Short Answer
You should share your faith wisely at work, but not in a way that violates your job responsibilities or workplace rules. Do your work faithfully, and look for appropriate opportunities to represent Christ without overstepping.
The Overview
The workplace is different from the church. In a church setting, believers are expected to live by biblical standards, but in the workplace, you are interacting with people who may not share your beliefs. Because of this, you cannot expect non-Christians to follow Christian standards or respond positively to correction.
When you are employed, you are being paid to do a specific job. This creates a responsibility to honor your employer by focusing on your work during work hours. If your workplace has clear rules about not evangelizing during work time, it is generally appropriate to respect those rules—unless they require you to do something sinful.
That does not mean you cannot live out your faith. You can still be a witness through your attitude, integrity, and kindness. There may also be natural opportunities—such as breaks or personal conversations—where you can share your faith respectfully and appropriately. Wisdom is key in discerning when and how to speak.
It’s also important to avoid trying to impose Christian behavior on non-believers. While you may prefer certain language or values, others are not bound by those standards. Instead of correcting or confronting coworkers, it is often better to focus on your own conduct and let your life reflect your beliefs.
Ultimately, the goal is balance: honoring God while also honoring your responsibilities. Being “salt and light” in the workplace means living faithfully, working diligently, and speaking wisely—not forcing conversations in ways that may lead to conflict or job loss.
Key Takeaways
- Workplace ≠ Church
Different expectations apply in each setting. - Honor Your Job Responsibilities
You are paid to work, not preach during work hours. - Respect Workplace Rules
Unless they require you to sin. - Be a Witness Through Your Life
Character often speaks louder than words. - Use Wisdom in Sharing Faith
Look for appropriate moments, not forced ones. - Do Not Impose Standards on Others
Non-believers are not accountable to Christian rules.
Transcript
[00:00:00 – 00:01:02] Right, let’s go to Gloria. You’re on the air with Mike Fabaraz. How can I help? >> Hi, Pastor Mike. >> Hi. >> My question is, is it wrong to preach at work and to proselytize at work if your work says don’t do it? And I had a friend that was doing it and she got fired and now she got a new job. And then, you know, sometimes when people say, “OMG,” or, “Oh my gosh,” or “Oh my goodness.” She said that’s taking the Lord’s name in vain. And so she confronted the three people about it and she put like sticky notes on their desk with track saying please refrain from doing it because it’s taking the Lord’s name in vain. And so is it I mean how do we approach that at work? I mean because she says she doesn’t want to not preach the gospel and have like their blood on her hands. Um, but she’s been fired more than once. So, how do we balance that? >> Well, here’s the thing. I can’t expect the non-Christian world to abide by
[00:01:08 – 00:02:04] Christian rules, even though I would love for them to do so because they will cease storing up wrath for themselves for the day of God’s judgment. So, I understand the motivation, but you’re paid to be there to do a particular job in the marketplace, in the secular marketplace, and uh unless they tell you to do something that is expressly prohibited by God, I’m going to say if they say you can’t share the gospel from 8:00 in the morning until your lunch break and not until 1:00 until 5,
[00:01:36 – 00:02:22] I’m going to say, “Well, then you abide by those rules.” Uh, you can ask someone politely, hey, I’d prefer you not use that language around me, or please don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, but you know, they’re they’re going to be free to say what they’re going to say. And to get fired over that, all I can tell you is your friend’s going to have to find a lot of jobs in her life because they’re going to continue to fire her. And that’s the difference, right? In the
[00:01:59 – 00:02:43] church, we have a demand for people to live by God’s rules. And as Paul said, who am I to judge the world, right? No, no, I’m supposed to judge those within the church. So, she’s basically treating her workplace like a church place. And that’s not what the Bible says. He says, “If you’re going to try to have a Christian environment everywhere you go, you’d have to leave the world.” That’s what he tells the Corinthians. And we can’t. As long as we’re here, we’re going to try to do what we can to be salt and light, but I cannot do it on my boss’s dime, the company’s dime. If I’m there employed to make widgets or to do a service, I’ve got to do that service. So, I’ve got a quid pro quo of I’m giving you all this work so that you can give me money so that I can go and buy a home and make it a godly home and I can go to church and I can stand outside in the parking lot or wherever on the street corner and I can share the gospel all night long and all Saturday and all
[00:02:48 – 00:03:45] Sunday afternoon, but I’m not going to be able to tell my boss uh you know, I’m going to be able to preach the gospel, you know, from uh 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. You can’t. You’re there to do your job. And I think the principle of this is clearly embedded in scripture that I cannot expect the world uh to be judged by my church standards. I just can’t. One day God will judge them, but it’s not mine to judge the world. Right? And here’s what he writes. I’ll just quote it for you. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9. He says, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with the sexually immoral.” Not meaning all the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy or the swindlers or the idoltors since then you would need to go out of the world. No, I’m writing you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother. Well, he’s guilty of sexual immorality or greed or idoltor, a reviler, a drunker, or a swindler. Don’t even eat with such a one. For what do I have to
[00:03:40 – 00:04:30] do with judging the outsiders? Is it not the those inside that you’re supposed to judge? God judges those outside. So, purge the evil from among you in the church, right? This is the context. So, that’s my concern is that she’s trying to treat her workplace like a church place, and that’s not what it is. So, that’s that’s my response. And I would be just clear that you’re going to have to bear the penalty of what you’re going to get. You’re going to get fired and
[00:04:05 – 00:04:48] you’ll get fired again if you continue this because that’s just how it’s going to work in the world. She’s in the domain of darkness and she’s trying to say, “Why don’t you live like my people in my small group of my church?” Doesn’t work that way. >> That’s great. Thanks a lot. >> Okay, that was first Corinthians chapter 5, by the way. All right. Thank you, Gloria. Very good.
