Movement of Evangelism: Who is a Marketplace Evangelist?

Who and how to be an effective marketplace evangelist? Ps Wong Yew Keong shares his teaching and personal experience.

Marketplace ministry is about extending the reach of the gospel beyond the walls of the church. Back in the days of the early church, the Agora, a Greek term for marketplace, was not just a venue for commerce but also a bustling hub of Athenian life where many would gather to interact. Even philosophers assembled at the Agora to debate their ideologies. From the gospels and the book of Acts, we learned of many instances where Jesus and Paul ministered outside the synagogue.

A Place for Demonstrating Christ’s Love in Action

Likewise, the marketplace of today is a vital avenue for demonstrating Christ’s love in action, where believers live out their faith authentically and spreading the message of hope and redemption amidst the daily grind. Every transaction, conversation and interaction become an opportunity to embody the values of the Kingdom. Whether we are a janitor, cashier, consultant or CEO, our work is not just a means of earning a living but a platform for spreading the light of Christ. The marketplace as an arena for us to spread our faith and values is how it looks like being “in the world but not of the world”. Through integrity, compassion, and excellence in our work, we can impact lives and transform communities.

He is one who brings the sacred into the secular, infusing every aspect of his professional life with the principles of love, service, and righteousness.

Being an Effective Marketplace Evangelist

So, what would make an effective marketplace evangelist? I believe he is one who brings the sacred into the secular, infusing every aspect of his professional life with the principles of love, service, and righteousness. The roles of a homemaker, office worker, businessman, student, teacher or cleaner are just as important as that of a pastor or minister. This is God’s way of differentiating our roles according to our capacities. In addition, God has uniquely positioned us to be the salt and light to our neighbors in a world that desperately needs the gospel.

To be an effective marketplace evangelist, we would first need to be diligent and competent at work. Being competent is more than just getting recognition and promotion. Competence gives us credibility; and credibility earns us an influential voice in the organization. Our colleagues in the workplace including management listen and give value to our input when we are credible. As such, we need to faithfully
steward our God-given talents and abilities; and actively apply God’s principles to participate in God’s redemptive work on earth. However, this does not mean that we become so “heavenly minded” that we are of no “earthly use”. In other words, we do not abandon our corporate responsibilities because we need to attend a Christian meeting. I recall an incident some years ago when I was seconded overseas as the Bank’s Head of Corporate Credit. There was a lunchtime office prayer meeting where a relationship manager asked the group of us to pray for a business loan to be approved. I found it an interesting prayer request because it was entirely within my authority whether to approve or decline the deal. But I could not bring myself to endorse the transaction and celebrate an answered prayer because it did not make sense to do the business. As “heavenly minded” as I am, I needed to be responsible in my “earthly” role as risk custodian of the organization.

The workplace is where we serve God, to live Christ’s standards of justice and righteousness (Micah 6:8) and in the process make a difference and influence the community which God has placed us.

Being Missional

Besides competency and the need to integrate sacred and secular, an effective marketplace evangelist needs to be missional. Our vocation and mission are inseparable; every workplace is an opportunity for ministry and every worker is a minister. Hence, we should see our vocation beyond the economics of provision. Instead, the workplace is where we serve God, to live Christ’s standards of justice and righteousness (Micah 6:8) and in the process make a difference and influence the community which God has placed us. In other words, effective marketplace evangelists are what Jesus would call the salt and light of the world. They are the good Samaritans who live and share their spiritual convictions beyond the walls of the church.

All of us need to have eagle eyes to look out for divine opportunities and seize those moments to share the Good News to those whom God has placed around us.

Finally, the marketplace is the largest mission field and a platform for us to proclaim the gospel. The harvest is indeed plentiful; and the answer to the labor shortage is for every believer to rise up to be a marketplace evangelist. All of us need to have eagle eyes to look out for divine opportunities and seize those moments to share the Good News to those whom God has placed around us.

Marketplace ministry is not a sideline activity but a frontline mission where the gospel meets the world in its everyday realities. He was ahead of his time when the late Billy Graham said, “I believe that one of the next great moves of God is going to be through the believers in the workplace.” Let us all participate in God’s redemptive plan to redeem the marketplace for his glory; to make a difference to the lives of
people whom God has placed around us in our workplace with one transaction, one conversation at a time.

Ps Wong Yew Keong is the Senior Pastor of Bethel AG. He has been worshiping in Bethel since 1976, serving in various capacities including two terms as a Church Board member from 2001 to 2005. A BBA graduate from NUS, Ps Yew Keong was a career banker for over 33 years until his early retirement in 2020. As a Risk Manager in banking, he was seconded to Shanghai from 2005 to 2012 and thereafter to Kuala Lumpur from 2012 to 2016. Upon his return to Singapore in 2017, both he and his wife, Sis May Chia, served together as Marriage Mentors, offering support and guidance to couples in the church. Following his early retirement from banking in 2020, Yew Keong was invited to join the Bethel staff team. Ps Yew Keong and Sis May have been happily married for 33 years. Together, they have been blessed with two sons, Wayne and Glen, both of whom are also actively serving the Lord faithfully within the Bethel community.