Faith and Work Integration - Assignment Example

Project Faith and work integration There is growing awareness among corporations and employees to embrace workplace as call of God to vocation. However, research has indicated that there is great conflict in embracing occupation as a call of God to vacation. The major forces that make this integration possible include people’s historical, cultural, and theological stamping. My current level of faith and work integration depends on the factors mentioned above. Many assume that serving in the workplace as a fulfillment Christ’s Commission and serving based on calling and giftedness does not exist. Indeed, there exist personal, ethical, and corporate dilemmas that ran at parallels To start with, faith and work are two opposites in many aspects. Theology has separated itself from the everyday of people’s lives. R. Paul Stevenson’s defines my spiritual dilemma based on the central question in the epilogue of his book “The Other Sox Days”. My view on work is that is an activity undertaken to put bead on the table. People are always willing to work seven days a week without going to church. The church is not interested on the other six days that people spend in the workplace. This has led to increased polarity between faith and workplace. Faith and religion appear to be in conflict when my work demands that I work on Sunday, which is against church principles. This has resulted to me stop working for employers who require that employees to work on Sunday. It is often hard to determine what guides our actions in the workplace. Faith and work share great deal of virtues we practice. Honesty is virtue required in the work place and it instilled in us from our religious backgrounds. In the workplace, company policies stress the need for honesty in procedures and ethical conduct. This virtue in the workplace integrates well with faith. We need to be vigilant when working under pressure to meet deadlines. Deuteronomy 16:19, tells us that bribe blinds the eye of the wise and twists the word of the righteous. Nevertheless, how far do businesses go marketing? There is no problem with giving free samples of your product to the customer, because it is providing opportunity for the customer to assess the product or service. However, where do you draw the line? When does provision of free sample and gifts bear with the implied understanding that product or service will be brought in return; because at this point, my faith makes it become a bribe. From a Christian perspective, marketing must be done in honest way. Most marketing activities applied in the business world do not reflect Christian values and beliefs. This will definitely affect the way a Christian can sell his firm. Ephesians chapter 5 and 6 says this: be filled with the spirit (v8)…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ 9v21)… the scriptures requires us to work wholeheartedly. This implies willingness to volunteer when work is needed and no skimping on working hours. This does not mean getting to the office one hour earlier, but if we come to the office late, I question whether we are honoring God. Most people work for bonuses or promotion, but Christians work for the rewards promised by God. The most important question to ask is for whom do you work? The workplace requires people to work in order to meet organizational goals or rather impress the boss. Religion requires one to dedicate his efforts to God, which means doing your best to serve your customer. The biggest risk in achieving faith and work integration is that people work in order to be viewed as great partnership material, rather than to please Christ. As Christians, were are required to obey one master, and this comes into context when we are told to do something we feel is dishonest Describe your personal values and evaluate how these facilitate or hinder the integration of your faith and work. Job satisfaction depends on how the work or employer matches personal values and personal ability to try to conform to their stated values. My personal feeling is that family is more important than anything else is. This affects my work decisions since they will be driven around family. On the other hand, some people value work more than anything else and this makes them ignore other responsibilities such as family and church. This hinders my integration of my faith and work. I value my religious views. This affects how I relate to workmates and the work environment. My Christian values are at times at par with demands of work. Religion determines what dominates my ambition, which is to serve God. In such case, there are some required guidelines on how I should behave. The work environment requires people to be ambitious in order to get more compensation and promotions. This also requires pleasing the boss at the workplace. God demand us to honor no other gods besides him. Pleasing your boss can be regarded as worshiping other gods. In such case, my religious views hinder integration of faith and work since people tend to put more effort in their work in order to receive privileges from their bosses. If you place your priorities right, then as an individual, then there is no need to push hard or even go to inappropriate limits to secure such promotion. The next point is about money. We strive to earn a fortune because we believe that it shows how much an individual is worth. To be honest, money is the major reason for going to work, though by no means the only one. This is not because I want to buy the latest car or buy a second home. However, I view myself as part of the Christ’s mission, a body that labors to equip each other for mission in all kinds of facets in present and future. I am aware that there are parts of the body that require financial support, and part of my calling is to seek how I can support others whose mission field is different from mine. The problem comes when one is not able to meet the demands of his boss or he does not like you. Forgiving the boss would be hard but Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified him without reason, we should definitely forgive our bosses. I value obedience and following instructions given by bosses. The bible encourages masters to give their slaves what is right and fare. In the work context, the bosses could be demanding and this go against religious views. The demanding environment of the workplace sometimes hinders integration of faith and work. Managers who consider their work as a calling provide a suitable environment that allows for integration of faith and work. Fair compensation at the workplace can sometimes be hard for the managers to achieve. In some cases, there is discrimination in rewarding or paying employees. Equality is a value that must be upheld in the workplace. Lack of which hinders integration of faith and work. I believe that compensation should reflect individual’s effort at the workplace. Employers on the other hand argue that increasing staff pay can compromise the profitability of the organization. Working on Sundays according to me is not good since it undermines my religious beliefs. Organizations that work on church days hinder the integration of faith and work. I was once forced to drop a job since they informed me that I have to work on Sunday. Some employers do not consider religious views of their employees and refusing to work on Sunday is regarded as disobedience and can result in losing a job. Employers and church should work together to ensure that interest of both parties are considered in developing a good work environment. Discuss Beckett’s five workplace themes, including how you might address each theme in your work. purpose, values, people, stewardship and serving In his book, Mastering Monday: A guide to integrating faith and work, Beckett (2006) presents five major biblical themes relating to the workplace to guide on how Christians can approach their work. These themes include purpose, values, people, stewardship and serving. He cites scripture and several case studies effectively to show how these principles can be translated into practical policies in his own company. To start with, purpose means a desired result or individual goal. In order to discover and understand how God wants to use your life and work, it is essential to know why you were created. This requires us to understand why we were created before trying to determine your purpose in life. Lack of this will inevitably lead to getting preoccupied with things as a basis for fulfillment of your life, which will only lead to disappointments and frustrations. Primarily, God created man to know Him and understand Him. As a matter of fact, God say that if a man is going to boast about anything, “boast about this: that he understands and knows me” (Jer. 9:24). The most important thing in understanding your purpose is establishing a mutual understanding with God. Absence of this relationship with God result into seeking fulfillment of your purpose out of wrong motives, such as insecurity, fear, pride, relationship, money, unresolved hunger or guilt. Having knowledge in purpose helps in understanding the reason for existence your organization exists and the reason to get motivation to work. Bringing true purpose in the workplace enhances change in culture of a company. Having a true purpose helps in understanding your organization, co-workers, bosses, and your customers. Several business books points to certain habits or values to be practiced and cultivated. However, there is need for more abstract principles to guide in the pursuit of good business practices. This requires a more genuine experience of dynamic presence of God in the workplace. The values of righteousness, truth, love, peace and non-violence are evident in al major spiritual paths. All these values are also human values and constitute the fundamental roots of vibrant, healthy, and viable work environment. For example, righteousness fosters high quality of work, truth fosters trust and honest communication, peace fosters wise and creative decisions, non-violence fosters win-win collaboration, while love fosters selfless service based on caring for the well-being of others. In is interesting to realize that since these human values emanates from a common spiritual foundation, they exist as a whole; no one single human value can exist in absence of the others. This integrated wholeness of human values provides incredible strength in integrating them into our workplace. In addressing values in the workplace: An accountant would do his job best even if no one were watching. A professional would tell the truth about delays or errors even if could result into temporary warning. A sales person would serve people actively instead of hiding under the bureaucratic rules. Working as team in the workplace is healthy to both the individuals and the company. Most people spend most of their waking hours at work. It is always good to develop ongoing relationship with your customers, co-workers, and others in your organization. However, the prospect of sharing your faith in the workplace could seem frightening. In the end, using the wrong approach to evangelism in the workplace could land you in trouble with colleagues. People are looking for spiritual answers all around the workplace. It is not by accident that God has planted people religious people in the workplace. Stewardship is an ethic that exemplifies responsible management and planning. True faith is portrayed through good work. It is something lived and not merely exercised in the mind. Religion teaches us that the true and ultimate owner of individual’s possessions is God, and this call for accountability to God for acceptable use and care of those possessions. Stewardship involves faithfully applying our talents to our workplace and generously sharing our talents and gifts. Stewardship in the workplace also include being a peacemaker when there is strife, being respectful and obedient to those in supervisor positions, telling the truth, and giving our best when working. Faith exercises a remarkable power over man’s life because it leads him to serve God in his daily calling. Nothing is more enjoyable than doing all things unto God. Christians are motivated by faith to serve God in their calling by observing His commandments. In such a case, uprightness and integrity preserves man and his work becomes true worship. Faith in God helps people to manifest the spirit of Christ in all their undertakings. Aiming at the glory in all that we do makes workplace a more comfortable place to live in. Identify a spiritual role model from either the Johnson or Beckett text. Explain what you have gained from studying this leader, and include specific applications for your own role as leader. Beckett has used use Jesus as a role model in his book. Jesus encourages us on what to do in showing kindness to our enemies (Mt 5:43-48). By studying the role and work of Jesus, I have been able to learn how to accomplish work through faith. Fain in Jesus provides a background or foundation for our life and work. Faith in Jesus enables us to work efficiently. Drawing for His respect to his Father, I have learned to be loyal and serve the master at eh workplace who is definitely the boss. Develop a specific plan; with at least five components; to a more comprehensively integrate faith and work. Regardless of the ongoing debate, identifying desirable components of spiritual workplace can help in a comprehensive integration of faith and work. The following components provide a framework for ensuring harmony between faith and work. Emphasizing sustainability Systematically viewing work and contribution in the world promotes the linkage between sustainability and awareness of limited resources. Integrating spirituality in approach to design, commerce, and production can contribute to the greater good in the world. This has the potential of increasing the market share and attracts investors. Contribution of values In addition to providing excellent services to customers, global service points to a large sense of responsibility to make the world a better place. Even though local businesses in developed economies may not provide services or products that can improve quality of life in developing nations, large companies have historically understood that fundamental role to make the world a better place. Spiritually aware businesses and businesses consider themselves servants of customers, employees, and the community. Prices creativity Creativity is an important component of business cycle. Creativity is the best tool in circumnavigating forces affecting today’s organizations. The artistic organizations have recognized the group creative process and spiritual nature of individuals, and many educators understand the importance of integration of aspects of creativity to enhance learning. A spiritual workplace organization understands that creativity is not reserved for a few, but everybody has the capabilities for creativity. Cultivating inclusion Organizations are increasingly becoming major source for community for people. Spiritual organizations values and respects experiences of individuals and lessons learned from them. Such organizations work effortlessly in including individuals who bring appropriate set of skills to a particular job, but may have been excluded from taking part in professional practices due to circumstances they have no control over. Promoting vocation Companies have long been aware of the benefits of sharing ownership of corporate values by every member of an organization for a very a long time. Organizations have acknowledged the importance of viewing spiritual growth and fulfillment personal needs, and work and supporting entities. Understanding spirituality of companies go beyond supportive development and learning by helping employees develop a sense of “calling” or identification of passion about their work and lives. Conclusion This course was helpful in helping me understand how I can integrate faith and work. I noticed that many organizations are increasing incorporating religious views in managing practices. Integration of faith and work is helping to advance God’s Kingdom. Reference Beckett, J.D. (2006). Mastering Monday: A guide to integrating faith and work. 1st edn, Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press. Read More