Amanda Wells

Marketplace is the Mission Place

Your Business is the mission field.

The greatest "unrealised potential" in the Christian movement for the next 20 years we could say rests on the shoulders of Christian business people. What more could you ask for when your faith and your love for business intersect?

The marketplace is the only institution that touches virtually every person on planet earth. Pastors are very limited in their direct exposure to the marketplace. At the same time, the marketplace in general terms doesn't look to local church staff for guidance on managing their business. They do however need the church to help disciple them on how to live out their faith, but most churches still haven't showed those in the marketplace how to connect it to the marketplace.

Here is the GREAT question:. What is our strategy to reach this world for Christ? Do we try to hire another 600,000 pastors, missionaries, worship leaders,etc? Or do we unleash 6 million business people to take the Christian movement to the next level?

For too long, many faithful Christians have "out sourced" their responsibilities as believers. They give generously to the church and then allow the "organised church" to do the work. Many business people feel that church and marketplace are not connected and that many pastors are looking at them like their there cash cow. Are we teaching or people to live their life in compartments. There's your task driven, results oriented, hard charging business world. Then there is your church world.

I heard a pastor say not long ago that Christians shouldnt be in politics, they should just have a voice. Do we realise how silly that statement is? In my family to have a voice in there you have to belong to it! Another pastor said 'there is no other vision except my vision for my church'. Where does that leave our corporate Directors, teachers, film makers, fashion designers etc?

Have we been indoctrinated to believe that oil and water do not mix?

There is a new generation of business leaders who see the world differently.. For them, God has called them into business. Its their God given assignment! Or if we use 'old dialogue' its their vision and mandate. Their company is to be used by God for His purposes. They are passionate about creating products or services. They love marketing and sales. They are always mindful of the bottom line. But there is a higher calling. Everything that the church stands for is actually expressed in "real terms" in their business.

Most people today, don't think this way but we need to see that more do. I'm convinced that we can discuss terms like Business as Mission and Marketplace Ministry until we are blue in the face but unless the bridge between our sacred spaces of Sunday morning is bridged with our work, then we'll continue to struggle in living a segmented life.