Speaking of Faith II

As I reflect on the name change of radio program, from "Speaking of Faith" to "Being," I am reminded of the adage: when is a business not a business? The answer is when it is a church. Communities of faith have the same organization structures of all organizations with the same goverance, financial, and oversight needs. Yet, the dynamics that influence how churches function are supposed to be and ought to be driven by the expression of faith. How we speak of faith in a church organization is different than how we speak of faith in a company or workplace.

For example, volunteers are committed because of values and the "compensation" is living those values more clearly than perhaps they can do in other parts of their lives. Clergy and professional congregational staff are teachers, conveyors, and perservers of those values. They are more than the supervisor or 'boss.' And, emotions, needs, support, understanding, will always we sought and assumed more in the faith community work place than in an employer-employee relationship.

Despite the similarities between business and faith organizations, there will always be a disconnect between how a company runs and how a church runs. So, there is always be a disconnect between how people speak of faith in the at work and how they speak of faith in their communities.

Still, I uphold the public conversation that shapes our lives in both workplace and faith community that expresses what we believe and where our hearts rest.