No, that is a bad idea.
Whether legally or spiritually speaking, hiring only Christian employees generally does not work. We will discuss why.
It is against the law to discriminate against hiring a person based on religion, race, color, sex, and national origin. You can get sued, spend time in jail, and lose a lot of money. The bigger reason is Jesus went out of his way to look for sinners. He would certainly want us to be like him (1 John 2:6, NIV: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did).
Reason 1: It is against the law
Let’s talk about the first and most immediate reason. You will be breaking the law in most countries if you hire only Christians.
In the US, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Makes makes it illegal to discriminate against someone based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. There are groups and law firms that specifically target businesses that err against this law. Don’t make yourself a target.
The Canadian Human Rights Act is a broad-reaching piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, and other grounds. Concerning human rights, employers must offer employment without discrimination and guard against harassment based on prohibited grounds: race-related grounds, creed, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, marital status, and family status.
Across the pond, Article 21 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights states that any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, color, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age, or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.
Downunder, the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 protects people from discrimination in employment because of their religion, political opinion, national extraction, nationality, social origin, medical record, criminal record, or trade union activity.
You get the picture. Don’t make this a job requirement.
There is an exception in the US, though. In October 2011, The U.S. Supreme Court let a lower court decision stand that Federal Way-based nonprofit World Vision can hire only Christians to work in its U.S. operations.
The Supreme Court upheld the right of World Vision to hire or dismiss employees based on their religious affiliation. It was a four-year court fight that started when three former World Vision employees were fired because they didn’t agree with World Vision’s statement of faith, which World Vision says is a condition of employment.
The court said World Vision qualifies as a faith-based humanitarian organization and is exempt from the Civil Rights Act. There it is. You have to be a religious organization and a non-profit. This makes sense because if your goal is to spread your faith, you would want people of the same faith to do the work. Even the secular courts understand this.
I don’t see how you can be exempted if you’re a for-profit business. There is no justification nor position that only a Christain can fulfill. This is already difficult to prove for a charity organization. It will be next to impossible for a secular company.
Reason 2: Christians are to submit to authorities.
It is very clearly stated in Romans 13:1-5 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves… 4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good…5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
Romans was written under the shadow of the brutal Roman Empire. Yet, Paul asked Christian to submit and obey the law of the empire. Even Jesus did not imply even an iota of disobedience against the Romans.
There you go. If the law says that you can’t hire on the basis of religion, then submit and obey. God allowed these authorities in power as tools of His will. Don’t try to circumvent these laws. Going against these authorities and the laws they pass means you are going against God’s will. That’s a very bad place to be.
Reason 3. It limits your harvest field.
We are commanded to go into the world to tell everyone about the Good News. Jesus said in Mark 16:15-16, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
That’s a command, not a request. Neither is it optional. True believers in Jesus are expected to do their share of evangelization wherever they are. I suppose the reason you are reading this is that you want to do what is right in God’s sight.
This is our greatest calling, to spread the Gospel. I’m sorry, but it is not to start a business and be the next unicorn. The good news (pardon the pun) is that you can do the Great Commission within the business that you own. Those employees in their cubicles and workers on the production floor are your mission field.
You can’t proclaim the Gospel if you only associate and hire Christian. The religious leaders were shocked that Jesus was hanging out with sinners. Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Luke 15:1-2).
This is great. Or you and I wouldn’t have become Christians. There was someone who went out of their way to share the Gospel and their lives with us. Let’s pay it forward by doing the same with other lost souls.
Reason 4. It stunts your faith.
Challenges make us stronger as Christians. I don’t think Paul would have said he fought the good fight of faith (2 Timothy 2:7-8) if he didn’t endure hunger, cold, beatings, and shipwrecks to bring the Good News to the gentiles.
Get out of your comfort zone and find out what God can do through you. Take the challenge to evangelize your workers. You can present to your board but can’t present Christ to your employees? That’s not right.
Sharing Jesus and his gift of salvation is the best data you can present to anyone. Better than your stocks, market share, or bottom line. You should be excited about the prospects of guiding someone into God’s kingdom.
I am not talking about standing on a stool and pounding people over the head with the Bible. Build your relationship first with your employees. Let them see what it is like to have a Christian boss. And tell them why you are what you are. Be intentional about it.
When we think we are in over our heads that’s when we stop relying on ourselves and start relying on God. This is when the Holy Spirit can take over. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
Better yet, why don’t you share Jesus with your board?
Reason 5. It dulls your witness.
Jesus said He chose us to “bear fruit, fruit that will last,” John 15:16. What is this fruit that Jesus is talking about? It’s what he chose us to bear even before he created the world. It must be very important. Jesus said this during their last supper before Jesus dies on the cross the next day. These words were carefully chosen.
Aside from the fruits of the Holy Spirit in [But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)], there’s another kind of fruit. A soul is eternal. One of the points of having the fruits of the Holy Spirit is so we can be like Jesus and attract people into his kingdom. Helping someone find Jesus brings a soul into heaven. This is fruit that will last.
Having Christians around you all the time is good but you can’t be a fisher of men standing in a fish pen. Those fish have been caught already. You can’t exactly make people double down on being a Christian. Your employees’ pastors won’t appreciate you trying to proselyte their flock.
“But my ministry is tithing and I do give faithfully,” some might reason. Tithing is not a ministry, it is our duty to God. Same with evangelism. Don’t try to justify your lack of witness with the tithes you give. Tithing and witnessing are the duties of every Christian.
After all is said and done in your life. The best thing that you can present to God when you face him and give an accounting is the people that you have brought to Christ. That’s everlasting fruit.
Reason 6. It limits your pool of good workers.
This one is more for practical reasons. Not every Christian is a good worker and not every good worker is a Christian. Hiring only Christians is not only against the law, it also severely handicaps your business. I have seen Christians who work like they own the place. You can see these slackers in church ministries. Let’s not pretend these brethren, the Lord loves them, does not exist.
Then there are workers who are dedicated to doing a good job and sincerely care about the company. Do I pray for God to make every Christian just the type of employee. You can’t put a label on these people because they come in all shapes, shades, and sizes. These are the kind of people you should be hiring. And they are the kinds of workers that God uses to bless a business.
We got born again not because of merit. Don’t make faith a thing of merit for hiring.
Conclusion
As a Christian, who owns your business? Who owns your life? I can tell you that the answer is not you. God owns your business and your life. Every good thing you have and can do is in your life because God has blessed you with them.
Dedicate and commit your business to God. Let it be a place where non-believers meet and be blessed by their Christian co-workers. If you are serious about following God, then you understand that God has the authority to use your business and life according to his will, and his will alone. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)
