How to Share Jesus at Work 

Sharing our faith at work can feel incredibly daunting; however, here's the good news: you're probably doing more than you think. It's often the small, everyday ways we share our faith with co-workers, rather than big, confrontational moments, that can make a difference.

This article appears in Sharing Jesus, a resource to take the fear out of evangelism and help Christians put their faith into words. Find out more and purchase here.

“Honestly, I’d rather go to the dentist than start a conversation about my faith at work!”

Sound familiar? For many of us, going to the dentist and starting a conversation about faith at work may feel quite similar. We know we’re meant to open our mouths, but we’re pretty sure that when we do, something painful is going to happen.

Discussing our beliefs in a professional setting can feel daunting, almost painful. When I first entered the world of work, my church had two expectations: engage colleagues in conversations about their eternal destinies and, of course, don’t steal the paperclips. The latter was easy - I was working on building sites, and there weren’t many paperclips there.

We often reduce the gospel to a ticket to a better afterlife. But it’s also transformative news for those we work alongside - right now. We can share the gospel in so many practical ways that may lead to deeper conversations over time.

Embracing the opportunities God places in our workplaces starts with confidence. Here are three confidence boosters to help you recognise the gospel opportunities you may already have.

Confidence Booster #1: You’re Already Doing It

Before we even open our mouths, our colleagues are watching how our faith impacts the way we do things. It’s in the patience we show when a customer rings the buzzer for the umpteenth time, the kindness we extend during a stressful team deadline, or the self-control we exhibit when a customer is rude.

The prolific evangelist Rodney “Gypsy” Smith came from a Romani family. Rodney never read the Bible as a boy, but his father became a Christian during one of his frequent spells in prison. It was the total transformation of his father’s life that was the first gospel Rodney Smith ever read, and it convinced him to surrender his own life to Jesus.

In my own experience in construction, if I had started talking about Jesus to a co-worker while he was looking at a shoddy wall I’d just built, or if I started swearing at a labourer for putting the bricks in the wrong place, that would have totally contradicted my words. Our actions are often the first - and sometimes only - gospel our coworkers will encounter. Let your life speak of the faith you have.

Confidence Booster #2: It’s About Jigsaws, Not Judo

As a teenager, I loved taking part in judo, and sometimes I think we share our faith in a similar way - like a judo match, with the aim to get our opponent to submit. We try to win the argument - preferably with a winning throw. But in reality, sharing faith is more like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. One person starts the puzzle, but others come along and make a contribution, each playing a part in adding to the bigger picture.

Recently, a friend attended the baptism of a lifelong atheist whom they hadn’t seen for years. In the invitation, it said that the conversations they had years ago at work had played a huge part in their journey. My friend had put some jigsaw pieces down that contributed to this person’s journey toward faith.

I remember a moment on a job site when two brothers, both plasterers, approached me and asked, “Can we talk to you?” Their mother had just died, and they were struggling with their loss. They knew I went to church, and for the next 30 minutes, we drained our flasks of coffee while talking about love, life, death, and funerals.

I was only 21 and knew little about death, yet in that moment, I was the minister for those men. I did my best, and God gave me the words to share. Most people don’t want a lot of words; they want someone who listens well.

Our part is to offer the small piece of the gospel jigsaw that we can share in that moment.

Confidence Booster #3: Your Story Matters

You are where you are for a reason, and your experiences with faith can resonate with others. The Gospel of Mark encourages us to be ready to share our story of faith with those around us. “… ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’” (Mark 5:19). This doesn’t mean we need to prepare for every challenging question; rather, it’s about simply sharing how faith shapes our lives.

I once asked a friend why he’d returned to his faith, and he said, “I can’t find anything else that helps me make sense of life.” He’d just lost a close friend at a young age. It was a powerful reminder that our stories can be the very thing that helps someone else find hope.

Another friend, a plumber, often gets stuck working out a plumbing problem. He prays that God would help him recall all he’s learned over the years, and it always makes a difference.

Sharing the reasons you believe doesn’t have to be argumentative - you can just express it in a normal way. Talk about the difference faith makes when you’re under pressure at work, or how you see God’s presence and purpose even in the challenges of everyday work.

Starting conversations about faith can be less daunting than we imagine. Be open to recognising the opportunities, and let your life and stories speak for themselves.

I was at the dentist the other day, and she said, “Open wide!” And do you know what? It wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. In fact, I feel a lot better for it.

Steve Rouse is Church Team Director with LICC. He speaks, consults and writes on behalf of LICC, and oversees strategic projects to fuel whole-life disciple-making across the UK. His work is shaped by a desire to envision and equip the bricklayer he was 30 years ago – believing that if he’d known then what he knows now about being a disciple, it would have transformed how he joined in God’s work on-site. He’s married to Leisa and they have two young adult children. 

Edited by: Bethan Walker