More than a third of our lives are spent at work where four in five have yet to hear the Gospel. It is time to make the marketplace our mission field. Photo from Depositphotos.com.
The average Singaporean works more than 40 hours a week.
That means we spend more than a third of our waking lives with our colleagues. This is significant, considering we spend, on average, only a quarter of our time with our loved ones, and just 3% in church.
Not only does the marketplace occupy most of our waking hours, it is also where most pre-believers are. A recent Advancing the Kingdom Initiative (ATKI) report even called the marketplace “the new Roman road for the Gospel”.
This is especially true in Singapore, where 68% of the population is in the workforce. Four in five of them do not yet know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
If the marketplace is the new harvest field, how can we reach our colleagues beyond simply inviting them to church? Here are six tools you can use.
1. Alpha: To encounter God
What is Alpha?
Alpha started as a follow-up and an outreach resource for the Church nearly 50 years ago in the United Kingdom, and has since gone well beyond church walls.
While designed for use within the Church, Alpha can be used anywhere to bring the Gospel to people. Photo from Alpha Singapore website.
In cafes, homes, hospitals, prisons, halfway houses, offices, parachurch organisations and even brothels, Alpha has offered attendees connections, conversations and a chance to encounter Christ in a safe space.
Held once a week, the 12-session course typically begins with a meal, during which participants can build relationships with one another. Each session then deals with the big questions of life and the basics of Christianity, such as “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”.
What makes Alpha so attractive is the opportunity to share opinions and ideas in small groups, while building relationships with fellow participants. Another highlight is the chance to encounter God personally during a weekend getaway, which is part of the programme.
Today, more than 25 million people across over 140 countries – and in more than 100 languages – have experienced Alpha.
Alpha in the workplace
Workplace Alpha need not happen in the office. Colleagues can meet at cafes during lunchtime or even in homes after work. The material is flexible enough to be used at any location.
2. TRUE: To answer life’s big questions
What is TRUE?
How do you know there is a God?
If God is real and God is good, why is there suffering in this world?
How can you be sure there is only one way to God, and that the Christian way is it?
TRUE is positioned to reach those who demand intellectual evidence of the Christian faith. Photo courtesy of Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church.
Truth Revealed: Understanding Evidences for Christianity (TRUE) is a 10-session course that addresses these common intellectual questions about the Christian faith. In so doing, it hopes to demonstrate that Christianity is intellectually sound, reasonable and rational, and that it is more logical to believe in God than not to.
In a world that often pits fact against faith, science and the sacred, TRUE maps out the solid intellectual foundations on which Christianity is based, proving that faith is neither blind nor unfounded.
The programme, developed by Paya Lebar Chinese Methodist Church, began as a way to help second-generation youths own their faith. Along the way, they discovered that it was a good way to address issues and objections that pre-believers of all ages have when it comes to Christianity.
It is especially suited to the marketplace, where people are more inclined towards intellectual discussions and analyses of evidences.
TRUE in the workplace
Designed to take the Gospel out of the church and to where people are, TRUE can be done one-on-one or in mid-sized groups, in any space that allows for videos to be played and discussions to be had.
For more information, contact Pastor Wilfred Leow.
3. Our Daily Bread: To address work-related concerns
What is ODB?
Our Daily Bread (ODB) is a well-known devotional resource that has been around for nearly 90 years. Today, ODB also has produced outreach materials that can be used in the marketplace.
A recent example is a six-part miniseries, produced in-house last year, that explores the theme of retirement. The central character is Uncle Lee, an air-conditioner technician, who is wondering whether he should retire or not.
The video raises questions that any working adult will eventually grapple with, and provides space for them to reflect on how time at work can be meaningfully spent.
There are also written resources that deal with topics like ageing, critical illness, mental health, stress, money, dream jobs and the pursuit of happiness.
The materials are highly relatable, having been contextualised for the region, and are easily accessible in both print and digital formats. They also present the Christian faith in a non-threatening way, starting with everyday issues before connecting them to what the Bible says.
ODB in the marketplace
The printed resources have been displayed in private hire cars, restaurants, clinics, shops, businesses and offices for people to pick up and read at their leisure. One person even placed them in her Pilates studio, using them to reach out to clients between lessons.
ODB materials can be put anywhere to reach pre-believers through issues that they face in life. Screenshot from an ODB video.
The materials can also be used in workplace fellowship groups or as conversation starters in friendship evangelism with colleagues, since the topics are the very ones work friends naturally discuss.
4. Global Business Network: To mobilise people at work
What is Global Business Network?
Global Business Network (GBN), which has been around for the past 25 years, was founded to bring the Church into the weekday.
It helps Christians build workplace communities where they can encourage one another to live out their Christian testimony in the marketplace, opening doors for the Gospel to be shared.
These workplace communities also serve as platforms for discipleship. Through a series called Business Empowerment Circus, they provide a more intentional journey with accountability.
GBN in the marketplace
Because these communities are industry- and even workplace-specific, members share similar backgrounds and can offer support and understanding that cannot always be found in the church.
One group, for example, began with four believers from different churches working in the same technology multi-national corporation (MNC). Their initial aim was simply to fellowship, pray together and keep one another accountable. As they sought to deepen their bond, they turned to GBN for resources and equipping.
One resource centred on Joseph’s life and the hostile work environment he navigated. One member identified so deeply with Joseph that they were moved to tears. This created space for the Holy Spirit to bring wisdom into the situation.
Within two years, the group grew from four to more than 80 people, expanding from one MNC to three. They also began organising monthly evangelistic lunches.
Today, they are a lighthouse in the workplace, shining the light of Christ among believers and pre-believers alike.
5. GROW: To disciple people at work
What is GROW?
GROW, or Grow the Marketplace, is a framework developed by Salt&Light to:
- Gather believers, industry by industry
- Rally and remind them of God’s call on their lives in their vocations
- Organise them with other believers at work
- Witness to the marketplace community
GROW in the marketplace
As part of Gather, Salt&Light has been organising industry-specific conferences and gatherings to bring together believers based on their workplaces, such as the property industry and the banking and finance industry.
These meet-ups Rally believers to talk about their work and faith with people who have gone through the same struggles, challenges and tensions. Believers are also reminded of how to live out their faith ethically at work, and learn to share their faith respectfully.
They are then Organised into GROW groups to learn what the Church beyond church walls looks like in the marketplace. Through such groups, there is accountability, encouragement, shared resources and strategising.
A GROW group in the real estate industry. Photo courtesy of the Thirst Collective.
To give GROW groups materials to use, Salt&Light developed a 12-part curriculum with Ps Benny Ho, Senior Pastor of Faith Community Church in Perth, called Theology at Work.
The curriculum comes with videos and discussion questions that explore issues like: Why did God give us work? Why did God put us in this company? Why does God give us the ability to generate wealth?
To help professionals facilitate GROW groups, Salt&Light has partnered Cadence Culture to provide training for them. The end game is to point people to Witness as a team.
6. Kingdom Connect
Kingdom Connect is a new digital platform that helps Christians in the marketplace find business mentoring, coaching and workplace communities near their offices.
By connecting believers, churches, ministries, professionals, entrepreneurs and businesses, it makes it easier to discover communities and fellowships that help bridge the gap between faith on Sunday and work on Monday.
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