Church needs equipping for workplace ministry role — report

The role and readiness of churches for equipping Christians for workplace ministry is explored in the latest report released by Christian marketplace initiative Call 42.

The report is based on a national online survey of 1 300 Christians and includes responses to questions posed specifically to some 200 church leaders and full-time ministers.

The survey shows that church is the place where most Christians hear about their calling in the workplace, and that the church does have an important role to play in career-oriented Christians’ lives.

Most church and ministry leaders indicated that ministry to the workplace will take medium to high priority in the short term. However they mentioned a lack of relevant equipping for ministering to working professionals. They said they needed more insight into the challenges of ministering in the work environment. They also cited a shortage of relevant training and resources, discipling, support and ministers.

The majority of working Christians indicated that they wanted support from career-oriented Christian mentors.

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Call 42, which was launched last year by a group of Stellenbosch marketplace professionals, aims to create awareness of what God can and wants to do in the South African marketplace through the lives of marketplace Christians, and to highlight the issues and obstacles that Christians experience in living out their workplace calling.

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An executive report and a demographic report on the Call 42 survey were published in August. The church leader report is the first in a series of additional focus group reports. The next scheduled report will focus on students. Company managers and marketplace ministers will be addressed in further reports. Published findings are open for public use and available on Call42’s website where one can subscribe to receive future report notification.