Pursuing Justice Where You Are
Last weekend I had the privilege of working with 20 young emerging leaders who are seeking to serve God and bring redemptive change in their own careers, outside the walls of the church. Amongst them were:
a CFO for an education services company exploring ways to develop a culture that values people amidst the drive for profit,
an HR executive for a big company who is looking at the future for human work in an age of increasing automation,
a young woman thinking about how we can get better support other women on pathways to elected public service in the political arena.
These young leaders work in vastly different industries. They come from different church traditions. They hold different levels of influence in their organisations and careers. Yet they share a belief that God could use them to bring something of God’s justice and shalom into the workplaces and communities where God has placed them.
In Ephesians chapter 2 (verses 1-10) we are told that by grace and through faith in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done, we walk in the world in a completely different way. What happens when we align our lives with Jesus as our king, and accept his offer of salvation, is not just a transaction from ‘’sinner’’ to ‘’saved’’, it’s a complete transformation in who we are and how we live in the world.
When we live this way, our lives will necessarily be different to those we live, work and play alongside. They live their lives by a different story. They have a different foundational view of the world.
This means living Jesus’ way will stand out!
For many Christians this raises fears about being marginalised or persecuted in your workplace or industry. We know this is really hard. We know you face pressure around ethical decisions, bosses that don’t understand, fears about career progression. The tragedy is that often the church is not willing or able to support you as you stand up and stand out in this work.
We need to be better at walking alongside you. Seed is committed to doing that. God has called us to grow Redemptive Changemakers and their ideas beyond the walls of the church.
So, if you’re sold out on Jesus and justice, I want to encourage you to ask:
Why does God have you in the workplace or community where you are right now?
What is God’s desire for the people you come into contact with each day? What might it look like for for your work colleagues, customers or partners to flourish?
How can you be an advocate for these people?
You don’t need to work for the church, in social services or in the development sector to pursue justice. God wants you to be a voice and ambassador for justice wherever you are today.
We’re super excited to see where these 20 young leaders go over the next 12 months. There are significant opportunities to imagine and create new expressions of God’s justice and God’s kingdom in the Corporate sector, in Human Resources or in Politics.
It may be a long road ahead. But these 20 leaders know that we are with them and that God is with them. They remain open and expectant to see what God does!
If we are going to see God glorified and justice rain down in this increasingly complex world, then we need more than just 20. We need hundreds of people who are committed to imagining the world as God intends it to be, then finding ways to breathe it into life in our communities, our nation and our world.