Telling A Better Story
The aim of The Marketplace Catalyst is to connect, equip and engage prospective and established leaders to be effective agents of human flourishing within their organizations and throughout the communities, where they live, work & play. The Marketplace Catalyst seeks to expand the influence of Christian leaders in service to the common good and give business & community leaders the ability to tell a better story.
Businessmen and women have long been recognized as significant agents of cultural change. Few imagine that lasting cultural change can happen without integrating it into the dynamics of a free market. Few can imagine a world without such leaders like Ford, Carnegie, Jobs and Musk, and yet few fully appreciate the contribution of the countless unrecognized and unsung heroes of small and medium organizations, which have long been the engine room of cultural change.
And so, it is appropriate that the church has come to recognize the partnership of business leaders and the influence they weld in our social world. Historians readily acknowledge that the Gospel was spread in the early centuries of the church, via the trade routes and by Christ-following businessmen and women. They are once again the heroes of our history, His Story.
But there are significant challenges facing the effective influence of Christian leaders in today’s world. Three readily come to mind: resistance, confusion and isolation. The Marketplace Catalyst is designed to address all three of these challenges and present a better path.
Christian leaders are facing an increasingly post-Christian, post-religious society and this is particularly the reality in Portland. To acknowledge this fact, does not assume that America was once a “Christian nation,” but it does recognize that a generalized Judeo-Christian ethos has dominated American society for hundreds of years, which became associated with what was termed “civil religion.” Nor does this recognition justify a sense of resentment over its loss. In some ways, this change is a good thing. But it does means that most efforts of Christian engagement in society will be automatically met with cultural resistance. There is legitimate fear of Christians within the wider public & professional world. This is not without some justification, as years of politicized Christian influence, that is tribal, judgmental and self-serving, have made many wary of Christians. In addition, in a been-there-done-that world, few see the church as anything other than an irrelevant side show. Portland is a world, where overt identification with the Christian faith and the church can be a professional liability. These challenges are significant because they are the leading indicators of much wider cultural change. Portland is on the cultural front lines in the church’s engagement with a post-Christian society. The circumstances are unprecedented and the response to it will require winsome innovation that breaks out of the patterns of the past. The launch of The Marketplace Catalyst in Portland marks it as a unique effort within the faith and work organizations located across the nation.
Many business leaders feel called to bring their Sunday faith experience to their Monday work environments. Most realized the importance of the lordship of Christ over all of life. And yet, once they get to Monday, confusion reigns. Church leaders are providing conflicting counsel. Some say fight, others say flee and some others say embrace. There is no unified strategy and few approach the problem with the sensitivity that the Portland post-Christian culture demands. This confusion as to how to practically approach the marketplace has proven ineffective, and in some situations, actually made things worse. A better way is available, namely following in the practice and pattern of Jesus’ incarnation. The Marketplace Catalyst is among the few faith and work organizations committed to the practical instruction in and application of faithful presence. We believe that this approach can overcome public bias against faith in the marketplace and the confusion of past approaches. As a result, we believe that we can assist business & community leaders to be more effective with their influence in marketplace.
The most well-intentioned business leader, who is facing the competitive challenges of business, as well as the confusion of bringing their faith to bear in their work often feels alone and isolated. The aim of The Marketplace Catalyst is to create a network of like-minded, kingdom equipped, winsome agents of shalom across the greater Portland/Vancouver metro area. It is when there is a dense network of friends aligned to a common vision that cultural change occurs. These dense networks are the most significant actor on the stage of culture and this was true in the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, addressing anti-Semitism in elite college admissions and faculty appointments and more recently in establishing public acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The converging dense network of The Marketplace Catalyst will maximize individual and corporate influence to provide for human flourishing in communities throughout our region. Effective influence begins when one realizes that they are not alone, but part of a network of likeminded leaders partnering in mission. Moreover, The Marketplace Catalyst is committed to bridging the generational divide by actively engaging prospective leaders alongside established leaders and is seriously committed to empowering the voices and perspectives of the next generation of leaders.
The Marketplace Catalyst is more than talk. The Vision of The Marketplace Catalyst is to see every community experiencing the goodness of God through the influence of Kingdom-minded leaders. The Mission of The Marketplace Catalyst is to engage marketplace leaders to influence culture and society for the good of their communities. We are mobilizing collective action, showing our values more than merely telling them, via our Influence Builder Groups (IBG's), which meet once a month, at a hosting business (or college campus) and then checking in via a Zoom call 2 weeks later. The IBG's will function in 3 phases, 1.) reviewing, discussing & acting on our core content, 2. hearing, giving feedback and acting on a personal story of faith lived out in the marketplace and 3. developing, planning and acting on a group project for the business (or college), or partnering with other IBG's on projects for and throughout our communities.
There are hundreds of Faith & Work, marketplace ministries today, but few are adequately geared to address the challenge of Portland’s post-Christian ethos, are committed to a fresh and new way forward based on Jesus’ example and seek to harness the significance and sustainability of cross-generational dense networks.
In summary, The Marketplace Catalyst seeks to mobilize the right people, in the right place, with the right message. We have the opportunity to develop Kingdom influence within the business world on the front lines of the church’s engagement with a post-Christian society. We have the promise of telling a better story in the right manner to the right audience to the end that organizations and communities flourish. For all those who care deeply about faith and desire to make the world a better place, The Marketplace Catalyst is an accelerator and an engine of effective cultural influence. We can add to the beauty of our world by telling a better story and thereby call out our best in this place at this moment. Join us in this emerging network of leaders!
If you are interested in being in one of our new Influence Builder Groups, located near you, email James Autry!
Businessmen and women have long been recognized as significant agents of cultural change. Few imagine that lasting cultural change can happen without integrating it into the dynamics of a free market. Few can imagine a world without such leaders like Ford, Carnegie, Jobs and Musk, and yet few fully appreciate the contribution of the countless unrecognized and unsung heroes of small and medium organizations, which have long been the engine room of cultural change.
And so, it is appropriate that the church has come to recognize the partnership of business leaders and the influence they weld in our social world. Historians readily acknowledge that the Gospel was spread in the early centuries of the church, via the trade routes and by Christ-following businessmen and women. They are once again the heroes of our history, His Story.
But there are significant challenges facing the effective influence of Christian leaders in today’s world. Three readily come to mind: resistance, confusion and isolation. The Marketplace Catalyst is designed to address all three of these challenges and present a better path.
Christian leaders are facing an increasingly post-Christian, post-religious society and this is particularly the reality in Portland. To acknowledge this fact, does not assume that America was once a “Christian nation,” but it does recognize that a generalized Judeo-Christian ethos has dominated American society for hundreds of years, which became associated with what was termed “civil religion.” Nor does this recognition justify a sense of resentment over its loss. In some ways, this change is a good thing. But it does means that most efforts of Christian engagement in society will be automatically met with cultural resistance. There is legitimate fear of Christians within the wider public & professional world. This is not without some justification, as years of politicized Christian influence, that is tribal, judgmental and self-serving, have made many wary of Christians. In addition, in a been-there-done-that world, few see the church as anything other than an irrelevant side show. Portland is a world, where overt identification with the Christian faith and the church can be a professional liability. These challenges are significant because they are the leading indicators of much wider cultural change. Portland is on the cultural front lines in the church’s engagement with a post-Christian society. The circumstances are unprecedented and the response to it will require winsome innovation that breaks out of the patterns of the past. The launch of The Marketplace Catalyst in Portland marks it as a unique effort within the faith and work organizations located across the nation.
Many business leaders feel called to bring their Sunday faith experience to their Monday work environments. Most realized the importance of the lordship of Christ over all of life. And yet, once they get to Monday, confusion reigns. Church leaders are providing conflicting counsel. Some say fight, others say flee and some others say embrace. There is no unified strategy and few approach the problem with the sensitivity that the Portland post-Christian culture demands. This confusion as to how to practically approach the marketplace has proven ineffective, and in some situations, actually made things worse. A better way is available, namely following in the practice and pattern of Jesus’ incarnation. The Marketplace Catalyst is among the few faith and work organizations committed to the practical instruction in and application of faithful presence. We believe that this approach can overcome public bias against faith in the marketplace and the confusion of past approaches. As a result, we believe that we can assist business & community leaders to be more effective with their influence in marketplace.
The most well-intentioned business leader, who is facing the competitive challenges of business, as well as the confusion of bringing their faith to bear in their work often feels alone and isolated. The aim of The Marketplace Catalyst is to create a network of like-minded, kingdom equipped, winsome agents of shalom across the greater Portland/Vancouver metro area. It is when there is a dense network of friends aligned to a common vision that cultural change occurs. These dense networks are the most significant actor on the stage of culture and this was true in the abolition of slavery, the civil rights movement, addressing anti-Semitism in elite college admissions and faculty appointments and more recently in establishing public acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The converging dense network of The Marketplace Catalyst will maximize individual and corporate influence to provide for human flourishing in communities throughout our region. Effective influence begins when one realizes that they are not alone, but part of a network of likeminded leaders partnering in mission. Moreover, The Marketplace Catalyst is committed to bridging the generational divide by actively engaging prospective leaders alongside established leaders and is seriously committed to empowering the voices and perspectives of the next generation of leaders.
The Marketplace Catalyst is more than talk. The Vision of The Marketplace Catalyst is to see every community experiencing the goodness of God through the influence of Kingdom-minded leaders. The Mission of The Marketplace Catalyst is to engage marketplace leaders to influence culture and society for the good of their communities. We are mobilizing collective action, showing our values more than merely telling them, via our Influence Builder Groups (IBG's), which meet once a month, at a hosting business (or college campus) and then checking in via a Zoom call 2 weeks later. The IBG's will function in 3 phases, 1.) reviewing, discussing & acting on our core content, 2. hearing, giving feedback and acting on a personal story of faith lived out in the marketplace and 3. developing, planning and acting on a group project for the business (or college), or partnering with other IBG's on projects for and throughout our communities.
There are hundreds of Faith & Work, marketplace ministries today, but few are adequately geared to address the challenge of Portland’s post-Christian ethos, are committed to a fresh and new way forward based on Jesus’ example and seek to harness the significance and sustainability of cross-generational dense networks.
In summary, The Marketplace Catalyst seeks to mobilize the right people, in the right place, with the right message. We have the opportunity to develop Kingdom influence within the business world on the front lines of the church’s engagement with a post-Christian society. We have the promise of telling a better story in the right manner to the right audience to the end that organizations and communities flourish. For all those who care deeply about faith and desire to make the world a better place, The Marketplace Catalyst is an accelerator and an engine of effective cultural influence. We can add to the beauty of our world by telling a better story and thereby call out our best in this place at this moment. Join us in this emerging network of leaders!
If you are interested in being in one of our new Influence Builder Groups, located near you, email James Autry!