Workpace Grace- Is there a place for evangelism at work?

Is there a place for evangelism at work?  If so, how would it happen?

These are some of the issues that this book, a team effort by Bill Peel and Walt Larimore, wrestle with in the chapters of their book, Workplace Grace.

They come out with an unequivocal “yes” which probably makes most people immediately fearful.  And yet, what’s great about this book is that they completely understand that.  They recognize the very real fears that so many people have in relation to evangelism, especially in the workplace.  At the same time, they state that we need to be witnesses there.  There is such a spiritual need in the world and the place Christians spend more time than any other place is at work.  The need is there, the supply, God’s grace is there, what we need is the means of delivery.

So how do we deliver grace to our workplaces?  Well, the answer is not found in most of the prototypical evangelism approaches.  This book certainly mixes in elements of these, some of which I’m not a fan, but what makes this book such an important read is what it does differently, and in the ideas it develops that help a person see a real hope for witnessing at work.

First, it speaks about authenticity and lifestyle. This is pretty common in evangelism texts, but is recognized as essential groundwork.  If you don’t live a Christian lifestyle, no witness will work, and no one will ask questions.  While some manuals on evangelism would then stop and simply say, “your best witness is your actions” while others would then order you to jump into diagnostic questions, this is where Workplace Grace offers a different path.  It develops the idea of “faith flags”, little statements you can naturally insert into conversations that express faith and can elicit questions.  They move on to discuss faith stories, not the long witness yet, but short stories that show how an element of faith impacts your life in relation to where the conversation is at.  What’s important here, is that they’re natural, not overly aggressive, and allow the idea of faith to rest on the other person’s heart.  This is an important step in witnessing, one that’s often missed, and one that can finally make people feel somewhat comfortable in the process of sharing the faith.

Another key to the book is it’s discussion of teamwork. Many text speak of the importance of multiple people witnessing, but this book really helps a person understand this in the workplace setting.  It recommends that we develop a network of Chrsitian coworkers, bosses, customers, suppliers, pastors, etc, all of whom we feel we can reference a person we’ve begun the conversation to.  These people can then naturally take up this conversation.  This helps us realize the whole thing is not on us, and just as importantly, it reflects a reality of the workplace we all feel, the press of time.  We have work to do and so do the people we’re talking to- not every day is an opportunity for an hour-long conversation in the middle of the work day.  If we network people to whom we’re sharing with other believers, the conversation can continue in many places and times, rather than simply with us.

This is what’s covered in chapters 1-7 and I feel they add the most to the discussion of evangelism. What follows in the second half are chapters devoted to important elements of evangelism- creating opportunities for evangelism by maintaining contact with unbelievers, walking through open doors by listening and asking questions, developing your story, the Gospel presentation, answering objections.  These chapters are basically solid (though sometimes they do fall into the trap of being overly systematic and decision-oriented), but much of what’s in these can be found in other texts.  They are necessary to include in a text, but if you’re looking for the gems that make this book unique to bring to those who are too scared to witness in the workplace, the best chapters for focus are 1-7.

This book is one I highly recommend for all readers.  It pushes you to realize that God has given you opportunities to witness- we’re all in workplaces.  It also pushes you to realize we all have the capacity to witness- yes our gifts are different, but anyone can be authentic, put a faith flag out there, or share their story.  It may take some work, but when covered in prayer, God can make you part of his mission.

Tags: reveiw, witnessing, workplace grace