Business as Mission

1. Business as Mission INTR 516

2. Tentmaking While there is no single, agreed upon definition of the term, for present purposes let us define a tentmaker as a mission-minded Christian who supports himself or herself in a cross-cultural mission context through a vocation such as teaching English, medical work, or working for a locally-owned or international company. “Distinctives and Challenges of Business as Mission,” by Neal Johnson and Steve Rundle (Business as Mission: From Impoverished to Empowered, EMS No. 14. Pasadena: William Carey, 2006)

3. Marketplace Ministries Marketplace Ministries (or Workplace Ministries): Usually para-church organizations that bring together the members of a given business community to minister to each other and to evangelize, disciple and coach others within their spheres of influence. More than 1200 such ministries are currently operating around the globe. Many are local, some are regional, and a few are global in reach. But in almost all cases, the focus is on near-neighbor rather than cross-cultural outreach. “Distinctives and Challenges of Business as Mission,” by Neal Johnson and Steve Rundle (Business as Mission: From Impoverished to Empowered, EMS No. 14. Pasadena: William Carey, 2006)

4. Enterprise Development The primary goal of enterprise development is to help the world's poorest people bootstrap themselves out of poverty by helping them create a business. Many such businesses are known as micro-enterprises. These are the smallest of businesses, designed to help poverty-stricken families become economically productive, but generally too small to employ others in the community. For example, a woman may be a skilled seamstress, but have no sewing machine and no access to capital. An organization specializing in micro-enterprise development (MED) and micro-finance might help this woman by providing a small loan - usually less than US$300 and more often in the US$50 to US$100 range - for the purpose of acquiring her equipment and/or initial inventory. “Distinctives and Challenges of Business as Mission,” by Neal Johnson and Steve Rundle (Business as Mission: From Impoverished to Empowered, EMS No. 14. Pasadena: William Carey, 2006)

5. Business As Mission (BAM) • The newest camp to emerge within this movement. The term was first coined in 1999 . . . to discuss a relatively new approach to missions, one that taps the power and the re­demptive potential of large, often global, businesses. • . . . an agreed upon, concise definition of BAM has been illusive. . . . we define BAM as "the utilization of for-profit businesses as instruments for global mission." A business is not likely to be an effective instrument for mission unless there are Christians managing it, so the vital role of Christian business people is implied in this definition. • BAM . . . is a holistic mission strategy that aims to create jobs and wealth for the local people as well as address other physical, social and spiritual needs. . . . BAM . . . often (but not always) involves a team of expatriate entrepreneurs who launch and manage a business and hire local people. Many BAM companies—commonly referred to either as "Great Commission Companies" or "Kingdom Companies“—promote leadership training and development from within the company, with a long range goal of turning over management and possibly ownership of the company to local national employees. “Distinctives and Challenges of Business as Mission,” by Neal Johnson and Steve Rundle (Business as Mission: From Impoverished to Empowered, EMS No. 14. Pasadena: William Carey, 2006)

6. BAM Defined Business as mission is a strategy for the specific purpose of the transformation of people and communities: spiritually, economically and socially–for the glory of God, through a viable and sustainable business which has Kingdom of God values, purpose, perspective and impact. Guidelines for YWAM on Business as Mission(https://www.ywamconnect.com/ubasicpage.jsp?siteid=29315&pageid=328906)

7. Economic Migration in BAM • There are a million Korean businessmen in China at this time and some of them are using their businesses to enable other Korean missionaries to work in China. Others are using the profit from their companies to send Chinese missionaries. • Philippines is trying to be proactive in this area. They say that 50,000 Christian Filipinos head off into the Middle East every year – and indeed you will find them all over places like Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Howard Brant, EMNET 24 (12 October 2007)

8. Principles of BAM • The business is the ministry and it is sacred; it is not an excuse to do ministry, but a way to live among people with a common goal of producing products and services to glorify God. It provides the opportunity to expose people to the kingdom of heaven in real time and to do it with transparency and integrity. • Profits ensure sustainability and credibility. Without profits, a business cannot exist, and if it does continue to exist, people may wonder who is funding it. Profits also produce jobs and tax revenue that can be enjoyed by the host country. • Integrity and transparency are critical if a business is truly a ministry. I recently spoke to a missionary living in a closed-access country that does a little business to be in the country. But by his own admission, people wonder who he really is and why he is there. “Business as Mission: Principles and Models - An International Perspective,” by Durwood Snead (http://www.businessasmissionnetwork.com/2007/11/business-as-mission-principles-and.html)

9. Principles of BAM (cont) • A business that meets the spiritual and physical needs of the people demonstrates the kingdom of heaven and transforms everyone it touches. When employees understand that the Bible has the answers to running a business, it dramatically increases its credibility. When people understand that a business exists for the glory of God, and they see the needs of employees, beggars, and villagers being met by the business, transformation clearly takes place. • Introducing the kingdom through business is much faster than traditional church planting. While most missionaries spend years just trying to cultivate a few relationships in closed-access countries, businesses provide immediate relationship capital and consistent contact around a specific purpose—serving customers. As people come to Christ through businesses, churches are started organically. • Prayer is the backbone of every effective BAM model—prayer for the business, its employees, suppliers, customers, and everyone else it touches. “Business as Mission: Principles and Models - An International Perspective,” by Durwood Snead (http://www.businessasmissionnetwork.com/2007/11/business-as-mission-principles-and.html)

10. Case Study: Most Admired Kingdom Company #4: EC Group: India • EC Group International is a great example of a company embodying Business as Mission. They work exclusively with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises that recognize the tremendous opportunity to increase their competitiveness through the utilization of global resources in India. They provide offshore IT staffing services to software product companies, customer software development firms, and other companies with growing development needs within their IT departments. • Their president, Tom Sudyk is committed to using the business as an opportunity to support efforts to share Christ and using the business as an opportunity to also move the movement forward by gathering business owners in semi-annual events.

11. 5 Models for Funding BAM (Steven Rundle and Thomas Sudyk, “Funding a Kingdom Business” EMQ 2007)

12. BAM Web Resources http://www.mislinks.org/practical/bam.htm

13. Six Ways to Get Involved • Option 1: A one to two week trip to train business people overseas: Opportunities abound to conduct seminars for business people internationally. In these seminars, you can share your business acumen, answer pressing questions, and really get to know businesspeople from other cultures. Importantly, as a trainer, you'll also have an opportunity to introduce to Jesus the many non-Christians you'll teach. • Option 2: Consecutive Curriculum-based Seminars (CCS): CCS is an expanded or "continuing" version of the seminar model in Option 1, offering consecutive, quarterly seminars for certification in Marketing, Managerial Accounting, Information Technology, Human Resources, Strategic Management, and other business disciplines. Because the repeated contacts naturally build relationships, CCS can be used powerfully by North American churches to provide world-class training to the unreached business community overseas, bearing substantial spiritual fruit. • Option 3: Consulting with Kingdom Companies: If they choose to do so, Christian businessmen and women can offer more than seminars and classes to their counterparts around the world. They can also lend their expertise in a consulting capacity. Six Ways to Get Involved in the "Business as Missions" Movement by Scott McFarlanehttp://www.christianitytoday.com/workplace/articles/issue11-businessasmissions.html

14. Six Ways to Get Involved (cont) • Option 4: Micro Enterprise Development/Micro Finance (MED): In many countries, poverty is rampant and economic development is stifled by government, war, and corruption. MED offers a pathway around some of these obstacles by providing small amounts of capital to start businesses—loans that are managed and repaid in the local community. • Option 5: Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SME): After getting their companies off the ground, small business owners often need larger infusions of cash to grow their businesses and to employ others. With financial commitments typically ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, some Christian development organizations assist these small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). • Option 6: Overseas Private Equity (OPE): OPE involves an individual or group investing in a company in another country—often, but not always, a Kingdom company. This is usually an investment of $100,000 or more to be used in creative ways to advance the Kingdom. Six Ways to Get Involved in the "Business as Missions" Movement by Scott McFarlanehttp://www.christianitytoday.com/workplace/articles/issue11-businessasmissions.html