Of the 41 books I’ve written or cowritten, one of my favorites was one I co-authored with my long-buddy, Bill Peel, DMin, titled Workplace Grace: Becoming a Spiritual Influence at Work. And, as many of you know, I’ve spent considerable time the last 3-4 decades teaching healthcare professionals how to bring their faith to work with them. So you can imagine how pleased I was to read that a new memo says Federal workers may share their faith at work.

The article, Federal workers may share faith at work, new memo says, is authored by Elizabeth Russell and was in World magazine, which is one of my favorite monthly reads (plus they have great online articles). Here’s part of what Elizabeth wrote:

Federal employees may display religious symbols and talk about their faith at work, according to a Monday memo from the Office of Personnel Management in Washington. Government agencies should allow religious expression in the workplace to the greatest extent possible, according to the memo from the office’s director, Scott Kupor. The memo cited laws, legal cases, and two executive orders from President Donald Trump meant to eliminate anti-Christian bias and establish a religious liberty commission.

The memo gave examples of conduct allowed at work:

• Wearing crosses
• Gathering for prayer during breaks
• Inviting co-workers to church
• Attempting to persuade their co-workers of the truth of their personal religious beliefs, as long as the sharer stops if asked

What about public expressions of faith?

The guidelines also noted that government workers are allowed the same level of religious expression in public-facing areas as in private. For instance, a doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital may pray over his patient, the memo said. The document also clarified that social, political, or economic philosophies don’t fall under the definition of religion. The Clinton administration published a similar set of guidelines in 1997.

I’m no lawyer, but I would think these types of policies will hopefully roll out into state and local governments and into all of our service industries, including health care.

If you’d like to read about how to become an “everyday missionary” in your workplace, consider this book:

Learn more about the book here.

© Copyright WLL, INC. 2025. This blog provides healthcare tips and advice that you can trust about a wide variety of general health information only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from your regular physician. If you are concerned about your health, take what you learn from this blog and meet with your personal doctor to discuss your concerns.