Cut church work (4)
I believe the answer is:
chop
'cut' is the definition.
(chop is a kind of cut)
'church work' is the wordplay.
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'work' becomes 'op' (abbreviation for opus).
'ch'+'op'='CHOP'
(Other definitions for chop that I've seen before include "Cutting blow" , "Chinese seal" , "Hew" , "Cut into small pieces" , "Thick slice of meat including rib" .)