A small but important movement is emerging in a country where almost 90% of people identify as Catholic and where the country’s current identity was shaped by a prior pope. The false dichotomy between faith and business is being rejected by Christian business leaders throughout Poland. They are redefining what it means to be a Christian in the workplace by creating businesses, ministries, and networks that incorporate the gospel into every facet of their operations.
This guide explores the landscape of Christian marketplace ministry in Poland, profiling the leaders, organizations, and initiatives that are demonstrating that business can be both profitable and faithful.
Part 1: The Polish Context – A Fertile Ground for Faith and Business
Poland’s economic transformation over the past three decades has been nothing short of remarkable. From the collapse of communism in 1989 to becoming Europe’s fastest-growing and fifth-largest economy, Poland has embraced the free market with extraordinary speed and success . Today, it is a massive locus of tech investment and a shelter for nearly 2 million Ukrainian refugees .
Yet this economic miracle has unfolded in a country where faith remains central to national identity. As John Sikorski, a professor from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business who leads student trips to Poland, observes, Poland is a place where business leaders speak openly about their faith and where the legacy of St. John Paul II infuses the national conversation about work, dignity, and freedom .
This unique context has created fertile ground for a distinctively Polish approach to marketplace ministry—one that draws deeply on Catholic social teaching, engages with the country’s recent history, and integrates faith into the very fabric of business life.
Part 2: The Theological Framework – Catholic Social Teaching and the Dignity of Work
The intellectual foundation for Christian marketplace ministry in Poland draws heavily on the social teaching of the Catholic Church—and particularly on the thought of St. John Paul II.
Laborem Exercens: Work as Human Vocation
John Paul II’s 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens remains a touchstone for Polish business leaders seeking to integrate faith and work. In it, the pope argued that work is not merely a means to financial ends but a fundamental expression of human dignity and a pathway to personal and social flourishing .
John Sikorski, an expert in John Paul II’s thought, explains: “John Paul II was arguably the most important thinker in the Catholic magisterial tradition in the modern era. He treated the themes of work, labor, the dignity of the human person, solidarity and the way these principles and norms apply to commerce and business” .
For Polish entrepreneurs, this teaching offers a powerful corrective to two errors: the Marxist reduction of labor to a commodity and the capitalist temptation to treat workers as mere inputs. Work, in this view, is a participation in God’s creative activity—a way of “subduing the earth” in service of others .
The Freedom of Economic Activity
Scholars have noted that Catholic social teaching affirms not only the value of work but also the freedom to engage in economic activity. As one analysis of Polish law and Christian ethics observes, “entrepreneurship understood as the freedom to choose profession and engage in paid work holds a significant value within Christianity” . The principle of economic freedom enshrined in the Polish Constitution, the author argues, “implements the values embedded in the [Catholic social teaching]” .
This theological affirmation of entrepreneurship provides a powerful foundation for marketplace ministry. Business, in this framework, is not a necessary evil or a realm separate from faith. It is a vocation—a way of glorifying God and serving one’s neighbor.
Part 3: Witness in the Marketplace – Polish Leaders Who Live Their Faith
Across Poland, business leaders are embodying this vision. Their stories offer powerful examples of what Christian marketplace ministry can look like.
Leszek Adamski: Pastor and Entrepreneur
Leszek Adamski is the founder, president, and co-owner of Folmag Polska, a successful manufacturing company specializing in adhesive edge banding and furniture components. He is also the pastor of a Protestant church (Kościół Boży w Chrystusie) in Mysłowice .
Adamski’s story is one of transformation. He came from a Catholic family and, as a teenager, began studying Scripture and seeking answers to fundamental questions: Does God exist? What is His purpose for me? This search led him to a personal relationship with God and, eventually, to a conviction that he should receive baptism by immersion—a decision that led to his exclusion from the Catholic Church in 1983 .
In 2001, he and his community formally joined a Protestant denomination, and Adamski became their pastor. But his business journey had begun earlier—in 1993, when he and his brother started a small shop selling advertising materials. Over the years, the business grew into a successful manufacturing company .
The integration of faith and business, however, was not automatic. In 2005, Adamski faced a profound crisis. His increased involvement in church ministry had led to decreased attention to the business, and the company was on the brink of collapse. By 2007, he returned to active management and began a period of deep reflection .
“I started looking for the reason why this was happening,” he recalls. “One of the things I noticed is that the business must support the needy and the weak—by giving. There is a divine principle: if you want to have, give” .
Adamski and his wife began to put this principle into practice. They had already raised four biological children; now they became foster parents to four more children, ages 5 to 15 . And they began to orient the business toward generosity—supporting non-business causes, giving where there was need.
The results were remarkable. In 2009, the decline in sales stopped, and a slow growth began. For the first time in the company’s history, they were able to purchase property and build free cash reserves. “It seemed to happen independently of what we did in our private lives,” Adamski reflects. “For me, it was a sign from heaven that we had made the right decision” .
Adamski’s story embodies the conviction that business and faith are not separate spheres. “I think God speaks to us through such tools as money,” he says. “God leads everything. Business and the Kingdom of God are closer than it might seem” .
Sergiusz Urbaniak: Failure, Success, and Surrender
Another powerful witness is Sergiusz Urbaniak, the former CEO of one of Poland’s largest telecommunications firms. His story, shared with visiting students from the University of Notre Dame, is one of corporate success followed by personal collapse—and redemption .
Urbaniak rose to the heights of the Polish business world, achieving everything the culture tells us to pursue. But his unmanageable schedule was tearing his family and his marriage apart. The more he relied on himself, the more he found himself failing .
The turning point came when he chose to surrender. He began to let God lead his vision for his business and to be open to the plan that would unfold. The result, he testifies, was happiness and success—not the success he had pursued, but a deeper, more sustainable flourishing .
For students from Notre Dame, Urbaniak’s testimony was transformative. “It was inspiring to interact with speakers who radiated joy when discussing their faith, sharing how God guided them through both successes and failures,” said Mark Metryoos, a finance student .
Marcin Demkowicz: Faith That Saturates Everything
Marcin Demkowicz, a Polish-American entrepreneur who runs three businesses—including a tech firm in Kraków—offers another model. When speaking with students, he articulated a philosophy of integration that challenges the common language of “work-life balance” .
“It shouldn’t be a balance. They should be ideally the same, never be a trade-off,” he said. “Everything you’re doing should be completely soaked through with your faith. And that is easy when you let your faith just soak through you in the first place” .
When faith is not something separate, Demkowicz explains, it’s simply “always on.” Then, not only are you not going to do things contradictory to your faith, but every choice you make will reflect those values—and they, in turn, bear fruit .
Rostislaw Zownirczak: Faith in Direct Sales
In the world of network marketing, Rostislaw Zownirczak has achieved remarkable success, rising to the highest rank of Senior Presidential Director at LifeWave. His team has grown to over 15,000 partners .
But Zownirczak is clear about the foundation of his business. “It is God who builds my business, and I simply take the actions,” he emphasizes, attributing his success to fully trusting in God .
Before joining LifeWave, Zownirczak ran a network of hostels in Warsaw—a business that brought more stress than satisfaction. He prayed for guidance, and the answer came through a friend’s invitation. Though initially skeptical, he was convinced through persistent encouragement and signs during his prayers .
Today, he conducts six presentations a week—three in Polish and three in Russian. “Through prayer and the support of my team, I persevered. Today, we host presentations with over 250 attendees,” he shares .
Zownirczak’s philosophy is simple: “Trust God 100%, pray, and work smart, using the proven system of our team. Only then can you build a solid and lasting business” . He sees every person who joins his team as a gift from God and views his business not just as work but as “a mission to help others find a better life” .
Part 4: Christian Ministries in the Marketplace
Beyond individual entrepreneurs, Poland is home to Christian organizations dedicated to serving the business community and using marketplace resources for ministry.
CLC Poland: Literature for the Marketplace
CLC (Christian Literature Crusade) has been serving Poland since 1991, when it established its first bookshop in the newly free nation . Today, CLC Poland operates a bookshop, publishing house, and robust online sales operation, distributing Christian literature to a country where evangelicals make up less than 1% of the population .
The ministry has recently published two children’s books about C.S. Lewis and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in collaboration with CLC Italy and CLC Portugal, and has released 20 important titles in the past four years . For marketplace Christians seeking resources to deepen their faith and integrate it with their work, CLC provides an essential service.
DEOrecordings: A Multi-Media Ministry
Henryk Król, president and CEO of DEOrecordings Association, leads one of Poland’s most innovative Christian media ministries. The organization owns three limited companies: Studio DR (a professional recording studio and publishing house), Radio CCM (with six FM stations), and MCC Group (software development) .
DEOrecordings has developed an e-learning platform called Gele/CODEX tailored for spiritual follow-up, operates a service center for the global Jesus.net evangelistic movement, and maintains multiple web portals . The ministry is backed by hundreds of volunteers who serve as e-coaches online and small group leaders offline .
Król’s vision is holistic: to create a “full path” for seekers, integrating communications, technology, and personal discipleship. His heart, he says, is in “building cooperation and partnership across denominations and countries, networking for better effectiveness in spreading the Gospel” .
The Anglican Church in Poland: Business Training for Refugees
The “Love Thy Neighbours” project, implemented by the Anglican Church in Poland in partnership with Studia Poland, represents a powerful example of marketplace ministry as service. The program equips Ukrainian refugees with the skills necessary to rebuild their lives in Poland .
It offers 96 hours of business training over four months, covering business psychology, Polish business regulations, labor and tax laws, marketing, and business planning. Language training includes specialized medical and technical Polish, with government-recognized certification upon completion .
Since its inception, 70 students have been trained. In the first quarter of 2025, 15 students graduated, and 11 of them started their own businesses. Olga, an artisan who creates handmade baptismal towels, is one success story—funding from the program enabled her to start a small business and sell her products through Facebook .
Part 5: Networks and Events – Connecting Marketplace Christians
The LWF Jarmark: A Marketplace for Ideas
The Lutheran World Federation’s Thirteenth Assembly, held in Kraków, featured a “Jarmark”—a Polish word for “fair”—designed as “a space for encounter, creativity, transformative action, and visioning” . This marketplace brought together LWF member churches, related organizations, and ecumenical partners to showcase their work and explore joint exploration on diverse topics .
The Jarmark offered workshops, exhibitions, and opportunities for dialogue, providing a model for how Christian gatherings can facilitate marketplace connections and partnerships.
Sejm Conference: Business with Values
In September 2025, the Polish Sejm (parliament) hosted a conference titled “Business with Values, Values in Business” . The event, attended by Deputy Speaker Krzysztof Bosak, showcased numerous examples of Polish entrepreneurs engaging in social initiatives—from helping sick children and foster families to supporting young artists and even purchasing Christian families from slave labor in Pakistan .
The conference highlighted testimonies that balancing work and personal life, and grounding business in Christian ethics, brings order to life and promotes good economic outcomes while setting a positive example for others . The message was clear: responsibility, values, and ethics can go hand in hand with economic success—and Polish entrepreneurs know how to act accordingly .
Notre Dame’s International Business Fellows
Since 2024, students from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business have been traveling to Poland as part of the International Business Fellows program. The colloquium’s capstone is a trip to Warsaw and Kraków, where students meet with Polish business leaders who prioritize ethics in their work .
The program’s goal is experiential learning—learning through experience. Students visit places associated with St. John Paul II, meet with entrepreneurs who combine professional work with family life, and witness a culture where people speak openly about their faith .
For students like Anna Koeberlein, the experience is transformative. After hearing one CEO’s story, she felt her “heart was on fire.” “I’d never seen such a parallel between faith and business in someone’s life story,” she said .
Part 6: Challenges and Opportunities
The Minority Evangelical Context
One challenge facing marketplace ministry in Poland is the small size of the evangelical community. Evangelicals make up less than 1% of the population . This means that resources are limited and print runs for Christian books must be small, putting pressure on publishers .
However, this context also creates opportunities for creative collaboration. CLC Poland, for example, has partnered with CLC Italy and CLC Portugal to co-publish books, sharing costs and expertise . DEOrecordings has built a network of volunteers across denominations . The small size of the evangelical community, paradoxically, may encourage the very cooperation that marketplace ministry requires.
The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
Poland’s generous response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis—hosting over 1.5 million Ukrainians—has created new opportunities for Christian marketplace ministry . The “Love Thy Neighbours” project demonstrates how churches can equip refugees with entrepreneurial skills, helping them rebuild their lives while contributing to the Polish economy . For marketplace Christians, serving refugees is both a practical response to human need and a tangible expression of faith.
Conclusion: A Distinctive Polish Witness
Poland’s Christian marketplace ministry is not a copy of American models or Western trends. It is a distinctively Polish movement, shaped by the country’s Catholic heritage, its recent history of liberation from communism, and its embrace of economic freedom.
It is a movement of entrepreneurs like Leszek Adamski, who learned through crisis that God speaks through money and that generosity leads to flourishing. It is a movement of executives like Sergiusz Urbaniak, who discovered that surrender to God brings greater success than self-reliance. It is a movement of innovators like Henryk Król, who build media ministries that reach seekers across Poland and beyond.
And it is a movement rooted in deep theological conviction—that work is a participation in God’s creative activity, that freedom is a gift and a task, and that business can be a means of serving the common good.
As John Sikorski reflects on Poland’s future, he wonders: “Will Poland try to build its own vision of the future based on its heritage, Catholicism, the role of faith, and national history?” . The answer, for the growing number of Polish Christians in the marketplace, is a resounding yes.
In conference halls and manufacturing plants, in radio studios and refugee training centers, in the lives of entrepreneurs who have learned to trust God with their businesses, that vision is taking shape—one faithful decision at a time.
This article is for informational purposes and reflects the state of Christian marketplace ministry in Poland as of early 2026. For current information on specific organizations and initiatives, readers are encouraged to visit the websites mentioned above.