Dear Friends,
The research evidence in support of Christian Fellowship in the workplace is the focus of this blog. For consistency, the different types of Christians connected in a workplace are referred to as Christian Workplace Groups (CWGs) throughout this blog.
As explained in the last blog https://fmministry.co.uk/a-case-for-the-existence-of-christian-workplace-fellowship most Christians believe in the idea of ‘Church’ and most are connected to one. The scriptural basis for this is usually taken from Hebrews 10:25 ‘’not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching’’.
However, there is a need to make a case for Christians to live a whole-life ministry and to include the workplace as a mission field.
The research evidence used is recently completed in the United Kingdom by Eido Research in association with Transform Work UK and sponsored by Stewardship. It was based on questionnaires completed by 240 Christian Workplace Groups (CWGs) across the United Kingdom in the early part of 2020.
The summary of the research findings below is adapted from a verbal presentation of the survey by Eido Research in May 2020. My appreciation to Transform Work UK for for their great work in supporting CWGs in the United Kingdom and for allowing the use of this research.
Please go to Transform Work UK : Transform Work UK to know more of the work of TWUK.
The research purpose and demographic information
The research was commissioned to examine the impact of CWGs. Questions asked of participants include information about church attendance, the impact of the current Church on workplace ministry, the level of involvement in CWGs, and impacts on Christian ministry in the workplace and the organisation.
Responses showed a good geographical representation of most areas. Most members of CWGs are long-term Christians, over 77% have worked for 20years and over. 91% attend church regularly and most (89%) work in larger organisations of 500 plus employees. 65% have attended the CWGs for more than 5 years.
The responders showed a disproportionate representation of large and public sector companies as compared to the general workforce. In other words, small and private organisations are not well represented.
The research evidence – impact of Church on CWGs
The research outcome showed general agreement on the impact of Churches in encouraging their members to participate in CWGs. The eight most common encouragement trends rated over 100 are listed below:
- Equipped to demonstrate faith through conduct in work – 75/100
- Confidence to let others know about their faith – 73/100
- Improved understanding of how behaviour at work is critical to a life of faith – 73/100
- Increased ability to influence the workplace to act more in Christian values such as being more generous, loving, and just – 69/100
- Encouragement to pray more for work colleagues – 67/100
- Equipped to speak the Christian gospel to colleagues in the workplace – 66/100
- Equipped to engage non-Christians and people of other faith in the workplace – 62/100
- Encouragement to build networks with other Christians in work to positively change the workplace – 58/100
The specific ways by which Churches support workplace ministry are through four key themes: foundational biblical and other teachings, praying with others, sharing workplace ministry experiences, and having evangelistic events to invite colleagues such as Alpha courses.
The data exploration showed no link between encouragement by the Church and engagement in CWGs, that is Church encouragement of workplace ministry had no consistent relationship in participation in CWGs. However, Church-based support for CWGs is only minimally effective in encouraging fellowship with other Christians in the workplace. Ironically, this is the exact area where churches are least impactful as shown in No. 8 above – (58/100).
The research evidence – activities and impacts of CWGs
Prayer (97%), meetings (92%), email communication (89%) were the most common activities. However, the evidence showed a mixed pattern of how often these activities are attended by participants.
Attending or organising events for Christians and colleagues are found to be significantly less frequent. But the likelihood is increased if the person is a long-term member of the CWG and is working for a larger employer.
Survey participant’s experience is that CWGs are more influential in supporting workplace Christian ministry than their Churches. The six specific impact themes mentioned are:
- Personal pastoral support
- Praying together
- Applied Bible study and discipleship
- Regular meetings
- Events to invite people to
- Increased visibility of Christians within the workplace
All these are specifically focused on the workplace and as a result, are more effective than similar activities based in the Churches. It is also found that more engagement of individuals with CWGs leads to more impact on a positive outcome in workplace ministry.
Increased prayer, of all types, leads to the strongest positive personal outcomes for Christian workplace ministry.
The research evidence – positive impact of CWGs on the workplace
66% of respondents agree that they have seen a positive impact on the organisation. These are reported in six themes as below:
- Opportunities to directly share the Christian faith
- Having a positive influence on the organisation
- Christians feeling supported and encouraged
- Positive engagement with management
- Answered prayers within the organisation
It was noted that respondents use their definition of success in terms of the impact of CWGs in the workplace. This shows that individuals have diverse views of the positive impact they expect from their CWG.
Modelling the impact of CWG
The research evidence showed that the three highest strength relationships for organisational impact are:
- Confidence to let people know they are Christian
- Equipped to engage with non-Christians and people of other faith
- Equipped to demonstrate faith through conduct at work
Increased prayer had a clear relationship with increased evidence of organisational impact. Prayer, therefore, drives both individual and organisational outcomes.
Practical Application of the research evidence
Churches should actively promote membership participation in CWGs by:
- Encouraging church members to join with other Christians in the workplace to seek positive change.
- Continue to teach and motivate members about whole life ministry that includes the workplace.
CWGs should:
- Place prayer as a core activity of their meetings to release a wide range of positive outcomes for individual members and the organisation.
- Focus on enabling members to actively share their faith, engage non-Christians, and demonstrate their faith through conduct at work.
Based on the research evidence, I believe Churches and existing CWGs need to work together more to promote individual workplace ministry. Individual Christians should be encouraged to take action to join and actively participate in CWGs to have positive impacts on their Christian ministry and the organisation.
I believe existing CWGs must use the existing work connections to bring in new members and to support one another in being effective Christians in the workplace. Established CWGs should be outward-looking supporting the establishment and growth of CWGs in other places. Christians in the workplace should also be intentional in using their CWGs to proclaim the gospel and build up more disciples for the Lord.
I hope you have benefited from reading this blog and if so, please share with others. Please also continue to send your feedback and comments to hello@fmministry.co.uk or use the comment box below.
Please note that Fishers of Men Ministry is interested in offering support and encouragement to individuals and workplace fellowship groups so please drop us an email if you need advice or support in the area. You can also check out our website to see how you can get involved in this work https://fmministry.co.uk/getting-involved
God bless you and let us keep growing in the image of our Lord Jesus Christ
Adesina