At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for Garden City by John Mark Comer, with 79 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.
Garden City by John Mark Comer is a sweeping, theologically rich exploration of what it means to be human — and what it means to work, rest, and live in the way God originally designed. Drawing on the creation narratives of Genesis, Comer argues that work is not a curse to be endured but a calling to be embraced. From the very first pages of Scripture, humanity was placed in a garden and given a commission: to rule, cultivate, and create. Comer's central thesis is that what you do matters just as much as who you are — that vocation, creativity, rest, and everyday life are all spiritual. The book traces this vision from Eden through the fall, through the cross and resurrection, and into the coming new creation, showing that God's ultimate goal is not to evacuate us from the world but to renew it — and to renew us as his image-bearing workers within it.
This study guide is designed for either a small group or personal study over twelve weeks. Each week, read the assigned chapter (or chapters) before your group meeting or personal study time. Then work through the questions slowly — don't rush. You may want to journal your answers before discussing, since many questions invite personal reflection alongside theological exploration. If you are using this guide in a group, plan for about 60–90 minutes per session, and feel free to let one or two questions generate extended conversation rather than racing through all of them. The closing prayer each week is meant to be prayed aloud, either alone or together, as a way of bringing the ideas off the page and into your actual life before God.
By the end of this guide, you will have a more robust, biblically grounded vision of what it means to be made in God's image, why work is sacred, what rest is actually for, and how the gospel speaks not just to your spiritual life but to your Monday morning. You will likely find yourself seeing your commute, your desk, your kitchen, and your creative projects differently — not as secular interruptions to the "real" spiritual life, but as the very arena in which God is at work through you.