Witness while you work? The workplace can play a big role in spreading the gospel. It’s a great place to bear witness to faith in Christ, since that’s where many people spend the bulk of their waking hours. Notice the term “bear witness.” Some would use the word “evangelism,” but that can be confusing. Some people see evangelism as verbal proclamation of the gospel — preaching with words — in an effort to “win converts.” Others see it more broadly as a whole-life demonstration of the love of God. Some church growth leaders describe evangelism as “whatever you do that makes Christ a meaningful option in people’s lives.” In that case, a lot of what you do is a demonstration of the power of God within you. That makes all Christians evangelists. Even at work. Even if they don’t have a Bible in their toolkit or on their office desk. Personal demonstration, like doing a great job, ranks as the best form of workplace witness. People aren’t attracted to Christ by incompetent co-workers or inept supervisors. Ethics preach loud sermons. People are turned off by shoddy ethics or mistreatment of co-workers. Someone has likened workplace witness to selling real estate. Not all have a gift to “close the sale,” but all Christians can “show the property.” That’s what we do all day long, know it or not. In today’s pluralistic society, there are limits to acceptable religious behavior in the workplace, especially if you’re a manager or employer. But that doesn’t mean you have to take a vow of silence. “From a biblical perspective, work is meant to be about more than earning a living,” write Christopher Crane and Mike Hamel in Executive Influence: Impacting Your Workplace for Christ. “It’s an expression of who we are and what we value. It’s more than a job; it’s how we reflect the image of a creative Creator. For some, their work is to provide meaningful employment for others. Such entrepreneurs become owners and their companies become places where people can find and fulfill their vocations. “Now, if a company is an expression of an entrepreneur’s faith in God, why shouldn’t that faith be visible? And if Christian business owners care deeply about their people, how can those owners not share the love of God with them?” Crane and Hamel point out that business leadership is a form of power, and power must be wielded gently. A verbal witness by an owner or manager can become coercion. An in-your-face testimony can be seen as an abuse of power. William Diehl, a leader in the Ministry of Daily Life movement, offers these comments: • Yes, you can keep a copy of the Scriptures on your desk. • It’s okay to ask a co-worker about their faith, but don’t flood them with religious literature. • Employees can hold lunchtime prayer sessions, but the boss can’t call an important meeting that happens to be preceded by a Christian prayer session. • It’s okay to chat about faith at coffee break, but it’s not okay to schedule a company religious retreat with compulsory attendance.
An elevated life What’s an elevator — a box of limbo to be endured on the way somewhere? For Bruce Renfroe, an eight-by-eight cubicle was where he spent his days as an elevator operator in a New York City office tower. Every day he encountered the same people — and the same blank stares. Somber passengers rarely spoke or even acknowledged each other. Renfroe decided to spice things up. He hung pictures in his elevator. He played jazz. He even kept his Bible there. In an eight-by-eight space, he tried to build community. “It worked,” says Howard Butt Jr. of Laity Lodge. “Riding up in the mornings and back down after five, people began to talk to each other and to share parts of their lives with their small elevator family.” In a few short minutes each day, this elevator operator made a difference in people’s lives. “What about you?” asks Butt. “Where can you make a difference in the lives you touch?” — The High Calling: Everyday Conversations about Work, Life and God
Excerpted from You’re Hired! Looking for work in all the right places, a career guide from MEDA. Available for free download at www.meda.org
The Marketplace May June 2014
Marketplace May June CS6 2014.indd 4
4
4/26/2014 2:45:00 PM
