By Todd Paetznick, December 19, 2024

Our places of work tend to be God-free zones.  Conversations about spirituality, especially Christianity, are frowned upon.  The American workplace is supposed to be free from “thoughtless and hurtful” talk, the kind of talk where Christians might warn others that certain behaviors and thoughts are inconsistent with what God would them do.  We may believe we have a Constitutional First Amendment freedom of religion and speech and can say what we want when we want.  However, we have to take care to avoid the perception that we are coercing or proselytizing, as they can be perceived as being hostile and manipulative to the person on the other side of the conversation.  As Christians, we believe that a warning of pending judgment can rescue a person from an eternity apart from God.  But, if the other person does not think as highly about scripture or even believe in God, then any warnings or our accurate quoting of scripture may have the opposite effect than the one we want to see.  

Outsiders to the Christian faith are often skeptical of the existence of God and do not regard the Bible and its teachings as authoritative.  In my experience, I shut off the words of people from other religions when they quote something from their holy writings as “proof” of whatever it is we may be talking about.   Because I do not believe the Koran to be true or authoritative, quoting from it has the opposite effect on me than the one intended.  My experience in conversations with people about their religion teaches me what not to do.  I remember how I feel when a Muslim quotes something from the Koran and realize that quoting Bible verses may not have the effect I want them to have.  Instead, I need to direct the conversations to start at the place where that other person may be in their knowledge of God without regard for what I may know or how strong my faith may be.  The conversation is not about me.

Have conversations, not debates

Too often, we approach conversations with outsiders about faith-related things as a competition that we want to win.  If the other person says one thing or doubts something, we may quickly counter with an appropriate scripture verse.  Our conversation’s desired outcome must be changed lives, not debates won.  Asking deeper questions and redirecting the conversation may be a better strategy.  This may require more than a single conversation; expect it.  Becoming a Christ-follower should not be done casually or transactionally; following Christ requires changing how a person lives.  

My day job has been in high-tech sales for several decades.  I have learned that directly answering prospective customers’ questions often did not have the effect I thought it would.  I needed to uncover what was behind the question and determine what was truly important to that person and their business.  There was often a more significant concern behind their question that I needed to uncover and address.  Are they testing me to see if I know what I am talking about?  Have they run into a problem with whatever they use right now?  Are they giving me a clue to how to win their business?  If I can solve this particular problem, will they benefit? Can that benefit be quantified?  Can the cost of doing something differently justify the cost of changing direction?   Success in selling requires careful listening, a back-and-forth conversation, and problem-solving.  It is not enough to know that I can solve a problem for them; the customer often needed my help measuring the difference a change would make to their business.  The same thing is true in our conversations with outsiders to the faith; they need help understanding the cost and benefit associated with following Jesus.

Jesus told the story of the importance of estimating project costs before starting. “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, [to see] if he has [enough] to complete [it?]” (Luke 14:28 NASB20).  Jesus taught the wisdom of estimating costs before beginning a project.  Whether building a tower or choosing to be His follower, the cost must be weighed in advance.  We should neither ignore nor minimize the cost.  The promised benefit of being a Christ-follower is something people have given up everything to get, including their lives.  Let’s not miss the benefits of Christianity either. While the salvation offered by Jesus is free, the costs are what is given up in pursuing a godly life.  

Start with God

When conversations turn to the spiritual, make it your objective to discover what the other person believes about God as a starting point.  Uncovering what they think about God and spiritual things may take longer than a conversation.  That’s okay.  Become a friend who cares, who listens, and asks good questions.  

The assumption of God’s existence is central to becoming a God-follower and establishing an effective life strategy for flourishing in our workplaces and everywhere else.  By putting God at the center, understanding His expectations and ways becomes the primary means to a highly productive and well-lived life.