Jim and Tom join me in this episode of Follower of One to share more about their global ministry and how they’re working to equip Christians to share their faith every day of their lives. Their like-minded approach to ministry is one of the reasons their course is becoming part of the Follower of One resource library. Don’t miss it!
Outline of the Episode
- Learn how Jim and Tom connected [0:49]
- The mission of Marketplace Impact: Living on Purpose [4:12]
- Creating marketplace impact by being obedient [9:18]
- Making “Foundations” easily accessible worldwide [11:31]
- What’s next for Marketplace Impact? [18:29]
Learn how Jim and Tom connected
Jim got his start in business in the tech industry in the 1980s. It was a hostile place for people of faith, so he hid his faith for the first seven years. But God challenged him to start sharing his faith. When he did, God blessed his work and impact.
Wherever Jim went, the first thing people learned about him was that he was a Christ-follower. In 2010, he joined the Leadership team of a global ministry to equip people in the marketplace around the world to live out their faith.
At one point in time, Tom and Jim worked at the same company. Tom ran Operations & Development and Jim was in Sales & Marketing. Tom didn’t go out of his way to share his faith at work. When he retired in 2022, Jim reached out to him to connect. Tom wanted to find something to do in retirement that connected his interests in technology with his faith. So they decided to start Marketplace Impact.
The mission of Marketplace Impact: Living on Purpose
“Living on Purpose” grew out of Jim’s experience bringing his faith to work. He realized pretty quickly that if he was going to be effective, he needed to surrender to God and see his career as something to be stewarded. Eventually, his focus shifted to helping others do the same thing. An international church in Vietnam asked him to put his process in writing. “Living on Purpose” is the devotional that came out of that. It caught fire and began to expand around the world.
Marketplace Impact offers two courses: “Foundations” and “Immersive Cohort.” Foundations. is a seven-week study you can do individually or with friends to help you place God at the center of your life. Then it helps you dive into God’s plan for you at work and make decisions with a Kingdom mindset. Sharing your faith at work becomes easier when you have those things behind you. The last piece of the puzzle is living your faith every day, which is a lifelong challenge that we all have.
The “Immersive Cohort” program is the Foundations course with a personal improvement plan attached to it. It helps you look at your current reality to see where you are, look at where you want to be, and get a plan in place to get there.
Creating marketplace impact by being obedient
A young woman was an apartment manager in a country where people were hostile to those of faith. She was always stressed and the people she worked with drove her crazy. But as she surrendered and engaged with the Foundations course, she started demonstrating the love of Christ to these people. It transformed relationships throughout her department.
One day, her coworkers asked her what she was doing over the weekend. She told them she was getting baptized. They asked, “Can anyone come to that?” She told them the time and place and all three colleagues showed up, heard her testimony, heard the gospel, and it continued to transform her workplace.
Learn more about the Marketplace Impact courses by listening to this episode!
The Living on Purpose Foundations Introduction will soon be available as a course in the Follower of One online community.
Resources & People Mentioned
- Marketplace Impact
- Marketplace Impact on LinkedIn
- Friend on Facebook
Connect with Jim Lapinksi and Tom Nohelty
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