What do an international hotel management company, a leading global growth equity firm, and a company that designs, manufactures, and sells semiconductor assembly equipment all have in common?

A panel of business men and women from these and other international companies participated in a recent Christian business forum on the Church of the Nazarene's Sealands Field. The leadership event was organized by Nazarene team members and local Christian business leaders passionate about living out their faith in a fast-paced and highly competitive business environment. The young people who attended, most of whom are recent university graduates, had the opportunity to ask practical questions about faith issues in the workplace.

A key question was, “What is the best way to be a witness for Christ in my job?” The panelists explained that Christians bring glory to God when their work is completed with diligence and excellence, keeping in mind that the ultimate boss is God. In their book Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf posed the question this way: “What’s the Christian way to be a pilot?” By landing the plane.

Another topic was failure in the workplace. Participants explained that young people in Asia have a great fear of failure, which creates tremendous pressure.  Several of the leaders shared personal experiences when God used their failures to make them completely and totally dependent on Him. The panelists encouraged the participants to not fear failure. While failure in the workplace is common,  employees should “fail forward,” learning from mistakes and becoming more dependent on God.

Further discussion centered on holding to biblical standards. Real life examples were given by the panelists showing that when they held true to God’s Word, He was glorified and their work prospered.

The leadership event was a unique opportunity for young people just starting their careers to interact with respected Christian business men and women. One participant commented: “I realize now that we each have unique opportunities to serve God. My work puts me in contact with people who might not otherwise come to know what it means to be a follower of Christ.”

--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region