Ministry at Work

So, how can God use you in ministry at work? How can your work become a ministry? How can you be a minister at work? Let me offer some suggestions that might help you think about how you can minister to others and reflect God’s glory through your work.

         Excellent Work Performance – One of the ways you can minister to others through your work is simply to do a good job! Your excellence at work is one way you serve God and others. Your job performance is just a basic, simple way to help restore God’s glory in the workplace. Think about it – if you are having surgery and your surgeon is a Christian – don’t you want him to be both a good Christian and a good surgeon? Actually, you may want him to be a better surgeon than Christian! I think you get my point.

Jesus seems to address this very point in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). This parable has eschatological ramifications – but, the principle of excellent job performance is at least a part of the parable’s teaching. The wealthy man commends his servants who invested his money and earned money on the investments. This called for honesty, loyalty and industrious excellence. All of those qualities are needed in our workplaces.

         Informal Service – Another way Christians can minster to others at work is just through informal service. Being the presence of Christ in the workplace is a ministry. We can live the Gospel in the presence of others at work. We can let the power of God’s transforming power be on display through us. We can communicate His truths through our conversations, our actions and our attitudes. As we serve others, perhaps they can see the power of Jesus Christ at work in us.

This also includes sharing our faith in conversation. We often have opportunities to share our perspectives on world events, our opinions on issues at work, our ideas about significant matters while we are at work. This is still more of an informal way of serving others and serving the interests of God’s Kingdom in informal ways.

         Ministry Offerings – Sometimes we have the opportunity to organize ministry offerings through our workplace. These kinds of offerings take on many different forms. For example, you may be able to start a Bible study at lunch for those who are interested. You may be able to organize a prayer ministry and network for the employees who would appreciate it. You might organize a ministry project for your workplace colleagues – like participating in a Habitat for Humanity building project, a local charity, a race to raise money for something significant in the community, collecting food for a food pantry, leading a toy drive for the impoverished children in your area, etc.

Obviously, care has to be given to the context of your work environment. If you feel led to organize some kind of formal network or sponsor some cause, you will have to use good judgment to make it effective and suitable for your particular setting. If you are savvy enough, you may be surprised what you can accomplish through things like this at work. God can use you to be a minister in your workplace!