The thing about a yeast in dough is that it doesn’t simply co-exist in a foreign environment. It actually changes the dough through a chemical reaction.

So if in our businesses, and through our roles in business, we are carriers of the kingdom of God, then we can expect God to use us as agents of change in the environment where we operate.

Now, what will be the evidence that we are making a difference in the world around us? Here’s one major way: the elimination of systems of poverty

Jesus said that he was anointed to bring good news to the poor: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

I believe that the good news of the kingdom of God for the poor is not merely that their needs are met while they continue to live in an environment of systemic poverty; that the church provides for the needs of the poor – although this is certainly important.

The really good news is when we touch the systems around us that keep people in poverty, to bring about change; and to break generational cycles of poverty. That is what the kingdom of God tastes like!

This is the kind of impact that is being made through the work of Kings Reach, an alternative education provider, family and community support centre that hosted our Business for Christ meeting in Maidstone this morning. Kings Reach is working with young people and families in vulnerable situations to bring them hope, vision and skills through education and counselling. Here we see a kingdom enterprise that is truly yeast in the community, in local government, education and families. Here, people’s lives are changed by the kingdom of God at work.

Business for Christ meeting at Kings Reach in Maidstone

The reconciliation that needs to take place is one that transforms the way we see the marketplace – not as an evil environment in which we merely survive, but rather as the heart of our nation, cities and towns and an environment Jesus died to redeem and we are called to disciple. Yes, we know that currently the gates of Hades are entrenched in many parts of the marketplace, but praise God the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church!

An illustration

Here’s a way of looking at the relationship between the Church and the marketplace, and the role of marketplace Christians:

The bottom and the right hand side of the illustration represent the marketplace, the environment where we work and operate. The top and left hand side represent the Church, which we might associate with faith and our spiritual life. And the first problem is that this is exactly the trap we can so easily fall into: if we keep these two aspects of our life separate – our work and church life, considering one to be purely physical and the other purely spiritual – then we miss the point of both.

God’s purpose for Christians in the marketplace

Now, we see that many Christians who are in business or the marketplace go through several phases as they gain a revelation of God’s purpose for them. Ed Silvoso describes these phases in his book, Transformation, and they are illustrated starting at the bottom right of the illustration above. Here we see a Christian in the marketplace. Perhaps in survival mode, this person goes to work, or runs a business, and can’t wait to escape at the end of the day and to reconnect with the rest of the Church on Sunday or at a midweek meeting, to be refreshed and ready to face the world again.

Many of those marketplace Christians are at the next stage, where they are applying biblical principles in their day to day lives. If they lead a business, for example, they understand that the bible contains practical principles for daily living and marketplace life, and they apply these principles at work.

I would suggest that this second stage is also where most of the world’s ethical businesses are. Most listed companies, and many privately owned companies, would seek to operate as good corporate citizens. The principles that they apply to do so can be traced back to biblical principles such as those for leadership, fairness, finances, looking after the poor, or caring for the environment. Personally I have found little of value in the business books of the world that has not already been quoted by one of the biblical prophets, by David or Solomon, Jesus, the Apostles, or elsewhere in the Bible.

Operating in the power of the Holy Spirit

Now, at the third stage (the third box from the bottom on the right hand side of the illustration), the life of a Christian in the marketplace starts to take on an exciting edge as they operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. To do this, they must have moved a long way from the ‘survival’ mode of the first stage, to see that God wants to be part of what they are doing day to day. I have written before about the power of doing business in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now, the ultimate stage is when a Christian recognises that their role in the marketplace is to be part of the body of Christ, bringing about the transformation of the community – such as their school, industry, neighbourhood, city, and nation.

Planting Transformational Marketplace Ministers

Meanwhile, at the top left of the illustration we see a Christian who is in the Church and has a particular vision for the marketplace. This might be somebody who has a heart to embark on a new career, or to start a business, or who is about to start a university course, for example.

I have illustrated this left hand side progression to demonstrate the opportunity that exists to equip people in the Church for effective marketplace ministry roles, without them having to start right at the beginning of the marketplace path outlined above. In order for them to approach the marketplace with purpose, and to rapidly reach the same place of transformational effectiveness, the opportunity is to equip them for marketplace ministry from the start.

This is why I am so excited by initiatives like the Young Entrepreneurs Business School being established by Jubilee Church, which hosted our Business for Christ meeting in March. What an exciting opportunity for those with a heart for business to become marketplace ministers, fully equipped not only with the practical tools to establish and build a business but a clear vision for their spiritual role in this too.

The practical and spiritual working together

So when we bring this all together we see that whichever approach we take, the reconciliation of Church and marketplace will result in what we might call a ‘kingdom business’ or ‘transformational company’ or a ‘marketplace minister’ (whatever term we use doesn’t really matter), part of the body of Christ with Christ as the head, transforming the community, playing a role in the body through areas such as identifying and sharing the needs of the community; praying into areas where they have been given authority; developing marketplace relationships; or playing a role in finances.

With the reconciliation of the church and the marketplace, we will see the practical and spiritual at work together; as we operate by both faith and works to see our nations discipled.

The role of finance

Finally, a word about finances. I mentioned ‘playing a role in finances’ last in my list of areas where marketplace ministers might operate in the Church. It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the primary role of Christians in business or the workplace is to raise finances to fund those ‘in the ministry’. Having a generous heart and a biblical approach to giving – something we see in both the Hebrew people of the old testament, and the New Testament Church – is a very important aspect of our walk in the marketplace. But in my experience, it is rarely the primary purpose. Get this wrong and we risk missing the huge potential that is realised when we see our marketplace role as ministry in itself.

Standing in faith together

So, as we meet together at Business for Christ, we journey together, learn, seek God, encourage each other and stand in faith together. I believe you’ll grow in this as much as you want to. Ask God to show you more of His purpose for you in the marketplace.

If you’re in or around Kent in the UK, why not join us at one of our next meetings or events?

If you’re seeking God about how He will develop your role in the marketplace, or about the role of your own business for His kingdom, considering the following three areas might be helpful:

• Relationship purpose: How will your relationships inside and outside the business make a difference for the kingdom of God? God may use your role in business to lead you into unique relationships for His glory: “Do you see a man skilled in what he does? He will stand before kings…” (Proverbs 22:29)
• Community impact purpose: I was once with the leader of a major government-funded organization when she challenged every member of one of her global teams to ask themselves, “How is what I am doing going to change the world?” It’s a great question to ask ourselves, too, as people called into the marketplace by the One who has called us to disciple nations.
• Financial purpose: How will your business make a difference with its finances? Ask the Lord to show you deliberate, proactive ways in which He wants you to use finance for His purposes, which might be both inside and outside of your business.

Most importantly, I have already written that we must do business in the power of the Holy Spirit, or else we miss the primary thing that differentiates a business with God at its centre – a transformational company – from those around it.

At our recent Business for Christ meeting at Jubilee Resource Hub in Maidstone, we saw examples of all these things at work – the church at work in the marketplace, building relationships through initiatives like Celebrate Maidstone, making an impact in the community and training up young people to do the same through business in the Young Entrepreneurs Business School, and deliberately using finance to advance the kingdom of God through the establishing of new businesses with the Jubilee Enterprise Foundation.

Business for Christ at Jubilee Resource Hub

It was an exciting morning of vision sharing and another glimpse of some of the amazing things God is doing right now in our region as the Church moves in the marketplace.

Our next Business for Christ meeting is on April 4^th, at Raigersfeld Barn, Mote Park. Join us then to connect with other Christians in business as we share testimonies and resources, and pray into the local business community.

Date: April 4^th 2012
Time: 7:00am – 8:30am
Venue: Raigersfeld Barn, Mote Park, Maidstone

Make a note of the date and do invite other Christians in Business to come along. For more information or directions, get in touch.

We invite the host to tell the group about their business or ministry, and to share their hopes and any specific areas of need. Then together we pray for them.

We encourage meeting hosts to invite members of their local church leadership to the meeting, so that we can catch their vision together and stand united.

Business for Christ hosted at Computer Skills Centre in February 2012, with Dave and Linda Williams and elders from their local congregation The Beacon Church

As a group of Christians in the Church and marketplace from different church congregations in the area, it’s powerful to stand together in faith and unity.

Every third month, the meeting is usually hosted by Business for Christ and we share resources and vision about the call to the marketplace. At every meeting, prayer forms an important part of our time together.

If you would like to hear more about future meetings, subscribe to receive email updates and we’ll keep in touch.

Join us at the start of the day over a light breakfast, and hear about Jubilee’s ministries into the local marketplace including some very exciting new initiatives for 2012:

• A school foryoung entrepreneurs
• An Enterprise Fund to support new business startups
• Established kingdom businesses

Neil Pattison, elder at Jubilee, will host the morning and leaders of Jubilee’s marketplace ministries will share their vision. Together we will stand in faith and pray for Jubilee’s marketplace ministries.

Venue:
Jubilee Resource Hub
9 Ashford Road
Maidstone ME14 5BJ

Time: 7:00 – 8:30 am

Please let me know if you intend to come, so that we have an idea of numbers. To confirm your place or for more information contact us.

To stay informed about all we’re up to at Business for Christ and Marketplace Ministers, subscribe to receive email updates.

• Be inspired by testimonies of what God is doing, including the latest on Elk River, Minnesota and other cities.
• Learn principles that will equip you to take the kingdom of God to where the kingdom of darkness is at work.
• Come away equipped and envisioned to put what you learn into practice straight away.

This is a special bonus meeting, an opportunity to meet and hear from Rick Heeren while he is in Maidstone. Places are limited and I encourage you not to miss it.

To book your place, contact me and let me know how many places you would like to reserve.

An offering will be taken to bless Rick and invest in his ministry.

Venue details: Raigersfeld Barn, Mote Park, Maidstone ME14 4 AE.
Date & time: Thursday Feb 16, 2012, 7:30pm
Contact: Daniel Ghinn

This week, 17 marketplace Christians met in Maidstone with a vision to walk out their call to ministry in their day to day lives, right where God has placed them. Here’s the background:

Discovering Marketplace Ministry

When I set up a business with my wife Jo in 1998, we knew that Jesus must be its CEO. In fact, he had to be King over the business. I don’t think I would have had the courage to try to run a business without knowing it was God’s business!

Since that day, we started to discover what it really meant to dedicate our business to Jesus, inviting him to use it for his purposes. It’s been an exciting journey so far and we are still on it. Among the lessons we have learned, God showed us that while we had a heart to be a blessing through financial giving, the primary way He would use us in business was more about our relationship with the marketplace than the financial impact we could make.

We learned that our primary area of Church ministry is in the marketplace, alongside others called as ‘marketplace ministers’ into areas like education, government, healthcare, and in our own neighbourhoods.

In fact, I believe that the only way we will see our towns, cities and nation discipled is through the Church operating effectively in the marketplace.

And others have joined us on this journey – eight years ago I set up Business for Christ to envision and equip Christians in business. We then ran a year of equipping for marketplace ministers; and created a six-week training course, ‘Training for Transformation’ to teach principles of marketplace transformation to the Church.

In 2006 I was introduced to Ed Silvoso and his team at Harvest Evangelism, and we have been walking with them since then. Ed and his team are behind a rich collection of resources on marketplace ministry including Transform our World, and have inspired our ministry and teaching as we operate under Ed Silvoso’s covering.

Today we see God stirring up His people in the marketplace in the UK where we live. People who want to be effective day to day for Him, to see God’s purpose at work in their daily lives, to play their part in discipling their nation. People like you, perhaps?

So now in this season we believe it’s time to bring people together again across the Church, to seek God, determined to be part of what He is doing in this generation.

What is a Marketplace Minister?

A marketplace minister operates in the marketplace  - such as in business, education, government or their neighbourhood – and recognises that God is using them there to minister to others: to serve and to be a blessing for the sake of the His kingdom.

Biblical examples of marketplace ministers include Daniel, Joseph, Esther; as well as Jesus and his closest disciples, and the Apostle Paul. Many of the heroes of our faith were in fact marketplace ministers!

Today we hear testimonies from all around the world of how God is using marketplace ministers to bring about the transformation of cities and towns. Like Elk River, Minnesota, where church and marketplace leaders work in partnership to touch the whole city.

A monthly meeting for Marketplace Ministers in Kent, UK

We’ve just launched a new monthly meeting in Maidstone for Marketplace Ministers in the South East of England. We’ll meet with people who do not want to simply operate in the mundane but want to see God at work in us every day; to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work to touch lives around us and to see miracles at work; to catch God’s heart for our workplaces, neighbourhoods, schools, towns, nation and to be part of what God is doing here in the UK.

We’ll be praying together; teaching; applying what we learn and coming back together to share experiences and testimonies. We’ll be using resources including books, DVDs, personal testimonies, and we’ll be drawing on input from Harvest Evangelism at every opportunity as members of the team visit us in the UK over the course of the year.

The big vision

My dream for these Marketplace Ministers meetings is that we develop our own testimonies here in the South East of England; that our faith grows as we share and walk this out in practice, believing God to work through us. That we’ll grow together, seeing God doing new things among us as we apply what He shows us. So that the testimonies to inspire this movement of God in the UK will come from within the UK itself, not only from around the world.

If you would like to know more about Marketplace Ministers meetings or to get involved, please do get in touch.

Our discussions centered around what characterises a business that has Christ at its head. Often referred to as a ‘Kingdom Business‘, we settled on the idea that ‘Transformational Company‘ is perhaps a more effective term capturing the impact that such a business has on its surroundings. Ultimately, we agreed, our vision must be as big as to disciple nations.

We talked through typical characteristics of a Transformational Company from our experiences, and identified some common traits. We should be givers, rather than takers; we should lead with excellence; our employees should be valued and treated well, as should our customers and suppliers; we should take a lead in caring for the world; we should deliver with excellence.

All of these characteristics and more should be evident if we simply apply biblical principles to our business. In fact the bible is packed with resources and wisdom to equip any business leader. It’s no surprise that the business and leadership books of the world include biblical quotes ranging from the words of Jesus to the wisdom of Solomon in Proverbs.

So we asked ourselves, what makes a transformational company or kingdom business different from any other ethical business? The answer, we concluded, lies in three areas:

1. Doing business in the power of the Holy Spirit. We recognise that we do not merely operate in our own strength. We expect to see the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the whole Church, and that includes our businesses. This power at work may be evident in many ways, including the areas below.
2. Extraordinary miracles. We know that God did extraordinary miracles through the Apostle Paul (Acts 19:11), himself a marketplace man. And Jesus promised his disciples that anyone who believes in him will do greater things than he did (John 14:12). We can and do expect to see God working miracles through us when we are aligned with His purposes. Our gathering in California was full of testimonies of God’s miraculous work in the marketplace.
3. Insights and wisdom, at the right time, to glorify God. This includes revelation from God about solutions to business challenges, and God-inspired ideas that allow us to address a need or start a new business.

Doing business for the King means doing business that brings about transformation. I encourage you to believe God to do more through His power at work in you, in your business.

How have you experienced the power of God at work to do more than just good business?

If you are a business leader – running your own business or in a place of leadership in business – then you are in one of the most exciting places where the Kingdom of God is advancing. Business for Christ exists to serve God’s people in business by envisioning and equipping them to fulfil their God-given destiny in the marketplace.

Wherever in the world you are, and whatever size your business, God can work through you to touch the lives of others in the marketplace and extend His kingdom to your sphere of influence. We’re here to help you do just that.

Today we meet monthly in or around Maidstone, Kent, hosted each month by one of the group. If you would like to know more about our meetings or to get involved, get in touch for more information.