Introduction
I was sitting in a coffee shop catching up with a friend. This person
is not a Christian, and he works in a small business with ten other
staff in what is a pretty typical Australian workplace – nothing
Christian about it! He needed to vent, so I listened.
Seven of the ten staff arc up at the slightest provocation, the
relationships are constantly tense. My friend has to fight hard to
have his award conditions met, and he still misses out. The list
goes on, but his summary was, 'Why do I have to spend so much
of my life with such unpleasant people?'.
I had to be honest with him, and explain that although I could
sympathise, I couldn't fully relate – because my work life is spent
in constant contact with outstanding people. I was able to explain
to him that as Christians, even though imperfect in many ways,
we are meant to be known by our love for others. We are told to
'in humility, consider others as more important than ourselves'
(Phil. 2:3). I explained that I had just returned from a work meeting
where I could have been reprimanded for a project I was struggling
with, but instead I was prayed for and offered assistance. He shook
his head, completely baffled, and I quietly thanked God for the
privilege of actually being paid to work among the people I do.
Our conversation continues.
As Christians, we are called to be active followers of Jesus, and to
obey his instruction to go into the world and make disciples. What
began with a small group of followers has flourished into a truly
global expression of the Christian faith – an expression that now
includes both personal and organisational components.
Jesus didn't immediately offer a salary as an incentive, but there
are plenty of scriptural references to support the concept of what
many refer to as full time vocational ministry. Some Christians earn
their primary income from a 'ministry' employer. Some work in
for-profit businesses where the whole purpose is missional, while
others work in 'Christian' charities where Christ seems to have
been forgotten.
Christian workplaces are very diverse. They can be centralised, or
decentralised. Christian workplaces can be for-profit, or not-for-profit.
Some of the finest Christian workplaces I have seen are in
Christ-centred, for-profit businesses. They can comprise all paid
staff, all volunteers, or a mix of both. And they can be inspiring
places to work, or they can be dreadful.
The workplace is a very revealing showcase of what we really
believe, and whether we truly practice what we preach. One
would think that, since we are called to do 'ministry' anyhow, to
actually be able to do it full time, and be paid, should be the most
rewarding and inspiring scenario possible. For many it is, but for
many it doesn't turn out that way.
I've seen things happen, and heard stories from friends in
'Christian workplaces' that break my heart, and I'm sure that God
is grieved too. In our desire to demonstrate the love of God to
people around the world, we can fail to practice that same love
with people around the room. To trample over the lives of our
colleagues, in fervent pursuit of our external mission, reveals a worrying hypocrisy. How we treat people inside our organisations
reveals an enormous amount about the consistency of our faith. 'If
I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship
that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.' (1 Cor. 13:3).
But there are other challenges that are less obvious, yet can be
disastrous to our ministry endeavours. We can be so 'loving'
that we don't want to hurt people with the truth, or hold them
accountable. The reality is, that's not love, and over time it often
finishes in considerable pain.
People suddenly discover, in a moment of crisis, that they have been
under-performing for years, without being told – and now it's too
late to fix it. Or because we trust each other's Christian character,
we don't bother to document expectations or agreements, and
therefore crash upon the rocks of misunderstanding. A further risk
is that a dangerous mixture of friendliness and slackness can leave
us vulnerable to malicious individuals, who exploit our procedural
weaknesses for their own purposes.
Christian ministry is complicated work, and it should be no surprise
that Christian workplaces are full of challenges. Some of these
challenges involve outright sin, which needs to be confronted,
repented of, forgiven, and fixed. Some of these challenges involve
ignorance, which needs to be properly informed. Some are
caused by laziness, which requires discipline and hard work to
address. And some challenges simply represent the reality of our
complex and fallen world. They may never disappear, but are best
confronted with a mixture of prayer, wisdom, skill, diligence, and
godly character.
One of the big issues is that we can become so enamoured with
our external spiritual mission that we mistakenly think that it's OK
to cut every conceivable corner in its pursuit. 'Pedantic compliance
is too hard. To go to that amount of effort would distract us too
much from what we're really here for', some say. 'If we pay our staff well, we'll have less money for the primary mission. And the
altruism and sacrificial attitude of our staff might diminish as they
become more focused on the money', say others.
Certainly it is possible to err in both directions. But what may
help is a change, or at least clarification, in our mindset. In
the same way that Business as Mission (BAM) is a growing
movement recognising that business can BE ministry (not just
SUPPORT ministry), we should think more about Mission IN
Ministry (MIM). The board members, paid staff and volunteers
who are in our team are a critical part of our ministry, for their
own sake, not just for the external results that they help produce.
It's not just 'us in here serving those out there', it's 'Christ in me
serving all within my reach'.
Someone once said that, to Jesus, ministry was the person
standing in front of him at the time. In our globalised world,
the potential geography of our ministry is unlimited – but let us
remember the very real ministry that is before us right where we
work. Even in Christian workplaces. |
