— by Austin Kapur

“The greatest way to witness is through the life you live. Let the radiance of your Christian life be such that it will make [others] ask questions about your [faith].” - Billy Graham

The last few years have been the most planned and unplanned of my life. In January 2020, my husband and I moved out of San Francisco to gain additional space for our first child due in April (planned). In March, when the world shut down, we were asked to stay home and work remotely (unplanned). When our baby girl arrived several weeks later, we praised God for the extra square footage (a planned / unplanned miracle).

But, after nearly two years of working from home, I needed to return to the office. With the seismic shift in how and where we work today, i.e. dining room tables-turned-makeshift desks and Zoom calls now the norm, my current employer surprised me by this request. My focus and productivity was off-the-charts. But, if I was honest, my collegial relationships needed massive TLC.

In a constant state of working from a computer screen, my company colleagues had forgotten how to interact with each other. On a Monday morning and throughout the week, instead of asking how the other person was or about their weekend activities, we jumped straight to business. Conversations became transactional and questionable. I’d ask myself, “Do we even care about each other’s lives? Where’s Jesus in all of this?”

The Challenge Remote Work Poses to Sharing Faith and Loving Others

As Christian entrepreneurs, we are called to be a witness of Christ to others. This can pose a unique challenge when we’re more often replacing in-person interaction with virtual calls and instant messages. But, with intentionality, any challenge (and work environment) is our battlefield.

As 2022’s return to office date loomed, I began implementing easy steps to be more thoughtful of my colleagues' wellbeing and represent Jesus virtually. Although my behavior shifted, the 20,000-person organization required major work, and it was not changing overnight. That’s when God convicted me to start planning again. In early 2022, I left my employer to run my own virtual business, stating my intentions loudly to the world: to bear the light of hope in and outside my business.

At Plum & Parcel, we’re no strangers to remote work; our team members are spread across the West Coast. We work great virtually when we stick by our values, including goodness and grace. I believe my faith is my greatest asset as an entrepreneur, communicator and leader; I’m confident God created me perfectly for this moment of remote work history, so I can share my faith (and tips) with the world.

For those who also lead businesses online, here are my top 4 tips for sharing your faith with remote teams. Add your own advice and experiences to the comments, below.

Commit to building relationships

Building relationships takes time - even more so when you can’t always engage with your circle (and meet new people) in-person. One solution: prioritize scheduling casual catch-ups or lunches to connect with new acquaintances and coworkers in-person if you can, or remotely if needed. Starting with small talk before any meeting begins is the best way to engage in a meaningful way, which can open the door to deeper conversations about Jesus.

Be proactive about showing appreciation virtually

If you actively keep a blog, are active on social media or have a company-wide internal social tool, when was the last time you thought about using these channels to shout out your employees' awesome work or kind gestures broadly? Have you ever thought about connecting with new or existing customers, investors or employees by sharing your own personal testimony or an encouraging moment with God on these channels? Communicating your appreciation for God and those around you virtually can make a strong statement of your faith and values to the world.

Commit to your own spiritual journey

Chances are you’ve heard the phrase ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ – and this couldn’t be more true when it comes to our all-important work, as Christians, to spread His light and truth to the world. We must commit to strengthening our own spiritual journey and growing in our faith, just as we inspire and connect with others.

If you are working remotely, consider using the time you would have spent commuting to find a new way to connect with God instead. Explore a chapter of the bible you’ve neglected, start a dialogue online, join a morning bible study, or glean spiritual guidance from a podcast on your morning walk.

Spending time thinking about how you can strengthen your own relationship with God will not only help you fill up your own cup, but it will also help you witness more effectively to others.

See your workplace as your mission field

It’s just too easy to find excuses these days: “I’m busy,” “I can’t today,” “I’ll tackle that tomorrow,” are all phrases that seem to find their way into our vocabulary more often than we’d like to admit. Regardless of your action (or in-action) in the past, commit to using your business to witness for Christ.

God willingly and generously provided us the gifts to start and lead these businesses. A simple way to express our gratitude towards Him is by embracing our marketplaces as our place of ministry, and working excellently, generously and kindly for the glory of God. It’s never too late for the people around us to hear the word of God. Make that your most important business goal this next quarter!

“[As Christians], our responsibility is to get God’s word to their ears. Only God can get the word from their ears to their hearts.” - Albert Mohler

About Austin Kapur

With 10+ years of in-house and agency internal and external marketing communications experience in the technology, fundraising, and e-commerce space, Austin’s heart has always been led to serve God and His Kingdom through entrepreneurship.

After working at several e-commerce startups in the social impact space early in her career, she started and grew Plum & Parcel in 2014, making a small difference with a range of brands, before heading to the corporate world.

Five years later and new skills and experiences in hand from global organizations Visa and YouCaring (acquired by GoFundMe), Austin decided to pick up where she left off.

Austin has a dual degree in public relations and advertising, along with a leadership and organization studies minor from Chapman University in Orange County, California. In her free time, she enjoys organizing and attending family functions up and down the West Coast with her husband and two children.

Get in touch with Austin at: plumandparcel.com

LinkedIn: @austinkapur, @plumandparcel

Instagram: @plumandparcel

Sharing your faith is a rich topic that can look different depending on the individuals and context in question. At Faith Driven Entrepreneur, we see ourselves as curators of a wider conversation. If you’re interested in more thoughts on sharing your faith with coworkers, vendors, customers, and partners, check out these additional resources.

The Abenity video story – creating a vibrant culture through remote relationships

The Dr. Paul White podcast – using language of appreciation in remote workplace relationships
The McCoys building supply video story – building meaningful relationships with employees