Markee Johnson was the Director of a marketplace ministry called “Endeavor” at Celebration Church in Austin, focused on empowering and equipping the Body of Christ to bring their faith to work. But her journey of faith in the workplace didn’t start there. Markee shares how her unique background in a Fortune 100 tech company led her down the path of workplace ministry in this episode of Follower of One.
“Instead of cursing the workplace, appreciate that your light shines even brighter in dark situations.” – Markee
Outline of the Episode
- How Markee got involved in marketplace ministry [2:32]
- The evolution of Markee’s employee resource group [5:16]
- How Markee transitioned to Celebration Church [8:22]
- Why start a marketplace ministry? [10:00]
- The global anti-human-trafficking organization: A21 [15:42]
- Excellence is how we build equity in the workplace [19:35]
How Markee got involved in marketplace ministry
Markee got saved while attending college through a ministry called “Fellowship of Christian Athletes.” God transformed her world. She originally thought she would finish college, move overseas, and become a full-time missionary. But as she wrapped up her senior year, she interviewed with a tech company in Boston. She had no desire to work there, but when she left the interview, she felt it was where God was calling her to go.
She began to build credibility in her job at a Fortune 100 company which ultimately allowed her to pioneer a faith at work group. Together, with two other women, she built an interfaith employee resource group. She understood that the mission field goes far deeper than traditional mission work. People in every workplace need the gospel.
The evolution of Markee’s employee resource group
When Markee went to HR about starting a faith-based group, she was told to “Cease and desist.” But she did some research on other large brands and brought D&I case studies to the higher-ups to share that it was they that were behind the times. It was the impetus they needed.
Because it needed to be inclusive, they started as a group open to all faiths. But when they gathered together, they did it in the name of Jesus. They came together with other people of faith to work on things they had in common—like inspiring leadership and serving the community—while being employees that excelled in their work.
Markee notes that some Christians assumed that they were compromising their faith but it couldn’t be further from the truth. Markee loved interacting with her Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist coworkers because she knew that her faith shone through in those interactions. She emphasizes that God works in different ways in every company culture. Sometimes you just need to crack open the door so he can move.
Why start a marketplace ministry?
Markee thought she would be in the corporate world forever. But she had a conversation with a like-minded man from her church. He encouraged her to leave her career and build the ministry together. After some prayer, Markee joined him to launch the ministry with their church.
Because, ultimately, when Sunday service is over, everyone in those seats goes back to their mission field: the workplace. That’s where ministry needs to happen. Culture and society have told us that our workplace must be separated from our faith. But it isn’t biblical. God never designed us to compartmentalize who we are.
God is with you at work—you don’t have to check your faith at the door. God wants to engage with men and women who will never step through the door of your church. Studies show that ⅓ of our lives are spent at work. Christians are called to be light in the darkness.
Men and women from every industry want to know how to bridge faith and the workplace and integrate their worlds. They want to know that there is purpose in their work. More churches need to equip their congregations to live their faith in their workplace.
Resources & People Mentioned
Follow Markee Johnson
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