Breaking outside the religious box and realizing that the mission field is not only in some foreign country but is the mission field of chaplaincy within the community, better known as the marketplace. All areas of ministry in the marketplace require specialized training and  experience.

Part of the strategy of the Church must be to develop a vision and instill that vision within the called “ministers” (Ephesians 4:1) of that local congregation. Those who are called need to discern their assignment. That is, what area of the marketplace will they serve. For example, they may serve in business, government, education, media, religion, arts, entertainment, and the family.

There is a difference between someone who is called to be a minister and someone who is called to be a missionary. A minister is someone who has been called to the marketplace. A missionary is someone who has been sent to the marketplace on a specific mission. Whether a person is called or sent they must understand that God has placed them in that position, and that position is not to be seen as a job but as a ministry. It is the responsibility of the Church to teach, train, empower, commission and affirm these ministers where they are serving in the community is their ministry.

If we look in scripture we see that Jesus modeled this concept. He chose twelve small business owners, trained them, and then sent them back into the marketplace for ministry. His teaching and training covered marketplace missions. He did not speak about church life but rather instructed those business owners that they could do what He did. He was concerned about the impact they would have on the community. His very life validated marketplace missions in that he ministered healing to everyone He met.