Faith at the office. Why not? -- USA TODAY, July 30,2007
On any given Sunday, members of my congregation request prayers for children diagnosed with cancer and victims of natural disasters — people facing extraordinary challenges. These requests are heartfelt, but as I collect them I notice that something is missing. Where are the prayers for the accountants, attorneys, automobile mechanics and other workers who have to face the challenge of an ordinary Monday morning?
Most of us don't make a strong connection between Sabbath spirituality and weekday work. But religious people need to practice their faith in the workplace if they are going to pursue their vocations with integrity. This means stopping work to pray at appropriate times, as faithful Muslims do. More broadly, it includes finding ways to integrate faith and work, create a more inclusive workplace and tap the resources of great religious traditions for ethical guidance.
And such behavior doesn't mean proselytizing on the job.
Since the 1980s, spirituality has begun to move into the workplace. The shift includes Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. Though only about 50 workplace ministries existed in the early 1990s, more than 900 are in place today, says Os Hillman, a Georgia businessman who has written The 9 to 5 Window: How Faith Can Transform the Workplace. Such ministries encourage people to see work as a calling from God.
Dozens of companies — from Coca-Cola to Microsoft — are becoming more "faith-friendly" as they welcome the spirituality of their employees, allowing groups to meet for Bible study or to discuss business ethics with a religious twist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has a Christian Fellowship Group, and the management at Bear Stearns, a Wall Street finance house, endorses and funds a weekly Torah class. This faith at work movement is grounded in "desire for integration," says David Miller, a Yale professor and author of the book God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement. Business people now want to bring their whole selves to work — mind, body and spirit — instead of having to "leave their soul with the car in the parking lot," says Miller, a former investment banker. Some want their faith to serve as an ethical anchor, helping them to do the right thing and stand up to unethical practices. Others apply faith in a very different way, using it as a spiritual balm that provides serenity through workplace prayers and meditation.
The faith at work movement is diverse and decentralized, but one unifying theme is the quest to integrate personal faith and professional responsibilities. Tom Chappell, CEO of the natural-toothpaste company Tom's of Maine, entered Harvard Divinity School at age 43 and then used his theological education to create a mission statement and business plan for his company. Not surprisingly, the plan was based on moral and ethical principles. Inclusiveness in the workplace
A parishioner in my church believes that encouraging workers to embrace their faith at the office creates a healthy work environment. "Their families, interests, beliefs and values should be included," Andy Wescoat, an executive in the energy industry, tells me. Otherwise, he says, people feel the strain of trying to lead separate lives.
On a number of occasions — sometimes one-on-one, sometimes in groups at work — he has mentioned a service project that he and a group of men from our church are performing in Honduras, only to discover that a number of colleagues are engaged in similar programs. Although this charitable work is not performed on company time, Wescoat wants workers to feel free to share such information about their faith lives just as they might share details about family life, hobbies or other "outside" interests.
There is a danger, of course, when religion is introduced outside of a church, mosque or synagogue.
"One man's witness is another's harassment," observes Jack Moline, rabbi of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, a Virginia suburb of Washington. He predicts that if he posted a banner in a workplace saying zei a mensch ("be a decent person," in Yiddish), many Christians would feel put upon, excluded and judged — even though the message is far from offensive.
So what can be done to blend faith and work in a constructive way? In Branford, Conn., Vance Taylor is a United Church of Christ pastor and real estate agent who attempts to link Sunday and Monday by demonstrating humility, fairness, concern and compassion in his real estate work — universal virtues, to be sure, but also examples of what Taylor calls "Christ-like actions." The idea of servant leadership, introduced by Robert Greenleaf of AT&T in 1970, stresses that leadership is a calling to serve others, and it pops up repeatedly in business literature.
"By truly first serving the other — thinking more of the other's needs than my own — I believe I demonstrate a style in my business that's atypical to many agents whose immediate concern is their commissions," Taylor says.
Bringing order out of chaos
When I teach classes on faith at work, I challenge church members to think of themselves as co-creators with God, and to evaluate their work according to how it follows the divine pattern of bringing order out of chaos, and creating something that is good (Genesis 1:1-5). This goal of divine-human consistency is true in Jewish as well as Christian thought. Rabbi Moline tells me that Jewish law shapes practices and values in all of life, from the honesty of weights to the safety of workers. Faith can be a powerful force for good in the workplace when it clarifies ethical standards, brings order out of chaos and creates something of value.
Wescoat, my parishioner, sees opportunities in the everyday assignments that accompany one's vocation. "There is a higher calling to what we all do," he says.
That "higher calling" can mean different things to different people. But one thing is certain: This movement to link work and spiritual identity is a promising development in the Monday-through-Friday world — and well worth remembering as we offer our Sabbath prayers.
Most of us don't make a strong connection between Sabbath spirituality and weekday work. But religious people need to practice their faith in the workplace if they are going to pursue their vocations with integrity. This means stopping work to pray at appropriate times, as faithful Muslims do. More broadly, it includes finding ways to integrate faith and work, create a more inclusive workplace and tap the resources of great religious traditions for ethical guidance.
And such behavior doesn't mean proselytizing on the job.
Since the 1980s, spirituality has begun to move into the workplace. The shift includes Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists, as well as people who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. Though only about 50 workplace ministries existed in the early 1990s, more than 900 are in place today, says Os Hillman, a Georgia businessman who has written The 9 to 5 Window: How Faith Can Transform the Workplace. Such ministries encourage people to see work as a calling from God.
Dozens of companies — from Coca-Cola to Microsoft — are becoming more "faith-friendly" as they welcome the spirituality of their employees, allowing groups to meet for Bible study or to discuss business ethics with a religious twist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has a Christian Fellowship Group, and the management at Bear Stearns, a Wall Street finance house, endorses and funds a weekly Torah class. This faith at work movement is grounded in "desire for integration," says David Miller, a Yale professor and author of the book God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement. Business people now want to bring their whole selves to work — mind, body and spirit — instead of having to "leave their soul with the car in the parking lot," says Miller, a former investment banker. Some want their faith to serve as an ethical anchor, helping them to do the right thing and stand up to unethical practices. Others apply faith in a very different way, using it as a spiritual balm that provides serenity through workplace prayers and meditation.
The faith at work movement is diverse and decentralized, but one unifying theme is the quest to integrate personal faith and professional responsibilities. Tom Chappell, CEO of the natural-toothpaste company Tom's of Maine, entered Harvard Divinity School at age 43 and then used his theological education to create a mission statement and business plan for his company. Not surprisingly, the plan was based on moral and ethical principles. Inclusiveness in the workplace
A parishioner in my church believes that encouraging workers to embrace their faith at the office creates a healthy work environment. "Their families, interests, beliefs and values should be included," Andy Wescoat, an executive in the energy industry, tells me. Otherwise, he says, people feel the strain of trying to lead separate lives.
On a number of occasions — sometimes one-on-one, sometimes in groups at work — he has mentioned a service project that he and a group of men from our church are performing in Honduras, only to discover that a number of colleagues are engaged in similar programs. Although this charitable work is not performed on company time, Wescoat wants workers to feel free to share such information about their faith lives just as they might share details about family life, hobbies or other "outside" interests.
There is a danger, of course, when religion is introduced outside of a church, mosque or synagogue.
"One man's witness is another's harassment," observes Jack Moline, rabbi of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, a Virginia suburb of Washington. He predicts that if he posted a banner in a workplace saying zei a mensch ("be a decent person," in Yiddish), many Christians would feel put upon, excluded and judged — even though the message is far from offensive.
So what can be done to blend faith and work in a constructive way? In Branford, Conn., Vance Taylor is a United Church of Christ pastor and real estate agent who attempts to link Sunday and Monday by demonstrating humility, fairness, concern and compassion in his real estate work — universal virtues, to be sure, but also examples of what Taylor calls "Christ-like actions." The idea of servant leadership, introduced by Robert Greenleaf of AT&T in 1970, stresses that leadership is a calling to serve others, and it pops up repeatedly in business literature.
"By truly first serving the other — thinking more of the other's needs than my own — I believe I demonstrate a style in my business that's atypical to many agents whose immediate concern is their commissions," Taylor says.
Bringing order out of chaos
When I teach classes on faith at work, I challenge church members to think of themselves as co-creators with God, and to evaluate their work according to how it follows the divine pattern of bringing order out of chaos, and creating something that is good (Genesis 1:1-5). This goal of divine-human consistency is true in Jewish as well as Christian thought. Rabbi Moline tells me that Jewish law shapes practices and values in all of life, from the honesty of weights to the safety of workers. Faith can be a powerful force for good in the workplace when it clarifies ethical standards, brings order out of chaos and creates something of value.
Wescoat, my parishioner, sees opportunities in the everyday assignments that accompany one's vocation. "There is a higher calling to what we all do," he says.
That "higher calling" can mean different things to different people. But one thing is certain: This movement to link work and spiritual identity is a promising development in the Monday-through-Friday world — and well worth remembering as we offer our Sabbath prayers.
posted by Henry Brinton | 3:16 PM
2 Comments:
Hi There.
I read your article,Faith at Work. Why Not? in Monday's USA today. I found your insights most helpful. I am a Presbyterian minister who recently moved from Boston MA to Raleigh NC. I was wondering if you could share any resources you used in teaching your Faith and Work class with adults. Thank you again for sharing. Ted
I would recommend:
David Miller, "God at Work"
Os Hillman, "The 9 to 5 Window"
Parker Palmer, "Let Your Life Speak"
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