I recently spoke to a class of senior marketing students at Indiana Wesleyan University. The professor is a new friend and a member of one of The Stone Table’s church partners. He asked me to share about Business as Mission (BAM) as a way to open these students’ minds to creative ways they can use their newly developed skills post-graduation.
We discussed the sacred/secular divide, the theology of everyday marketplace work, the injustice of 42% of the global population not having access to the Gospel, and how business can play a role in making disciples of every nation, tribe, and tongue. I’m always encouraged when I spend time with young people who are passionate about Jesus.
As I made the long drive home that evening, something resonated deeply in my soul. We will not fulfill the Great Commission if we just see it as the responsibility of “those missionaries” over there. The Great Commission can’t be outsourced! Making disciples of all nations is going to require the intentional efforts of all of us, every believer in the church, on the mission field, and in the marketplace.
Marketplace skills are missionary skills!
We need Great Commission followers of Jesus who are engineers, scientists, teachers, programmers, journalists, medical assistants, accountants, graphic designers, financial advisors, entrepreneurs (fill in your line of work here). Because I truly believe that the future of global missions is in our Bible Schools and our Business Schools.
Accelerating the Great Commission through the Marketplace,
Erik Cooper | The Stone Table
