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Churches Help People Through Crossroads

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Senior Pastor Mel Lawrenz of Elmbrook Church in suburban Milwaukee interviews Crossroads Career founder Brian Ray on “Faith Conversations” radio broadcast about ministering to people at crossroads in their careers.

Helping Others Obtain Confidence in Their Job Search
We all know that careers go well when we’re employed, and not so well when we’re unemployed – and vice versa.  Brian shares with the Faith Conversations’ audience the heart of Crossroads Career Network – connecting people to Christ as they are in a crossroads to their career. Crossroads can be defined as those who are unemployed, mis-employed or looking to understand their life calling.

Know Someone at a Crossroads?
The main thing to do is to connect them with Christ – seek to hear and follow God in the midst of their crossroads. With more than 10M being unemployed in US, and about one-third feeling that they will be unemployed, several people are facing huge economic, financial and emotional burdens.

Two  emotional feelings most people experience when they are unemployed:

  • Fear (paralysis)
  • Anger (not moving as they should)

These two feelings put them personally in stress, as well as put their job at risk. The feelings also manifest in ways in the workplace that isn’t positive. Furthermore, it creates stress on the family. When people are in job distress they tend to withdrawal and not communicate. This is the exact opposite response that God calls for us in a marriage, friendship, etc. This is an excellent time where the church can step in and offer career guidance and assistance, giving the job seeker hope – as well as remind them of God’s never-ending love for them.

How to Help Someone Walk Through a Crossroads
Crossroads Career Network has a wealth of resources to help you provide the needed support to your local job seekers and career explorers. Senior Pastor Mel comments about the tremendous support that Crossroads Career has provided their church over the years that they’ve been a member.

Getting out of unemployment or misemployment is more than just getting a job. It’s applying 6 proven steps that Crossroads Career discovered by observing those going through it.

  1. Attitude – It’s all about what’s in their head (generate a positive attitude), 85% get jobs and get promoted in jobs is due to attitude.
  2. Aptitude – Understand their aptitudes, what does that look like and how can they better understand their aptitude. We’re all gifted in so many different talents.
  3. Altitude – It’s the connecting place between positive attitude (motivation) and a clear understanding of aptitude (direction), which equals altitude. This allows an individual to focus on their workplace/marketplace so they can find their next job or career.
  4. Searching – Seeking potential job opportunities from networking, conducting research, etc.
  5. Sorting – Taking active steps to measure, evaluate and interview for potential job opportunities.
  6. Selecting – Looking for work that God has prepared for the individual. God has gone before them and already prepared their work for them. It’s a matter of doing the work of looking for a job or career and then doing the work of walking in it and doing well in it.

How to Help Others Find Their Unique Design
Most recruiting professionals focus on 5 factors of understanding one’s aptitude for all the traits and talents that God has given you. These 5 factors shape our natural capacities and personal passions as it relates to work.

  1. What is their background/ life history?
  2. What are their abilities? Understand what they’re really good at.
  3. What are their interests? Everyone always performs better doing something they like.
  4. What is their personality type? These are our natural behaviors that define how we do what we do best.
  5. What do they value? Do they value accomplishment? Relationships? Work environment and outcomes?

One way to find out the answers to the questions is to take an inventory and look for the common threads that are woven throughout. These common threads will help them see and feel the kind of aptitude that God has given them.

  1. Do their own personal inventory (Pencil and paper exercise). What did they like most? What did they not like most? What abilities does that show? What interests do they have? How did they do things from a personality point of view? Crossroads Career Network provides forms for you to help them do this.
  2. Ask people you know (obtain a reference assessment). Crossroads Career Network has a form that you can give the individuals to give people to do it or give it people that know them over the phone. The form asks questions that help identify how people see them as it relates to personalities, interests and values, etc.
  3. Have them take a career assessment. While there are several to choose from, Crossroads Career Network uses CareerDIRECT by Crown Financial.

How to Help Others Conduct a Good Job Search
A key reminder to share with individuals is that each day they are to work heartily as unto the Lord – because it is the Lord that they serve. Key tips to help them make the most of your job search.

  1. Use the Internet – Crossroads Career Network has an alliance with the most powerful job search engine on the web to help them identify where jobs are. It showcases Crossroads Career Network employers on top, with other postings right below. Approximately 15-50% of their time should be spent on this.
  2. Invest other time in networking on the ground – 85% of jobs being filled are not found online – but through a personal referral. Brian shares that job seekers have a 42 times greater opportunity of landing a job thru a personal referral than if they do not have a personal referral.  Approximately 50-85% of their time should be spent networking.
  3. Bathe their entire job search in prayer – The toughest area to overcome in a crossroads is fear. No one is immune to hitting speed bumps, whether if it’s fear of failure or rejection. But how they can control how they handle them. Before, during, after each action, pray – 100% of their time should be spent in prayer.

Not only is praying important, but what they pray is as equally as important. Brian shares a quick some quick prayer reminders to help their prayers stay focused and impactful.

  • Pray, rejoice, always pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks even though the last three calls went south.
  • Knock, seek and search and the Lord will guide you. It’s the truth of the scripture, prayed back to Him and then received back to you is just a very powerful thing.

Senior Pastor Mel also reminds us what a privilege it is to support people in prayer when they ask for it. We help to give them an extra edge of confidence when we pray with them. If you or someone you know is going through a crossroads, it’s important to note that this is an experience that they should not be going through alone.

Equip Your Church for Career Ministry
See how your church can help people through crossroads in their careers to find jobs, careers, calling.  Sign up your church for free membership trial. Explore all the career, ministry and employers resources that comes with your church joining the network.  For more information about career ministry in your church, call our member services line at 1.800.941.3566.