A Spiritual Growth Industry
More than ever, Christians are bringing faith to bear in the for-profit world.
Brad A. Greenberg | posted 3/08/2007 08:39AM
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Employers have even more latitude. They can begin a chaplaincy, hold Christian-themed corporate retreats, sponsor summer Bible camps for employees' children, and establish scholarships to selected Christian colleges, says Dacus.
But Dacus notes the limitations. "It has to be voluntary, and no employee can ever be punished for not participating in a religious-based activity."
Many Christian workplace fellowships are served by ministries like ICWM, the Fellowship of Companies for Christ, and Christian Business Men's Committee.
But there are also private businesses that add a Christian touch to client services. Giant Partners, an Oklahoma City–based growth consulting firm, helps clients improve their businesses by using a model Jesus lays out in Matthew 9 and 10—whether the company is Christian-led or not. Giant enters a village (business) and tries to heal the sick (fix problems), cast out demons (alleviate anxiety), and preach the Good News (encourage executives to live righteously).
"If we can transform CEOs, it will affect all their employees," says Giant cofounder Jeremie Kubicek.
At the Coca-Cola Company, Christians have congregated for a weekly Bible study for as long as anyone can remember. What was a small group now numbers 429 people at the global headquarters in Atlanta and in field offices. Coke—which recently promoted the creation of affinity groups such as the African American Forum, Hispanic Employee Forum, and Women's Forum—has quietly supported the Coca-Cola Christian Fellowship, which began in 2001.
The global headquarters fellowship meets in an open conference room each Wednesday during lunch. Members host occasional lectures after work led by successful Christian business leaders. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the fellowship donated supplies, furniture, food, and clothing to a colleague's extended family. And when an executive assistant's daughter was hospitalized near death after a car crash, the fellowship asked its members for prayer. She recovered.
"The No. 1 thing a Christian can do is live our faith, so people can see our faith coming through. That is going to be the biggest witness. It is not through banging on a person's door and saying, 'The only way to heaven is Jesus Christ,'" says Steve Hyland, director of retail merchandising for Coca-Cola North America and leader of its Christian fellowship. "It's living it versus saying it."
Brad A. Greenberg is a religion reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News.
Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today.
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Related Elsewhere:
Yesterday's article, 'Leaps of Faith,' talks about faith and work in nonprofit organizations.
Christianity Today International's Faith in the Workplace online area is sponsored by The High Calling.
The Yale Center for Faith and Culture has information on ethics and spirituality in the workplace and articles (pre-2006).
The International Coalition of Workplace Ministries has statistics, quotes, and links to articles.
BusinessWeek
, Fortune, Business First, and the New York Times have all reported on faith at work.
Other Christianity Today articles on faith in the business world include:
Dollars and Sense | How Salem Communications makes its money. (January 26, 2007)
Small Loans, Big Goals | Nobel Prize boosts growing microfinance ventures. (November 20, 2006)
Q&A: Eric Thurman | Thurman is CEO of Geneva Global, a professional services firm that links donor "investors" with local faith-based humanitarian projects in the developing world. (January 2006)
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