By James Londis
A Commentary on the Sabbath School Lesson for July 31–August 6, 2004
Effective witnessing in the workplace requires Adventist Christians to master the art of indirection. Like Jesus with the woman at the well in the Gospel of John, we need to connect with others at the human level before we even mention our religious convictions.
This is why I believe that "frontal-attack" evangelism is to be avoided. Only when you have clearly received permission from someone to be that confrontational should you even steer close to that approach. People need to feel valued and cared about as people, not simply as potential church members. This parallels what I call the "paradox" of evangelism: If people believe your interest in them arises out of your desire to proselytize them, they will be offended.
On the other hand, if they believe you genuinely wish to befriend them, they are drawn to you. This cannot be faked. You must care about coworkers as people, not as potential church members. When you do, how can friends not talk about their values? What makes them tick? What they care about?
Once colleagues and coworkers learn that your faith is important to you, you will be watched. As Christians, we believe we are called to be like Jesus, which means that we aspire to live a life of generosity and compassion. For that reason, people will want to know whether our behavior matches our commitments.
What might they expect from us? What will impress them?
That we consistently pray before each meal? That we bring our Bibles to the workplace to read them on authorized breaks? That we invite them to join a Bible study group or attend an evangelistic meeting?
If they are already conservative believers, this might meet their expectations. But if they are not conservative believers, we need to listen to the apostle Paul who, in 1 Corinthians 13 and Galatians 5, urged us to focus on the "fruits" of the Spirit like love, joy, peace. Paul realized that a preoccupation with external behaviors at the expense of internal virtues leads to superficiality and hypocrisy.
Our best proclamation of the "good news" comes in a different way.
Are we patient with coworkers who fail? Do we treat them with respect even after they have obviously insulted or even betrayed us? Are we willing to help others in a jam even if it’s not in our job description? Are we compassionate when a parent needs time off for a sick child?
Do we make every effort to be flexible with our working hours to accommodate the needs of adult children caring for their aging parents? Do we admit we are wrong when we make a mistake? Do we apologize and ask forgiveness when appropriate? Do we keep confidences and refuse to play into typical workplace politics, which are often about one person wielding power over—rather than for—someone.
Do the people we work with sense us being grateful for the blessings in our lives? Do they understand how much we love our families and rely upon our church communities? When they share their pain or burdens with us, do they capture the compassion we feel for them and our eagerness to help "bear their burdens"? Can they call us in the middle of night to meet a need they have and know we will respond?
If this is how they see us, questions will almost always follow. And if they know anything about Seventh-day Adventists, they will not only ask the "soft" questions but the hard ones, and we need to be ready with thoughtful, deeply convicted responses (or refer them to someone who can help them). Evangelical and conservative Christian coworkers will naturally ask questions about doctrines and the hot issues of the day: abortion, stem-cell research, embryonic destruction in the reproductive process for infertile couples, family values, or putting God back in the public schools.
More secular coworkers (Christian background but no church attendance or affiliation) will often ask you "why you picked this unusual church." Doctrine or ideology is less on their minds than your story, how this faith-group spoke to you in your need and why you stay with it even if (and when) it disappoints you.
When that happens (and it will), honest and candid answers (even when you disagree with the Church about women’s ordination, for example) will be more persuasive than half-answers that hide the truth. Admitting that the Church is weak and needs forgiveness at times is to model for them that you give to the Church the same grace you accept for yourself as a gift from God.
You should also speak about what you find helpful in the Christian and/or Adventist faith. You cannot and should not speak about what you find problematic in other faiths. If you are asked whether you have ever thought about joining another church, you may say "no, but I have examined other communions" (if you really have). I would let that last comment hang. If they want more, they will ask another question. If they don’t: Enough said for one conversation.
I have found that most people are interested in the Sabbath, less for the specific day than for how it is kept and what it means to you to keep it that way (twenty-four hours, avoid secular activity, focus on faith and family). Does keeping it provide a spiritually deep experience? They are also interested in Adventist views about the future and our health emphasis.
Religion, theology, and personal spirituality are turbulent waters in our social relations, especially at work. We navigate them carefully, lest our workplace relationships capsize. But that is both the challenge and the joy of being who we are at work: Adventist Christians who feel loved by God through Jesus Christ and who, for that reason, cannot help loving the people with whom we labor each day.
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