Last
week I talked about how I had mistakenly spent my years in the Shiloh pulpit
trying to think of strategies to reach the unchurched. After I stepped down
from the pulpit, it occurred to me that Tyler was mainly comprised of overchurched
people, not unchurched people. “Now what?” I thought.
About
two months ago, a friend mentioned to me that Interstate Batteries had a corporate chaplain located at their
headquarters in downtown Dallas. I had never heard of a corporate chaplain and
was curious. I could not find any information on their website, so three weeks
ago last Thursday, I decided to drop by their offices while in Dallas. The
receptionist could not have been nicer, but the chaplain was in meetings all
morning, so she promised to have him call me.
He
did and we had a good visit by phone. He later sent me their corporate policy
on chaplaincy. However, in that moment I was still curious, so I went to the
largest bookstore I knew of in downtown Dallas. I searched for information
about corporate chaplaincy or chaplaincy in the workplace, but the store had
nothing in print on the subject. I went to the coffee shop, fired up my laptop,
and began researching online. I discovered that a movement of chaplaincy in the
United States had been at work for quite a while.
Business Weekly, Fortune, The New York Times,
and other media sources have all reported on the concept of offering spiritual
care to employees in the workplace–and occasionally outside the workplace.
Some
people interviewed spoke of facing a crisis such as the death of a loved one,
and not having a church home. They needed someone to help them with their grief
and to conduct the funeral. Who better to turn to than a chaplain?
My
mind spun back to my days living in West Texas. I had officiated a number of
funerals there for people who had no church affiliation and I found it a
wonderful opportunity to minister to hurting people. Many of those people had
been overchurched. Occasionally, these opportunities opened the door for people
who wanted to hear about the Lord or to return to him.
Returning
to the present, I began to ponder the possibilities regarding workplace
chaplaincy. The concept definitely appeared to reflect the scriptures. For
example:
1. Work is important to
God.
The second commandment God gave to Adam and Eve involved a job–take care of the
earth. He told them again to work in Genesis 2:15. He further commanded Adam to
work in Genesis 3; only it was after the fall. Consequently, God told him the
work would prove much harder.
2. God often provides
images of workers to describe him in Scripture i.e. “builder” (Proverbs 8:27-31,
“metal worker” Isaiah 1:24–26…)
3. Paul tells Christians
they ultimately work for Jesus (Colossians 3:22–23.)
The
biblical ideal sees work as a sacred endeavor. This is good news, for we spend
approximately ¼ of our adult lives (before retirement) working.
In
previous decades, Christians and non-Christians have harbored a view that work
was a compartmentalize task, separated from the spiritual part of the Christian
life. In early 2000s, Princeton University established a think tank dedicated
to uncovering the connection between spirituality in the workplace.
I
believe a chaplain entering the workplace can bring the presence of Christ and
assist workers in the spiritual pursuit of serving God through work. Indeed, by
reconnecting the workplace with the spiritual, workers can further maximize
their potential. This will in turn assist employees in reaching their
potential. All of this affords the bosses and owners of businesses and
corporations their best chance to earn profits for themselves and their
shareholders.
I
am commencing today with the chaplaincy service to the East Texas area. I am
assuming that I will be addressing overchurched employers and employees, who
don’t want to be sued by the ACLU or any other special interest group. My
approach will be holistic—I am addressing the spirit while others address the
needs of the mind and body. I think I am going to call my service:
WorkEdge as in:
WorkEdge
Maximizing Lives
Maximizing Productivity
(Quick!
If this is a bad idea—tell me… before I print up my cards!)
As
I mentioned, I have been researching for over three weeks this subject. I have
related a few of the reasons why I'm excited about serving in this manner in the
Kingdom of God.
All
things considered, I see this as the best way yet for me to witness to the
power of the gospel to an overchurched community. Let me emphasize, the mission
of workplace chaplaincy is not evangelism. It is to provide spiritual care to
the employees. However, a byproduct of that relationship could very well be
evangelism. In addition, I would certainly welcome that opportunity. It would
have to be at the employees’ request—not mine. Yet, it is inevitable, if I
minister to enough people, some will want to know the Lord better.
I
think this is an opportunity from God, and I will find out soon. I don't plan
to borrow money. If God is not behind this, I will have to do something else
before too long.
I
pray God blesses this ministry so much that I have to ask others who are qualified
to assist me. I would be pleased pay good money to these Christians gifted by
God for this ministry–men serving men and women serving women—in the
marketplace.
I
have been reading recently H. W. Brands’ new biography of Ulysses S. Grant.
During the early part of the Civil War, various Northern generals squandered
opportunities to win the war. Grant on the other hand, was dealt the tougher
challenge from the beginning. Yet, he established a pattern of winning through
persistence. If one strategy did not work in Vicksburg, he would attempt
another… and another… until he won the victory. He used the same strategy of perseverance
in Virginia in the later stages of the war.
Grant
to this day is known as a great general. His genius lay mostly in his
relentlessness, a quality few generals had.
I
think we Christians, especially those of us in overchurched locales, need the
courage to remain relentlessness. We try a strategy; if it does not work, we
try another.
We
try relentlessly.
That
is my aim when it comes to reaching out to the overchurched.
2 comments:
Sounds like a great idea to me...
My best friend's husband would probably be willing to help you in some way when needed...he spent years as a volunteer hospital chaplain and also ran a prison ministry so is very qualified...have known him for 20+ years...let me know if you would like more info about him.
Cathy Haney 903-530-7958
Good luck.....
Cathy,
That would be great! Thanks.
ME
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