Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCA)

Honoring Christ through work, ministering to others at work

Published January 30, 2012 in Witness

In 2007, the foundations were laid for a new ministry at PCPC that would focus on ministry in the workplace. The men and women who gathered in a subsequent series of discussions shared in common a conviction that our faith makes a difference in how we do our work—it informs our thinking about how we do our daily work, run our business, and treat our coworkers, customers, and even our competition.

Now the fully functioning Workplace Ministry Task Force (WPM) meets monthly, led by pastors Pete Deison and Bill Lamberth, and has initiated a full (and growing) program of events focused on equipping believers to honor the Lord Jesus Christ through our work and to minister to others at our place of work.

Foundational tenets
The WPM has articulated its mission in the following statements: We endeavor to help men and women understand the importance of their daily work in God’s Kingdom; equip them to live their faith in their workplace; and encourage them to build bridges of influence for the gospel to reach the workplace, the community and the world. We envision a day when all followers of Jesus at PCPC passionately pursue their calling, bringing the power of the gospel into their spheres of influence to such an extent that their faithful presence in their places of work impacts the peace and prosperity of Dallas.

Keeping the vision in mind as well as our reformed theological thinking, the WPM has identified five key values:
1. Work is a gift of God and a vital way for men and women to express their love for God and to serve their fellow man—it is not an enemy of our spiritual life.
2. Every wholesome vocation should be honored and performed to the glory of God.
3. The workplace is as strategic to God’s Kingdom as are places of worship.
4. Every believer is required by Christ to be a faithful witness in his or her workplace.
5. Equipping men and women to live their faith at work is critical for their own spiritual formation.

Below are some of the activities the WPM has organized to date and will build upon in 2012.

WPM keynote presentations
On an almost monthly basis, the WPM has organized informal breakfasts and lunches where attendees can hear speakers relay their experiences in ministry at their places of work. There have been examples of ministering to others—as well as learning to trust God even more—through successes and failures in business; when there is support for, or opposition to, a workplace ministry; in white collar and blue collar settings; and in the US and in other countries. Presentations have included a wide variety of  formats and speakers, including former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, Interstate Battery CEO Carlos Sepulveda, other CEOs and executives, business owners, various entrepreneurs, plant owners, and plant managers.

Educational activities
A variety of activities has also been organized to educate PCPC members in the fundamental values which the WPM believes should guide members in their ministries at places of work and to enlarge their vision for how they can minister to others. These activities (some being rolled out in 2012) include a 3-week series on Theology of Work in adult Sunday school classes; a seminar on Permission Evangelism by Michael Simpson; a Sunday morning presentation on how to leverage the National Day of Prayer as a springboard for generating interest in Christian activities at places of work; a series, Workplace Grace, for small groups offered on Wednesday evenings; discussions with other area churches to jointly host workplace-related seminars and speakers offered to a citywide audience; and mentoring and coaching groups organized by profession, industry, age, or other criteria, for workers to meet regularly to pray over and share ideas about their similar circumstances and workplace affinities.

Looking ahead
The Task Force met in December to pray for our work and develop a schedule for 2012. We plan to organize more speaker presentations and seminars, as well as series of different lengths to be held in Sunday schools or other forums.

One area we especially want to work on is increasing the communication about this ministry both inside and outside PCPC. Ministries blessed of the Lord often build on themselves, so we want more people to know what we’ve done to date and decide how they can be involved.

The Task Force welcomes your input regarding any aspect of the ministry, especially during this time of forming the initial focuses and direction of its activities. Feel free to contact any member of our group to relay our ideas: Pete Deison, Pat Hamner, Bill Henry, Kent Johnson, Bill Lamberth, Bill Peel, Sherry Elston Scheitler, Tracy Taylor, Jay Turner, or Morgan Yeates.
—Morgan Yeates