This month a new study came out from Barna Research on Trends on Faith, Work and Calling. There were some surprising facts that came from the study that every church leader should take to heart.
“Among Christians, there is a question: ‘What does God want me to do with my life?’ According to Barna Group’s study, only 40% of practicing Christians say they have a clear sense of God’s calling on their lives.”
Additionally, their research shows “nearly two-thirds of churched adults say it has been at least three years or more since they heard church teachings on work and career, and yet, the workplace is where most Americans spend a the biggest share of their waking hours. However, connecting faith and work is of significant importance to the Christian community,” said the study.
In a 2012 Barna Group study they found that 84% of Christians 18 to 29 years old admit that they have no idea how the Bible applies to their field or professional interests. That is a startling statistic and should be a wakeup call for our shepherds called to equip the church for works of service.
Shepherds are admonished by the Apostle Paul to equip the Church in the workplace. “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry…” (Ephesians 4:11-12). Pastors are not called to do the work; those of us in the marketplace are called to do the work. They should be equipping us for this work.
There is no institution on earth like the local church that brings together weekly those who can most affect society the most, and yet, church leaders rarely preach, teach and affirm the call these people have in their own workplaces where the people that most need to be affected live. This failure has caused many of those in the workplace to feel like second-class spiritual citizens.
When I shared these truths with a local pastor in my area through my book The 9 to 5 Window: How Faith Transforms the Workplace he became convicted that he had not been equipping his people for their ministry. Instead, he was asking them to support his ministry in the local church. He began equipping his people and saw an immediate change in the spiritual climate of his church. “I was shocked at the response. I had people coming up to me thanking me for affirming their work life call. Some said that they ‘felt affirmed’ for the first time in their life. It has changed everything!”
Source: Crosswalk | Os Hillman, President, Marketplace Leaders
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