Businesstry (business/ministry) also referred to “business as mission” or “marketplace ministry” is a growing area of Fiducia’s approach to mission.
If you’ve heard our mission or even take a glance at our logo, you’ll notice how we are actively encouraging followers of Christ to “live a life on mission where we live, work, and play.” The first few years of our ministry had been solely focused on the “live” piece where we mobilized Christians in their neighborhoods. As we continued to grow and develop, we then worked with followers of Jesus in their “play” areas or 3rd spaces such as a sports team, the YMCA, or even frequently visiting their local coffee shop.
Over the past year, we’ve noticed how it’s becoming increasingly important to come alongside businesses and people that have a Kingdom approach to where they “work” and helping them see their job as a crucial piece to their ministry calling.
So what does this “businesstry” even look like?
Just like most ministry efforts, there isn’t a simple cookie cutter example that applies to all situations. I do think it starts with having a mindset and calling from the start that everything we have belongs to the Lord and that our role is to simply steward those things. Our identity is first “in Christ.” This means that we are first missionary-minded Christians before we suit up and go to work to our job as a teacher, plumber, doctor, etc.
My friend Buz spoke at our NEDTalks Conference last year (click the link and go to week 3 for his talk). As a real estate investor and a large seafood restaurant chain owner, Buz will tell you that he “is in full-time ministry and it just so happens that he own a few restaurants.” He describes his work as his ministry because he sees all that he owns as the Lord’s and his work is not separate from his faith. Buz has hundreds of employees under him. He knows that even as he conducts his business in the day to day as the CEO, he is first and foremost a servant of Christ as a minister of the Gospel. That begs me to ask the question…What kind of Gospel impact could we have if we all began seeing our jobs not as just as an avenue to create wealth, but as sacred ministry callings?
Jesus and the Marketplace
Some interesting facts worth noting:
- Of the 132 public appearances Jesus had in the New Testament (NT), 122 of them were in the marketplace.
- 52 parables are recorded in the NT and 45 were in the workplace.
- 40 divine interventions are recorded in Acts and 39 are in the marketplace.
- Jesus started his ministry at 30 and then recruited his 12 followers. Where did he go to find them? You guessed it…
So now what for Fiducia?
As I mentioned from the beginning, our mission at Fiducia is to help followers of Christ live on mission where we live, work, and play. We mobilize the missionary-minded servants in all three areas. As of recent, the marketplace or “work” emphasis has been picking up steam in a few areas…
Fiducia is coming alongside the launch of a BBQ restaurant that will be an “engine of generosity” to a local community. It will be a beacon of hope for a neighborhood and city with many needs. We’ve also been assisting the launch of ministry efforts into the overall hospitality/restaurant industry to create avenues for hospitality workers to be cared for and ministered to. Finally, we’ve been in communication with a local church downtown looking to repurpose their historic space into a coffee-lab-venue. All of these will be Kingdom enterprises where workers and patrons will find hope and love.
Many people all around us may never find themselves walking through the doors of church buildings, but they do find themselves regularly in these businesses.…If only they’d get a glimpse of our King while they are there!
Our hope is to continue to see these marketplace ministries pop up across our communities and nation. Fiducia is here to help in this area! If you find yourself intrigued by this conversation and would like some resources or have an idea to launch a businesstry, we’d love to hear from you! Pease email me at Matt@fiduciacommunity.com as I’d love to connect with you directly.
If you’d like to GIVE to the launch of future start up businesses with ministry purposes, you can do so by clicking the link.
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