The logins for the resource wiki have been changed, please contact your campus staff or helpdesk@c4c.ca for the new login data.

From C4C Resource Wiki

“What if I plan to get a secular job and use my position to develop a ministry?”

If God is clearly directing you to a career in a secular field, then you will need to make a commitment to your employer. Your employer is not paying you to evangelize on the job, but to make a profit for the company’s shareholders. You are to work heartily, as unto the Lord, whatever you do.

Surely, as a Christian you are called to be His ambassador every minute of every day, but you need to be sensitive to your employer’s expectations. Your opportunities to witness and disciple will be significantly more limited than what you may have experienced as a student. It is exciting to have a ministry in a secular context. However, keep in mind that it’s very difficult to balance your commitment of time, talent, creativity and energy between your professional goals and your ministry.

The real question is not, “Can I develop a ministry within my job?” but, “Do I sense God wants me to use all my time and energy for ministry or only my discretionary time?”

A survey of young professionals seeking to minister in the marketplace revealed four predominant barriers to having an effective ministry:

• Pressure from the employer not to “dispense religion” in the context of business
• Pressure for the employer to “produce” leaves little time for ministry, during the day.
• Commuting time-included 50-60 hour workweeks are the norm, leaving little time or energy for ministry after work.
• Little to no environment, encouragement or accountability to foster a ministry.

“How can I prepare myself for an effective ministry within the context of a secular career?”

Many Christians fail to develop disciple-building opportunities ‘on the job’ because they simply are not equipped to work through the complexities of a ministry in the marketplace.

If God calls you to develop a lifelong ministry within a business environment, then you need to equip yourself just as a physician, attorney or CA invests several years of additional education and experience in preparation for a lifelong career. Two years of vocational Christian ministry will give you the basic training you’ll need to be a well-equipped ambassador for Christ – wherever God leads you. Think of it as a graduate school in life effectiveness.

As a Campus For Christ staff member, you’ll have unlimited opportunities to develop and sharpen skills that will be important for the rest of your life – skills in the areas of personal ministry, leadership, communication and relationships. To be well prepared for a lifetime of ministry in a secular position, you should consider taking two or three years of “graduate work” to strengthen your walk with the Lord and develop personal ministry skills.

“Wouldn’t a secular job be more secure financially and therefore better stewardship of my money?”

Financial security is probably not the major factor in your decision. If it is a specific issue; however, consider that there really is no financial security in any position. Tens of thousands of men and women have spent years of their life working for major corporations, only to turn around one day and have no job.

Financial security can only be found through obedience to God and His direction for your life. The bottom line is our obedience to His Call. It is only in Him, and through faith in His promises, that we find lasting security. Our lives are in His hands. Therefore, we are ultimately His responsibility.