A Biblical Framework for Job Descriptions

I know you are really wondering if the bible uses the words job description.  The bible doesn’t necessarily use these terms, however, it is full of the best wisdom about what should be included in our job descriptions and why we should have them for our employees.  As Christian business owners who know how important our team is to our business; a job description can be a foundation for success. 

First of all, the reason I believe God would embrace job descriptions is because His Word tells us so much about what is expected of us as a follower of Jesus Christ.  There are many words in the bible that give us a job description of a Christian.

—– spread the gospel message to all nations

—– honor your mother and father

—– take care of the poor, and the widows, and the orphans

—– teach others

And there is much said about the characteristics of the ideal candidate:

…..good, holy, faithful, generous, seeker of knowledge, etc.

If we mimicked the format that God uses in the bible, to explain to us what is expected of us as Christians, in creating our job descriptions for employees, I believe we would have more people on our team meeting our expectations.

Think about it….God provides the following in His descriptions:

He explains why our role is important.

He gives a general description of a true Christian.

He gives specific examples of our responsibilities.

He gives the characteristics of the ideal candidate.

He describes what good performance looks like and what poor performance looks like.

He tells us what the rewards are for our faith and the consequences of our lack of faith.

Depending on the job he even qualifies whether or not there is travel i.e. the disciples, the pay grade – i.e. sell everything, give to the poor, and follow me, and who we report to ie.  John 15:5-8

Why do you think God gave us so much instruction and description on what He expects from us and what it looks like to be His true followers?  I am sure it is because He wants us to be successful.  He knows that if we follow His Word our lives will be better.  Better as God defines it is that it will glorify Him.

Our employees have a better chance of glorifying God in their work if that have a good job description to start with.

Do you have job descriptions for your employees?  If yes, do you think there may be room for improvement?

If no, do you feel like this may give you some direction on where to start?  Have fun with it.  Bring it to life.  Picture the ideal employee for the job and describe him.  Pretend like you are writing a performance evaluation of his great performance and describe what success in the job looks like.

If you are nervous, you can always add the disclaimer that HR departments put on standard job descriptions:

And any other responsibilities and tasks as needed!

Jesus set the bar high when he said:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”   Luke 9:23

Let’s set the bar for our employees and give them everything they need to achieve it.  After all, isn’t that how you would want to be treated?