Brian’s Story:

My entry into Azerbaijan (Muslim country) was through a secular organization called the *****. The ***** is probably best described as the Peace Corps of grads, as I only received living and housing stipends and no actually salary. I was assigned to work on a US AID funded project to help boost the agribusiness industry in the country by working with small to medium sized businesses to develop them and help them become more competitive. Additionally, I also organized two business case competitions for MBA grads, I assisted several missionaries in developing / improving / growing their businesses, and I eventually obtained employment with a consulting firm (which allowed me to continue living in Azerbaijan, but required me to travel outside of the country often).

During my time in Azerbaijan, I connected with a team from Frontiers and joined them in their house church planting endeavors. Our team partnered with 3 other missionary organizations that had a similar vision regarding planting house churches in Azerbaijan. The various house churches planted by each organization led to the establishment of a network of house churches. My ministry focus within this effort was primarily in working with young men, as my work (e.g. MBA business case competition) put me in contact with several young people. My wife, which I met in Azerbaijan through one of the partner missionary organizations, was engaged in women’s ministry, which eventually produced a leader
within the network of house churches movement.

Dale’s Story:

Since May 2006 I have been involved in the workplace ministry starting with a group called BizLife that I helped to co-lead out of Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie. God gave us a vision to see workplace believers fully equipped and empowered to share their faith at work via lunch meetings.

Then in Fall 2006 I met Vicki Warren at EDS who I found out had a women’s bible study group in EDS Plano location. She had been doing this type of ministry since Aug. 2002. I wanted to find out how she organized her meetings and what kind of problems she might have had before starting my own group.

I had been working at EDS on the 7-Eleven account and I started a small bible study of about 6 men and women. We had a great bible teacher and we met at lunch time in 7-Eleven’s conference room. We felt like by starting with a core group of believers we could then reach out from this base to the lost of 7-Eleven/EDS.

In May 2007 I met Thomas Maeder from EDS Switzerland who was one of the most on-fire Christians I have ever met. We both had the same vision to reach the lost of people at work. He had already collected about 70 names of Christians at EDS and sent out a monthly newsletter under the name EDS Christian Fellowship (ECF) where he gave encouraging words from the scriptures.

That month we both submitted a request to become an official Employee Network Group (ENG) at EDS through the Human Resource department. After several months of the approval process we were allowed to be a formal ENG on 9/27/07. We were allowed to create our own webpage and start asking people to join our fellowship. We started listing bible studies from all over EDS. We were already in 7 countries and we had 70 members.

Thomas continued with the newsletter and we created a blog for Christians at EDS to share info with each other.

We are now almost 300 strong in 10 countries worldwide. We have 14 bible studies. There ‘s so many great stories of God’s goodness to us this last year. Here’s a couple:

We have since developed a prayer network, shown Christian movies at work, and hosted the National Day of Prayer in our auditorium. We had 500 people show up for the National Day of Prayer which absolutely floored me. I could not believe people wanted to pray that much.

We have two executives in our fellowship. Bobby Grisham (Chief Sales Executive) and Jeff Heller (Vice-Chairmen of the board)

Now that we have a established a solid membership and fellowshipped with each other for almost a year, we are planning lot’s more with a focus on outreach now. I am going to ask our ECF board if they will support having a web-based course on “Sharing your faith” this Fall.

Kyle’s Story:

I never thought of a distinction between service for the Lord and secular work. Paul said to do all mightily as unto the Lord and to do all for the glory of God. That said, I do feel we are placed here to care for others.

It is much better to have an occupation that serves others than working in front of a computer screen. But that’s just my understanding. The only way I can see a believer going “full time” into ministry is that the call and burden from the Lord is so great that one’s time is totally occupied with service for the Lord that there is no time for anything else. In such cases, one’s monetary needs will be supplied by the Lord.

It seems for the very vast majority of believers the best thing is to have an occupation that directly deals with people. There are so many professions in health care, social services, and education that serve humanity. Believers are lights, luminaries in the world shining and giving grace to all we meet as we abide in Christ. Twenty years ago, I left a very lucrative job in electronics to go into teaching immigrant children in an inner city high school. My pay dropped dramatically, but it was worth it. I have never regretted the change. Each day I am surrounded by eager young people whom I care for and love. I talk about the Lord all the time and have done so for twenty years. I do not proselytize, but I am who I am. The Lord is always present. The public school setting is so much more open that folks usually think. It is filled with needy children whom the Lord loves. The Lord said that as we receive and take care of the little ones, we are taking care of Him.

So as a teacher, my encouragement is to go into teaching–grin. But if you really want to have children that are the most precious to teach, go into English as a Second Language and teach the immigrant and refugee children.

Mark’s Story:

My story is one of discovering latent giftings for the marketplace that I never knew I had. Growing up, I never had any interest in business and majored in English Literature for my undergraduate degree at UCLA and later got a MA in Marriage and Family Counseling from Fuller Seminary. I had initially planned to work on staff at a church but later decided against it after interning at my church and becoming disillusioned with the inner workings of a church institution. I decided to pursue secular employment in a field like human resources, where I felt that my graduate degree could assist me in procuring work.

As God in His severe mercy will do at times in our lives, He brought me into a season of extreme  wilderness where every door to normal employment was shut to me for nearly two years. I ended up working as a bottom of the rung laborer on a construction site, working alongside some truly scary people. Despite all my efforts at obtaining white collar work, no doors were opened and I was forced to work for many about a year and a half as a day laborer, without any security of long term employment. At one point, I even worked with illegal Central American refugees. As hard as it was, the nearly two years of
wilderness brought forth some very good fruit in my life, especially in releasing me from the fear of risk and failure. I learned that even though I was only making $500 a month, that God was still sustaining
me. The things I felt I needed, economic security and a good job, now began to lose their influence on my life. I learned to be content with daily bread and not a cupboard full of bread.

But, every season comes to an end and God brought mine to a quick conclusion in May of 1987. Within a year of May 1987, I launched out and started my own general contracting firm, (after working for 9 months as a project engineer with a small general contractor). Through many leaps of faith and hard business lessons, God allowed me to lead this fledging company to a place of prosperity and success. Within three years of starting the company in May 1988, I was working part time in my business and making an excess of over 100.000 a year. God had literally taught me how to run a business since I had no practical experience nor educational training. This company ended up completing nearly 30 million dollars of construction projects from 1988-1996.

The ensuing years have seen many ups and downs and a ton of more life learning, including planting and pastoring an institutional church full time for nearly a dozen years. In 2005, our institutional church
transitioned into a house church network and I went back into construction. The road has not been easy after being out of the industry for such a long time and God saw fit to walk my wife and I through another rigorous wilderness season in several areas of our lives. Yet, even in the midst of the difficult journey, God has not only sustained us but given both vision and opportunity for the future. Leaving Egypt is never easy but a destiny of frutifulness in the land of the Lord’s Promise is worth it!

First, we’ve been talking a lot about wanting to maximize collaboration, networking, and cross-pollination as much as possible.  We’d like to avoid the “talking head syndrome” that often dominates conferences: first, because we admit there are no experts at seeking the Kingdom in the marketplace — just pilgrims and pioneers, and second, because the greatest strength and value comes from disciples seeking the mission in community.  Please understand our efforts at design below are intended to facilitate this kind of interaction with the humble acknowledgment that unless God has the freedom to do what he wants among us, our efforts are useless.

Session I: What Do You Need? (Sat. 11:15 AM)

Two Stories (15 min): Who? TBA (5-7 min. each)

Collab (40 min): We’ll randomize or sort ourselves and divide into groups of 5 or 6.  There will be a facilitator at each table who will help the process.  We’ll go around the circle and list the needs of the entire group (all of these will be recorded and collected).  The group will pray and “listen to PAPA” for the three most urgent needs to forward to the entire group.  These will be presented and we’ll ask the group what they identify with and what it stirs up in them.

Content / Discussion (30 min): “Jesus is Lord” – We’ll talk about our central conviction: that Jesus provides both the vision and provision that meets all our needs, including those related to business and making a living.  We’ll discuss what this means as far as “non-negotiable” and best spiritual practices for missional business.  We’ll share some hopeful stories of how common/recurring needs have been met in the lives of the group.

Wrap Up & Next Session Preview (5 min)

Session II: What Assets Can We Leverage? (Sat. 4 PM)

Two Stories (15 min): Who? TBA (5-7 min. each)

Collab (40 min): We’ll randomize or sort ourselves and divide into groups of 5 or 6.  There will be a facilitator at each table who will help the process.  Each person will have a piece of paper on which to brainstorm.  We’ll ask each individual to list assets in three categories: People, Practices & Principles, and Practicals (Nuts & Bolts).  A resource can be a book, an idea, a principle, a website, an article, an experience, a Word, a person you know, a organization, etc.  All assets/resources must meet two conditions: (1) you must have access to it, and (2) you must be able to share it with others.   After about 5 minutes, we’ll ask individuals to share their lists with the group and eliminate duplicates.  The group will identify 5 key assets from the lists in discussion.  The facilitators will tally a total asset count for the group.  We’ll combine all the lists together by taping them to a wall or something.  I think the total assets will be surprising.  We’ll then share the key assets in each of the three categories for the whole group.  We’ll discuss what the process demonstrates as far as our strength as a community and we’ll talk about best practices for identifying, applying, and sharing assets.  As a group, we’ll bless these assests and commission them for use in Kingdom Enterprises (who/how do we want to do this?).

Content / Discussion (30 min): “Emergence” – Ants are dumb.  Ant colonies are smart.  Pigeons are dumb.  Flocks of pigeons are smart.  Fish are dumb.  Schools of fish are smart.  God has designed systems where very simple components — when they do very simple tasks together in the right way — create something much bigger than the sum of the members.  The same is true in the Body of Christ, whether we think about simple church networks or marketplace ministry.  How can we create local, national, and international collaborations that build up the mature Body of Christ as each part does it’s part in missional business?

Session III: What Maps and Guides will Help Us On This Journey? (Sun. 9 AM)

Two Stories (15 min): Who? TBA (5-7 min. each)

Collab (40 min): We’ll divide into three large interest groups according to similar stories (or more if we become aware of them in the process of sharing): (1) Those who have already or are in the process of transiting from full-time ministry to self-supporting or bi-vocational modes, (2) Those who are interested in the entreprenuer’s journey either because they have started a missional business or want to, (3) Those who are seeking more Kingdom life in their current professional life or through a career change.  While many people might identify with more than one, we’ll ask everyone to choose the one that suits them the most at the moment, or the one they are most attracted to.  In these groups facilitators will ask those already engaged in each type of journey what has served as the best maps and who have served as the best guides.  Then the group will be asked to reflect on what is shared and how this does or doesn’t fit with their current needs.

Content / Discussion (30 min): “Coaches, Mentors, and Communities” – What are the best practices of leadership and career development from spiritual and secular sources?  What is coaching and how can it help in the process of growing into a new identity and a new set of practices?  What are mentors, and how can we gain the most from those who have gone ahead?  How do learning communities facilitate growth?

This is the first draft! Please post comments and suggestions in the comments to help us polish up this process for the good of all.

I think many people in Missional Business will be very interested in ways of doing business that take care of the earth and the people who live there.  While some evangelicals have resisted anything “green” with comments like “it’s all going to burn anyway”, some Jesus-radicals have seen the evironment as a justice issue and a way of following God’s will.  After all, if we believe God designed the family in a certain way, and that it works best when we cooperate with that design, wouldn’t we also want to work in a way that cooperates with God’s will as built into his design of nature?

If you’re interested, take a look at the Expo Website.  It will be in major US cities in Fall 2008 through early Summer 2009.  I might be at the to June expo in NYC.  Even though I’m not in manufacturing, this would be good to connect to on behalf of my organizational clients.

Today, a spiritual revival is sweeping across Corporate America as people of all stripes are mixing mysticism into their management, importing into office corridors the lessons usually dolled out in churches, temples, and mosques. Gone is the old taboo against talking about God at work. –BusinessWeek Magazine, November 1999

Ten years ago we could identity only 25 national or international workplace ministries; today we can identify more than 900. –Mike McLoughlin, YWAM Marketplace Mission

If you have other quotes about ministry in the workplace that encourage you, please post them in the comments.

True faith is not expressed or experienced by those who remain in the safety of the temple courts, but by those that charge into the wildness of humanity armed only with the Cross of Peace.

While I was journaling with Dad today, he gave me the tidbit above. While there are many practical reasons why many of us are seeking a future in the business world, the persistent call of the Mission of God remains the brightest and purest motivator. It is easy to trust God in the temple courts and remain there where everything is already ordered according to the Kingdom of Heaven (well, at least we wish it were). It’s also easy to leave our faith in God in the temple courts while we trust in ourselves and the systems of man “in the real world”. But the Gospel of the Kingdom demands that we trust God to lead us into the marketplaces where the Kingdom has not yet come as ambassadors, establishing outposts of the King until he comes to bring his Reality in all its fullness.

I hope this encourages you today not to turn from the Great Journey for an easier road and to know the value of active trust is so much greater than passive belief.

1. Many people, who have come from full-time ministry in other forms of church or directly from seminary where they have been trained for professional ministry, face a dilemma when they want to enter simple church: How will I make a living if I’m not supported by the church? In some cases, this person may have few marketable skills and little business experience. In other cases, they need guidance in how to make a living that will still allow the time and energy necessary for them to follow their calling.
2. There are many business people in the simple church movement whose journey in this incarnational approach to Jesus-following has drawn up questions about how they can reform their careers and businesses for the sake of the King. This would also include entrepreneurs who are attracted to the pioneering nature of simple church because it aligned with their personal passions and who want to reform existing careers or businesses to serve the Kingdom they’ve come to love and serve.
3. We’ve also heard that some people are just sick of their current job because it isn’t the vibrant life they are now used to in Christ or because it limits mission and sane living in some way. They are asking questions about better ways to make a living by reforming their careers or starting up businesses of their own.

Which one are you? Let us know if you think there are other categories. We’re trying to get a bit of an idea about who and how many people are interested in each conversation/journey. Tell us a little bit of your story and what you hope to do with marketplace ministry in the future.

Tony and Felicity Dale

A couple of days ago, I was on a conference call with Tony and Felicity Dale, David Underwood, and Jim Mellon – all people with a huge heart for the simple church movement and all business people who are paving the way for those who are asking questions about self-funded ministry and mission and how to make a marketplace impact (Tony, David, and Jim and I will be facilitating the Marketplace Ministry track at the H2H2008 conference while Felicity will be working with John White in the House Church Basics track).

While on the call, the Dales told the story about a new direction in their ministry and perhaps in the lives of many in the movement. Since sometime around last Christmas, the Dales have felt God urging them to support and serve people who want to do Godly business within the movement, so they brought in their good friends and long-time collaborators Jim and David (who played a significant role in founding House2House). These four have been listening to people far and wide as they ask questions about surviving and thriving in the new paradigm with few professional Christians and blurring boundaries between the spheres of family, faith, and work.

Three key issues (below) have risen to the surface from the many stories, conversations, and questions. We’re thinking that we may use each of the three workshop sessions at the conference to work on one of these. Our journey in simple church has immersed us in a unique experience of the reality of God, so we think how we frame these issues, the questions it draws up in us, and the solutions we will create will be somewhat unique.

• Relationships to Support The Journey: Because of the competitive and materialistic foundations of commercial enterprise, relationships in business often remain shallow and broken. In many circles, “professionalism” means not sharing who we are on a human and spiritual level with those we engage in business. But our God is a community of Three so interconnected they are One, and we are called to mimic God who seeks authentic connection to everyone and who calls us to serve as the conduits of grace and love to every life. This means we must journey as a community and brotherhood (and sisterhood) of business-focused mission. We must seek the shalom (holistic peace) of all through cooperation, generosity, hospitality and fellowship. If simple church has taught us anything, it’s that God’s will for us is to link arms for missional empowerment and healthy living. What would it look like to form groups of twos and threes for intimate support of our journey in Godly business? How could this connect to larger expressions like our home churches and apostolic teams? How can these relationships be woven into the fabric of holistic lives while maintaining enough distinction to handle the particular supports needed for Kingdom Enterprise?

• Personal Development of Entrepreneurs and Business People: My good friend and teammate Hugo Monroy is an executive and organization coach who specializes in supporting individuals and groups as they go through transition. Moving into missional business will be a giant change for many in the movement. Hugo says that the most difficult part of such transition is what it means for our identity. Many people are surprised by the grieving and depression they feel as the move in what should be an exciting new direction. According to Hugo, this is because it is painful for the old person to die in order for a new person to be born. Hugo says our greatest asset to managing such change is the universality of the Kingdom of God and the tools in terms of transformational relationships we have in the Kingdom. We have a great advantage in that we understand the need for discipleship and constant growth and support as we become what the mission requires. How can those of us on this ever-changing journey connect with people like Hugo who can help us understand what is going on within us and build new lives as we seek to follow God into places that demand new identity? Who has God positioned to help us develop along the way?

• Maps for Starting, Growing, and Transitioning Enterprise: Many of us have heard the call and know it is for us. But we can’t quite see how to make this thing into a reality. Perhaps you want to walk this new path but have little or no practical knowledge for the way ahead. Maybe you’ve done business for years but want to be more Kingdom-oriented while at the same time wondering about the costs in terms of our relationships to clients and coworkers and our own retooling. It could be we are tired of “business as usual” and simple church has awakened us to an alternate way of life that makes us restless in our current work. We entered simple church because we wanted freedom to follow Jesus – we knew the answers to our questions lay in tracing the footsteps of those ahead, while removing human obstacles and entanglements. In the same way, there are those who have followed Jesus into the business world and have developed maps to show us the way ahead. They understand the pitfalls and know the best paths to success and missional impact. What are the principles to starting, transtioning, and strengthening Kingdom Enterprise? How can we practice sound business principles and sound Kingdom principles for businesses that really work while really doing God’s work? What resources are there to leverage for sustainability and success? How can we form communities of collaboration that share resources as they are created and discovered?

What do you think about these three main areas? Are there other things on your mind or things you relate to in each one? Is anything missing? What ideas do you have about how to explore these areas and work together on solutions given our limited time and value for participatory learning and listening to God?

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