Should I Work for a Faith-based Organization?
I had the honor of interviewing Bill –an experienced top corporate brand marketer who, after 10+ years, shifted his career to his calling and has worked for 20 years in faith-inspired nonprofits. As the President of Huskies In Christ, I wanted to explore and find answers to my curious questions about working for a faith-based organization. As a student who loves to inspire others and motivate them to find their calling, I was interested to know what it would be like working for a faith-based organization rather than a nonprofit business or company. I wondered if it would be more fulfilling, or if it was something I wanted to do since I am so passionate about my faith. Through this interview, Bill was able to answer some of these questions.
A big difference: Passion
I asked Bill what it’s like being a part of an organization with a faith-based mission and how it’s different from working for a specific company. His answer was simple, passion. Bill said passion is a huge part of working for a faith-based organization; when he was in the marketing field, he described it as playing monopoly, looking for the numbers, and analyzing the sales. This was not always enough for him. For him, working for a faith-based organization, you weren’t measuring the sales; you were measuring the life change. You need to have a calling, and you have to believe in what you’re talking about. Bill was clear that you must have passion because, without it, there isn’t a drive or fire deep within the soul.
Closer to God or Skepticisms
I continued to ask Bill some deeper questions like if faith-based organizations lead us closer to God or what I should do if I’m skeptical about working for a faith-based organization? His answers actually astonished me; he said that faith-based organizations could lead you closer to God because of the environment you’re in, but it all depends on you. More people are curious and want to know about your relationship with God, but that doesn’t mean it necessarily draws you closer to God. You could be serving God through the mission, but that doesn’t mean you’re taking the time to know God and invest in your relationship with Him. Bill even stated that while working for his corporate jobs, he started Bible clubs at the organization because he was so on fire for God. And for some, this is how they can blend their faith and work at a corporation — He stated that it all goes back to you and your relationship with God rather than where you work. Your relationship with God can impact the missionary or the corporate world.
“I was skeptical about working for a faith-based organization because of the pay and time” and he truthfully stated his answer, that you will make less income and it will take up more of your time and could possibly strain family relationships but it all depends on your view of money and your view of God. “You will have to take that step of faith if this is what you believe God is calling you to”.
I really loved Bill’s transparency and his devotion to the truth. It made me look at my decision in a different perspective. He elaborated on the call, on the mission – that’s what holds you in and keeps you going. It’s also faith in God, even when we can’t see it. Bill kept mentioning the Bible verse Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” as his go to verse.
Fulfillment
By the end of the interview, I asked Bill if he believed that he was fulfilling the mission and work that God had called him to and if he was where he was supposed to be? His immediate and confident response was “yes, the entire thing is coming together.” He believed Working for a faith-based organization and doing missionary work is where God wanted him. He believed that even in the hard times, God was in charge of the journey. At the age of twenty-five, he never believed he’d be in an interview talking about his faith-based journey or his missionary work which leads back to his all-time verse .. Ephesians 3:20. Then, his daughter Anna jumped onto the call about her journey and video she made about interning for a faith-based organization stating it was such a great help for her to gain experience in humanitarian work and to gain a new skill while creating the video.
What’s Next?
So, the big question, “what’s next?” I guess we never really know what’s next but we do know we can have a vision, plan, and goal. And it may not come to us just when we graduate – we may have to explore for profit jobs, volunteerism and a professional job at a faith-based organization — Yet it all comes down to who you are and what you believe you are called to do.
Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash
