Marketplace Christian Conference

(formerly known as the Christian Business Conference)

Thank you to all who helped make the 2021 Christian Business Conference another successful virtual year! This year, 2022, the Marketplace Christian Conference (formerly known as Christian Business Conference) will be live and in person!

ln our commitment to step up in faith, and in celebration of the God who serves as our Rock, our Fortress, and our Foundation, Your Clear Next Step is thrilled to host our fourth annual conference for Christ-followers at work. This is a non-denominational, ecumenical, Bible-based session intended to encourage people of faith in the workplace.

About the Marketplace Christian Conference

With positive and encouraging messages of faith at work and an ending call to action, Your Clear Next Step seeks to bring Christ-followers an opportunity to gather together in fellowship. We will celebrate God’s goodness and seek ways to serve Him more intentionally and share His abundant love with others more purposefully at work, with the hope of giving Him all the glory and drawing others to His saving grace. This year’s theme, “Act, Love, Walk”, is drawn from Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” It is our call to action to bring Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging into the workplace through our speech and actions.

The conference will run from 9:00AM-12:00PM Central Time on the June 17th and includes learning, application, and opportunities for fellowship. We are excited that this has become an annual conference to help continue to strengthen and encourage fellow believers at work and to continue to shine God’s light in our day-to-day workplaces.

• Where: Trinity United Presbyterian Church, 200 S Howard St, Indianola, IA, 50125
• When: Friday, June 17th, 9:00AM-12:00PM CDT!
• Cost: $20, includes lunch from Funaro’s Deli

We’re encouraging everyone to invite at least one of your colleagues so that you can take back the words and messages you hear together and encourage each other to live them out day-to-day at work.

We’re collecting a free-will offering during the event, with proceeds going to Meals From the Heartland and Heal House of Iowa.

You’re welcome to support the event by registering to attend or making a donation. As with last year, we have a few options for sponsorship for this year’s event. If you’re interested in being a sponsor, please let us know! A great way to help is to spread the word! Invite your friends, family, and colleagues to the conference!

About this year’s theme

The 2022 theme for the conference is “Act, Love, Walk,” inspired by Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Enjoy fellowship and focused sessions designed to help you live this verse more fully and more visibly in your day-to-day life. Every day should be “bring God to work” day, and this conference is for marketplace Christians – that is Christ-followers who go to work each day with an opportunity to let their lives point to God’s redeeming grace.

Since its inception, Your Clear Next Step has been founded on the basis of Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Giving God all the glory in the good times, trusting Him in the dark times, and seeking wisdom from His word are ways we try to do that.

This annual conference is our chance to bring other Christ-followers together, from wherever you happen to work, to encourage one another, to exchange stories, and to be challenged to grow in how we can be faithful in our own lives and our own workplaces. When we do, others see us doing those things, they hear us talking about God and His steadfast love, and they see His light shining in our lives, which can help draw them to learn more about Him and encounter His saving grace.

Our theme verse this year isn’t positioned as a hint or a suggestion or a nice-to-have…it’s an expectation, a requirement.

• To act justly. Let us be certain that justice, that doing what is right, is part of our daily habits. May our practices be fair and demonstrate love to those around us, regardless of how similar or different from ourselves they are.
• To love mercy. Let us show kindness, show the Lord’s gracious love, especially to those who need help. May our heartstrings be tuned to the needs of those in particular who have been affected by human trafficking and may our love of mercy help bring this to an end.
• To walk humbly. Walking is a daily act. Let us be willing and certain that every day we put one foot in front of the other, that we reflect with humility on the actions we’ve taken, that we consider with prayer the actions that God would have us take, and that we let His word guide our paths.

In our current environment, the conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion really point to conversations about love, love, and love. The organizations seeking our help in the fight against human trafficking are also asking us to show love while the topics are heavy and important, it is in prayerful surrender that we bring them to Him, for our Savior promises in Matthew 11:30 that His “yoke is easy” and His “burden is light”.