Exploring Workplace Evangelism in Hong Kong (Part 2) – Interviews with Recent Converts and Returning Believers in the Workplace
Institute For City Transformation, Alpha Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s workplace is highly competitive, fast-paced, and intensely performance-driven. For many, it is not only a place to make a living, express one’s gifts and talents, or pursue self-actualization, but also a place that’s filled with anxiety, tension, and conflict, as many people are constantly seeking approval. Many who came to faith in the workplace did not have a chance to encounter the Gospel or discipleship through the church; rather, their faith journey often began with the interplay of life crises and relationships. This study aims to explore the experiences of those who have recently came to faith or returned to faith in the workplace, as well as their subsequent spiritual growth. It seeks to understand how the Gospel is communicated, received, understood, and lived out in the workplace context. The findings of this study aim to bring some insights to the Church, workplace believers, and the broader Christian community, offering a starting point for their response.
Data Collection and Analytical Framework
This study was conducted in July–August 2025 using semi-structured interviews* with 15 Christians from various industries, primarily aged 30–39, spanning sectors such as banking, finance, engineering, education, and entrepreneurship, etc. Thematic analysis was used to organize the narrative data, identifying recurring factors and patterns in the interviewees’ life stories. This study also referenced the Rambo Conversion Stage Model, recognizing that conversion is not a single event but a dynamic process moving back and forth through different stages. “Conversion” or “joining a church” is not the sole measure of the faith journey.
Research Findings: Six Key Themes
Theme 1: Openness to “Spirituality” which is Not a Foreign Concept
Most interviewees have previously been exposed to Christianity through Catholic or Christian-based primary or secondary schools. However, due to academic pressures, other activities, or the lack of interest during their student years, they did not develop a stable spiritual life. Some left their faith communities after graduation, and even abandoned their faith altogether. Yet their prior exposure kept them open to Christianity. When critical life events occurred, faith was not entirely unfamiliar and became a resource that could be reawakened.
Some interviewees have also explored fortune-telling, feng shui, tarot card reading, divination, or other spiritual channels. This reflects a common human tendency to seek a sense of control or direction, in a highly uncertain and anxiety-prone environment. However, these methods often failed to provide lasting peace or integrated meaning, which in turn made interviewees more willing to explore the possibility of Christian faith.
Theme 2: “Crisis” as a Trigger – Faith Often Begins with “Helplessness” Not “Reason”
Interviewees’ faith journey often began amid significant crises or life transitions, such as unemployment, illness, marital breakdown, legal disputes, workplace conflicts, or severe stress, etc. Crisis takes away any sense of control and weakens individuals’ self-confidence, prompting one to seek something beyond themselves to rely on. Therefore, the motivation of early faith was often not theological agreement, but a desperate need for “rescue and support.” For many, faith began not as a rational choice, but as a response to survival. Praying and seeking God often only started when they felt like they are “at the end of their rope.” Crisis thus became the trigger for their faith journey.
"At the end of 2022, my family couldn't resolve some lawsuit issues – I was crying constantly. And I felt terrible; my family might go to jail. I thought the whole situation was very negative, and I had to find a lawyer and do a lot of related work. That's when I remembered Father God, because I had read the Bible before when I was a child. I felt that only God could help me, so at last I really prayed to Father God.” – Interviewee #3
Theme 3: Relationship as the Bridge – First to Experience, Then to Understand
The introduction to faith often comes through the invitation of colleagues, friends, spouses, supervisors, or bosses. This relationship-based approach reflects that in workplace culture, people are often cautious and even resistant to religious messages from strangers, but they are more open to invitations from someone they trust, especially when there is companionship and personal sharing.
In the narratives, meeting formats such as Alpha courses and evangelistic lunch gatherings were mentioned repeatedly as “low-threshold, dialogue-centered” entry points. These settings are not focused on “feeding information”, but instead emphasize respect, listening, and exploration. This lowers psychological defenses, provides concrete relational interaction, and a context in which people could personally experience the gospel. In the early exposure of faith, a “trustworthy person” is often more compelling and influential than the “comprehensiveness of the content”, thus relationship is the primary bridge that connects people to the gospel.
"I feel that in my faith – even with the faith of a new believer – the biggest experience is truly... it is truly experiencing God yourself. But, of course, I think it is very important that God put these people around me, because at that time, honestly if you ask me now, looking back to when I hadn't believed yet, if it weren't for these friends being fun, I simply wouldn't have gone again.” – Interviewee #13
Theme 4: Community as the “Carrier” of Faith – Workplace Gatherings Offer Proximity and Contextual Relevance
Spiritual growth is not just a personal pursuit. The key to continuous growth does not lie in the individual will, but whether one can enter a stable and secure community where support is found through relationships. Workplace fellowships, small groups, Bible study classes, and even home gatherings become important carriers for the stable development of faith, providing emotional support, walking together in relationship, teaching, and the environment for living out faith.
Because of their proximity and contextual relevance, workplace lunch fellowships can respond immediately when facing work pressure, interpersonal tensions, even ethical choices, etc. Interviewees repeatedly mentioned that the sense of security and belonging brought by stable communities has a crucial impact on their spiritual stability and ongoing growth.
"I felt I wanted to listen more when I was invited... it didn't interfere with my lunch time. It was a good thing that I didn't need to take extra time out apart from lunch, and also, I had a feeling of spiritual cleansing during that session because when we sang hymns, I felt very comfortable. The feeling of being brothers and sisters in Christ is very different, because in the workplace, we’re colleagues, but that feeling is like everyone has another identity as brothers and sisters in Christ besides being colleagues, and I really embrace that feeling and want to continue to participate.” – Interviewee #15
Theme 5: Going Deeper – From “Activities” to “Practice”
As faith deepens, the focus of the interviewees shifts from activities to practice. Systematic training (e.g., Bible study, discipleship courses, GROW, spiritual books) provides a rational foundation, while daily Bible reading, prayer, and devotion become the source of spiritual sustenance.
Faith gradually permeates their values and behaviors, including a reinterpretation of money, power, work, relationships, successes and failures. Many interviewees emphasize that true changes do not come from classes alone, but from repeatedly practicing surrender, patience, and obedience in difficult situations. They seek to influence others with their own lives, rather than preaching with persuasive words. They prefer to use care, intercessory prayers, integrity, and good deeds as ways to witness their faith in the workplace.
“These are actually milestones God gave me, or small successes, that made me realize I should use my actions to influence others. Although I still lose my temper and I don't think I am perfect this way, but God also says that humans are limited, only He is infinite. So, I don't mind my shortcomings too much, but I will do my best to influence others with more actions. That is, truly living out the gospel, not just saying it. But it's difficult, I still feel it's difficult now.” – Interviewee #3
Theme 6: Ongoing Tensions and Inner Healing – Continuous Renewal
Due to the high-pressure and complex interpersonal relationships at the workplace, even as faith gradually deepens, the workplace continues to be the arena for frequent tension. Interviewees commonly oscillate between contradictions of faith and reality: wanting to be opened about their faith but worried that they’ll be labeled or misunderstood, wanting to uphold values but faced huge performance pressure, wanting to share the gospel with their colleagues but felt inadequate, and wanting to witness for Christ whilst stumbling in their own weakness and doubts.
In addition to these tensions, interviewees also face internal trauma, including the pain from their family of origin, workplace setbacks, and bruised self-worth. Through healing courses, devotions, intercessory prayer, and companionship, some people have experienced a renewal of identity and emotional release. Their faith also shifted from a transactional model (“ask and you shall receive”) to relational trust (“willingness to surrender even without immediate results”), reflecting growth toward spiritual maturity.
"I found the problems I have with my younger brother – God used an Alpha organizer to help me understand my brother's personality issues... I was a bit touched at that moment, because I had been worrying about him for a long time. Boys could be a bit stubborn, not good at socializing, so he might never have a long-term job. Those are the type of things I worried about. But God put someone similar before my eyes... I felt much more relieved in my heart, so that was the moment that made me want to accept Christ.” – Interviewee #7
“I used to always say I love God, I rely on God, but I mostly only prayed when I was unhappy or needed help. Actually, I usually only pray like that when facing big issues. But after experiencing these things... I maintained daily prayer... Besides praying for my own matters... I also tried to pray for others.” – Interviewee #11
Insights and Limitations of the Rambo Conversion Stage Model
This is one of the most frequently mentioned and studied models in academic research, proposed by Lewis Rambo in 1993. The model explains a person’s psychological and social process of conversion through seven stages:
1. Context — the person’s social, cultural, family, and historical setting.
2. Crisis — some tension, disruption, dissatisfaction, or life problem creates openness to change.
3. Quest — the person starts searching for meaning, truth, belonging, or solutions.
4. Encounter — they come into contact with a religious group, message, leader, or experience.
5. Interaction — deeper involvement begins: learning, relationships, practices, participation.
6. Commitment — the person makes a decision or public/private commitment to the new faith.
7. Consequences — life changes that follow, such as new identity, behavior, relationships, or worldview.
This model is very helpful for our organization of the interview data. The interviewees’ background would shape their openness to faith. Then, along life’s journey, they encounter crises and begin their quest for a way out. Then, they encounter Christians in the workplace, and through walking together in relationship and interaction, they gain deeper understanding and experiences of faith, and eventually make a commitment to follow Christ, be baptized, join a church or enter a faith community, and continue to grow, further impacting their value system, life trajectory, and behavior (consequences). However, we must emphasize that this is a dynamic process of moving back and forth through different stages – they will still face a lot of challenges and tensions even after becoming a believer, leading them back to quest, encounter, interaction, and commitment, fostering deeper experiences and transformation, whilst on the path towards spiritual maturity. The above model’s biggest shortfall is that it does not address the work of the Holy Spirit, while interviewees frequently described sudden spiritual transformation at various stages that became the spark for key transitions.
Conclusion
Everyone’s process of conversion is complex and nuanced, and its growth is even more mysterious. As the above research shows, workplace gatherings have advantages such as proximity, contextual relevance, convenience, and responsiveness. They can form close-knit communities marked by mutual encouragement and shared companionship. This also makes it easier to invite new friends to participate, and it provides opportunities to serve and grow that may not be available through normal church life. Yet even if workplace evangelism is flourishing, it still requires interaction and collaboration with the local church. The Church is well-placed to offer systematic teaching and courses, to care holistically for couples and families, and to steadily nurture spiritual lives. Church gatherings also tend to be longer, allowing deeper sharing and companionship. It can also provide a more segregated and quiet space for meditation and prayer ministry, etc.
Finally, I would like to close with a metaphor. If electric vehicles are to become widely adopted, many more charging stations would be needed across the city. Naturally the Church is an essential hub for charging and maintenance. However, if we want to spread the gospel to every corner of our city, we must build a lot more charging stations within our workplaces, our schools, and the many settings of everyday life. It may take the form of small groups, fellowships, Bible study groups, or other expressions of small churches or micro-churches. Regardless, let us build altars in every place, and let God set fire to ignite our city!
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*Apphia Research was commissioned to conduct the interviews.