Workplace witness requires compassion and caution
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___SAN ANTONIO--Christians ought to share their faith in the workplace, but to do so effectively they must be careful, compassionate and consistent, a bivocational pastor advised.
___David Keith, pastor of
Carlton Baptist Church in rural Hamilton County and director of student support services at Tarleton State University, addressed the topic during a seminar for bivocational and smaller churches at the Texas Baptist Evangelism Conference Jan. 29.
___Many Christians who want to share their faith at work now sit on "pins and needles" because it has become difficult to know what can and cannot be done, Keith said. But he believes Christians must find ways to witness without losing their jobs.
___Laws regarding workplace harassment are both vague and broad, Keith said. So even though such regulations may not rule out witnessing at the workplace, they have had a "chilling effect," he reported.
___Yet people today are working longer hours than in the past, which means more of their time is spent with coworkers.
___"If you exclude the workplace from witness, you are excluding a big part of life," he said. "To go into all the world must include your place of employment."
___The co-workers of Christians are "curious and spiritually hungry to see genuine faith demonstrated," Keith said. The workplace is the place to reach them. "We cannot wait for people to come to us in our churches."
___The keys to effective workplace witness are to be careful, compassionate and consistent, he advised.
___"Be careful not to get fired," he said. "We won't have a witness if we don't have a job. ... Your job is important. It's sustenance for your family."
___A Christian worker must understand the atmosphere of his workplace and the attitude of his boss. "You must know the rules so that you can stay within them," he said.
___Employees also should be aware of issues of accountability and integrity, he said. "When we are on company time, we have to provide the company with fair effort."
___For example, reading the Bible at work can send a bad message if it is not done at appropriate times, he said. "We have to find time that is our own in the work day."
___Christian workers also should be compassionate, Keith said. "We must be sensitive to our co-workers' needs but a little thick-skinned ourselves."
___Concern for others must be genuine, not artificial, he added.
___Also, Christians must be consistent in their lifestyle, Keith said.
___"Everyone is on the lookout for the hypocrite. You have to think all the time about what could make you vulnerable to the charge of hypocrisy. ... People are watching, whether you recognize it or not."
The Baptist Standard
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