7 Ways to Engage in Marketplace Missions

A grid to help your workers choose their pathway

Interest in global marketplace roles pursued for Kingdom benefit has multiplied in recent years. In many of the neediest countries of the world, employment has become a necessity to gain residence. More than that, pursuing work in a professional capacity or launching a business is an effective avenue for life-on-life spiritual impact. Marketplace jobs also often provide a way to live out Christian compassion and/or expand local employment opportunities while providing income that sustains the worker on location.  

For all of these reasons, marketplace roles are highly attractive to many Christians who are passionate about missions, especially younger generations. However, the options can be confusing, and church missions leaders often feel inadequately prepared to assist marketplace workers find a global context that matches their gifts.

This month’s Postings lays out a grid to help explain the various options for marketplace involvement along with some of the advantages and challenges of each. For comparison, we also have included the traditional missionary model.

Attempting to define categories always runs the danger of oversimplification. Yet we hope this chart will help you and potential global marketplace workers begin to consider the type of opportunity that might be the best fit for them. 

Some Key Resources on Marketplace Global Engagement