we have served…Our impact on the Kingdom and on the culture will be greater, even if it all goes uncelebrated within the academy.”

References:

Locke, L.G. (2025, November 4). A Christian word on professorial impact. Christian Scholars Review. https://christianscholars.com/a-christian-word-on-professorial-impact/

Mirriam-Webster. (n.d.). Gig economy. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gig%20economy