BAM! Brief reflections on Business as Mission at Lausanne

At least 1/3 of Jesus's disciples were fisherman.  Not accountants (though there was at least one tax collector).  Not religious leaders.  Not the white-collar business leaders.  Maybe they were entrepreneurs, building their businesses by the sweat of the brow and calloused hands.  But they weren't really famous and they weren't really special.  They were just regular guys, hanging out on the water, trying to feed their families.  The kingdom is made of such as these.

I've spent the last 2 days with a group of young leaders in evangelism, talking about how business and mission interconnect.  And much of our discussion centered around connecting with leaders in the business world, ministering to the 1%, reaching out to those who are movers and shakers in their worlds, trying to build a bridge between the church and those in business.  These are important, essential things.

But this whole time I've had growing in my heart this sense of urgency about the regular people.  The people who are in the workplace because they have to put food on the table.  The people who may not have a ton of authority, but who have influence in their own place and in their own world.  I believe that these are people who are poised to make a great difference for the kingdom.  But they are largely ignored by the church, at least in reference to how faith is supposed to be affecting their life at work.  And the potential for their ministry to the world is almost completely untapped.

So this is my commitment:  The first thing I will do is listen--listen to the leadership at my church and listen to the people who are in the secular workplace who attend my church, and listen to the Spirit.  And then I will go wherever the Spirit leads me from there.

And I must admit that I'm thrilled to have met some super-awesome people who are just as committed to walking similar paths in their own worlds.

Jesus at Work

In preparation for the Lausanne meeting next week, I've been doing some extra reading and research on ministry in the marketplace--just trying to get a feel for the conversation and learn where what I've been thinking and talking about fits into the mix.  Anyway, I stumbled upon this fantastic article from Biola University's magazine, called Jesus at Work.

I particularly appreciated that the author pointed us to Ken Eldred's framework for understanding three ways that work is ministry - ministry at work, ministry of work, and ministry to work.  He defines ministry at work as pointing those around us to God; ministry of work as doing an excellent job at the work we're doing; and ministry to work as being a part of changing practices, policies, and systems within the workplace to reflect the fruits of the spirit and the character of God.  I'm sure you'll be seeing that framework again as I process just what opportunities for ministry exist in each of those realms in my own life.

business as ministry?

I'm super excited that next week is the Lausanne Consultation for Younger North American Leaders.  120 of us are getting together to discuss the Lausanne Covenant and the Cape Town Commitment.  We'll be splitting up into smaller working groups and discussing some of the major ideas in the Commitment.  The working group I'm assigned to is all about ministry in the marketplace.

I'm pretty passionate about this idea as I have seen over the course of the last few years that people aren't falling all over themselves to enter the church doors.  And there seems to be a huge disconnect between the church and the rest of the world.  At the same time, there are tons of people who go to church and who love Jesus who are also planted in the rest of the world doing the regular work thing that most people do.  The percentage of pastors and "ministers" is small compared to the number of people out there.  And although pastors can have a really important place in society, there is nothing that compares to the potential that exists for lay ministers make the gospel accessible and relateable to the rest of the world.

So my primary thoughts these last years as I've accepted my own calling to be in the world as a criminal defense attorney has been how to take what I'm learning about approach and strategy and struggle to other lay people who have a heart to minister to their co-workers and friends.  I'd love to see so much more dialogue about what struggles we have and how we're seeing God work.  I've found a dearth of community out there to discuss my own experiences with, and I've been kind of blindly feeling my way along.  One of my visions for this blog has been to allow this to be a place where at least some of those questions can be asked about and discussed.

So as I was reading the Cape Town Commitment, I was drawn to the part where they talk about marketplace ministry.  I also read one of papers that was written in preparation for that meeting that was all about marketplace ministry.  And it challenged me to begin to think about marketplace ministry in a different way.  It challenged me to think about creating a business environment that reflects the values of the gospel so as to invite people--workers, clients, etc--into that environment to experience the fruit of the Spirit before ever inviting them to meet Jesus.

I've really been thinking about this and have begun to ask God if that's something that he wants of me.  Am I uniquely and strategically placed to create a law firm that would be a different kind of law firm?  Could I or should I start to plan on inviting other people in to join me in this strangely-valued practice that is bringing me such joy and fulfillment?  Is that a way that God could use me to bring blessing to the world?

I don't know.  But I'm looking forward to speaking with others next week about what they've experienced and how they've seen the power of the Gospel and the Spirit penetrating their work environment, and I'm excited to ask God to show me whether he's longing to use me in that way.

So my question for you today is, have you ever been a part of a business or work environment that, although not employing all Christ-followers still brings the Shalom and Spirit of Christ to the world?  What was that like?  What were some of the challenges?  I'd love to hear...