牧者心聲

兩星期前，我前往澳門，出席世界華福中心舉辦的職場使命峰會，得著不少提醒，也深感牧者其實有很多不太懂職場的地方。

職場裡，一個決定錯了，可能立刻影響幾十個家庭的生計。市場不會等你先禱告完才運作，老闆也不會因為你的信仰就給你多一點時間。那個在設計行業做最基層工作的青年、那個在銀行裡要追著市場數據跑的姊妹、那個做工程的弟兄需要簽下一份風險很大的合約——你們每天真實面對職場的重量，我不能說我完全明白。作為牧者，我已經離開了一個可以隨時把我裁撤的公司環境。牧者要帶領，但帶領的是一群甘願事奉的人；而各位在職場裡面對的同事，大多不會因為認同你的信仰才與你一起工作。弟兄姊妹在午飯時間只有短短一小時，要排隊、點餐、吃完、走回公司，連喘一口氣都是奢侈，更何況是禱告、靈修、靜思。這些事，我真的不全懂。

雖然不全懂，但牧者並非完全不懂職場。因為教會其實也是一個機構。堂會／機構有董事會，有財務報表，有人事管理，有法律責任，有工作分配，有項目推進。牧者不只是站在講台上，也要面向上主和不同的持份者。從這個角度說，牧者多少是懂一點職場的。

曾聽過一位牧師分享：有位弟兄意識到 A.I. 技術對今天工作環境的衝擊，他沒有只是把資料傳給牧師，說「你應該了解一下」。他親自去找那位牧師，說：「邀請你和我一起去學。」結果，那位牧師真的去了上課。那個邀請，其實代表信徒對牧師說：請你陪我走這一段路。一個簡單的邀請，縮短了彼此的距離。

牧者懂職場，因為每天也活在一個機構的現實裡；牧者又不懂職場，因為沒有人完全懂得另一個人所背負的重量。這兩件事合起來，反而構成了一種誠實，也可以成為彼此同行的開始。牧者能做的，就是不假裝明白各人的處境，但表明我們在乎，也願意學習，盼望能陪伴大家同行一段路。

我也想請整個教會，一起正視今天在職場打拼的弟兄姊妹，努力了解他們當下的辛酸。每星期有五天在職場裡為主作見證，所需要的不只是崇拜裡的一點提醒，更需平日的真摯同行。

求主幫助我們，無論是牧者還是信徒，都能在「懂」與「不懂」之間，找到彼此同行的路。也深深知道，各人在職場裡所經歷的一切，都在上帝的照管之下。願我們不單只是推進「職場福音工作」，更真切關心在職場上的每一位。

  Two weeks ago, I went to Macau to attend a Workplace Mission Summit organized by the Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism. I received many reminders and deeply felt that pastors, in fact, do not fully understand many aspects of the workplace.

  In the workplace, one wrong decision can immediately affect the livelihoods of dozens of families. The market does not wait for you to finish praying before it operates. Your boss will not give you extra time because of your faith. The young man working at the most junior level in the design industry, the sister in banking who must constantly keep up with market data, the brother in engineering who has to sign a high-risk contract—you all face the real weight of the workplace every day. I cannot say that I fully understand. As a pastor, I have already left an environment where I could be laid off at any time. Pastors lead, but we lead people who willingly serve. In the workplace, most colleagues do not work with you because they share your faith. Brothers and sisters may only have a short hour for lunch—to queue up, order food, eat, and walk back to the office. Even catching your breath is a luxury, let alone prayer, devotion, or quiet reflection. I really do not fully understand these things.

  Though I do not fully understand, pastors are not entirely unfamiliar with the workplace either, because the church is an institution too. Churches/organizations have boards of directors, financial statements, human resource management, legal responsibilities, division of labor, and project advancement. Pastors do not only stand at the pulpit. They are also accountable to God and to various stakeholders. In that sense, pastors do understand something of the workplace.

  I once heard a pastor share this story: A brother became aware of the impact of AI technology on today's work environment. He did not just send the pastor information and say, "You should learn about this." Instead, he went to the pastor in person and said, "I invite you to learn this together with me." And the pastor went. That invitation represented the believer saying to their pastor: Please walk this journey with me. One simple invitation shortened the distance between them.

  Pastors understand the workplace, because we live daily in the reality of an institution. Yet pastors do not fully understand the workplace, because no one can fully comprehend the weight another person carries. Together, these two constitute a kind of honesty, which can also become the starting point of walking together. What a pastor can do is not to pretend to understand everyone's situation, but express clearly that we care, that we are willing to learn, and that we hope to walk alongside you for part of the journey.

  I also want to invite our whole church to take seriously the brothers and sisters who labor in the workplace today, to make an effort to understand the struggles they face. Witnessing for the Lord five days a week in the workplace requires more than a brief reminder during the worship service. It calls for sincere companionship in daily life.

  May the Lord help us, whether pastors or believers, to find a way to walk together in the space between “understanding” and “not fully understanding.” And may we know deeply that everything each person experiences in the workplace is under God's providential care. May we not only advance "workplace evangelism," but also genuinely care for every individual in the workplace.