From Salesperson to Preacher: The Workplace as a Mission Field

A picture of ripe wheat
A picture of ripe wheat
By XiaoyanJune 9th, 2023

Sister Yang, a full-time preacher who participated in the workplace preaching group in the church, shared her work experience and mentioned her views on workplace preaching, as well as examples of how to deal with workplace hidden rules and relationships with colleagues.

Sister Yang has been a believer in God since childhood, following her family's faith. She had always aspired to serve God but had not received a specific calling, so she decided to pursue a career first. During her job search, she prayed, expressing her willingness to bring glory to God's name through her work and to serve with a heart devoted to Him.

Initially, Sister Yang worked as a salesperson in a home chain store. While her colleagues engaged in gossip, attended to personal matters, or used their mobile phones during their free time, Sister Yang did not engage in any private activities at the workplace, even reading the Bible. Instead, she utilized this time to review completed work, seek ways to improve work performance, or just do the cleaning.

However, her colleagues did not appreciate her approach, presenting Sister Yang with a dilemma: whether to compromise or uphold her personal principles. On one hand, she entrusted her prayers to God, and on the other, she made efforts to serve and assist her colleagues. Gradually, they became accustomed to her actions.

As the company expanded its business, some salespeople were assigned marketing roles. Sister Yang noticed that while she would submit reimbursement claims based on actual expenses, her colleagues would submit higher amounts. This discrepancy led to suspicion, isolation, and even client poaching by her colleagues.

Later on, the company eventually discovered the loophole and promptly rectified the issue. As a result, Sister Yang was assigned additional financial management responsibilities. God continued to bless her in her work performance, leading to a transformation in the attitudes of her previously dismissive colleagues. They discovered that Yang was indeed a "trustworthy person". Consequently, they no longer hesitated to confide in her whenever they faced troubles or had confidential matters, knowing she would maintain discretion and treat them with the same respect. She even invited her colleagues to church.

Three years later, Sister Yang was promoted to store manager. A few years later, she became a regional manager. Although her workload increased, her faith remained steadfast. She believed in performing her duties well and serving God both at work and at home.

After working for 11 years, Sister Yang was called by God to be a full-time missionary and has been a preacher for two years.

(The writer is a Christian from Shaanxi.)

- Translated by Oliver Zuo

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