JO KADLECEK reads ‘Keeping Faith: How Christian organisations can stay true to the way of Jesus‘…
Stephen Judd, John Swinton and Kara Martin
Keeping Faith: How Christian Organisations Can Stay True to the Way of Jesus
Acorn Press, Australia, 2023
ISBN-13: 978-0647531938
For anyone who has worked at an organisation which calls itself Christian, the expectations can be exhilarating. Colleagues will love like Jesus, standards will reflect the God who created the universe with excellence and beauty, and grace will be amply extended to those who fail in their tasks.
Who wouldn’t want to work at a place like that?
“True to its title, this is a how to book, with a bit of why and what thrown in. The small book is full of big points, illustrative anecdotes and far-reaching Biblical passages. It’s divided into four sections and 15 chapters with helpful reflection questions at the end of each topical chapter – ideal for departmental team building. “
Yet the higher the expectation, the harder the fall when something goes awry. Deep and painful disappointment can sweep over an employee, allowing disillusionment to set in, and from then on, organisations which claim “Christian” in their title become suspect.
Which is why the new book, Keeping Faith: How Christian organisations can stay true to the way of Jesus is so important. Co-authors Stephen Judd (former CEO of Hammondcare), John Swinton (Scottish theologian and chaplain to King Charles III) and Kara Martin (academic, author and public theologian on work and worship) have issued a call to Christian leaders of ministries and agencies to rediscover a robust theology of faithfulness in the workplace – and to put it into practice.
True to its title, this is a how to book, with a bit of why and what thrown in. The small book is full of big points, illustrative anecdotes and far-reaching Biblical passages. It’s divided into four sections and 15 chapters with helpful reflection questions at the end of each topical chapter – ideal for departmental team building.
Section one explores the concept of organisational faithfulness; section two helps establish a theology for organisations; section three offers theological foundations for practice; and, section four helps anchor the thinking and beliefs around faithfulness with practical checklists. The writing is accessible, clear and disturbing in a good way: it’s a resource for every Christ-centred organisation if they are willing to do the hard work of collective soul searching with honesty and integrity and if they are willing to make theology a “prerequisite…for following God’s ways rather than misguided worldly wisdom.”
After all, the authors repeatedly call for radical displays of Biblical theology, which, as they point out, can be risky and difficult. It means reviewing what is and isn’t working, or what is and isn’t “Christian” in the organisation’s approach to faithfulness. They suggest “that the gauge for what makes an organisation function in a Christian manner is best found in the idea of faithfulness”. That involves trust and loyalty and so the “outcome of our business practices are gauged by our faithfulness to the mission of the God who gifts, inspires and guides them. And note that is God’s mission, not ours”.
Bingo. The thread which ties each chapter together – from why your organisation might be more sinful than you think to stewardship and practicing radical hospitality – is God’s presence. It’s because of His presence that an organisation, the authors say, should take on risk, not avoid it. It’s because of God’s character that authentic forgiveness, redemption and even judgment and hospitality can be on display. (I would have liked these two to coincide a bit more.) After all, “the biblical command to be hospitable…is not simply about being nice!” It is a, “thoughtfully intentional element in an organisational theology.”
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The authors, of course, also tackle the tempting influence money can have in a ministry or Christian charity. Because no-one can serve two masters, Matthew’s Gospel tells us, “the heart of a Christian organisation might become apparent if you follow the money…Are the business cases over the past year determined primarily by financial metrics or missional imperatives? Is your service to clients shaped by budgets rather than compassion and grace?” Jesus’ teaching here, they say, focuses on mission that leads to faithfulness. To focus on money can lead to unfaithfulness.
And with the who’s who of endorsements in the front of the book – Rev Tim Costello, Dr John Dickson, Rev Melissa Lipsett, Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, Clare Steele and others – topics and challenges like these clearly resonate for leaders wanting their organisation to exhibit faithfulness to God. It’s particularly relevant, too, for an Australian context, with numerous Aussie examples, but the theological concepts and frameworks translate across cultures.
In all, the authors of Keeping Faith: How Christian organisations can stay true to the way of Jesus have provided a necessary handbook for any follower of Christ wanting her organisation to stay on the narrow and difficult path of biblical faithfulness in what is often a competitive and greedy culture.
They remind us that stewarding God’s gifts create the much-needed distinctives for addressing a broken world, with Christ’s presence the key for remaining faithful to the Creator of all good gifts. The questions they ask are tough and probing, and “the answers are not simple. But that does not mean they can be ignored because they are too hard or apparently unprofitable. They must instead be faithfully addressed.”
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