The New Missionary Moment

In recent years, statistics have shown a marked decline in Christian affiliation in the United States. At the same time, the fastest growing religious group consists of those who are non-affiliated, the “nones” who report no religious affiliation. This trend is of great concern because of our strong desire to see as many people as possible come to Christ!

One counter-movement today is “marketplace ministry.” We live out our faith fully in the workplace and thus become an embodied witness for Christ. We represent God through our high ethics. We treat our employees fairly and with respect. We show honesty in all we do. Those of us who work outside the church become witnesses with our lives and then, as God opens the doors, with our words with whom we have workplace relationships. By its very nature, sharing the good news in such contexts will primarily happen through non-ministers.

This movement is rooted in the belief that our spiritual life and professional life are not separate entities. Rather, they are interconnected aspects of who we are. In the Bible, figures such as Joseph, Daniel, and Lydia were all known for their faithfulness in “secular” work environments. 

Theologically, marketplace ministry is grounded in the belief that God is not confined to places of worship. God is actively involved in all areas of life, including the workplace. This perspective helps bring balance to previous centuries when the sacred and the secular were too sharply set apart from each other, including who in the church was responsible for mission.

Here are some ways that our lives can implicitly reflect Christ positively in the workplace:

• Our ethics: We will be a poor witness for Christ in the marketplace if we are shady in our business practices or do not have integrity. This includes characteristics like honesty in transactions, fair treatment of employees, and responsible stewardship of resources. Work can be a competitive and cutthroat environment. Can we maintain our integrity?
• Our relationships: Kindness, patience, understanding – these characteristics reflect positively on Christ. Harshness, impatience, bullying – these will drive others away from Jesus.
• Workplace excellence: If we are poor workers who do shoddy work, those around us will have little reason to move toward the Lord. If we view our work as a calling, it will likely enhance how others think of Christ.
• Work-Life Balance: God calls us to maintain a healthy balance between our professional and personal lives. Demonstrating the importance of rest and family is a positive witness.
• Careful Witness: We should live out our faith and share explicitly when God opens the door. However, we can push others farther away from Christ if we are too aggressive. Marketplace ministers must be cautious not to cross this line.

Being a witness for Christ at our places of work and in our relationships is nothing new. We have clear examples of it in the Bible. However, the marketplace ministry movement aims to be far more intentional about it than in the past. This intentionality can range from intentional prayer to our work excellence to finding opportunities to share our story. Just remember, we will more likely hurt the gospel if we treat people as projects rather than what they are, persons who are created in the image of God.