When my wife told me about a friend whose husband had lost his job, I could immediately sense a dark cloud of memory descend onto our home. Four years before, we had been there. I had been laid off.
We had a two-month-old baby that my wife had to leave behind every day while she went to work to support us. I sulked around the house, obsessing over half-baked dreams of starting my own business or becoming a novelist. With my wife as the breadwinner, I felt like a useless appendage.
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Unemployment becomes evangelism
Unemployment is traumatic for many reasons, perhaps most of all because it reveals our vulnerability. Unemployed people walk through each day with "What If?" and "What next?" and "Why?" clinging to them like cobwebs they can't brush away. Yet those feelings of vulnerability, panic and loss create an opportunity for the Church to reach people that otherwise it never would.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on any given day in 2003, there was an average of 8,774,000 Americans looking for work. Several million of that number do not know Christ, but know that they need help, and are willing to get it even at a church.
Churches can address that very real need, and "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).
Kim Thompson has worked for years as a licensed professional counselor in a large placement firm. More than 10 years ago she realized that what she was doing at her job could very well be a ministry if it were done in a church building.
"I was talking to someone who had just lost his job and heard the tremendous amount of uncertainty and anxiety in their voice," Thompson said. "When someone is in transition, they want hope. The words of God are based on hope, faith and love. I believe we are missing out on an enormous opportunity if we do not minister to those who have lost jobs or are confused about what to do with their lives."
In fact, Thompson, said, career counseling has spiritual roots. "It answers questions like ‘What is my purpose in life?'" she said. "Several major pioneers in the career counseling field attended seminary school and often bring a theological approach to their views on careers."
The Church is also a good candidate for helping prospective employees because it provides community. A church-based group full of positive, caring Christians, can be a much different place than the typical government employment office.
"There appears to be a sense of community in a church-based seminar, where giving is emphasized as much as receiving," said Thompson. "For example, people in a church-based seminar seem to be more forthcoming in giving help. Class participants seem to readily exchange names and contact information. In a church setting, we can support one another by asking for prayers regarding an upcoming interview."
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-- Kim Thompson, |
I believe we are missing out on an enormous opportunity if we do not minister to those who have lost jobs or are confused about what to do with their lives.
Northwest Bible Church in Spring, Texas has been reaching out to job seekers and spiritual seekers with its Between Jobs Ministry for 13 years. The congregation of 500 sees 300-400 job seekers come through their doors every Wednesday morning for a breakfast served by volunteers.
A jobs program divides job seekers according to industry. In various sessions, they hear from corporate recruiters, learn networking skills, receive help with writing resumes, and search for jobs in a lab equipped with seven computers. Participants can take advantage of one-on-one counseling, financial seminars, and e-mail lists where job leads and prayer requests are shared. The ministry also offers a support group for spouses of unemployed people.
According to Dr. Roy Farmer, staff member at Northwest and director of the program, Between Jobs Ministry has accomplished much:
- 3,200 jobs have been filled
- 23 "graduates" have gone into full-time ministry
- 45 marriages that were near divorce have been saved.
Perhaps most amazing is that this entire program has an annual budget of only $3,000.
"God keeps providing the money," said Dr. Farmer. Most materials and equipment are donated. One family buys 75 Bibles every other week to be distributed to new job seekers. People who have benefited from the program give back to it financially, even though they are not members of the church and are never asked to give a cent.
Several take off from work every Wednesday morning to come back and help out. A few retired businessmen are working six days a week in this ministry. They have found a second career in helping others find jobs.
Across town, at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, a similar group meets every Monday morning. Will Darroh began Career Assistance Ministry at Memorial Drive in 1999 when a wave of lay-offs hit the energy corridor in Houston. Darroh's ministry is not as comprehensive as Between Jobs Ministry, but the evangelistic results have been just as impressive. Some 40-50 job seekers attend sessions every week. Less than 5 percent of them are Memorial Drive members.
Darroh or other volunteers provide employment expertise for each session, tailoring the content to the needs of a particular group. Then time is reserved for a devotional and prayer led by one of the congregation's ministers. Darroh is also recruiting a team of volunteer "Encouragers" to be friendly, supportive faces for job seekers.
Darroh recently received a letter from someone whose job search had lasted nearly three years. "I never lost faith in God," the ministry participant wrote, "that he would see me through this long journey. I believe he led me to people like you, and ministries like yours, to give me support and a setting from which to draw strength and perspective."
4 steps to create a jobs ministry in your church
An unemployment ministry can be emulated on some level at any congregation. You may be surprised at how many of your members have experienced unemployment and are willing to help others through the same crisis. You may be even more surprised at how many community people will come to your building if you offer them some sort of help in their job searches. A successful employment ministry can start very small, but should include a few key components:
1. Provide help that is truly helpful
Between Jobs Ministry brings in corporate recruiters and other human resources professionals. Career Assistance Ministry is led by Will Darroh, who works full-time in the personnel search business.
Beyond expertise, though, that person also needs to be a good presenter with a heart for ministry. If you don't have someone that meets those criteria in your congregation, you can bring in an outside expert. Thompson's New Avenues Career Ministry sends Christian career coaches to churches for one-day or weekend seminars. You may need to partner with other congregations in your area to field a qualified team.
2. Build a net
The old adage of "it's not what you know, but who you know" is quite accurate. Most people do a very poor job of building a network while they are employed, so when they lose their jobs, they are desperate for leads, for names, for real live people that can help them. Every employment ministry should include a networking component. Career Assistance Ministry asks church members to be "Networking Partners." This simply means that people who know of a job opening contact the ministry, and the ministry posts that listing on an e-mail to job seekers.
3. Put your best foot forward
This may be your only opportunity to show unchurched job seekers that you love them. Host your employment seminar or support group in the best room in your building, not the dark, musty classroom in the church basement. If your budget allows, provide lunch and/or babysitting. Recruit some of your friendliest people to spend the day with these guests. The best hosts are church members who experienced unemployment themselves and can relate to these job seekers.
4. Be practical, not preachy
This is not the time for a 45-minute sermon to a captive audience. But do explain that you believe God needs to be an integral part of every job search and pray over the group at the end of the session. Include relevant Scriptures on each handout.
An unemployed family is dealing with several issues. Offer information about what else your church offers in the way of marriage seminars, financial counseling, children's programs, etc. The point is to prove that you care and that the Bible has something to say about every aspect of their lives.
"Employment affects everyone in the family and what better way to show you care than to help provide support when individuals and families are vulnerable?" Thompson said.
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