On a personal note, professionally I have worked as a Vice President of Finance for 26 years at JP Morgan Chase. I retired from that first career and worked for 11 years as a counselor for the Bowery Mission, a Christian organization, working with homeless men. And in March 2020, I retired from my second career and started a third career as a Christian Apologist; sharing the genius of the Bible through speaking at churches and colleges as well as running this website.
Working in both a secular environment like JP Morgan Chase and then a Christian organization like the Bowery Mission, both as a Christian, has given me a unique perspective on the so-called secular/sacred workplace issue.
I think it is a mistake for Christians to make this sacred/secular distinction when it comes to deciding where we should work. For in reality, we need to work where God has called us to work, whether it be at a bank in the finance department or at a church as a pastor. The truth is that God can use us anywhere.
Thankfully, many Christians have felt the call to work in a so-called secular environment where they can be effective witnesses for Christ. Working at JP Morgan Chase as a Christian allowed me to serve not only as a VP of Finance but as an ambassador for Christ. For you see being a Christian is more than just worshipping Christ on Sunday. As Christians we need to engage the culture 24/7 wherever God places us.
For me working at a large New York City bank gave me wonderful opportunities to witness for Christ by living out my Christian values, loving my co-workers, and using my God given gifts and talents to help transform lives. My friends it is wrong to think that one must serve in a foreign country to be called a “Christian” missionary. Not only did I view my job at the bank as an ambassador for Christ but also as a huge missions field; since most of my co-workers were not Christians.
Now don’t get me wrong if God has called you to be a pastor, or work as a foreign missionary in a third world country then that is what you should pursue. But those who work in a Christian ministry should be careful to not look down on their fellow believers who have chosen to work in a non-Christian workplace. In both instances we can engage the culture and help transform it by living out our Christian testimony. Scripture tells us to be holy at all times, in all circumstances, and in all environments – not just in church.
Wherever God places you remember that you are His ambassador and missionary. God needs His people in both the church and Christian organizations. But he also needs them working in the so-called secular environment for if there are no believers there then God is not represented there. The key is to live out your Christian values and watch how God uses you wherever you are.
The great German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571 – 1630) understood that in reality no distinction should be made in the sacred/secular arena when he shared: “I had the intention of becoming a theologian…but now I see how God is, by my endeavors, also glorified in astronomy, for ‘the heavens declare the glory of God.’”1
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOHANNES KEPLER (of 97) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)