Christian Leaders in the Marketplace

Jeff Galley

Young leaders have always played a significant role in all aspects of society – media, the arts,
sciences, education, government, and pop and business culture. However, all too many Christian
young leaders thwart the opportunity to work with God to accomplish His purposes because they
compartmentalize their faith and don’t see it relevant to their role as a marketplace or community
leader.

Christian young leaders are asking vital questions such as “Does my leadership on the job or in the
community make a difference for the Kingdom?” and “Can I make an impact for God on the job if I
don’t feel called to full-time, vocational ministry?” The answer to both of those questions is a
resounding yes! Let me introduce you to a few young leaders who have made a connection between
marketplace leadership and Kingdom impact.

Lance Wilder is background design supervisor for Fox's long running series Homer Simpson,
his only job since graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990. During the last
two seasons, the Bible study he started for the show's staff has grown to fifteen. As a result
several people have come to Christ. 1

Rebecca Heidgerd is communications director at ALS-Therapy Development Foundation

headquartered in Boston. Her organization is a nonprofit biotech pursuing therapies that might
cure ALS, and she corresponds with patients, their families and friends. Rebecca's
commitment to helping those dying with ALS gives her daily opportunities to see Christ at work
in the lives of those she meets. 2

Tom Slater is an 8th grade English teacher in San Jose, California where he may be seen
inviting the loner into his classroom for lunch or taking the school rebel to the beach to surf.
His students know him as the tough English teacher who also makes them think about life.
During one school trip to Mexico City which went over Easter, Tom read the story of the
resurrection at sunrise to students who had never been to church. 3

Mary Naber graduated with honors with a double major in economics and religion from
Harvard, determined to prove the two disciplines could overlap. In her junior year she was
introduced to the concept of ethical investing (investing in companies that are ethically sound)
and dedicated her senior thesis to the topic. As an investment professional, Mary now leads
investors not only to invest ethically but also to explore the source of morality - faith in Christ. 4

In her book The New Faithful, Colleen Carroll notes that "once committed to [Christianity] young
adults do not quarantine their faith. It infuses every aspect of their lives, guides every decision they
make, and affects nearly every interaction they have at home, work, school, church, and the culture at
large."

But Stephen Lazarus, director of the Center for Public Justice takes a different view. The CPJ hosts
interns who live and work in Washington DC for one year at a time, and Stephen consistently sees
these young leaders struggle with their tendency to compartmentalize their faith and their job.

Whether your point of view is more similar to Colleen’s or to Stephen’s, the truth of the matter is that
compartmentalizing your faith from your marketplace leadership will short-circuit God’s intentions.
God created every young leader with a destiny that when fulfilled will accomplish God’s purposes,
regardless of the role or career that that destiny leads to. (Note: I’m using the phrase “marketplace
leadership” to refer to any kind of leadership or influence that is outside a church or Christian
organization).
Simply put, God’s activity is not limited to the bounds of the church or Christian organizations!
Ultimately all leadership exists to help fulfill God’s purposes; there is no other reason for leadership in
any context. God develops leaders to serve as a tool to help fulfill His purposes - and that includes
marketplace leadership.

First, let me say that there isn’t any secret strategy to making a kingdom impact through your
leadership on the job. And I’m not suggesting that you become a Bible-thumper or launch into a
Biblical exegesis during every staff meeting. But the question still remains. “As a leader, how do I
make a kingdom impact if my leadership plays a role primarily on the job or in the community?”

At the risk of sounding simplistic, here is the three-fold answer: (1) realize that your job is a part of a
bigger picture, (2) work to be very good at what you do, and (3) allow your leadership to be Bible-
centered and character driven. These are the ingredients God is looking for and with them He will use
you on the job to accomplish His purposes. Does that sound too simple? Well, let’s look to the
intriguing story of Esther and Mordecai which provides some practical advice along these lines for
Christian leaders in the marketplace.

The book of Esther is a quick read and a great study in the operation of Christian leaders in the midst
of society at large – in particular a society that has separated itself from Biblical values. You can read
the entire book over a cup of coffee but I’ll give you a brief overview here then highlight the relevant
lessons for marketplace leadership.

In the book of Esther, Haman, the king’s second in command, wants the Jews destroyed so he
manipulates the king to call for their execution. Esther and Mordecai are brought onto the scene and
are used by God to save their people by demonstrating character-driven and mature leadership. As a
regular citizen, Esther was chosen to become Queen because of her remarkable beauty. Mordecai
(Esther’s uncle) started as a worker at the palace gate but through the story became one of the king’s
key leaders.

As a result of their influence and God-honoring leadership in the “marketplace”, they led a nation into
freedom, were honored by the king, and received greater authority, privileges, and responsibilities.
Esther and Mordecai worked with God to accomplish his purposes in the context of marketplace
leadership.

Let me speak first to those of you who’s primary sphere of influence is on the job or in the community,
then I’ll draw some relevant conclusions for church leaders. There are four lessons we can learn from
Esther and Mordecai.

Don’t apply the label of “secular” to your job. Secular is completely tied to a person, not an object
or a job. If you have been transformed by Christ, that transformation reaches to every aspect of your
life. Everything you do becomes integrated into your faith and in turn God’s purposes – your family,
your relationships, your community involvement, and your profession.

If this is true, that means that if you work for Dell Computer Corporation your job is no more secular
than if you are a missionary or a local church pastor. In his book Spiritual Leadership, Henry
Blackaby emphasizes that spiritually-driven leaders are influencing all people, not just God’s people.
“God is on a mission at the local factory as well as the local church. His agenda applies in the
marketplace as well as the meeting place. Although spiritual leaders will generally move God’s
people to achieve God’s purposes, God can also use them to exert significant influence over
unbelievers.” (Page 22)
Esther and Mordecai were living within a society that was ignoring God’s purposes. In fact, the
government rulers were either passively or actively opposing God! Does this describe your
professional environment? But when we look at Esther and Mordecai we can see that their roles were
divinely orchestrated. So is your job! Since you belong to God, you are now a part of His master plan
to redeem mankind.

Connect the dots between your job and your life purpose. My seven-year-old daughter loves to
dance ballet, and her dance instructor recently taught the class some new dance moves and
exercises that were probably the most difficult she had ever learned. She went through the motions of
practicing these new moves without any excitement at all. Several times she even asked rhetorically
“why in the world do I need to do this?”

Then the day came for the class to do the first complete run-through of the routine they would be
performing for the spring recital. All of the sudden it all came together…those moves were an integral
part of the performance! When Breanna understood how the new dance moves would help the recital
performance, the challenging dance moves were done with energy and excitement.

You may very well be asking yourself questions something like Breanna was asking. “What does this
job have to do with God’s purposes?” My challenge to you: take a step back and look at your career
in light of all you understand about your destiny. Connect the dots, and then you will notice a
difference in your passion and performance on the job. You will see how God is using you right where
you are. Living your life with a sense of mission will enable you to connect the dots between your
vocational roles and the impact of your life.

Esther had this kind of “aha” moment long after she had secured her position as the new queen. She
served for several years as the queen before anything of great significance unfolded. But when the
crisis with Haman surfaced, Mordecai helped her connect the dots. “Maybe you have come to a place
of influence just for this moment?” he asked. At that point, Esther “got it.” She wasn’t just the queen.
Her beauty wasn’t just coincidence. She was placed there for a purpose and her influence was an
open door to work with God.

It’s quite possible that you might be saying one of two things right now. “I want to connect the dots
between my life purpose and my job, but I have no idea what my life purpose really is!” You are not
alone. This might be the most common issue young leaders face and must process. If this is you, I
suggest you make it a priority to identify your life purpose. This is the first step in being an effective
Christian in the marketplace. (There are several excellent resources available to help you process
your life purpose, or you can contact Top Flight Leadership for live training and/or coaching designed
to help you and others identify your life purpose).

Or, you may be saying “I have a sense of my life purpose, but my job fits with it like a square peg in a
round hole.” If this is you there is a good chance that you need to find a job or career that’s a better
fit. Identify what stands in your way of a vocation that is a fit with your life purpose. Is it an
opportunity? Is it training? Is it confidence? Is it experience? Find out and go for it. It’s worth the
effort.

Become very good at what you do. Long before Esther became queen, Mordecai was instilling
within her a strong work ethic and insistence on reaching her highest potential. Although her life was
marked with pain and loss, he allowed no excuses and lovingly insisted only on excellence. This
culture of discipline was likely one reason her physical beauty and attractiveness caught the attention
of the king’s men who went on a country-wide search for the most beautiful woman.

When Esther was selected as a prospective queen (along with many other beautiful women) she
entered into a lengthy process of refinement. She worked diligently to refine her beauty and become
impressive to the king. Sure enough, when it came time for him to make a choice, she was the only
real option. The king was overwhelmed with her beauty and she was selected. The hard work Esther
applied to developing her natural strengths resulted in her being placed in a leadership position God
needed her to fill.

The same applies to you if you are serious about being useful to God as a marketplace leader.
Embrace a strong work ethic, become very good at what you do, pay your “dues”, and insist on
consistent personal growth from yourself. The very things that God has placed within you that you are
good at doing are what you need to leverage to become an effective leader.

But those things have to be developed one step at a time. The road to significant Kingdom impact
through your profession will take you through a lot of hard work. Your strengths are abilities are
sacred – God has given them to you! When they are developed and submitted to Him the sky is the
limit in what God can do through your leadership. So be disciplined, committed to professional
growth, and patient. The opportunities will come.

Make character and spirituality the driving force behind your leadership and decisions. This is
where the rubber meets the road. If you fall short when it comes time to make leadership decisions -
about the way you will treat people, how you will respond to an ethical issue, how the resources of
your company or business will be applied to affect society, or whether or not to be honest in a
business deal - you will lose your ability to make a kingdom impact.

Joel Dobbs, a pharmaceutical executive and friend of mine, just this week expressed his concern to
me at the number of corporate leaders who give in to pressure to act with unethical behavior. “All you
have to do” he said “is pick up today’s Wall Street Journal and you will probably find a story about
someone else under investigation.”

Esther and Mordecai both faced a moment of choice that tested their character and ability to make
mature and God honoring leadership decisions. Because of his steadfast commitment to God,
Mordecai refused to bow in worship to Haman, which put Mordecai on a fast track to execution.
Esther, realizing that God had placed her in a position of influence so He could use her to save her
people, also chose the high road in the moment of choice by revealing Haman’s wicked plan to the
king. Her decision could have also led to her death because she violated the political protocol – but it
was a price she was willing to pay. But these difficult decisions are what God used to save the Jews.

Most likely, you will not have a gigantic watershed moment like that of Esther and Mordecai. On the
contrary, your moment of choice will come every day, or many times each day. How will you treat
others and those who work for you? Will you be honest? Will you protect the influence your company
or business has through its people and finances from being used to dishonor God and his purposes?
These small moments of choices lead up to a leadership legacy that will be used to support God’s
purposes – or your own.

If you make your spiritual and character development an intentional part of your growth, then the right
decisions will come naturally for you. Value your relationship with God and your intimacy as primal to
your leadership effectiveness. Remember, God is at work in your marketplace, so if you are going to
work with Him you must be in tune with Him. Spirit-empowerment and character isn’t relegated
exclusively to vocational ministry leaders.
So, there you have it. No secret strategies of formulas – just allow your relationship with God to affect
the perspective you have on your job, and the decisions and actions you take on the job. Then you
will be in a position for God to work through you to accomplish His plans.

Ideas for church leaders

Now, I’d like to conclude with some comments directed towards those of you who are serving in
leadership roles within a local church. As a pastor or church leader, you play a strategic role in
dispersing the influence of your church and ultimately the Kingdom through the community and
marketplace leaders who are a part of your church community. I’d like to suggest a few ideas that will
enhance your ability to do this.

1. Strive to avoid making a distinction between “secular” and “sacred” when it comes to jobs and
careers. Remember, secular is tied to a person, not a job. Any job that is occupied by a Christian
is sacred – God at work and is using the person in that job to accomplish his plans. Express worth
and Kingdom value to young leaders who aspire to be marketplace pacesetters, especially in
career fields and industries that distinctly shape and influence our culture.

2. Model leadership excellence within the church. Since all leadership ultimately exists to assist God
in accomplishing His purposes, the church should be a hub of leadership excellence. Marketplace
leaders will be more inclined to integrate their faith with their job when they see leadership being
properly cultivated, modeled, and duplicated within the structure of your church.

3. Talk about societal and job-related issues in the church. All too often teaching, sermon, and small
group topics do not openly address the issues that our society is facing and the challenges that
leaders face on the job every day. But if church leaders desire for marketplace leaders to
integrate faith into their job, the church must integrate job-related and societal issues into its topics
of conversation as well. It goes both ways.

4. Connect young leaders with seasoned marketplace leaders. Leaders develop most effectively
within the context of relationships, so a commitment to cultivate coaching and mentoring
relationships between young and mature marketplace leaders within your church will be a
strategic place to expend effort. Find creative ways to spark these kinds of relationships, help
mature leaders know how to best coach young leaders, and instill a value for mentoring and
coaching in everyone.

5. Work hard to help young leaders articulate life purpose. Be intentional about helping young
leaders within your church identify their life purpose, then use it as a filter for making career and
job choices. Nothing will enhance the impact marketplace leaders can have for the Kingdom more
than their ability to see how a job is enhancing their destiny fulfillment!

Working It Out

1. If you are a marketplace leader, how does your job fit with your life purpose? How can you use
the influence you have in the marketplace to move towards fulfilling the destiny that God has
created you to fulfill?

2. Stephen Lazarus stated that many Christian leaders in the marketplace tend to compartmentalize
job and faith. Based on your experience, why do you think this may be true? What do you think
would help to change this tendency?
3. Is the notion of removing the label of “secular” from any job that is occupied by a Christian a new
idea for you? If so, what do you think about it? Is it possible for a job that’s outside a church or
Christian organization to be labeled “sacred”?

4. The lessons for Christian leaders in the marketplace from this article can be expressed in their
essence by just four phrases: don’t view your job as secular, be in a job fits with your life purpose,
become very good at your profession, and be sure your leadership is Bible-centered and character
driven. Is this enough? Why or why not?

5. In what specific ways would leadership that is driven by Biblical values and character be in
dissonance with other styles of leadership you see on the job? In your opinion, which of these
styles seems to be most effective? Why?

1
From “I Am Relevant”, Relevant Publishing
2
From “I Am Relevant”, Relevant Publishing
3
From “I Am Relevant”, Relevant Publishing
4
From “The New Faithful”, Loyala Press, Colleen Carroll