|
Vision
To
build the Kingdom of God in the Marketplace.
(Col
1:20).
Mission
Connecting
To network the Christian community’s capacity to rise up under the unction
of the Holy Spirit and implement the mandates of God in the marketplace.
Collaborating
To work together in bringing a synergy of gifts and
resources to the task of building the Kingdom of God in the marketplace.
Catalysing
To ignite a chain reaction that will transform the marketplace into a place
of Christian discipleship. We want every Christian to be
an effective ambassador of Jesus
Christ and to work in strategic teams in their daily occupations (2
Cor 5:20, Matt 18:19-20).
Strategy
-
to connect
Christians in the marketplace through leadership groups, marketplace
forums, training seminars and other purposeful events
-
to assist
Christians integrate their faith and work on a holistic basis
-
to
develop everyday confidence in being the message of Christ in the
workplace (2 Cor 3:3)
-
to assist local churches make the
Sunday-Monday connection and network their missional capacity in the
marketplace
-
to catalyse new
groups where Christian marketplace groups do not exist
-
to maintain a register of marketplace groups
so people can connect with a Christian organisation in their workplace or
profession
-
to provide a menu of resources that will
help these groups be strategic and effective.
Mandates in the Marketplace
Creation
Partnering with God in caring for his creation (Gen 1:26-28, Romans
8:20-21).
Discipleship
Extending the love of God where
we are and growing in Christian maturity (Matt 22:37, Matt 28:18).
Kingdom of God
Integrating God's ways into every aspect of daily life on a personal and
corporate basis (Matt 5:13-16, 6:10, 6:33).
Process
Currently there are seven primary areas of commitment
to AMC objectives:
-
encouragement and support through the web with
recommended resources,
articles, books and
email lists
-
consulting with local churches
who are
seeking to be more missional in the marketplace
-
networking the wider churches capacity to reach the marketplace
-
consulting, resourcing and networking of strategic
small groups in the marketplace
-
ILG groups and
marketplace forums
-
event listing and
training resources
-
event
management.
|
 |
for AMC beliefs, values and ethos |
|
 |
for
Prayer Journal |
|
 |
to download a
"big picture" schematic. |
Scope
We have a Marketplace Faith
The Christian faith started outside the
temple. Jesus grew up as a carpenter. When it was time for public ministry
he worked in the marketplace with fishermen and a tax
collector. His parables were marketplace stories and his healings happened
often in marketplace situations.
Why is the marketplace
important as a place of ministry?
Our
work is important because that is where we earn our living, provide for our
families and spend some 67% of our waking time Monday to Friday. It is also
the place where we meet non-Christians the most.
Inhibitors
There are four main inhibitors to Christians being effective in the
marketplace:
-
Fragmentation
denominationalism and insular local church
attitudes inhibiting combined effort in the marketplace.
-
Isolation
feeling you are the only Christian in your
company.
-
Intimidation
feeling overwhelmed by the forces of
secularism.
-
Compromise
not "walking the walk".
If you don't walk the walk, don't talk the talk!
Witness
In
Acts 1:4-8 Jesus clearly states that we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit
to be empowered for witness. Jesus does NOT say, 'go and witness'. What he
does say is that after being filled with the Holy Spirit you will be
his witness.
Wherever you work right now you are a witness. The question is this: are you
a good or a bad witness?
God wants you to be a great witness for his son! The way to do this is
to be filled with the Holy Spirit and work with other members of the body of
Christ in your strategic area. Then you can hold each other accountable to
building your witness on the right foundations.
Foundations
Marketplace
ministry seeks to empower people to serve Jesus Christ where they are in the
marketplace. The basis of being effective for Christ in the workplace is to
put down the following foundations under the unction of the Holy Spirit, ie
being:
-
caring
-
christian
-
competent
-
connected
-
consistent
-
creative
-
credible
Put
these attributes under the anointing of the Holy Spirit together with
the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit and you
have the greatest contribution that exists for the marketplace. This is how
we can make our calling to be salt and light effective in the
marketplace (Matt 5:13-16).
Accordingly marketplace ministry is not event driven but primarily focused
on effectively using the time we already
have in the workplace.
The Big Picture
From these foundations we can see the vision of the big picture of
implementing the Kingdom of God in the ten main spheres of society (Matt
6:10), ie:
-
business
-
charity
-
church
-
creative Arts
-
education
-
government
-
health
-
justice
-
media
-
sport.
Transformation
For
a city or town to be transformed paradigm shifts have to occur in the
marketplace. What is the role of business
and professional people in this process? There are four steps to Christian
growth in penetrating the marketplace:
-
to be a nominal
or undisclosed Christian in the workplace (survival mode)
-
to be a
Christian who applies Biblical principles in their work and business
relationships
-
to be a
Christian who brings the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit to their
business or professional life
-
to be a
Christian committed to transformation of their business and city1.
AMC is a resource to network, mobilise,
train, equip and support progressive growth in these phases of
marketplace ministry.
Christian World View
There is no person, marriage, family,
organisation, workplace, profession, office, department, company,
corporation or government where Jesus Christ cannot be pre-eminent
(Matt 6:10, Eph 1:21, Col 1:15-20).
We are a movement proactive in raising the
profile of Jesus Christ in the cities and towns of our nation. We are
committed to honouring God 24/7.
Your workplace is strategic for the
Kingdom of God.
1. "Anointed for Business" by Ed Silvoso, page 123 (Regal).
|
