Cameron & Steve Fry talk Commission U and marketplace/bivocational ministry @ Messenger Fellowship‘s annual summit…

I believe if the church wants to equip people in the marketplace, it must embrace its transitive nature. The marketplace ministry problem, particularly in the western church, isn’t so much a function of not discipling saints to be like Jesus as much as it is not discipling saints to be like Jesus…within their respective spheres of influence. Considering 90-95% of congregations work in secular settings, we must bridge the disconnect and target these settings if we want to better reach the lost.

Bivocational ministry is ministry that bridges the sacred and secular. Whether you’re versatile in the marketplace working multiple gigs or have a foot in both church/workplace arenas, bivocational ministry not only empowers people to be like Jesus at their desks, but also teaches them to make the best possible use with the margins and bandwidths they’ve been given.

One of the advantages of Commission U (and courses like it) is how it acknowledges the priesthood in all believers while shattering the mold of ‘pastors do this/non-pastors do that‘. There’s a false paradigm that suggests only those with liturgical callings can be ordained, but with Commission U, as we experienced last night…

…we recognize all as partners in God’s ministry of reconciliation…all as effective ministers and child-like ambassadors…co-equal in value and diverse in function with a unique set of spiritual gifts designed for deployment wherever we influence. Ultimately, the heart of Commission U is to decompartmentalize faith and work so it becomes faith at work…at our work.