apostolic gift, of course I’m going to view marketplace ministry as a mandate to “ascend and take the business mountain for God.” If I have a pastoral gift (i.e. marketplace chaplains), of course I’m going to view marketplace ministry as a calling to “care for the personal needs of my employees and/or co-workers.” We need to approach marketplace ministry in a way that leverages the spiritual gifts of all Christians in the marketplace. The “one-sizefits-all” approach only produces selfcondemnation and ineffectiveness for marketplace Christians attempting to operate outside of their Godgiven spiritual gifts. Reason #6: Denominational
divisions are less destructive in the marketplace. We can choose which church to attend, but most of us don’t have the luxury of working only with Christians with whom we agree theologically. The marketplace has a way of diluting some of these differences. This opens the door to collaborative ministry beyond the walls of our local churches and traditions. Reason #7: Everything gets funded from the marketplace. All money comes from value that has been created in the marketplace, and business professionals ultimately decide what (and who) gets funded. These business professionals need to know God and God’s plan for their
lives in order to make righteous decisions concerning money. Although business is often thought of only as the economic engine of the church, I hope that we will begin to see and realize its full potential for transforming society for the glory of God. ◆ This article was reprinted with written permission from the Theology of Business Institute. The original article is located at www.TheologyofBusiness.com. Darren Shearer is the founder and director of the Theology of Business Institute, creator of the Biblical Standards for Businesses Course, host of Theology of Business Podcast, and author of three books including, The Marketplace Christian: A Practical Guide to Using Your Spiritual Gifts in Business and Marketing Like Jesus: 25 Strategies to Change the World. www.TheologyofBusiness.com
Disciplines to celebrate and support
D
iscipline is a concept that many in our culture shy away from, viewing the rigor that it implies as a negative thing to be avoided. A study guide from the Denver Institute for Faith & Work explores the value of regular spiritual practice as a supporting framework for our lives, particularly in the workplace. Spiritual Disciplines For Your Work: A Reflection Guide, contains a set of 12 chapters with seasonally appropriate calls to contemplation, listening and responses. The January chapter focuses on brokenness and renewal. It challenges readers to enter a space of reflective awareness, lamenting, hoping, welcoming and acting. Becoming part of God’s call to participate in a ministry of reconciliation can only occur as we are aware of the brokenness within the world, the study suggests. It calls on readers to keep a running reflection on aspects of brokenness with their work, to respond in lament centred on how we feel rather than how we think, and to engage in hope as a practice of “active passivity.” “Prayerful hope is a posture of rebellion against the status quo, holding ourselves and situations be-
fore the possibility of God’s healing. It becomes an antidote to cynicism, jadedness, despondency, and other forms of withdrawal from our work.” Other chapters in the 67-page devotional guide explore the concepts of simplicity, silence and solitude, listening, fixed-hour prayer, sabbath, self examination and confession, liturgical prayer, and celebration and gratitude, among others. Each section 5
ends with suggestions for action. Seasoned with scripture passages and sayings from church leaders and authors, the booklet aims to promote “formative liturgies” in a culture that can too often promote workplace practices that are less helpful or “de-formative liturgies,” according to Brian Gray, the Denver Institute’s chief operating officer. Intended as a support tool for daily life at work, the guide can be started at any point of the year. “As you see yourself respond emotionally to a boss, or feel the pang of disappointment at a lost opportunity, or wonder about your future career path, use these to quiet your heart and turn your focus to Christ,” Denver Institute founder and CEO Jeff Haanen writes in the introduction to the guide. “He alone can provide what we’re looking for.” The epilogue, the Rule of Life, suggests daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual practices to help readers sustain practices of intentional spirituality. ◆ Spiritual Disciplines for Your Work: A Reflection Guide, is available for a $10 (USD) donation per book by scrolling to the bottom of the following webpage: https://denverinstitute. org/spiritual-disciplines-for-your-work/
The Marketplace January February 2020
