S

pirituality at Work is a hot topic among commentators and media pundits in business circles these days.  Some attribute this trend to the events of September 11^th, 2001, in which almost 3,000 people from top level CEO’s to part time seasonal workers, lost their lives in the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York.[1]  The fact that the attack was on an economic centre and that people died at work has brought to the public attention the importance of the workplace in modern society. Workers are now asking questions about the significance of their work, its meaning and purpose.

The trend toward valuing the non-material rewards of work did not begin on September 11^th.  Many major business publications including Fortune, Business Week and Industry Week have featured articles on Spirituality at Work in recent years.[2]  Jay Conger, author of Spirit at Work: Discovering the Spirituality in Leadership , writes that because the workplace is where people spend the majority of their time, it has become the primary source for personal fulfillment in the areas of meaning and relationships.[3] 

However, as Denton & Mitroff found in their book, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America : A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace , these needs are often frustrated by indifference and outright hostility by management towards the spiritual concerns of workers.[4]  In their survey of corporate mangers they often heard the comment that workers felt it was a requirement for them “to park their soul at the door before going to work.”   This has created a division in worker’s lives, a “Faustian dilemma”, in which workers are asked to give their best time and talents to the cause of the company but cannot rely on the spiritual or non-material dimension in their lives to inform and guide their workplace activity.[5] 

The separation of spirit and work is a major weakness in the workplace because “work is one of the most important settings in which people come together daily to accomplish what they cannot do on their own, that is, realize their full potential as human beings.”[6] Unless companies address this weakness,  they cannot benefit from the fullest and deepest engagement of their employees and they will not be able to meet the challenges of the 21^st century that demand peak performance and creativity in workers.

Thus the impetus towards spirituality at work is growing.  Despite resistance, the fundamental need of persons to find meaning and connection between who they are and what they do will push companies to address this concern in the workplace.[7]

This essay is written to examine some of the current approaches to workplace spirituality and the effectiveness for spiritual formation at work  This will be done in the context of the worker’s search for identity and destiny in the workplace, a search that results in spiritual formation. Once an effective approach to spiritual formation is set forth, the essay will include aids for spiritual formation for personal and organizational purposes.   This topic will be addressed from a Christian perspective and will draw upon the rich heritage of Christian spirituality derived from the Bible and the traditions and spiritual disciplines of the Christian church.

The Definition of Spirituality

Defining the term spirituality in such a way as to encompass the full spectrum of understanding from Eastern religions to Christian traditions to New Age philosophy is an impossible task. Words, such as “sacredness”, “interconnectedness”, “inner peace”, “consciousness”, “prayer” and “transcendence” are often used.  Mitroff & Denton state that in contrast to conventional religion, spirituality is not formal, structured or organized.  It is broadly inclusive, embracing all faiths, all religious experiences.[8] Gregory Pierce in his recent book, Spirituality at Work: 10 Ways to Balance Your Life On-the-Job, defines it as “a disciplined attempt to align ourselves and our environment with God and to incarnate God’s spirit in the world."[9]

Webster’s Dictionary defines spirit as “the intelligent, immaterial and immortal part of man; the soul, in distinction from the body in which it resides; the agent or subject of vital and spiritual functions, whether spiritual or material.”  Thus, for the purposes of this essay, spirituality will be defined as the expression of a person’s “intelligent, immaterial and immortal being.” [10]

However spirituality is defined, the essence is that there is more to life than the physical and the material. The ‘more’ is to be discovered by pursuing non-material things, ideas, concepts and inspirations.  The pursuit of the ‘more’ is what the psychologist, Abraham Maslow, describes as the pursuit of fulfillment.   According to Maslow’s theory, once the basic physical needs of life are met, such as food, shelter and security, higher order needs for meaning, achievement and belonging rise in their place.[11]   These needs are met only when people discover their full identity as a human being and understand their personal destiny. 

Spiritual Formation - The Goal of Spirituality

While the sages of various persuasions may differ on the definition of spirituality, it is commonly understood that the goal of spirituality is the development of the highest human potential in body, mind and spirit. As persons we are growing and changing all the time, just as a child grows into an adult, so people mature in their intelligence and creativity.  Man is unique among his fellow creatures in that he is gifted with the ability to think about himself and his surroundings, reflect upon deficiencies and weaknesses and design ways and means to better themselves and others in this world.  To achieve human potential, people must be able to develop in every aspect of their personhood; thus they can achieve the fullest expression of who they are, their identity, their destiny and what they were designed to do. 

It is this process of development or transformation that may be referred to as spiritual formation. It encompasses the traditional understandings of emotional maturity, character development and personal achievement, but goes beyond that to address the discovery of identity and destiny. ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ are the fundamental questions for which human beings are programmed to seek answers. The workplace is modern society’s setting for the search for these answers. Spiritual formation is the process of the discovery of the answers to these questions. (Note: This is the reason I am doing a Faith at Work Blog)

Different Spirituality - Different Answers – Three Camps

It is the answers to these questions that are provided by the various approaches to spirituality at work, that highlight the differences between these approaches. The various forms of spirituality may be divided into three camps.  The first camp is the “the God within” camp. That is, the goal of spirituality is for us to become God.  This approach is exemplified by Scott Peck in his book, The Road Less Traveled in which he says,

“God wants us to become Himself (or Herself or Itself).  We are growing toward godhood.  God is the goal of evolution.  It is God who is the source of the evolutionary force and God who is the destination.  This is what we mean when we say that he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”[12]

In this approach, our identity is that we are “little gods” on the way to becoming “God.” Spirituality at work from this perspective has the purpose of “awakening” the god within us. Thus the emphasis here is to look inward for the answers to questions about identity and destiny. As we get in touch with our inner self, we will discover that we are God!

The path for spiritual formation in this camp is to detach oneself from external influences and focus on inward enlightenment. The focus is on the individual as the primary agent of spiritual formation.  The problem with this approach is that the day to day realties and demands of the workplace often intrude upon the inward journey. Difficulties in relationships, tension between co-workers, looming unemployment, and other workplace realities all serve to distract the person from focusing on inner spirituality. Often, disappointment in the lack of ability to cope with workplace reality or denial of that reality can lead to disillusionment in this form of workplace spirituality.

The next camp is the “superman” camp. The goal of spirituality in this camp is to evolve into the  “super” man. Secular humanism trumpets the progress of mankind and champions an approach to spirituality that is independent of outside influences (like God) other than scientifically proven forces.[13]  Much of the self-help movement finds itself in this camp.   Again, man is the agent who effects his own spiritual formation. 

The pathway to spiritual formation in this camp is progressive improvement in all aspects of one’s personality and ability through concentrating on self improvement techniques. The problems with this approach are that the optimism about progress is frustrated by the reality of evil. In this approach, everyone is entitled to their own belief system.  There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ beliefs.

On the contrary, the events of September 11^th not only brought into sharp contrast eternal absolutes – there is good and there is evil in this world.  It also established the fact that certain principles are good and others are bad. Such as, it is better to die saving others than commit suicide to make a point.  

Also, because this “superman” spirituality is based upon a belief in the survival of the strongest (Evolutionary theory), those who are not successful at self-empowerment or self-actualization find themselves in a quandary. If it is solely up to me and I am not able to do it, where does that leave me?  Where can I turn for meaning in my life?  How do I make sense of my failure? How do I reconcile my faith in progress with evil?  Without answers to these questions, workers can become dispirited and lose hope. Mental illness and suicide can be the result.

The third camp is what I refer to as the “God for Man” camp. God is seen as a personality separate from Man, who created Man and purposes that Man would become fully Man (not God).  This is the essence of the Christian message.[14]  God formed Man in the image of God.  Man defiled that image by choosing to become like God but independent of God, resulting in his death. God restored Man through the incarnation, when God became Man as Jesus Christ.  God did this so that Man could be set free from sin and death, to be all that God intended him to be. 

The purpose of the incarnation was that God, in the form of a man, could bring to perfection that which he had created and liberate the whole of creation from its bondage to sin and death. This is what the gospel story is all about. Jesus accomplished this through His death and resurrection. God’s desire is to be reconciled to all men, and that in Christ, all men could be brought to perfection.  As the apostle Paul says, “I labour that Christ be formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19 NASB)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran Pastor, wrote in his book, Ethics, on the question of spiritual formation in the life of a Christian:

"The form of Jesus Christ takes form in man. Man does not take on an independent form of his own, but what gives him form and what maintains him in his new form is always solely the form of Jesus Christ Himself.  It is therefore not a vain imitation or repetition of Christ’s form but Christ’s form itself which takes form in man.  And again, man is not transformed into a form which is alien to him, the form of God, but into his own form, the form which is essentially proper to him. Man becomes man because God became man. But man does not become God. It is not he, therefore, who was or is able to accomplish his own transformation, but it is God who changes his form  into the form of man, so that man may become, not indeed God, but, in the eyes of God, man.” [15]

In the “God for man” camp, the chief agent of spiritual formation is not Man but God.  Man discovers his identity in relationship with God -- that God is Father and that he is a child of God. Man’s ultimate destiny is to become fully Man free from sin and death. The perfect man, Jesus Christ, has already traveled the path to full human potential and has made a way for Man to follow.  However, as Bonhoeffer states, Man is unable to bring about his own spiritual formation. It is God through the agency of the Holy Spirit who forms Christ in Man, so that Man may become fully Man. This is God’s promise of spiritual formation. It is a promise that according to Dallas Willard in his book, The Divine Conspiracy : Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God, can be fulfilled in the workplace.[16]

God’s Spirit at Work - The Promise of Formation

The Bible teaches that God formed man out of the dust of the earth.([17] It teaches that God forms each of into unique persons and that we are formed to display His glory.[18]  The goal of formation is transformation:

“I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

The instruction to us is NOT to conform to the world, but to say no to the world. The promise to us is that we would “be transformed,” not that we do the transforming, but the Spirit of Christ in us that does the transforming.[19] 

N. T. Wright comments on what Paul is getting at in these verses.

"The second sentence does not unpack the first, but stands alongside it as the head of the whole section. In accordance with what he has said all along, Paul sees the new age, long awaited within Judaism, as having broken in to the present age in the Messiah, and understands Christians as living at the point of overlap, needing constancy to reject the pressures of the present age and to open to the life of the new, the life offered in Messiah. Here is the interface, for Paul, between what scholars call "eschatology" and "ethics": because you are in fact a member of the age to come, if you are in Christ, new modes and standards of behavior are not only possible but commanded. This new behavior like the “living sacrifices," is pleasing to God, and Christians should be able to think it out and realize why. Thus, if verse 1 focuses on the body, but with the mind being involved as well (the 'reasonable worship"), v. 2 focuses on the renewal of the mind, but the result is that people, being thus transformed, can work out in practice what is the right thing to do." [20]

God is the transformation agent.  God is author of spiritual formation.  God, through the Holy Spirit,  is the finisher of spiritual formation. God is the potter, we are the clay.  It is the empowering presence of God at work in our weak humanity to form us into the likeness of His Son.[21]

The person experiencing Spirit-growth is experiencing the transformation of her whole person “into [Christ’s] likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). All this, Paul says, “comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” [22]

So what does that leave us to do?  As Wright notes, our minds are being transformed so that we know what the right thing is to do. What spiritual activities can we practice that will help transform our minds?

The emphasis in Christian spirituality is on “capital S” Spiritual formation -- God’s Spirit at work in us and in our life circumstance, including the workplace, forming Christ’s Spirit within us.  God has placed us where we are and He has determined the times and the seasons for us.[23]  Thus, the people, the circumstances, the situations are all God’s agents of transformation.  We simply submit to these and in faith we trust God to give us the wisdom, the knowledge and the ability to cooperate with Him as Christ is formed within us.

Attitude - The Pathway for Spiritual Formation

However, it is part of our nature to want to do it ourselves as the other approaches to spirituality at work indicate.  We want to take the initiative.  We want to seize the day -- Carpe Diem! 

But the apostle Paul sets out the attitude that we must have:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-11  (NASB)

How do we have this attitude in ourselves?  Is it something we do or is it something we live?  This is more about attitude then it is about practice.  It is an attitude of submission: submission to people, to circumstances and to God. It is an attitude of the slave, who gives up his rights to his own self so that he can give service to others, even to the point of dying a physical death.

This pathway to spiritual formation is not an easy road to travel. Jeremiah the prophet asked, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil" Jeremiah 13:23 (NASB). This may sound cynical, but it's true. People may learn how to rearrange their behavior and become more socially acceptable, more spiritually aware, more interconnected; more at peace. but only God can transform the human heart and enable permanent change.

The pathway to spiritual formation in the workplace must begin with the realization that just as the “leopard cannot not change its spots” so the worker cannot change into something they are not.  Spiritual formation is not about spiritual exercises or disciplines undertaken to awaken one’s spirit or to align one’s self with spiritual realities, nor is it to become more ethical or more “connected” with others.  Spiritual formation is about God’s Spirit at work forming us into the fully human person God has designed us to be.

God formed man from the dust of the earth and into man He breathed the breath of life. Man became a living being, made in the image of God, with authority over God’s creation. This is God’s design for man.  This is the prototype of man -- fully human.

However, man’s formation did not end with creation.  God placed man in the garden to work there.  God gave man freedom within a certain limit. He also gave man the freedom to go beyond that limit, but He warned him that if he did go beyond it he would suffer consequences. Man’s moral or spiritual nature was formed in the place of choices, the place of work, the garden. Man chose to step beyond God’s limits for him and in so doing he experienced spiritual as well as physical death.   His work caring for God’s creation lost its purpose and man was banished to a place where work was necessary for survival.[24]

This is the place in which man finds himself now.  At work, he suffers loss, indignity, oppression, weariness. In his despair, he cries out, “There must be something more.”  It is in this realization of the utter futility and meaninglessness of one’s work and one’s life that God’s spirit is able to begin the process of transformation.

The “Be” Attitudes of Spiritual Formation at Work

Jesus outlined the process of spiritual formation in his Sermon the Mount (Matthew 5-7).   He begins His message with the Beatitudes.  I have added the phrase “at work” to emphasize the fact that these “be” “attitudes” are the attitudes we must have in our workplace for spiritual formation to occur. It should be noted that the Beatitudes are not a set of rules to be legalistically followed nor are they the measure of righteousness required by God.[25]  They are a reflection of Christ’s character and attitude and show us where and what is to be formed in us.

□Blessed are the poor in spirit (at work) for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

□Blessed are those who mourn (at work), for they will be comforted

□Blessed are the meek (at work), for they will inherit the earth.

□Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (at work), for they will be filled. 

□Blessed are the merciful (at work), for they will be shown mercy.

□Blessed are the pure in heart (at work), for they will see God.

□Blessed are the peacemakers (at work), for they will be called sons of God.

□Blessed are those who are persecuted (at work) because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

□Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely (at work), on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.[26]

The pathway to spiritual transformation at work begins with a revelation of spiritual poverty. Man’s search for meaning at work will discover value in doing good, in serving others, in protecting the environment, even in doing excellent work.  However, as the Teacher in Ecclesiastes discovered, “everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”[27]  Achievement is meaningless because it does not last.  Riches are meaningless because they may be squandered by one’s heirs.  Even goodness and hard work are meaningless because in the end through unfortunate circumstance they can amount to nothing. Even spirituality of work may be meaningless because in itself it cannot bring about lasting transformation. 

Thus God’s Spirit at work brings us face to face with our own mortality and human frailty. And in the realization, we mourn for what could have been -- missed opportunity, failure to achieve our potential as a person. All pretense is washed away by tears of remorse.  We cannot pretend that our feeble efforts can bring about the change we desire. We simply must be still before God, trusting in His goodness, in His grace, we wait. This is the place of meekness -- complete surrender and utter abandonment to God.

The marketplace is full of uncertainty. Opportunity abounds, but so does risk. Work is easily frustrated by circumstance and misfortune. Our work has effect only in as much as it is in alignment to the will and purpose of God. When we are meek before God, attuned to His voice, we will find our peace and out of that peace we can act with authority. Our actions will have effect because it is God who acts through us.  Most certainly, the meek (at work) shall inherit the earth. The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, including our business and our workplace.  It is His to give and He chooses to give it to those who are meek before Him, ready to do His will.

From the place of quietness and trust, we discover the reality of the nature of God.  Our work affords God much opportunity to demonstrate His faithfulness, His goodness, His righteousness. If we have our eyes open and are mindful to see God at work in our midst we will discover everyday that God is faithful and just. From a kind word of encouragement from a co-worker, to a surprise sale, to an inspiring solution to a difficult problem, God proves Himself to us everyday. Our hearts are awakened to His righteousness and we begin to thirst and hunger for it ourselves. Oh, that we too could be right and just in all we do and say.  We see our shortcomings.  We know how far we fall short of God’s character in our lives.  We desire to grow and God answers that desire.  He is at work in us, forming us into His image. He is the potter, we are the clay.

And what shape does God form in us?  He forms mercy in us.  And we are fired as a pot, refined by the test of mercy.  Mercy is given to those who are full of mercy. God’s decision to forgo judgment upon those who have broken His law sets us an example to forgive those who have offended us. Relationships at work afford us the opportunity to prove God at work in us. When we relinquish what is rightfully ours. When we respond in the opposite spirit. When justice is due us for wrongs committed by co-workers, God’s mercy formed in us, lets it go.  God’s mercy formed in us is the measure by which God can have mercy on us in our weakness.  God’s mercy formed in us is a measure of true spirituality. 

Still the firing of the pot continues, until there is in us a singleness of heart to serve Christ, to give Him what He wants, that we may relinquish our will and our interests completely to His will, that He would be “all in all” our every thought, our every breath. When our focus is fully on Christ, we shall see Him for who He really is. When at work, our every thought, our every action, is done for His sake, to bring Him the honor and the glory that is due His name. And so whatever our hand finds to do at work, we do it with all of our heart because we are doing it for Him. Blessed are the single-hearted for they shall see God!

We are to make peace with each other, and we are to intercede for peace with God for our associates, co-workers, customers, suppliers and everyone God brings into our path.  This peace is much more than the absence of conflict.  This peace is God’s “shalom” peace, wholeness, fullness, richness, healing, security, safety. It is a peace from which people prosper at work and in the marketplace. It is a peace in which God’s full purpose for His creation can be realized. It is a peace in which God is able to bring forth from each of us the fullest expression of who He has designed us to be. God’s intention is that we would be like Him, as His Son is like Him.  This is our inheritance. Blessed are the “shalom” makers (at work); those that bring stability, wholeness, integration fullness, for they shall be called the sons of God.

And yet this is a peace that is resisted by those who would rather find their own way to self-fulfillment. The righteousness evident in the life of the peacemaker who is willing to lay down his interests for those around him is an offense to the worldly sensibility of others, who look to their own interest first.  This offense brings persecution and suffering, but because we suffer for Christ’s sake, we are blessed and rejoice for we are promised a reward in heaven. Since our attachment is to God alone, we cannot suffer irrevocable loss. God is our “all in all” and the suffering we endure for him, proves this to be true in our lives.  Thus we can rejoice because God’s Spirit has formed “Christ in us” and the proof is found in the persecution by those who recognize and reject the Christ within you.

The Fruit of Spiritual Formation

So then as we travel the pathway of God’s Spirit forming us, what will be the result?  Paul said it well in Galatians: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB).

Love - compassion on a co-worker who is having difficulty coping with the demands of work.

Joy - an exuberance in doing work, even the most menial of tasks.

Peace - a settled-ness of character and identity that enables one to perform one’s job with confidence.

Patience - an ability to wait and respond appropriately to misfortune or difficulty. 

Kindness - an active looking out for one another at work. 

Goodness - speaking and acting with wholesome thoughts and positive contributions. 

Faithfulness - doing what is right and being there for one another consistently.

Gentleness - responding graciously and quietly to challenges and harshness.

Self-control – saying no to greed and self-interest and an ability to keep one’s head and wits “when all about are losing theirs.” 

This is the evidence that spiritual formation is occurring in the life of the Christian at work. What kind of workplace would we find if God’s Spirit was at work in such a way in all those who worked there? It would be a very different place to work!

Personal Aids to Spiritual Formation

I. Prayer – Dialogue with God at Work

There once was a monk named Brother Lawrence who was a cook in the kitchen at the Abbey where he lived and wrote the classic, The Practice of the Presence of God.  His workplace was his place of worship.  He said he felt closer to God washing the pans and the pots than he did during his religious exercises. His simple way was to “practice the presence of God” in whatever he was doing. His counsel to the worker was “that we ought to act with God in the greatest of simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance to our affairs, just as they happen.”[28] It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for worship “abodah” is also the same word used for work.[29] This was the experience of Brother Lawrence and it can be the experience of those in whom God’s Spirit is at work in the workplace.

II. Reflect - Eyes Wide Open. Reflecting upon God’s Glory at Work

The Catholic mystic Ignatius developed a set of spiritual exercises designed for lay people active in the world. These exercises are summarized under the headings “The Greater Glory of God in Us/Humanity; Being Contemplative in Action; Healthy ‘Dying’ for the sake of the Greater Life; & Guidance in Seeking God’s Will.”[30]  Ignatius believed that “human beings exist to increase God’s glory ‘outside of God,’ that is to say, to foster the authentic flourishing of other humans and of all creation.”[31] Contemplative Action is recognizing this glory at work in you and in others. It is celebrating God’s goodness, his provision, his divine intervention in daily life. Healthy dying is about letting go of desires and attitudes that hinder our spiritual growth.  Seeking God’s guidance is allowing the truth of God’s word to form us.

Just as we can converse with God as we go about our work, we need to keep our “eyes wide open” to see where He is at work in our lives and in the lives other those around us.[32] Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is “at hand”.  He did not mean that God’s kingdom was just around the corner or that it was just about to happen.  He meant, quite literally, that the Kingdom of God is close to us, and that if we have “eyes to see, and ears to hear” we will notice God breaking into our lives in the workplace.[33]  As we discover God at work, we see the “increase of his glory.”

It may be helpful to keep a journal of the personal experience of God at work in your life. Note what is happening, how you are responding, and how God is at work shaping your spirit as you experience all the challenges of ordinary daily life.[34] 

III. Serve – Following the way of Jesus

Jesus set us an example.  He said that if anyone wants to be great he must become the least of all, a servant.[35] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community, notices that Jesus’ teaching was in response to the disciples attempting to position themselves “over and against” one another.[36] In response, Bonhoeffer lists the ways we can serve one another in community. These “ministries” are especially applicable to the workplace.

We serve one another by holding our tongue and not judging the other person. We serve by listening.  We serve by being helpful, by bearing with one another’s weaknesses, by believing the best of one another. We serve by proclaiming truth to one another in love. We serve by exercising authority with humility.

As Ignatius put it, serving others in the workplace, will precipitate “healthy” dyings that will require us “to let go of false parts of ourselves so that more of us might become available to God’s purposes in the world.” [37]

Organizational Culture & Spiritual Formation

Much has been written on the importance of organizational culture in shaping and influencing the attitudes and behaviors of the people who work in the organization.[38]  Spiritual Formation at work can either be enhanced or resisted by the prevailing culture of work.  If the culture values competition and self-interest, those who are being formed by God’s Spirit at Work will find themselves swimming against the organizational current. However, organizations that value Faith, Hope and Love will provide a context within which spiritual formation can and will happen.[39] Organizations that make a governing commitment to Grace and Truth will provide the freedom for workers to make mistakes and grow and the accountability that will accelerate change in people in the workplace.[40]

Organizational Aids to Spiritual Formation

I. Values – Building a Community of Faith, Hope & Love

A case could be made that it is the responsibility of the organization and its leadership to provide an environment, a community, in which workers can experience spiritual formation.  Respect must be afforded to people of different religious beliefs and values. However, faith, hope and love are common to most religious persuasions especially when they can be defined inclusively.

Where does the organization begin?   The organization can begin in the place where it will be most evident -- the place of human relationships. How are we to relate to one another in the workplace?  Especially, how do we relate when conflict occurs?  How can grace and truth be made real there?  Where is faith, hope and love to be found? Organizations that define a set of relational values informed by a faith, hope and love and hold to grace and truth in a covenantal way, that is, an unconditional commitment to one another, will provide the right space for spiritual formation.[41]  To live those values workers must practice Christ-likeness. Where we have trouble living them we must bear with one another and allow these ideals to form us.

R. Paul Stevens in his article on “Organizational Values” in The Complete Book of Everyday Christianity; An A-To-Z Guide to Following Christ in Every Aspect of Life defines faith, hope and love in this way.

"Faith requires seeing people and situations the way God does and acting in relation to them in view of the potential for change, integration and wholeness that God holds before each person and every human enterprise. While full communion with God is a possibility reserved for those who become children of God through faith (John 1:12), persons of faith working in organizations of various kinds are invited to translate their own communion with God into a form of communion with their neighbors in the workplace. This is not so much possibility thinking or a search for human transcendence as for divine possibilities and capacities for transcendence that God makes available.

Hope means never giving up on people (confidence) and helping people deal with the reality of their lives (courage), in terms of both their need for change and the positive fruits that can be appropriated through a realignment of their lives.

Love. Though we love in a more limited way than God, our love should reflect that love as we show caring loyalty to employees, members, clients, peers and customers. This involves meeting true needs, going the extra mile in relationships, understanding empathetically the other person’s situation, supporting another’s integrity, remaining faithful to the published values of the organization. Love makes us stay with people even when we find them unpleasant, when they “push our buttons” or when they do not meet our expectations for development. Love means we do not jump to conclusions about the motives of our customers. And even when we must deal with negative reality, we will communicate worth and create an opportunity for people to change and have a second chance." [42]

Defining faith, hope and love inclusively and allowing these values to shape our relationships and community in the workplace will create the space in which God’s spirit at work can bring about spiritual formation in workers. 

Organization must make the development of the whole person -- body, mind and spirit -- a priority for their employees or face the consequences of poor judgment as an outgrowth of poor character. For companies to embrace spirituality they must embrace a radical commitment to grace and truth.  Grace is the act of showing favor towards every person no matter what their performance.  Trust is not an abstract ideal.  It is the concrete acknowledgment of the reality of people in their situations and their strengths and weaknesses.

II. Mission – Connecting with God at Work in the World.

Every building needs a blue print; every army a battle plan; so every organization needs a written statement that defines its purpose and design for being. The word “mission” comes from the Latin word “missio” which means “that which is sent”. So a mission statement is the answer to the question of what an organization is “sent” to be and to do.

In answering this question it is important to note that organizations are made up of people and although they exist separately from the persons who started them, they reflect the character, aspirations and values of the people who compose them. Organizations that facilitate spiritual formation will seek to align the organizational purpose with God’s mission in the world. This does not mean that organizations must have a “religious” reference to God or Jesus Christ in their mission statement, although many successful organizations do have that statement.[43] It means that just as it is God’s intention to “bless the nations” so it is consistent with organizational mission to define itself in terms of those who it serves.[44]  This definition goes beyond maximizing shareholder wealth through profitability to encompass the entire impact of the organization on the community including the welfare of its employees and their families.

Perhaps dispensing with Christian terms, labels and references in a Mission Statement is a good thing since it is not the language that brings about the purpose but the actual substance or essence that affects the purpose. In fact, the people of God in the Bible, such as Joseph, Daniel and Esther were known and respected by the pagan kings, not because they were the people of God, but because as men and women of character and excellence they stood head and shoulders above their peers in their chosen field. Thus, organizations should be known not just as “Christian” organizations, but as a place of extraordinary service or product offerings that goes beyond the average experience provided by most companies. This is the essence of God’s heart to bless “the nations”.

III. Vision – Begin with the end in Mind.

 The story of mankind begins in a garden and ends in a city.[45] It begins with God declaring his creation “good” and it ends with the declaration, “I am making all things new”.  It begins with a mandate to Adam to “be fruitful and fill the earth” and it ends with an ingathering of the fruitfulness of Adam, a fruitfulness redeemed and sanctified by the cross of Christ, a fruitfulness that represents the cultural diversity of the nations, a fruitfulness that shows to the fullest extent the glory of God in the fullness of his creation.[46]

For companies to facilitate spiritual formation at work, they must be able to envision the “big” picture of God’s redemptive purposes on earth.  God has placed in each person and in each culture a seed of glory that He is in the process of bringing forth.  It is His desire that Heaven be filled with this glory. It is the unique identity that He has ordained for each person and for each culture or people group. He wants the fullest expression of this identity in the New Jerusalem and it is His destiny for each person and people group that they would be able to bring their “splendor” into His presence.  Not just so that Heaven would be filled with glory but also that each person would have a “crown of glory” and they would have this crown not for displaying to others but for “casting at the feet of Jesus”.[47]

In heaven, worship and work will be united.  Our work and the fruit of our work, our character and our spirit, the person we are meant to be, will be offered to Christ.  It will not be one eternal worship service, but it will be a work place or worship place where we will go on working, creating and expressing who we have been designed to be,  continuously being formed and the fruit of that formation will be offered to God in ever increasing glory.  This our density as workers as well as worshippers.

The purpose of a Vision Statement is to set forth a picture of what an organization may look like in a set period of time given its Mission and Organizational values. The Vision Statement helps form the company by giving it an overall goal and picture of what it should be like in the future. Thus, companies that develop vision statements to form and shape their future, need to recognize God’s intentions for the world and for people. Organizations that facilitate spiritual formation will include words like “growth” and “achievement” in the vision Statement but these words will be broadened from the traditional material definitions to include the development of worker’s and communities (people groups) potential and creativity.[48] 

The Glory of God at work is Man fully Alive at work

Spiritual formation in the workplace is God’s Spirit at work in people to bring about His purpose for their identity and destiny.  It is the Spirit of Jesus Christ that God intends to be formed in each person, so that just as Jesus is His son, we too would live as Children of God. That is our spiritual identity. 

As the catholic saint Irenaeus stated, “the glory of God is man fully alive!”  God’s design for us is His seed of glory.  The workplace is His garden in which the seed can grow. It is His destiny for us that we would grow to the fullest expression of who He has designed us to be so that we can show forth His glory. Our work is a major part of that expression and the workplace is where we get to discover who we are and what we are meant to do.  This is why there is such a longing in our hearts for meaning and purpose at work.  This is why we reach a stage in the development of human potential where the higher order needs for fulfillment and actualization are becoming dominant.  It is not surprising then that spirituality at work is becoming such a pervasive concern in the workplace. It is no passing fad!  It is God’s Spirit at work in his creation preparing it for its destiny in the New Jerusalem, a workplace and a worship place where we will go on being formed and go on expressing who we are and go giving greater glory and honor to God who created us for this purpose. 

---