The Church in the Marketplace

In the foreword for Faith Powered Profession, the Lead Pastor of National Community Church (NCC) wrote:  “The Church should be in the middle of the marketplace.” The Marketplace is where people are, and we — as the Church, the Body of Christ — should meet them there.

—    Mark Batterson, Faith Powered Profession

The way NCC lives this out is one of the things I love about my church here in D.C. I didn’t know it was one of their stated values when I started attending almost 10 years ago, but it was obvious to me from the beginning even if I didn’t see it written down.

The “marketplace” isn’t just a shop; it’s the whole world swirling around us – the cities and towns we live in, the economies we buy things from, the governments we participate in, the organizations we support. Think of the marketplace in Jesus’ time – it was where people went to get provisions and news (that was how you heard what was going on, back in the days before Twitter and Facebook). It’s where everyone is.

Most church buildings are in the middle of the marketplace physically, but I don’t think that’s what NCC means. As the Body of Christ – or Church with a capitol “C” – we also belong socially in the middle of the marketplace. As Christians, we should be participating in our economies and governments, and we should be supporting the organizations in our communities that are striving to do good and serve their neighbors.

I think NCC calls this out as something important for our church because they recognize that sometimes we’re hesitant to engage the world. It seems easier to stay inside our “safe” Christian communities – just hang out with our Christian friends, read Christian publications, serve our church body.

As Christians, we can be so quick to criticize what we see in the marketplace. In their book unChristian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons write: “The research shows that Christians are best known for what they are against. They are perceived as being judgmental, antihomosexual, and too political.”

Is this the best way to engage the world? Or should we be the hands and feet of Jesus? If we just stay inside our Christian community, where will people learn about the love Christ has for them?

If we aren’t “out there,” what are the chances of them coming “in here”?

We can enter into the marketplace and serve our neighbors through creating strong businesses that provide quality, trustworthy products and services.

We can participate in the government – developing and implementing better policies. We can serve through non-profit organizations that meet vital needs.

What about you? How are you entering the marketplace? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or tweet me back and let’s talk!

Is Writing a Book like Having a Baby?

The proverbial “they” say that writing a book is like having a baby. Since I’ve had the honor and privilege of doing both in the past year, I think that makes me eminently qualified to evaluate the comparison! Here’s my take on the similarities:

Anticipation

I knew the book when I was “carrying” it better than I knew that little human inside me. The book made sense. I knew what I wanted to happen with it. But now that it’s “happened," I’m still not sure what all will come of it.

When I was pregnant, the baby was a stranger (and honestly, that continued on for at least the first three months of his life). I knew I was supposed to be excited, but I wasn’t sure what I was excited about. Now that he’s here, and I’m getting to know him, I’m totally enamored with him. But I still don’t know what the future holds for all of us, so I feel like I’m still watching and waiting.

Lesson Learned: Many things we long for and work hard for are still kind of uncertain even after we “achieve” them.

Sleep Deprivation Many times when I was working on the book, I couldn’t shut my brain off and would stay up way too late. I also got up early to write before work, and sacrificed sleep for this goal.

When I was pregnant, people told me to stock up on sleep while I could, and I thought, “Right now? When I can’t get comfortable and as soon as I do I have to get up to pee?” But now I see how right they were.  Sleep has been really challenging for our family, and I don’t think I knew what sleep deprivation was before we went from a family of two to three.

Lesson Learned: I felt accomplished when I would stay up late to write or have an “aha” moment that resulted from the discipline of early morning writing time.  Midnight snuggles are fun. But from now on, I promise to go to bed as soon as I have the opportunity. Brilliant ideas, charming babies, or not! (at least for the next 5 years)

The Need for Community I could not have written the book without the help of so many people.

The support of my family and friends has been critical to having a baby. From Andy’s coaching while I was pregnant and in labor, to our family swooping in soon after bringing meals and washing clothes, to our neighbors who babysit now.

Lesson Learned: Big things are nearly impossible to do alone.

Anyone want to babysit?

Pain and Distress Emotionally, this book has caused some tension, frustration, tears, and fear.  Why am I even doing this? Why is it so hard? I’ve banged my head against many a table, wall, or husband’s chest through this process, but it has not really caused me any physical pain.

Thankfully, I didn’t have a very emotional pregnancy – I was generally even-keeled (and yes, I checked with Andy – he agreed). And the baby himself hasn’t caused a lot of emotional anguish yet (but he’s not a toddler or a teenager yet).  But as for physical pain: nothing, nothing… n.o.t.h.i.n.g. compares to childbirth on the pain scale. Nothing.

Lesson Learned: Both have their unique points that trigger emotional and physical pain. But anything worth doing is worth committing emotional energy to. And sometimes important things are really painful, but it doesn’t make them less important.

And while we’re on the subject – no – kidney stones are not the same as childbirth. Just for the record.

Identity Am I an author? It feels funny to say that. And am I an author even if people think the book is bunk?

I know I’m a mother now, but it still doesn’t feel quite real.

And how does being an author or a mother fit in with my other identities? As a Christian, a wife, a friend, an employee, a colleague?

Both the book and the baby are each a dream, something born of you, something you tie much of your expectations, hopes, and identity into.

Lesson Learned: You aren’t supposed to tie all of your identity into either. You are supposed to raise your child to become an adult – separate from you. And when you write a book, it is the gift you are giving to the world.

In Conclusion The proverbial "they" were right - these two big life events have a lot in common. You anticipate them, you invest in them, people tell you what they're like but it's hard to understand until you go through them yourself, you endure anguish for them, you learn to rely on others to help you do them well, you give up other things in life to make time for them.

There's always the uncertainty, there's always the sacrifice, and there's never a perfect time to pursue it, but I hope that whatever your dream is - you go for it!