For many of us, evangelism in the workplace is like a trip
to the dentist. We know we’re meant to go and when we get there, we know we’re
meant to open our mouths. But we’re
afraid that when we do, unpleasant things will happen.
Last month I emailed over 50 Emmanuel members with a set of
questions about their experience of
evangelism in the workplace. Over the next few days, I’m going to distil the
responses into a series of blog-posts. My prayer is that we’ll all find
something useful to spur us on as we live and speak for our Great King.
Challenges
Evangelism in the workplace is tough for all sorts of
reasons. Of the responses I received, three particular challenges stood out.
The attitudes of our colleagues towards
Christianity was described as “indifferent,”
“fine for you,” “cynical” and “scornful.” Speaking
about Christ means we can expect raised eyebrows, blank faces, smirks and
conversations cut short. How true the apostle Paul got it when he said that the
gospel is “folly” to those who don’t know Christ.
Workplace equality and diversity policies are also adding to an
atmosphere where we are feeling increasingly less welcome to share our faith. As
one respondent put it, there is a “fear
of being branded a fundamentalist.” That said, one response mentioned a
diversity officer who went out of his way to support a Christmas carol service.
Thankfully, it’s not yet all one way traffic.
The biggest challenge to evangelism was busyness. Of course, we’re
paid to go to work to…work. But it seems that many are dealing with a significant
pressure and excessive workload. This makes finding the time to socialise with
colleagues difficult. One respondent commented, “It’s easy to go all day…without chatting to anyone.”
Here are two reasons why it’s worth sharing this gloomy
information.
First, if you’re tempted to think you’re the only one who
finds it difficult to stand for the Lord at work, be assured – you’re not. Not
a single respondent suggested they found it easy or abundantly fruitful. And
this shouldn’t surprise us.
In Luke’s gospel, we’ve been hearing how Jesus was
numbered with the transgressors. So if we stand with Jesus, we can expect to
suffer with him. Isn’t there something liberating about admitting, “OK, this is
tough. But it’s not unexpected and I’m not alone”?
Without excusing ourselves the responsibility of speaking
for Christ, we must also be patient. One respondent wrote, “I am just about reaching the point (with one
of my closest colleagues of over 10 years standing) of having serious
conversations about Christianity.” We should applaud such patient and
prayerful perseverance.
Second, we must remember that speaking of Jesus is just one of the ways in which we honour God
in the workplace. It’s not the only
way. By getting up and going to work, we’re participating in the great task God
gave us back in Genesis 1 and 2. What an honour! By working at our jobs with a
godly attitude, we bring glory to God (1 Corinthians 10:31). What an honour!
Time
to be honest: I have always found this a challenge to believe. “Do I really
honour God in the way I file my paperwork?” One respondent put it this way, “Christ seems far away from the daily routine
of 9 – 5.”
But if we’re taking God at his word, we must remember that
God does not only smile on us when we speak to a colleague about him. So next
time you’re feeling discouraged about evangelism at work, remember that God
delights as you subdue the chaos of your inbox and follow company policy on
invoicing.
As great as the challenges are for evangelism in the
workplace, survey responses have also shown many opportunities. More of that next
time.
