Missional Marketplace S1 E1: Is There Gospel Meaning In Your Everyday Work?

In this inaugural episode of the Missional Marketplace Podcast, Darren and Erik introduce the premise for Season One of the show. This podcast is for Christians who work in the marketplace, but who carry a deep passion for God’s mission in the world and want their everyday work to connect more deeply with that missional purpose (and who like to laugh a little bit along the way). In episode 1, we set the stage for this season-long conversation about faith, work, and the global mission of God in the world.

Do you ever wrestle with any of these questions:

-Is there any eternal value to my day job?

-Is it possible to find gospel meaning in my “secular” career?

-If I really love Jesus, shouldn’t I quit my job and go into full-time ministry?

-How does my everyday work have anything to do with God’s mission in the world?

We do, too. So we’re going to talk about it over twelve drive-time length episodes built around Erik’s brand new book called (strangely enough) Missional Marketplace: Finding Your Everyday Work in God’s Eternal Plan. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/173…)

We also debut a weekly segment called the “Missional Moment,” where we hear from someone actually living out this tension in their everyday life. This week we talk to Tom, who sold the marketing business he pioneered and ran for over 20 years and became a missionary, but probably not in the way you would normally think of global missions work. Tom and his wife Patti now live cross-culturally and consult with business as mission missionaries and projects, using their marketplace skills to help take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

If you have a passion for the Gospel, a passion for the mission of God in the world, a passion for every aspect of your life – including your day-job – to matter in the context of this faith you hold so dear, this podcast is for you. We hope you’ll joins us on this 12-episode journey into the Missional Marketplace.

Please share, follow, and rate this show (we prefer all the stars if you don’t mind) on your podcast platform of choice. It goes a long way to help establish us as a new podcast.You can also find more information about Missional Marketplace and The Stone Table here:

The Stone Table: https://TheStoneTable.org https://www.facebook.com/thestonetable https://www.instagram.com/thestonetab… https://www.linkedin.com/company/1367… Missional Marketplace Book: https://www.erikcooper.me https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/173…

#businesspodcast #faithandwork #christianpodcast

Transcription:

Speaker 1 [00:00:00] Like you said, it’s not a straight shot. It’s not like, Oh, I attached a great commission to my work, and now God’s just going to say everything’s easy, right? That it is a it is a grind and it is a get up every day and say, God help me to see how I can work today. And I think that is that is the reality of some of this stuff, is that there’s not a one size fits all. And that’s what I think this podcast, as we continue to unfold, is we’re going to see different people and hear different stories of people stepping out and going, I think this is where I’m going. This is the gifts I have. I have this kind of passion for it. I’m going to step into it and watch God unfold some really cool stories and we hope to inspire those that are in the marketplace and saying, you know, I got. I feel like there’s more I can give. 

Speaker 1 [00:00:54] Well. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Missional Marketplace podcast. Yes, a brand new podcast. That’s right. Started by the stone table here. And I guess I should introduce us a little bit because it’s our our very first episode. 

Speaker 2 [00:01:08] Very first. I think we’re the only organization on planet Earth that has not already launched a podcast. 

Speaker 1 [00:01:14] So now we are we’re jumping in the waters. 

Speaker 2 [00:01:16] Where we’re in the game. That’s right. 

Speaker 1 [00:01:18] That’s I like it so. Well, I am Darren Cooper. I’m here with my my brother, my older and wiser brother, Eric Cooper. And this year. 

Speaker 2 [00:01:27] My younger and taller. 

Speaker 1 [00:01:28] Yeah, brother. I’ll try to slouch. If you’re watching this on video, I’ll slouch a little bit, you know. Right. So that’s right. But yeah, this podcast is all about accelerating the great commission through the marketplace. That’s kind of the topic or the idea that’s that’s what it’s about. That’s really kind of who it’s for in some capacity. But maybe dove a little bit deeper into that. If if somebody is listening to this for the very first time, who who is this podcast? 

Speaker 2 [00:01:54] Why are we doing this right? Right. I mean, I think really this is about Marketplace Christians or this is for Marketplace Christians who are passionate about God’s glory and all the earth about God’s mission in the world. But they find themselves in marketplace work, right? So marketplace believers who are passionate about God’s mission, God’s glory, and all of the earth and have a desire, really, I think, to connect their everyday jobs and their everyday work to the Great Commission or to the global mission of God in the world. And so that’s what we want to talk about. And really we’re going to do these in series, right? So this would be this would be season or season. This would be season one. Right. And, you know, we’re going to do 12 episodes here in season one and just kind of see where this goes. But that’s that’s who this is aimed at and what we’re we’re looking to do. Yeah. 

Speaker 1 [00:02:45] And we want to generate that conversation, right. Because I think as Marketplace Christians, you can easily kind of feel isolated, maybe like you’re you’re alone in some of those things and you know, how do I how do I reconcile all these things? These big questions come up and it can easily make you feel alone. And so we want to have those conversations. We want to step into that, even bring in some conversations from people that are out there doing some really cool things in the world. And and that’s really the point and the purpose behind. 

Speaker 2 [00:03:16] What we’re trying. I think a lot of marketplace believers feel like they’re the B-team, right? Like, you know, we’ve got pastors and missionaries that are out there. They’re the A-Team and we’re just kind of the B-team. And I think we want to change that dialog, not to not to to bring down the honor that pastors and missionaries deserve, but to really, I think, help elevate everyday believers and help them understand that who they are and how God made them as part of God’s kingdom. 

Speaker 1 [00:03:43] Plan for the elevation piece, I think is key, right? It’s bringing bringing you up to realize that your work matters. What you do matters that there’s a purpose and a meaning. And it’s not just wait around until the next that’s really happens. Right. You know, and so. Well, Eric, there there are a ton of podcasts out, as we’ve already mentioned right there. There are podcasts that deal. 

Speaker 2 [00:04:05] With one or 12 million. 

Speaker 1 [00:04:05] Right, right. There’s there’s podcast, a deal with faith and work. There’s podcasts, a deal with the Great Commission, all kinds of stuff. So, so really my big question to start us off on and this episode is, is really why are we doing this? You know, like, yeah, what, what do we have to bring to this conversation? Maybe a little bit of our story, a little bit of your story even. But but why are we doing this way? Missional Marketplace. 

Speaker 2 [00:04:30] Podcast? Yeah, we were just bored. We didn’t have anything. 

Speaker 1 [00:04:32] We had nothing else to do, so nothing else to do. 

Speaker 2 [00:04:35] Now, I think a lot of this and a lot of what we do, even here at the Stone Table, it started with my personal journey. In fact, if you look at my if you look at my work journey and you know it yours, isn’t it? Yours is a little similar to mine as well. Right. But we’ve both been in the marketplace, so I started out in the marketplace. Yeah. You know, I. I went to school for music, graduated with a degree in accounting. I don’t know how in the world you do that, right? 

Speaker 1 [00:05:01] I don’t either. As a musician myself, I’m still questioning how you do that. 

Speaker 2 [00:05:04] But then, you know, worked worked for a CPA firm, worked in private accounting, then ended up taking an unexpected and unplanned 12 year detour into full time ministry for sure. And then about a decade ago, switched back over. And now I’m back kind of in this brackish water, I like to say, between the marketplace and in ministry. And so it’s a good way. But, you know, I’ve I’ve really wrestled with a lot of these things and I think I wrestled when I went into the ministry. I didn’t like people calling me pastor. I just felt that it was an identity problem. But then when I well, after 12 years, when I stepped out of full time ministry, it was weird not being called pastor, right? So just now, you know, being back in the marketplace for the last decade, realizing that I was struggling with my identity and purpose because my passion for the gospel, my passion for the mission of God in the world had not changed. But my my job had my, my what I went. You know, I got up and went to to work to do every day had I was back in the marketplace. And so I didn’t know who I was anymore. Right. And I think as I wrestled with that personally and tried to reconcile with that personally, I realized, at least from our experience, I’ll say from our experience there and there was I had very little theology of work and understanding, good work theology. And I don’t think that was intentional. It was just not something we grew up talking about. And I know there are some denominations and some church churches that talk about that a lot more. But your. 

Speaker 1 [00:06:28] Our Story. 

Speaker 2 [00:06:28] Yeah, we didn’t we didn’t grow up around that. Right. And so, you know, I had this passion for the work of God, for the gospel. I had this passion for global missions and ministry. But every day I got up and I went to a job that most people would call secular. Right? Like I had a secular job. So as I began to wrestle with this for myself, I began to talk about it myself, process it with other people. All of a sudden, I realized I was hitting I was hitting a nerve with a lot of people that I didn’t even realize was out there. So I kept hearing these kinds of questions, you know, is there any eternal value to my day job? You know, is it possible to find gospel meaning in my secular work? You know, we’re going to talk about that is the as the season unfolds. Sure. You know, and then this is a big one. If I really love Jesus, if my faith was really central to me, if I really love Jesus, should I just quit my job and go into full time ministry? 

Speaker 1 [00:07:23] A lot of people probably wonder that if if they’re listening, they’re going, Yeah, that I think that will resonate most. Because I know even in my life it was the same thing, right? It’s like, Oh Ministries where the great commission happens. Right? We just fund it if we’re out in the secular, right? 

Speaker 2 [00:07:39] Like we’re our job is to go out into the secular world and harvest heathen assets and bring them back to the people who are, you know, doing the real sacred work. Right. You know, and then I think really at the heart of it all is this this underlying question, how does my everyday work? If I’m a marketplace and I’m a believer in the marketplace, how does my everyday work have anything to do with God’s mission in the world? And I think there’s so many people out there wrestling and asking those questions. And so I think some of this is going to come from our own experience and the things we’ve walked through and wrestle through here with our organization. But I think they’re there universal truths that so many Marketplace believers are wrestling with. 

Speaker 1 [00:08:21] Absolutely. And I think the big thing that we want to begin to highlight, I think we’ve said it a little bit already, is just that that your work matters. Yeah, right. That it’s not just a mundane thing that you have to do. And when you begin to see that your work matters and that it actually can have an effect in in taking the gospel around the world, that there’s some really cool things that can happen. And I think that’s where we want to highlight some of that, have those dialogs, talk with some of those folks that are doing that kind of stuff. And so well, you alluded to the stone table and kind of what we do a little bit maybe maybe kind of put some context to what we do here and how it works for us. And hopefully that maybe sparks some ideas or some things for other people. Do they go, Oh, I see kind of how this works and what you guys are doing, so give us some context of that. 

Speaker 2 [00:09:13] Yeah, I guess before we talk specifically about the organization, let’s go back to I think some of the roots that created that. I mean, you and I grew up in a global missions church. 

Speaker 1 [00:09:23] We did. 

Speaker 2 [00:09:24] You know, I tell people that we were kind of slow baked in the great commission. Yeah. You know, we grew up under a great pastor, a man named Tom Paino. And, you know, Tom, I don’t think a weekend went by that there wasn’t a missionary in the pulpit. You know, you pulled onto our campus. The flags of the nations were there. I mean, it looked like the u.n. 

Speaker 1 [00:09:45] Yeah, it really did. It really. 

Speaker 2 [00:09:48] Did. You walk into the lobby and there’s a giant globe sitting on an on a spare change found. You know, we had missions, conventions, and we had. 

Speaker 1 [00:09:56] Pictures of the missionaries, all the missionaries that we would help and support, like. Exactly. It was it was everywhere. 

Speaker 2 [00:10:01] Yeah. I mean, missions was just in the DNA and then you go back even further. So our dad grew up as a PK, so I guess that makes us p g KS Yeah. 

Speaker 1 [00:10:11] Pastors can yes, that yeah, that it does. 

Speaker 2 [00:10:14] And so, you know, my dad grew up in, you know, in a pastor’s home, you know, remembers having to give up his bed for itinerant missionaries that were coming through town. Right. You know, so so we just had this this, I guess, intense passion for the great commissioners. I mean, not not one weekend would go by without the ends of the earth being mentioned, being sung about being talked about right. 

Speaker 1 [00:10:40] And so true. 

Speaker 2 [00:10:40] So then you kind of fast forward, you know, you know, our dad wasn’t he didn’t go into full time ministry, but I don’t think he ever really lost those roots. Right. And so, you know, he had been an entrepreneur in the eighties and early. This was in the nursing home business was in the restaurant business, had been a developer of condominium communities and all. 

Speaker 1 [00:11:01] Kinds of. 

Speaker 2 [00:11:01] Things. Yeah, yeah. Some things you probably wouldn’t even want us to mention here. Not nothing. Yeah, nothing illegal. 

Speaker 1 [00:11:06] But putting all those on record. 

Speaker 2 [00:11:09] That’s right. That’s right. But, you know, he was an entrepreneur and just walked with his passion for the gospel and his passion for the global mission of God in the world as well. Right. And so in the early nineties, he was kind of in-between gigs, you know, and kind of looking for that next that next thing. And dear friend of ours that was part of the church as well, a guy named Tim Shrout was real estate developer, second generation apartment owner and real estate developer. Just incredibly successful at what he did. Had discovered a program in affordable housing just because of his his connection to the industry that was incentivizing nonprofits to get into the affordable housing business. Okay. And so his idea was, hey, we could use this grant program to buy start buying apartments. We could create a nonprofit housing company, and we could build a portfolio, build a management company, and then will commit from day one, will commit 50% of our resources to go back into developing the business. And then the other 50% would give right to the global missions passion at that time that was being stewarded under our pastor this guy name Tom. 

Speaker 1 [00:12:17] Yeah. 

Speaker 2 [00:12:18] And so it was an incredible idea that emerged. Tim and Dad were working on a couple of projects together. And so, you know, Dad raised his hand and 1992, 30 years ago said, Hey, I think I’d like to take that on. Right. And what I love. 

Speaker 1 [00:12:31] About that story and might resonate with some folks is, is you you look at what they did and there was opportunity in front of them. Mm hmm. And they said, What opportunities do we have and what gifts do I have in front of me? Like, for dad? He he goes, I’m not really doing anything right now. I’m in between gigs and my my gifting lends towards I’m stepping into this. 

Speaker 2 [00:12:55] And there’s this development. 

Speaker 1 [00:12:57] And so often sometimes it’s like we look at this story, you know, 25 plus years later, I go, Holy cow, that’s amazing. How did you have all that that idea? And you saw this from the beginning? Well, that’s not always the case. Sometimes in cases you go, here’s an opportunity and here’s what skills I have in my hands, and now I’m going to step into it. And that’s what I love from from Tom Paterno’s passion for missions. That was kind of just spoken about to Dad and to Tim over and over and over again. Now they’re going, Hey, whoa, what skills do I have and how can I step into it? And I think that’s where Missional Marketplace Ministry even happens when you go, This is what I have, these skills that I have, let’s step into it now and see how I can I can take this message around the world, you know? 

Speaker 2 [00:13:45] Yeah. Yeah. And so CRF Community Reinvestment Foundation was born in 1992, the year I graduated from high school. You were a little bit younger still. Probably second grade, I think. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Still probably taller than me. But yeah, I launched in 1992 and you know, I love to say it was just a straight trajectory. It’s been a long three decade, you know, building, struggling, you know, wondering if we were going to make it and we were going out of business. But over time, you know, the Lord allowed us to build a real estate company that really nobody owned, the ministry owned the Lord owned. Right. And and the great commission owned. And so to date, you know, with our partners and all, we’ve been able to put about $15 million into the global mission of God in the world through through the work of our housing company, Community Reinvestment Foundation. 

Speaker 1 [00:14:36] And I love it, too, because I think. What did that say years ago about like if if he could give $1,000,000 away, maybe a year, he’d be happy, you know, like he’s you know, that was years ago. He said that. And it’s just now kind of getting to that place where you’re starting to see it. But $15 million all these years later, I mean, that’s you tell that story and you’re just like, holy cow. Yeah. But to just see Dad get up and go to work every day. And that’s what I think is encouraging for for well, encouraging. And also like, oh, man, is that like you said, it’s not a straight shot. It’s not like, oh, I attached a great commission to my work and now God’s just going to say everything’s easy, right? That it is a it is a grind and it is a get up every day and say, God help me to see how I can work today. And I think that is that is the reality of some of this stuff is that there’s not a one size fits all. And that’s what I think this podcast, as we continue to unfold, is we’re going to see different people and hear different stories of people stepping out and going, I think this is where I’m going. This is the gifts I have. I have this kind of passion for it. I’m going to step into it and watch God unfold some really cool stories and we hope to inspire those that are in the marketplace and saying, you know, I got it. I feel like there’s more I can give. And we’re going to see some cool stuff. 

Speaker 2 [00:15:54] Yeah. And that’s ultimately what the stone table is about, right? So the stone table was launched in 2015 really to take the missions between all of our missions. Giving through CRF went through our former pastor, Tom Paino, and Tom is just such a great patriarch and just such an honor to stand on his shoulders. But Tom’s 97 years old now. 

Speaker 1 [00:16:14] He’s 97. 

Speaker 2 [00:16:15] 97. And, you know, and I think the young age of 90 came and said and I think you probably need to slow down a little bit. Right? So we launched it. 

Speaker 1 [00:16:23] I think it’s. 

Speaker 2 [00:16:24] Time we launched the stone table in 2015 basically to take that baton from him. So the stone table really does all of our missions investing and really steps into this space. You said it in the intro, right? Accelerating the great commission through the marketplace. That’s really what the stone table is all about is is saying, how can we leverage marketplace people to see the glory of God through all of the Earth? And that really is is what this is about in the story. I guess just to give you some baseline of context for who we are and why we’re doing this. 

Speaker 1 [00:16:56] Yeah, yeah. I love that. And so now we see the stone table, right, kind of taking on this mission side of of our business. And hopefully, as you hear Eric talk a little bit about our story, you can kind of get a general idea of what it looks like for us. And I think the big thing is we’re we’re not going to say that our way is the only way. And now you have to certainly go come look like us. But hopefully that inspires some thinking through that. And now we’re we’re taking on some of the stone table stuff and going, okay, we, we want to inspire the faith and work conversation, encourage those marketplace believers. In fact, if you go to stone table dot org, you you see. 

Speaker 2 [00:17:37] The stone. 

Speaker 1 [00:17:38] Table. Stone table. Yes, the stone table dot org. I think stone table dot org is like a literal table. 

Speaker 2 [00:17:44] I think it’s a table maybe. 

Speaker 1 [00:17:45] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which makes total sense. Right. But stone table dot org. You know, we wanted to begin to create resources, right? So we have, you know, videos and articles and blogs. And right now, this podcast will be in that in that thing that we continue to do. And so it’s all there to hopefully inspire and to create some really good dialog. But as part of one of those things, you’ve actually sat down and did the hard work of putting a book together. Yeah, which has the lovely title of Missional Marketplace, you know, Marketplace. Right. So that ties into the great stuff that we’re trying to put together here. So I keep saying stuff. It’s really it’s these resources that we’re trying to to put together. So maybe tell us a little bit about the book that you’ve written. Yeah. And kind of what sparked some of that? 

Speaker 2 [00:18:39] Yeah, the book was A Labor of love about seven years, I think, in the making. Right. Like, you know, how many books does a normal author write in seven years, right? Yeah, right, right. But, you know, it just it stemmed from, again, a lot of these conversations I was having these conversations with myself, like I was trying to figure this stuff out for myself. Right? And so friends would invite me out, you know, to speak at their church. And, you know, I’d go talk about faith and work. And I realized I was, like, really tripping all of these, like, passions for people. Right, right. And so, you know, so we started writing about this. We started doing, you know, short video clips and Facebook videos and all that kind of stuff. But it ultimately turned into this book called Missional Marketplace Finding Your Everyday Work in God’s Eternal Plan. And so, you know, the book is really not so much the telling of our personal craft and stone table story, although that is in there to kind of set the stage. But it’s really about documenting, articulating these things that we’ve had to wrestle to the ground as we built these organizations, because I think it unearths some foundational faith, work, missions, myths, theology, things that that a huge percentage of marketplace believers are dealing with at some. Sometimes they don’t know how to articulate it. They just they feel something, but they don’t know how to articulate it. And so that’s what we wanted to do with the book. And so we’re going to use the book really kind of as the template for the first season of this podcast and kind of see, you know, where that goes. 

Speaker 1 [00:20:06] Yeah, kind of give us the, the outline. And so I guess I bring that up just because, you know, we are creating resources. So if you’re a marketplace believer out there trying to figure out these kind of conversations and how do I accelerate the great commission through the work of my hands every day we hope to be somebody that can walk alongside of you, help you, inspire you through these resources, through some some way, shape or form. 

Speaker 2 [00:20:31] So really the way this is going to shape, I think over the 12 episodes of season one, the first part of the book in the first part of the podcast is going to be talking about work, our work and the great story, right? And when we talk about the great story, what we’re talking about really is God’s story. We’re talking about the metanarrative of Scripture. What is God doing? What has God been doing? Where did this start? Why did this start? Where is it going? What is God’s story? What is the great story? And then how does my story, my individual story and my work in the skill sets and the things God has given me to put my hands to? How does it fit into that, that larger dialog? Right. So so who am I and how does it fit into God’s larger story in the world? And then part two will be work in the Great Commandment. And I really love this part because I think really what so many people wrestle with is meaninglessness and purposelessness for sure, in their everyday work. Right. And when we can connect first. First things first. When we connect our story, our work story to God’s great story. Yeah, that’s the first step. But then when we realize every day, when we go to work, every day when we go to work because of the gospel and we’ll get into this in future episodes, our work can become an opportunity to fulfill the great commandment, to honor God and love our neighbors. That’s really what all work is. And if we can connect those dots between our everyday work and this great commandment, the two commandments that Jesus said were most important. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and also know your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. Our everyday work can be a part of that of that command and that call. And then finally, ultimately, we told you we’re great commission, we’re missions obsessed here. I mean, that’s ultimately why we started this organization was to fund global missions from a marketplace perspective. But we’re going to talk about our work and the great commission, God’s global mission in the world, to take the gospel to every ethno, to every nation, tribe and tongue so that everyone can hear the good news of Jesus. And so that’s going to be kind of the trajectory of these 12 episodes. And I really hope people kind of go on the journey with us. 

Speaker 1 [00:22:48] Yeah, absolutely. And so we do invite you on that journey, whether it’s to to stay with us on this podcast as it begins to unfold, episode one turns into two. That turns into season three and for all that stuff. But head over to the stone table dot org and jump on some of the many resources that we have there. The social media stuff, obviously you got the stone table. Actually, the handle is at the stone table. The underscore org. 

Speaker 2 [00:23:17] That’s Instagram. 

Speaker 1 [00:23:18] That’s Instagram. Yeah. Okay. I was like, no, there’s an underscore in there somewhere. So the stone table underscore org. But yeah, join us in this endeavor. Join us in this conversation. Let’s continue to inspire each other, encourage each other and and kind of this next part of the podcast, something that we want to do is, is what we’re going to call the missional moment. Yeah. Right. Where we either interview somebody or read somebody’s story of somebody out there doing some amazing things in the world. So I think that’s where we’re headed next on this. And can’t wait to see how these stories are told. 

Speaker 2 [00:23:53] Absolutely. Yeah. Excited to see where this goes as well. And I would just be excited if know at least a handful of people will go on on the journey with us. This isn’t just going to be about us. This is going to be about, I think, all marketplace believers. And so if you have a passion for the gospel, if you have a passion for the mission of God in the world, if you have a passion for your life to matter within the context of of this faith that you hold so dear and you find yourself in the marketplace and you go, oh, my gosh, like, how does where I spend half of my waking hours have anything to do with it? Those are some of the things we’re going to talk about over the course of this podcast. 

Speaker 1 [00:24:30] I love it. Well, let’s get to our first missional moment. 

Speaker 2 [00:24:37] For this episode’s missional moment. And we’re going to hear from my good friend Tom. I first met Tom at a business mission event in 2018 or 2019, and I was really intrigued by his story. 

Speaker 3 [00:24:51] So I started a business right out of college. So actually we’re still in college, but we started it. So that was a little over 20 years of being in business, primarily the marketing and marketing and advertising space. 

Speaker 2 [00:25:04] Tom had just sold his shares in his business and was feeling this stirring and this calling to global missions. But all he had seen in the global mission setting was more traditional ministry models, and he couldn’t figure out how all of these years in the business world would have anything to do with taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

Speaker 3 [00:25:24] Almost every example that we saw was that it lay all of your history down and go and do something very different, because that’s the model that had pretty much existed and that we saw that we were exposed to. Not that that was the only time, but that was what we were exposed to, was going in a very kind of biblical theology background and evangel evangelizing. That kind of stuff more in the streets and other places. 

Speaker 2 [00:25:55] So on a number of different missions trips, Tom started encountering these missionaries that were working in a business context. And this this idea of business as mission was still somewhat new to Tom. But as he interacted with these missionaries that were functioning in a business context, he began to see that he might have something that they needed. 

Speaker 3 [00:26:17] So what we started seeing on some of those missions, church supplies and the missionaries that were in that are running businesses are kind of in that same position I was when I was coming out of college. And it wasn’t really was a business where I needed somebody. I should have had somebody that talked to somebody that I could ask questions to talk to that could coach and advise me. I didn’t need it. I didn’t want a consultant. I wanted somebody that could actually come alongside and mentor and coach me more than somebody who’s going to tell me what to do. I need to buy in. And as soon as we started getting into seeing more accounts within the mission service, that one of the people I was meeting and there is a need for that out there and then providing some sort of resource for these folks in a safe place where they can practice. 

Speaker 2 [00:27:14] So after a few years of planning and praying and strategizing, Tom and his wife Patty took their decades of marketplace skills and moved cross-culturally as missionaries to serve business as mission missionaries. And now they get to work with BAM teams in 20 countries across the world. 

Speaker 3 [00:27:35] You hear the real story of what’s happening out there. It’s like and I get that the opportunity to work with heroes every day in what they’re doing and I get a chance to work with people here in the country that we’re in, but also be able to impact people in 15 or 20 other countries with people that are then approaching it and saying this thing of the how the Holy Spirit is leading and guiding impact and minds. 

Speaker 2 [00:28:06] Business is mission is more than just an access strategy. Yes, we use BAM to get visas to get missionaries into strategic places around the world. But what we found is that business itself is actually a great mechanism for gospel connection and relationships. In fact, what we see through the relationships and connections that come through business is an actual shrinking of the timeline of people coming to faith in Christ. 

Speaker 3 [00:28:34] In a normal missional setting. It takes about ten years for one person to come back on that relationship with the mission it takes, not claim it. You drop that same situation, that same opportunity, the number of hours that it takes of ten years and normal get togethers and you drop them into work situation that they’re seeing people come to Christ in 2 to 3 years. If you have an opportunity to work with them. 

Speaker 2 [00:29:03] Maybe Tom’s story has stirred something up in you. Maybe you’re a marketplace Christian and and you have this passion for the great commission and the global mission of God in the world. Here’s what Tom might say to you. 

Speaker 3 [00:29:16] If you’re getting to discontent with where you’re at. Confirm that that discontentment is not chasing after somebody else’s dream or because somebody else is kind of feeling the pressure. Then it’s like somebody else’s right thing to really make sure that that’s a goal or something that God has put in front of you and then chasing that goal can be achieved. Sometimes, like every entrepreneur, you’re going to walk into walking to deeper waters. You need to do things that you’re not comfortable with. You need to be stretched into other areas. But that’s exactly where God tries to lead people when he wants to use them. Rarely does that stretching comfort. That stretching becomes discomfort. And we must you must go there. 

Speaker 2 [00:30:08] I hope you’ve enjoyed our very first two missional moments on our inaugural podcast. Just like Tom and Patty, we believe the work of your hands can make a global difference in the mission of God around the world. All right. Well, that. 

Speaker 1 [00:30:25] Is it for episode one. We’ve officially done. 

Speaker 2 [00:30:27] It. The first episode is in the books. The pilot episode. 

Speaker 1 [00:30:31] Here we go. There we go. 

Speaker 2 [00:30:32] We can only get better from here, folks. 

Speaker 1 [00:30:33] Exactly. Exactly. Well, thanks for joining us today on the Missional Marketplace podcast. Again, we hope this this first episode was an encouragement to you, maybe inspired some thinking and. And again, join us next week as we we dove into the sacred secular divide. 

Speaker 2 [00:30:51] It’s right the sacred secular divide. It sounds so theological. 

Speaker 1 [00:30:55] Exactly. Exactly. And and we’re not the greatest theologians. But, you know, I. 

Speaker 2 [00:31:00] Will actually do that. But we’re going to go we’re going to go back to your middle school lunchroom. So that’s, I guess, for for next. 

Speaker 1 [00:31:06] There it is. There it is. So, yeah, this season one would be 12 episodes long. We’re going to be releasing them every week. So make sure that you join us. Thanks for joining us on this one today and stay connected with us throughout the week as well. You can find us on Facebook, you can find us on Instagram and even linked. 

Speaker 2 [00:31:22] In LinkedIn as well. That’s right. 

Speaker 1 [00:31:24] So that’s where it is. So the stone table and always we have a resource page at the stone table dot org and you can catch it. 

Speaker 2 [00:31:31] And if you like this, do us a favor and subscribe as well, because that kind of helps, it helps establish us as, as a new podcast. So that’s. 

Speaker 1 [00:31:39] Absolutely it. So subscribe like all that good stuff. And until then, we’ll see you here next time on the Missional Marketplace podcast. 

Speaker 2 [00:31:48] That’s right. Accelerating the Great Commission through the Marketplace.