There are millions of men and women that are called to full-time ministry in business, education and government, which is referred to as the marketplace. These men and women work as accountants, lawyers, entrepreneurs, farmers, chief operating officers, news reporters, teachers, police officers, plumbers, factory foremen, receptionists, cooks and much more. A great amount of these business people have great influence on mainstream society and others are unsung heroes with low profiles. However each of them has been divinely called to bring the Kingdom of God to the heart of the city in which they conduct business.

A sad reality is that many of these marketplace Christians feel like second-class citizens when compared to people who serve full-time in a church or missionary context. This should not be the case. No matter the occupations, Christians who work at secular jobs need to know that they are not perpetual privates in God’s army just because they have not gone to seminary. They need to discover that they have the potential to become full-fledged generals whose ministry is in the market place influencing the heart of a city and nation, instead of inside a religious building.

It is of vital importance that they realize that, not only is it 100% fine to do ministry in the marketplace, but that God has explicitly called them and anointed them for it. By “anointed” I mean that they have been chosen and empowered by the Holy Spirit for a divinely sanctioned assignment. By “ministry” I mean that they can do more than just witness; they can bring transformation to their jobs and then to their cities and then to the nation. The Kingdom of God is not limited to a church building but requires one to exercise Kingdom culture influence in all areas of society both economically and culturally.

Erick Bouwmeester