Should I Ever Share My Faith At Work?

The idea of mixing faith and work used to be taboo, and in some settings, it still is. But I’ve sensed a shift. More and more, people (especially those in their twenties and thirties) want full integration and to “be able to bring their full selves to the table.” This includes talk of spirituality.

I’ll have to admit this twist surprised me when I went into business for myself. Several years ago, I started working as a ghostwriter for business CEOs, and since that time, I’ve ghostwritten nearly thirty books and edited dozens of manuscripts.

Because working with an author requires one or two interviews to ensure I’m compatible with their goals, I assumed my online writing for The Monday Christian would be a major negative. That authors would Google my name, see all the Christian content I’d written, and say, “Nah, I’m good,” and move on to someone else who kept their religious beliefs to themselves.

While I'm certain this has happened a few times, I’ve been pleasantly surprised how being upfront about my faith and even including it in my bio has turned out to be one of the primary reasons authors—many of whom are not Christian—hire me. For example, I think of one gentleman who was the former head of the Peace Corps. After working together for several weeks, he said, “Ezra, my friends would be shocked, but one of the reasons I chose to go with you as my ghostwriter was because I’m in my eighties, and I want to think more about spiritual things.”

Here was a man who wasn't going to attend church because he felt it was a waste of time, but he was eager to chat about faith. After spending several months together on his manuscript, he became a friend, and I hope I reflected Christ well in our interactions. It's these types of interactions that I've had dozens of times these past few years.

If you're someone who is curious about integrating your faith into your work, here are a few steps I'd recommend.

Step 1: Recognize Your Setting and Don't Be a Jerk

If your boss prohibits faith-based conversations, respect that. And if you’re the boss, don’t abuse that privilege by shoving your faith down your workers’ throats. They might buy in just to tolerate you and then resent you for it later. Be appropriate and respectful.

Some of my clients want to talk about faith, others don't, and I completely respect that.

Step 2: Be a Straight Shooter

Don’t fall into the 1980s Tupperware salesman mentality by using a backdoor approach that weirds people out. I’ve known too many Christians who talk normally about everything except their faith. They can talk about sports, politics, and the weather just fine, but as soon as you mention anything faith-related, they pull out all these weird words, and it’s like they’re speaking a different language.

Shoot straight with people. For example, if it's appropriate, say to your coworker over lunch, "Hey, would you mind if I shared my story with you?" Then, in 2-3 minutes, tell them:

• What you were like before Jesus
• How you met Jesus
• Why you are different because of Jesus

Don't keep circling back, and don't harass them about attending church. Let them know as quickly as you can about what you believe and how it's changed you, then take a step back and let your actions back up your words.

You've probably heard that saying from Francis of Assisi, which says, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” While the intent behind this is good, I think a better approach is to use words wisely and then go above and beyond to back them up through Christlike actions.

Step 3: Focus on Delivering Results

The best way you can represent Christ well in your work is by delivering excellent value to those you serve. There’s a common paraphrase of a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote that says, “What you do speaks so loudly that what you say I don’t hear.”