Gather. Then scatter.

I was attending church with my daughter in New York recently when I saw something I haven’t been able to shake.

At the end of the service, people were invited forward for prayer, and almost immediately, a huge line formed. The worship team continued playing while prayer team members met one-on-one with those who had come forward. One song ended, then another, and still the line remained.

People were waiting to be prayed for.

I remember looking at that line and wanting so badly to walk up, grab a name badge and start praying with people. This is what I do with people all day! There were people waiting, and I wanted to help.

But standing there, I was gently reminded of the words of Jesus: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” — Matthew 9:37

The Line We Cannot See

And then I began thinking about all the people who weren’t in that line.

The employee walking through a divorce. The business owner lying awake because payroll is due. The executive who has achieved everything the world promised would bring fulfillment and still feels something is missing.

Many aren’t standing in a church on Sunday. Gallup reports that nearly seven in ten Americans do not regularly attend religious services each week.

But on Monday morning, they go to work.

Connecting Sunday to Monday

Not long after that experience, I heard my pastor say something that connected it all for me: “We gather to worship, and we scatter to witness.”

Immediately, I thought, That’s what we do at the Christian Chamber.

For years, I have explained why Christian Chambers of Commerce matter. We are building a network infrastructure for Kingdom business across the nation. We are connecting Sunday to Monday, strengthening Christian businesses and equipping leaders to influence economies and transform communities.

But perhaps the simplest explanation is this: we gather so we can scatter.

When Christian business leaders come together, we pray, encourage one another, build relationships and wrestle with what it means to follow Jesus while leading employees, serving customers and navigating difficult decisions. We sharpen one another. There is spiritual formation happening in the gathering.

The goal of a Christian Chamber isn’t simply to build a bigger Christian Chamber. It is to strengthen and send Christian business leaders back into the places God has already positioned them. Krystal Parker

But the gathering was never the destination.

And the opportunity is enormous. An analysis shared by the Monmouth Society estimated that, based on time unchurched Americans spend at work compared with time nonbelievers spend hearing from a pastor in church, Christian business leaders collectively have roughly 840 times more opportunity for influence among the unchurched in the workplace.

That doesn’t diminish the role of the pastor. It magnifies the responsibility of the rest of us.

Still Room in the Father’s House

Jesus modeled this rhythm. He gathered His disciples, taught them, strengthened them and then sent them. Generation after generation continued carrying the Good News until someone, somewhere, carried the Gospel to us.

Now it’s our turn.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells of a great banquet. Guests had already arrived, yet the servant reported that there was still room. The master sent him out again, saying, “Compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

There was still room, so there was still reason to go.

There still is.

An Invitation to Both

• Have a church family — gather faithfully to worship, learn, pray and grow
• Gather with the Christian Chamber movement to grow stronger alongside other marketplace believers
• Then go — carrying what you’ve received into the workplace, your team, and your city

I hope you have a church family. I hope you gather faithfully to worship, learn, pray and grow. And I hope you gather with us in the Christian Chamber movement to become stronger alongside other believers called to the marketplace.

Then I hope you go.

Because tomorrow morning, someone may be standing in a line you cannot see — waiting for hope, encouragement, prayer or simply for someone to notice.

The harvest is plentiful. There is still room in the Father’s house. And the marketplace is waiting.

Gather to worship. Scatter to witness.

This is how we chamber.

Krystal Parker Krystal Parker is President & Founder of the U.S. Christian Chamber of Commerce, author of The Christian CEO, and a nationally recognized speaker and professor. A former executive for a Fortune 200 publicly traded oil and gas company, she has over 25 years of experience in organizational management, leading hundreds of employees to provide J.D. Power award-winning customer service to more than 2.1 million customers across the U.S. A former college dropout, Parker advanced her education at Harvard Business School for senior executive leaders focusing on innovation, globalization, and leadership diversity. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s in marketing. As a certified DISC behavioral specialist, trainer, speaker, and coach, Parker opened a boutique consulting company, Intent & Impact, to help companies increase profit, reduce turnover, and enhance employee engagement. A best-selling author and professor, Krystal teaches graduate and undergraduate-level courses. She is a member of the MVI Board of Directors and the Central Florida Christian Chamber Board of Directors. Krystal considers herself a marketplace missionary with a strategic focus on citywide transformation, committed to seeing faith in action in the marketplace — believing that to reach the world, you must reach the city. Krystal is a wife and mother, and devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Read the original newsletter at Krystal Parker’s Constant Contact newsletter, “A HUGE Line” ↗

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A regular update from the U.S. Christian Chamber Coalition on programs, partnerships, and opportunities for member Chambers.

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Scripture of the Week

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— Ephesians 4:3

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