Marketplace Ministry in City Reaching Vision
Guest: Os Hillman, President, International Coalition of Workplace Ministries
Teleconference Transcript - 8/21/08
Glenn Barth welcomed early callers. Alan Doswald from Fresno was asked to open in prayer.
Announcements;
Jarvis mentioned Carolyn O’Brien’s mother’s passing. Memorials may be directed to Shetek Baptist Camp, c/o Storden Baptist Church, Storden, MN 56174
CIR DVDS are available through Emmanuel Gospel Center, with videoed sessions from both the 2007 CIR in El Paso and the 2008 CIR in Boston. Contact www.egc.org for information.
The Mission America Coalition Annual meeting is Oct 7-9 in Minneapolis, MN. Phil Miglioratti said, “What a lot of people don’t realize is that the MAC annual meeting is a solid conference with great speakers - younger generation folks, panels, Ron Luce. A big part of it is the tracks, including Loving Our Communities to Christ track. Jarvis is leading a city reaching track, a great opportunity for folks to get their cityreaching “think tank minds’ going. There is also partnership training. There was a good response last year to Partnership Training 101 last year. This year both 101 and 201 will be offered. 201 looks at the specific skills a person would need to pull together a group, i.e. facilitating, convening, appreciative inquiry. We’d love to have you be part of it. You don’t have to be a 365 day a year Mission America member to be a part of it.”
Regional CIRs – We have solid commitments around the country. The CIR National Lead Team will be announcing the final list of cities. If you are still interested in hosting a regional or the 2010 national CIR, go to www.cityreaching.com and get information. 2008-2009 will focus on regionals, and we will go back to a National CIR 2010.
The next Cityreaching conference call is September 18, 2008 with guest Noel Castellanos from Christian Community Development Assn. (CCDA)
Interview:
Glenn: Our topic today is Marketplace Ministry and City-Reaching Vision. Our guest is nationally recognized Founder and Director of Marketplace Ministries, an organization to help men and women discover their calling through their work and view their work as ministry. He is author of 11 books, and distributes Today God is First (TGIF) a daily devotional. That is also the title of his most recent book. Os is also Founder and Director of the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries. That’s how I got to know Os Hillman. Today we welcome him to our call.
Hillman: Thanks, Glenn.
Glenn: In five minutes or less, tell us how God called you into Marketplace Leaders Ministries.
Hillman: I came to know the lord when I was 22, hoping to be a professional golfer, but God had different plans. I started a business in 1984, an ad agency, and wanted to integrate my faith and work. I called it Aslan Group (after Aslan the Lion). Clients included American Express, Steinway Pianos, and some Christian companies. God really blessed. Seven years into the process, God allowed a major adversity. I lost 80% of my business, had marriage difficulties and other problems. I wasn’t in backslidden condition, but it was a 7-year journey back to restoration of everything I had lost. As I tried to press in and understand what God was doing, He led me in a journey of understanding work and faith life and how they integrate. He helped me see that God wanted me to help men and women understand their call in the marketplace. I started writing a daily devotional in 1987. It caught on. I began to teach workshops on helping men and women fulfill their calling, and started the International Coalition. What the Mission America Coalition is to the church, we were to the workplace. We have a round table every year. I started noticing that there is a definite segmentation of this movement. From the l930s to 1970s it was centered on evangelism. In the 80s many ministries were birthing with a theology of work, not just evangelism. Then in early 90s we saw another shift, birthing of other marketplace ministries like Half Time, Pinnacle Forum and ours in 1997. And then there was the whole spiritual aspect, though not centered in Christ, but focused on social entrepreneurship, having a vision for cities. Billy Graham, Henry Blackaby, and Peter Wagner began to talk of faith in the workplace. In the early 2000s we saw a new focus, helping churches better equip people in the workplace. Research has shown that 90% of churches were not helping people see their ministry in the workplace. The most recent initiative is what I call “Reclaiming the 7 Mountains of Culture.’ We had a conference last year with neighbors representing 21 nations in the areas of business, government, arts and entertainment, family, religion - culture shaping domains. We must be intentional about influencing the 7 culture shaping domains.
Jarvis: Let’s go to how churches impact people in the pews. How do we help people understand their vocation as a calling from God? If I work for the government, as a Christian, how do I get to see it’s not just a Sunday thing.
Hillman: It’s equipping. At the local church level, we need to realize there is a problem. Most people in the pew segment their lives secular/sacred. There is also a problem with equality in calling. They don’t feel equal in calling to those in ministry – “Whatever you do, do it as unto the Lord.” It’s not about what you do but about the motive of the heart. That is vital in helping them move, helping them see their work as having value, spiritual value. Also, how do you define ministry? The message they often get is that ministry happens in the local church. We need to help shepherds better equip men and women in the marketplace as well as having conferences to understand world view. Barna says that only 9% of Christians have a biblical world view.
Glenn: We understand there is a movement to form a network to integrate Marketplace movements with City Reaching Movements. Tell us what you know about this
Hillman: In scripture you see all those in the city of Lydda believed in the Lord. Peter, a marketplace Christian came and prayed for Dorcas. We know the Lord is concerned about cites. If we are going to impact cities, I used to think we needed unity and vision for the city. That didn’t work. Maybe more spiritual warfare conferences. Then intercessors to impact the city. But one thing happened. Where I developed a relationship with intercessors for the city, then with apostolic leaders who had a vision for the city, and then marketplace leaders who had a vision for the city, put them together; we had our first Global Day of Prayer, raised funds and had Phillips Arena for GDOP. This was when I saw uniqueness of bringing those 3 groups together. I have since learned that it is not enough to just bring them together, but we also need to ask the city fathers what is the greatest problem and how to solve it. Deut 28:13 says we need to be the head, not the tail. Society is tired of listening to us criticize what is wrong with the community rather than solving the problems. The net result of solving is we become influencers, and city fathers look to us for leadership. The other thing we learning is the marketplace is place of influence. Leaders in the marketplace have ability to cause change, the ability to make change. I’m in a suburb of Atlanta. Our website is www.prayforsyth.com Forsyth is the county I live in. We started an initiative based on this premise. There are a number of other communities around the country who are seeing things happen when these 3 groups get connected. Greenville, Elk River, Santa Rosa, California pastors, intercessors, marketplace leaders. We meet every other week for an hour in an old school building. We pray weekly and do projects for the city. We are starting to see momentum now. Our foundation first and foremost was to identify intercessors who have a vision for the city. They meet separately on the alternate weeks of our main meeting. Establishing the prayer foundation was the first priority.
Jarvis: A number of people on the call are involved in cityreaching movements. I’m aware there are plans for networks underway to integrate marketplace movements.
Hillman: Eric (Welch) and I have been discussing that. Once a year we try to get them together in a summit or roundtable format, usually 60-70 of them. That is where we need to get them on an agenda item – many workplace ministries are doing this. By bringing the cityreaching movement together with the marketplace movement – I’ve told Eric I’d be willing to help facilitate that process.
Question and Answer:
Chuck Singletary, Birmingham: I’m curious if you are integrated with Unite Atlanta.
Hillman: Yes, we are tying what we are doing with United, especially the service. We’ve spent a good amount of time with them.
Doug Silva, Thomasville, GA: We’re not far from Forsyth. We are planning to have our 8th marketplace prayer summit tomorrow. but are talking about canceling it due to tropical storm. Would you pray for us. We have 45 leaders, CEOs, leaders of business, a sheriff and school superintendents coming together to pray every quarter. Tomorrow is our day to do it. We are facing a challenge with this storm coming in. It’s not a question, just a prayer request.
Bill Chastain, North Texas: I apologize for not knowing the breadth of this organization. There is a local pastor who is part of marketplace ministry. He works with men at a car dealership. Is that part of the same thing? Going into the workplaces? Chaplaincy?
Hillman: Chaplaincy is part of the movement. There are three or four groups who contract with business owners. Chaplains go into the businesses and serve. It’s a very effective ministry in the workplace.
Bill: I could ask him to help me work back, getting intercessors involved. He’s already part of that.
Hillman: That’s part of getting regular prayer meetings in the city. We’ve learned that relationship is how you do that, building relationships with pastors. Occasionally we’re teaching what we’re learning about community transformation.
George Ordway, Fresno, CA: Would you drill down on the relationship? What is the key? There are barriers between pastors and marketplace leaders. What are steps so these key groups can come together?
Hillman: First identify key intercessors who have a vision for the city. Identify two or three pastors cross denominationally. The Lord led me initially to pastors of the leading Baptist, charismatic and Hispanic churches. I got together with them. City initiatives often need to be led by marketplace leaders because competition between churches can be a barrier for pastors. Marketplace leaders can get pastors around the table, and get key intercessors. Marketplace people are more accustomed to networking, doing collaborative projects. The key is the marketplace person has to be a servant, building relationships.
George: I’ve been in both marketplace and church. Marketplace leaders look at the bottom line; pastors tend to be process oriented and visionary.
Hillman: That is the challenge but also the necessity. We both need each other. When David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city he moved out of presumption. If he had met with the rabbi and asked what he needed to know about bringing the ark in, he would have been advised on the proper way to do it. Pastors need marketplace and marketplace leaders need pastors, and intercessors need to undergird the process. It is a challenge, but I think if you do the groundwork, build it on solid relationships, you can get there.
Jarvis: As you were describing the process, can you point to a story where marketplace leader pulled city leaders around a vision.
Hillman: Griffin, GA is an active group seeing some good things happen. I haven’t seen anything in writing, but a friend from there drops me a note now and then. Elk River, MN is well known, where they have put on activities in the local high school. They have a video on what they are doing. That’s a good example of where these three groups have come together. If you haven’t read “The Elk River Story” written by pastors, intercessors and marketplace leaders, you should get it.
Glenn: You said you are working with Unite. Chip Sweeney was hired by Perimeter Church to lead Unite. He came out of the corporate world, freed up by a church to not only bring churches together but bring people from the seven channels or domains. We are beginning to recognize that city transformation cannot take place unless people in those domains realize their place in making it happen.
Hillman: There is a video at www.reclaim7mountains.com. That is so true, so important that we engage the marketplace. We’ve got to do a better job of equipping men and women in the workplace to go beyond their workplace to the community. A guy behind GDOP is from South Africa. He spoke to marketplace leaders and said “If you are a business owner and operating in this city and not working in reaching your city, you are raping your city and ought to leave. I live in a city with AIDS and crime. We have major problems, and we need all hands on deck.” Sometimes we need to speak a strong word, move past elementary issues and focus on our community.
Glenn: Another couple of places we might look to where marketplace people are moving. Arn Quakkelaar was working with Johnson Controls, and started a great work in Milwaukee called BASICS. Andy Rittenhouse is doing it in Knoxville, TN. There are a lot of cityreachers coming out of engineering backgrounds. I think God has given them a desire to see things work together in the kingdom like they might in mechanical systems.
Scott Neuman, Flagstaff, AZ: I’m wondering if you could comment if the marketplace person has to be from business. I’m with the local county government here. We’ve tried to encourage and provide through the Micah Group – churches desiring to serve the community. We’ve tried to include business leaders, but haven’t been as successful in mobilizing marketplace leaders. Do you know places where government people have been catalysts for the effort?
Hillman: I can’t identify any off the top of my head, but one of the things we’re trying to do is draw people out of each of the seven spheres to be on our team. Every community is made up of those spheres, so we have to intentionally identify and draw out leadership from each. I think the way to bridge that gap is being intentional about identifying kingdom business people and getting them to buy into your vision. That’s done by relationship, either you or someone who has a relationship with those people.
Phil Miglioratti, Chicago: I appreciate all you are doing and saying, especially how we really need each other. From some leaders as well as guys on the street level who have heard, we tried the pastor thing, tried to work with churches, but kind of abandoned it, putting everything into the marketplace. It sounds disconcerting that people would abandon that expression of the church.
Hillman: I think there is a wedge there, has been for some time. The view is that marketplace people are in the church just to write the check. Many pastors look at marketplace people in that way. Those issues have been around. To break that, marketplace people need to understand that we do need each other and vice versa. Some of these conferences break down walls between these groups. But I think it’s got to come from both sides to break it down. I teach on that. I believe the local church is vital to the process, the marketplace is vital to the process, but neither can stand alone. It’s not unity for unity’s sake, but because God said he would use all of you in the process.
Ron Lively, Franklin, TN: As usual I’m a proponent of the medical/dental field, and the need to minister holistically to patients. I think there is so much more that can be done. I’m encouraging more participation from the clinics here. I’m going to work more closely with the Christian Dental Society. So many are going without proper health care these days. I’d like to see us giving a cup of cold water in sphere of marketplace ministries.
Hillman: That is a sub-category in business, and you can create several sub categories. I think it’s how to develop a biblical world view in every category. Participants need to carry that banner, help change the biblical world view in that industry. We are planning a Feb. 6-8 conference on Reclaiming the 7 Spheres. There will be people from the medical field who have a burden to bring that into their industry. I have a friend who works high up in one o the three major networks in broadcast news. She took me through the ins and outs of what the issues are in secular media – a major news event happened while I was there. Given that, what are the strategies we need to employ to bring influence in that domain? I think we need to do that in every sphere.
George Ordway: We are in middle of a study called Wide Angle – Framing your World View. It’s just come out. www.saddleback.com
Hillman: I see a trend in the church today. The Spirit of God is speaking to the body of Christ to come back to a biblical world view. There have been several conferences on that in past months.
Doug Silva, Thomasville, GA: Has anyone had experience with Angel Food Ministry, feeding ministry? We’re on the verge of starting that here, be a hub providing food - $40 to feed family of 4. www.angelfood.com We have 14 pastors on the board, trying to launch that with a marketplace leadership group. I wondered if any have had experience in the prayer/care/share. It was started by pastor in Georgia. They have a buying group purchasing food. (No one responded.)
Jarvis asked Os to review the websites he had mentioned.
Os: Our main website is http://www.marketplaceleaders.org/ You can click on Power Points. There are also articles. There is a section called city transformation.
Others: http://www.reclaim7mountains.com/ where there are some articles, video, and a directory where you can add your ministry organization.
www.ICWM.net International Coalition of Workplace Ministries
http://www.prayforsyth.com/ is our local website for our county. It has an audio message I gave to our community on transformation, also Power Point. The premise is the three groups of people necessary for transformation.
To contact Os Hillman, email os@marketplaceleaders.org or phone: 678-455-6262 x 104
Jarvis: If any of you are thinking of having Os come into your city to meet with your team, I assume that’s something you do, Os?
Hillman: I’m mentoring five communities: Alexandria, MN for three years, Greenville SC, Jacksonville FL, Spokane WA. These are places where I cast the vision and there are transformational efforts.
Alan Doswald. When we talk about transformation – sometimes transformation is in one part of the city where most of the Christians are loving their neighbors by employing prayer-care-share.
Hillman: Dennis Peacock in Fresno is very strategic in that initiative.
Glenn: I think we’re coming toward the end of the hour. I want to remind you that our next call will be Sept. 18 with Noel Castellanos. Os, we want to thank you for being on the call today. It’s been a blessing to hear you and your thoughts, a little more on how cityreaching movements and marketplace ministries are so closely intertwined, how God is using us all to reach our cities.
Hillman: Thanks for having me. I pray that God will help us all be more effective in our communities.
Dr. Bruce Jones was asked to close in prayer.
might have it. It’s a Rick Warren and Chuck Colson video/book series.
