What?s it like being a Christian at a fast-growing tech startup?

Christians in Tech

I love talking about business and technology. And I also really love seeing Christians at work in different industries around the world. I’m a big believer that Christians have an opportunity to create?the future of the world by using their godly gifts and influence to have a positive impact on the culture around them.

This week I had the chance to catch up with Micah Cooksey, a marketer at Treehouse. He’s a solid man of God and comes from a family of Christian missionaries. He also happens to work for one of the coolest Ed-Tech companies in the industry. Treehouse is a tech company that teaches people all over the world how to code websites and build apps. With an affordable $25 per month membership, anyone can learn how to code and pursue a new career armed with the in-demand tech skills that companies are looking for today.

What is it like to be a Christian at a fast-growing tech startup?

I?ve had a great experience! I?m fortunate to work for a company that allows for true freedom of personal conviction and doesn?t discriminate by or intrude into what its employees believe. This is true not only of the official company policy?but also of the actual day-to-day company culture.

Treehouse has a mission that appeals to my desire to make a positive impact on the world. It?s nice to be able to truly say my employer wants to help people and do so with honesty and integrity.

I?ve also found that, if approached respectfully, people are generally open to discussing personal beliefs, which I find enjoyable. In some cases, I?ve asked if there are things I can pray for coworkers about, and have not been met with negative responses to this question. I find that it?s a neat way to show the love of Christ to others in the workplace.

How do you find your faith is challenged in the workplace?

Two ways:

1. Psalms chapter 1 talks about situations we should avoid if we?re to honor God. I get this wrong, a lot. I?m continually challenged to live this one out more consistently.

2. As one of my Christian teammates put it, if I?m truly a servant of Christ, that should be the thing I talk about the most. But is it? For me, the answer is usually, ?No.? It?s a growing process, though, and I?m encouraged by ways God?s challenged me to push the boundaries of what?s comfortable and make Him known wherever I go, in ways I wouldn’t have unless God brought them to mind.

How is your faith a benefit in the workplace? To yourself, to others?

To myself: I?m on the marketing team at Treehouse, and as such, I can relate to many of the agricultural references in the Bible: God tells us to be diligent, not neglecting to fulfill our responsibilities, but then he tells us not to worry about the outcome.

This makes a huge difference. If I believe God is ultimately in charge of my life, my job, and basically everything that happens to me and others, it frees me from worries and fears about things that could happen. I?m to work hard, give my best effort, and not leave anything undone. But then it?s in God?s hands, not mine. And it?s such an amazing feeling to step back from being ?in the weeds? and think about God?s overarching, eternal plan.

To others: as I mentioned earlier, I?ll at times ask coworkers if I can pray for them about anything. It?s a really unobtrusive way to let those I care about know that I?m a Christian and I want to show Christ?s love to them by remembering them in prayer.

You come from a family of missionaries, do you feel the workplace is your mission field? If so, how?

A lot of times, it can be confusing to reconcile the question of whether God is honored by a Christian who takes a secular job rather than dedicating themselves to full-time ministry. This question is simplified for me when I try to have the mentality that every Christian is commanded by Christ to be a missionary in whatever situation they find themselves in.

To be honest, I?m still trying to grow in this. But to the extent that I?m willing to set aside my flawed understanding of the outcome of things and do what Christ tells me to, then yes, I try to make my work and everywhere else a mission field.

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