I was raised at a time when Church was for Sunday. We couldn’t imagine Church without the pastor standing up front. Our view was that one “went” to Church, not so much that we are the Church.

During my lifetime, Christ’s church has been transformed by the expansion of technology, a significant change in worldview called “postmodernism,” and a revolution led by those who have moved the Church out of the building and into the world in a new and wonderful way.

It’s a Kingdom on the Move
George Barna, an influential researcher who has reported on the state of the church for many years, writes about the current spread of the gospel in his book, Revolution,

The dominant catalyst is people’s desperation for a genuine relationship with God. The renewal of that relationship spurs believers to participate in spreading the gospel. Rather than relying on a relative handful of inspired preachers to promote a national revival, the emerging revolution is truly a grassroots explosion of commitment to God that will refine the Church and result in a natural and widespread immersion in outreach. This is the Church being restored so the Holy Spirit can work effectively through the Body of Christ.(1)

Christ’s Church-in-Motion moves the boundaries of His love into places where He is seldom seen. This approach leads to the development of alternative ways of assembly, care, relationship, experience, service, and the humble presentation of the gospel to others. Most of us involved in one or another aspect of boundary-moving ministries have astounding stories to tell about how God has blessed those involved by “adding to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47b).

Hallowed Ground at Work
Here at EvanTell, our point of view is that “hallowed ground” should be found anywhere that the children of God gather, especially in the places that people spend the 50% of their lives working. The working out of the ministry of Jesus relied on the commitment of a tentmaker, some fishermen, a tax collector, a physician, some savvy businesswomen, and countless working people, all of whom cared for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.We believe in that open model of relationship for today.

We believe that the world is poised for all of us to think of our work places as the place we worship God and serve other people. We believe that evangelism in the workplace is the logical extension of the Church-in-Motion. We are committed to the growth of the Kingdom of God through men and women who share Paul’s view that “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” (Colossians 3:23). Our work is sacred ground if we are God’s man or woman, working hard, giving a full day’s work for our pay, worshiping and loving God and our neighbors as we work.

Workplace author William (Bill) Peel’s view is, “We have a new salary structure. Work is an avenue for eternal significance to the individual. We work not to get rich but to gain an eternal reward. Contrary to what some of us may have heard…, as followers of Jesus our daily work now counts for eternity.”(2)

We are featuring Bill’s fine book, Going Public With Your Faith, and podcasts by Bill that will help articulate the concepts we share. Additional articles in our series on “The Church-In-Motion” will follow as we find others that we think will help expand the vision and practical application of the concept.

For example:

Let’s just go to work. Together.

1. Barna, George, Revolution, 2005, BarnaBooks, an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL. ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-0758-9, p. 103.

2. Peel, William C., and Walt Larimore, Going Public with Your Faith, 2003, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. ISBN-10: 0-310-24609-1. p. 44-45.