The third MDW Roundtable Meeting, initiated by CCCOWE, was successfully held on June 9, 2022. The meeting was honored to have Rev. Edmund Chan, leadership mentor at Covenant Evangelical Free Church in Singapore and founder of the Global Alliance of IDMC, as the guest speaker. Rev. Chan believes that whether in leadership studies, discipleship, or marketplace ministry, if we do not understand the importance of “leading from the inside out,” we are prone to soul fatigue, losing the strength and courage to respond to God’s calling. To build this “inside-out” quality of life, we must understand “soul fatigue” and how to overcome it. Therefore, in this meeting, he addressed the topic of “Overcoming Soul Fatigue,” returning to the biblical foundation to redefine “success” and presenting five key elements for living out “inside-out” leadership in the marketplace.
 
The Importance of Understanding “Soul Fatigue”

Rev. Chan explained why understanding “soul fatigue” is crucial for marketplace leaders and disciple-makers. He believes that Christian ministry is a natural outflow of inner life, and the quality of inner life determines the quality of ministry. Therefore, paying attention to inner life is vital for living out discipleship and reflecting the image of Jesus in every sphere where we are called. Lack of awareness of “soul fatigue,” and consequently not knowing how to overcome it, will inevitably hinder us from fulfilling our ministry and carrying out God’s calling on our lives.

Rev. Chan used the story of “the dying king and his four wives” as an analogy for what we tend to value in life and our neglect of our inner “soul.” For example, we cherish our physical bodies, possessions that define our happiness and identity, and the constant companionship of family and friends. However, none of these can accompany us into the afterlife; only our souls can. Yet, in our lives, we often choose to be busy with the many demands of life, ministry, the workplace, work, and career, neglecting to care for our “souls.”
 
Christian Success is “Becoming a Faithful Steward”

Next, Rev. Chan returned to the Bible to redefine “success.” He believes that for Christian disciples, success is not defined by worldly standards but by whether we respond to God’s calling to stewardship. This means that becoming a “faithful steward” before God is more important than achieving worldly success. According to Scripture, the practice of Christian stewardship must align with God’s will. While Christian disciples share a common calling to stewardship, they also possess unique gifts and identities. If we want to be considered successful by God, it means we must follow His calling and properly use the gifts He has given us to fulfill His will. The decisive indicator of a successful Christian steward is faithfulness. Faithfulness is measured by whether we “finish well” at the end of our lives. Many obstacles can prevent a person from finishing their stewardship well, and one of the main obstacles is “soul fatigue.”
 
Exploring the Symptoms, Causes, Consequences, and Solutions of “Soul Fatigue”
 
Three Symptoms of “Soul Fatigue”

Rev. Chan believes there are three symptoms of “soul fatigue.” First, a sense of rush – feeling hurried and rushed amidst busyness. Rush is essentially a form of stress felt when one’s inner capacity cannot match the external environment or is insufficient to cope with external changes. As a result, tasks control us rather than us controlling tasks. Second, boredom. Under pressure, people become numb and apathetic. On the one hand, they feel rushed, but on the other hand, they feel that life is monotonous, lacking novelty and excitement, with nothing to be enthusiastic about. Third, isolation. We feel lonely and misunderstood, a consequence of losing passion.
 
Internal Causes of “Soul Fatigue”

Rev. Chan summarized three internal causes of “soul fatigue”: “running on empty,” “running after emptiness,” and a “flawed inner script.”

Jeremiah 2:5 states, “This is what the Lord says: ‘What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.'” This verse highlights the internal cause of soul fatigue: first following worthless gods, then becoming worthless ourselves. Running on empty leads to soul poverty, while running after emptiness leads to an addiction to emptiness. Once we are running on empty and uncontrollably pursuing emptiness, soul poverty not only depletes our inner reservoir but also makes our souls addicted to everything that destroys life.

The third cause stems from our “flawed inner script,” where we believe our self-worth comes from having things to do. However, the correct inner script is to recognize our true identity – God’s children. We are loved and valuable because God loves us, not because of what we are doing. One’s understanding of identity affects our sense of security and worth. Our first and most important identity is not being a successful leader, but clearly recognizing ourselves as God’s children.
 
Consequences of “Soul Fatigue”

Soul fatigue leads to three consequences: loss of clarity, loss of courage, and loss of joy. First, the loss of clarity, along with a gradual shift in one’s value system. Second, the loss of courage to respond to God’s calling. We fail to respond to God-assigned tasks because we believe we are too busy or incapable, yet we spend time on things that become soul addictions and distractions. This is because our souls are too weary and need to escape the pain of rush, boredom, and isolation, further diminishing our capacity to take on more tasks. Third, the loss of joy. Psalm 100 is a song of celebration and joy. The mark of a Christian is serving with heavenly joy, finding strength in all circumstances. When our souls see God’s overflowing grace and sense His presence, we become abundant, grateful, and profound, moving forward in heavenly gratitude and joy. But when our souls are weary, empty, or chasing after emptiness, we allow our flawed inner scripts to control us, becoming joyless. Even if we continue to achieve external success and affirmation, deep down, we know we are not joyful.
 
Solutions to “Soul Fatigue”

The solution to soul fatigue cannot merely address the symptoms but must address the root causes. Rev. Chan mentioned three main solutions: acknowledge soul fatigue, take personal responsibility, and change belief systems. First, acknowledge soul fatigue. Just as an empty fuel tank needs refilling rather than forcing the car to continue driving, we need to acknowledge our needs and intentionally set aside time for the Lord to restore and renew our lives. We do not try to restore our souls through activities or vacations but by “changing our lifestyles” to address soul fatigue. Second, take personal responsibility. This means examining and caring for our personal lives and revising our priorities. Third, change our belief systems from having to accomplish more things to simply fulfilling God the Father’s will. Our flawed inner scripts constantly lead us to commit to or reject external things, but when we allow our souls to return to a place of quietness, seeking time in Scripture and intimacy with the Lord, we can reorder our priorities and recognize and embrace God’s calling and tasks. When we can fully say “yes” to the Lord, we can say “no” to everything else in the world.
 
Five Keys to Marketplace Leadership

After discussing soul fatigue and the renewal of inner life, Rev. Chan addressed the practical application: how to become a marketplace leader who leads “from the inside out”. He shared five keys to marketplace leadership: curating clarity, re-staging the risk horizon, auditing alignment, zooming in on zeal, and yielding yieldedness.

First, curating clarity. This is the primary task of entrepreneurial leadership and must be developed on the foundation of “clearly understanding God’s calling” and “clear core values.” He emphasized the importance of filtering core values because everything may be good, but not necessarily worth doing. Therefore, it’s not just about filtering values, but filtering the best core values, biblical values, to respond to God’s calling.

Second, re-staging the risk horizon, which is assessing risk and making trade-offs. Marketplace leaders must avoid two extremes: risk avoidance and impulsively jumping into risk. We cannot passively avoid risk without making changes, but we must also be clearly aware of risks while seizing opportunities and potential, otherwise, we will fall into impulsive risk-taking. Therefore, re-staging the risk horizon means having objective evaluation criteria for risk and trade-offs, constantly seeking God’s wisdom and guidance.

Third, auditing alignment. This means that when we face many challenges and potential compromises in the marketplace, we must maintain alignment with the Lord’s values and our core values, walking with Him. It’s not just about intellectual understanding but living out our core values through action.

Fourth, zooming in on zeal. We will encounter many discouragements and setbacks in the marketplace and business world, but we must never lose our passion or courage. A common key that many business owners learn from the marketplace is to persevere in God, maintaining enthusiasm, zeal, and tenacity.

Fifth, yielding yieldedness. Success in the marketplace is not the key; the key is to be God’s faithful servant, working alongside Him. The Bible says, “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.” The Greek uses the plural pronoun “you,” which is a very good pronoun. Only “you” are the salt of the earth, “you” are Jesus’ disciples, and “you” are the light of the world. Through God’s help, let us be salt and light in the marketplace from the inside out.
 
Dialogue between Rev. David Doong and Rev. Chan: Pastoral Care Strategies for Those without Marketplace Experience

Rev. David Doong, General Secretary of CCCOWE, asked Rev. Chan to share how pastoral leaders without marketplace experience can pastor or equip brothers and sisters working in the marketplace. Rev. Chan believes that pastors without any marketplace experience can pay attention to two principles. First, pay attention to the leadership sensitivity, calling, and gifts that the Lord has given you. Second, learn by observing and incorporating the voices of other marketplace leaders.

Many pastors are enthusiastic about caring for marketplace Christians and possess pastoral gifts, but without marketplace sensitivity, they cannot understand the thoughts of marketplace Christians. Even if they faithfully pastor according to the Bible, there will be a significant gap between their ministry and the actual situations of marketplace Christians. Therefore, when engaging in marketplace ministry, pastors need to be humble learners. First, learn from brothers and sisters in the marketplace, listen to their world, engage in dialogue with them, and even visit their workplaces to understand the reality, sharing Scripture and biblical leadership principles.

Second, incorporating the voices of other marketplace leaders is an alternative learning approach for pastors without marketplace experience. Rev. Chan never tells business leaders what to do in his capacity as a pastor. Instead, he brings the voices of other marketplace leaders into the pastoral context, facilitating collaboration between pastors and marketplace leaders and offering different perspectives. Pastors can observe and learn from the conversations among marketplace leaders. Over time, these marketplace leaders also learn to apply biblical leadership principles to the realities of the business world.
 
Response by Dr. Hilton Chan: Reframing Ministry Challenges with Creativity

Dr. Hilton Chan (Director of Business with Higher Purpose, Canada) responded that Rev. Chan’s mention of “successful stewardship” resonated with his ongoing reflection on the theme of “the Creator and His creation.” He believes that humans, created in God’s image, are endowed with creativity to solve problems and handle crises. Problem-solving and crisis management often require designing the problem, and problems are often confined within a certain framework. If the definition is limited to a narrow and outdated framework, it is difficult to find solutions. Creativity can break through these frameworks.

He used Hong Kong’s crisis management during the pandemic as an example, illustrating how finding common values can address dilemmas. Dr. Chan believes that wisdom is defined by how creatively we ask and define questions before solving them. Redefining old concepts can often solve problems and allow two values to coexist. He believes that in practical implementation, many things are not clearly either/or, but rather, through creativity, we can find shared and intersecting areas. Therefore, he believes that Rev. Chan’s discussion of the relationship between entrepreneur, missionality, and discipleship demonstrated how to redefine and creatively find problem-solving methods. This can help Christians consider how to redefine difficulties, dilemmas, conflicts, etc., under the core values of faith, hope, and love and creatively serve God in today’s world, facing a challenging future.
 
Dialogue between Dato Peter T.S. Ng and Rev. Chan: Pastoral Relationships in Discipleship

Dato Peter T.S. Ng (Founder of UCSI Group) invited Rev. Chan to share specific actions that can be taken in one-on-one mentoring with business leaders to help pastors and mobilize disciples. Rev. Chan suggested three things. First, discuss the Bible. Listen and share devotional insights, bringing everything back to God’s Word. Second, discuss family. Understand that their families need to touch important areas of their lives, including parenting, marriage, and spiritual growth within the family. Third, discuss workplace challenges and learn from them. Listen to their challenges to broaden one’s perspective and spark curiosity about understanding their world, then discuss biblical principles and leadership wisdom. Rev. Chan uses Thought Leadership to guide the leaders he mentors, hoping, through God’s grace, to help them achieve the golden triangle of leadership: clarity, courage, and compassion. Without a clear calling, it is impossible to adapt to the ever-changing workplace. Courage means “daring to become who God wants us to be.” Compassion means that God has granted us influence and power to serve, not to conquer.
 
Dialogue between Dr. Joseph Pai and Rev. Chan: Returning to the Foundation of “Disciple-Making”

Dr. Joseph Pai (Former Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan) observed that Chinese churches face many difficulties in developing marketplace ministries. Is it possible to integrate marketplace ministry as an internal ministry of the church? How can this be achieved, and how can we break through? To address this question, Rev. Chan believes it is necessary to return to the foundation and core values of faith. Through God’s grace, four things can redefine the core values of Christians: being disciples, making disciples, growing disciples, and mobilizing disciples. God has a redemptive mission for the world. If we can define everything through God’s calling, for the sake of His redemptive mission, then everything else will return to the church’s core mission. Otherwise, we are merely trying to be busy in various areas, such as being good family members and good workplace professionals, losing sight of our role as intermediaries in God’s redemptive mission.

Rev. Chan believes that the challenge is often not with marketplace ministry itself but with church culture. In Chinese churches, when discussing how to develop successful marketplace ministries within the church, the most fundamental definition often depends on who makes the decisions, who has the final say, what the church’s priorities are, what channels, platforms, and ministries attract attention, etc. Churches lack leaders, furthermore, churches have many other needs. Starting a marketplace ministry requires resources and leadership, which means reallocating leadership and resources, easily leading to a Silo Effect.

Therefore, when facing various needs, we must return to the question: what is the church’s most important and fundamental calling? That is, making disciples to respond to God’s desire to redeem the world. In leadership, this perspective allows us to thoroughly consider the process and timeline for completing the task. When we make disciples, we naturally will not neglect the aspects of the workplace and family. Disciples are nurtured in the family and in the workplace. This perspective also helps us plan a three-year journey that truly contributes to disciple-making, not just a series of courses. Rev. Chan also shared that he has seen churches with successful marketplace ministries, but excellence in one area often involves trade-offs in other areas. Even if a church establishes a very successful marketplace ministry, it may not necessarily be successful in other ministries. The point is that there is no perfect church; every church has its own struggles.
 
Response by Rev. Benedict Kwok Hung-biu: Emphasizing Marketplace Ministry within the Church

Rev. Benedict Kwok Hung-biu (James Cheung Professor of Theology/Vice President) found Rev. Chan’s emphasis on marketplace discipleship being inside-out rather than outside-in to be very insightful. He used his church’s implementation of marketplace ministry curriculum as an example, mentioning that promoting new courses requires communication, coordination, and a shared vision among multiple departments within the church. Developing new courses also requires valuable resources from external colleagues.

Rev. Kwok observed that from a bottom-up perspective, establishing a marketplace ministry director position does not effectively change the church’s emphasis on marketplace ministry. If marketplace ministry is treated as secondary, with only three Sunday sermons dedicated to it annually, it cannot be effectively promoted throughout the entire church. Especially in Chinese churches, where many departments operate independently, it is difficult to achieve synergy. Therefore, the senior pastor’s decision is crucial. Only when the concepts and values of marketplace ministry are integrated into the pastoral care of all church departments can marketplace ministry be effective. This approach echoes Rev. Chan’s reminder to redefine the concept of “marketplace ministry.” As Rev. Chan shared, marketplace ministry begins with building inner life, followed by marketplace missions, which are action-oriented witnessing. Therefore, the order of “inside-out” rather than “outside-in” is crucial.

Churches are accustomed to relying on external organizations to promote marketplace ministry. However, to promote marketplace missions within the church, it is necessary to understand the church’s specific operational methods, habits, and structural conditions. Dr. Kwok, currently serving as a consultant pastor, can share many ideas about marketplace missions with churches. However, he emphasizes that he cannot impose his ideas on every church because each church has its own internal issues and priorities to address. He agrees with Rev. Chan’s point about finding the church’s core values. He adopts an “accompanying” approach, helping them find their core values, but not just focusing on the church’s shortcomings but also recognizing the many external spiritual resources God has already provided to the church, achieving resource sharing with those external resources.
 
Response by Rev. Daniel Chuang: Reshaping Our Perspective on Today’s World through God’s Word

Rev. Daniel Chuang (CEO of Spring of Water International Ministries Taiwan) responded to Rev. Chan’s point about the inner state of life affecting the outward expression of ministry with Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He believes that this promise of entering into a relationship determines who we are before what we should do.

Rev. Chuang used the Psalms as an example. The 150 Psalms express a range of emotions similar to the joys and sorrows of the workplace. The first five books of Psalms each conclude with a hymn of praise. This doesn’t imply political correctness, that we must always say what God wants to hear. People in the workplace encounter many difficulties and desperately need spiritual mentors to listen to their anxieties, struggles, weariness, and complaints. Praise is often the most difficult thing. Jewish people understand the harsh realities of life, yet in the compilation of the Psalms, each book ends with praise to God. This is because praise focuses on “who God is,” unlike thanksgiving, which focuses on “what God has done.” Knowing who God is depends on our establishing an “I-and-Thou” relationship with Him, returning to a simple “we and You” relationship without any intermediary, and simply praising Him.

When Rev. Chan spoke about “success,” he mentioned that how we finish is important. Rev. Chuang added that the so-called final ending is not centered on us but on the faithfulness of God. Everything in time will disappear; no one remembers the past. Only from the perspective of God’s faithfulness can success be eternally remembered. God has placed the concept of “eternity” in our lives, allowing us to carry this concept into workplace discipleship. Therefore, we must move from the unknown and unfinished to the known and finished. There will always be unfinished tasks and unknown challenges in the workplace, but it is also important for pastors to help workplace Christians see what God has already done and what they already know. This is precisely what Rev. Chan shared: in his pastoral care, he always returns to what God has already said.

Rev. Chuang appreciates Stanley Hauerwas’ Narrative Theology, which reminds us that God’s word shapes the Christian perspective, and the Christian narrative is an expression of life, a unique and true worldview that reflects how we see the world. Taking Naomi from the Book of Ruth as an example, she left Bethlehem during a famine and returned during a famine in her life. Her perspective on her life shifted from sweetness to bitterness. Workplace companions often feel that their lives are bitter. As seen in Ruth 1:6 through chapter 4, Naomi’s objective circumstances did not change (her husband and sons died); Naomi’s workplace was painful, but why could her life ultimately be sweet? The political and economic pressures and environmental uncertainties Naomi faced persisted, just like the pain and pressure of the workplace remained unchanged. Pastors often think about how to empower them in such situations, but they cannot; only God’s word can help them see the eternal promises that transcend objective difficulties.

Rev. Chuang then considered Boaz. From a workplace perspective, Boaz encountered another companion in life’s workplace: Ruth. In Ruth chapter 4, Boaz discussed the land issue with the closest relative, which was actually a discussion about Ruth. While Boaz was discussing with the closest relative, the relative only wanted to increase his possessions. Boaz used excellent language strategies, demonstrating an important inner value, focusing on the legacy of another, and how to preserve the estate of a deceased person (Elimelech). Boaz’s example can serve as a model for pastors to consider an eternal perspective when helping workplace companions weigh gains and losses and uphold inner values.

Finally, Rev. Chuang mentioned that conducting discipleship training in the workplace and guiding workplace companions to see the sovereignty of God is invaluable. Even if the external environment is full of variables, knowing that God is already in control allows us to live out the calmness of a disciple’s life. As seen in Ruth, God was already sovereign during the famine, and the testament to God’s sovereignty is God’s word. Therefore, it is crucial to lead workplace companions to read God’s word and see that God’s sovereignty has not changed from the past, present, and future. Cultivating calmness in the lives of workplace disciples focuses on helping them see that God is already in control and has always been in control. They are not living in a future where God has not yet worked but in a present where God has already worked.