The MarketSpace: Essential Relationships Between the Sending Church, Marketplace Worker, and Missionary Team
Larry McCrary
The vast majority of believers in our churches are marketplace workers—individuals engaged in everyday professions and vocations. Yet, traditional models of missions have often prioritized sending trained, full-time ministry professionals, leaving this majority untrained, unsent, and largely disengaged from God's global mission.
In The Marketspace, Larry McCrary challenges this paradigm by affirming that the Great Commission is not reserved for the ordained few, but is the responsibility of every follower of Christ.
Drawing from his experience and insight, McCrary introduces the concept of the “marketspace”—the everyday spaces where believers live, work, and build relationships—as a vital context for mission. He explores the strategic role that marketplace workers can play in both local and global gospel witness and calls churches to rethink how they equip and mobilize their members for missional living.
This resource offers a practical and compelling framework for churches, mission teams, and individuals who are seeking alternative pathways for gospel impact. Whether you're a church leader, a missionary, or a marketplace professional looking to integrate your faith with your vocation, The Marketspace provides a fresh vision for engaging the mission of God—right where you are.
Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Realistic Handbook for the Success of Kingdom Professionals
“In a concise format, Larry shares key principles of how the marketplace worker, the sending church, and the missionary team should collaborate to see maximum impact from the intentional placement of believers in jobs around the globe for the purpose of gospel influence. Without glossing over the challenges, Larry encourages churches' deployment of this new kind of ‘go-er.’ He unpacks truths about their potential to exponentially expand Christian witness, especially in places where building relationships and credibility are difficult for traditional missionaries. Larry's years of experience with marketplace workers fill this book with down-to-earth wisdom. Anyone involved with the missions community will find this a highly useful resource.” —Catalyst
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great resource!
“This is a great resource that will help people see how they can use their vocation and skills to fulfill the great commission. Larry McCrary provides great practical advice for people considering cross-cultural mission work, and shows how the marketspace worker, churches, and missionary teams can all work together to help accomplish the Great Commission. Larry is a practitioner and the book is filled with many helpful personal examples drawn from his experiences living overseas and working with marketspace workers. This is a valuable resource for anyone considering working overseas, for churches who want to become more active in fulfilling the Great Commission, and vocational missionaries to better understand how to receive and work with marketspace workers. Highly recommended!” —C. White
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Practical and Thought Provoking!
“Larry's book is practical and thought provoking for anyone involved in missions. Albeit from a local church, missions agency, or a missionary living abroad, McCrary gives insightful thoughts and advice on how to send, and receive, the ‘non-traditional’ missionary. As a global market, many people are moving abroad to work, study, or retire. How can the local church help send, and receive, those who want to make an impact around the world? I also appreciate that it is a short book and does not overwhelm the reader but gives them the space to work through the content in their own context.” —Nathan A. Tatman
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Great Commission is the responsibility of EVERY follower of Christ.
“Larry does an outstanding job tying together best practices for marketplace sending. As someone who has served on staff in missions at a mega-church for over six years, this book is an absolute must read! This book is a resource that will be referenced time and time again. The future of missions is changing and Larry is here to help churches stay ahead of the curve.” —Pen Name