10 Books that Shaped Our BAM Journey

BAM Global is celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2024, having been formally founded in 2014 on the foundation of earlier network-building efforts. To celebrate, we are posting a new 10 x Series this month; sharing some of our top 10 favourite BAM-related resources and inspirations.

10 favourite books from the BAM Global Core Team

Please note, this is not a ‘Top 10 BAM books’ list… there are a few of those kinds of lists linked in the Bonus section at the bottom of this post. Instead, it is a broader collection of books that we feel have helped us along our own journeys in business as mission. Enjoy!

 

1. Scatter: Go Therefore and Take Your Job With You – Andrew Scott

One book I enjoyed reading on my journey towards BAM is Scatter by Andrew Scott. It’s not about BAM specifically, but talks about sending professionals instead of (or in addition to) traditional missionaries. It was a paradigm changing read for me! – Alana


2. Missions Disrupted: From Professional Missionaries to Missionary Professionals – Larry Sharp

Holy disruptions! A burning bush redirected Moses and changed history. A fish disrupted Jonah and it impacted a whole nation. In Missions Disrupted, Larry Sharp writes brilliantly about holy disruptions in our generation. The changes needed are profound as we do business with a mission, and missional professionals can change history and impact nations. Rooted in a Judeo-Christian tradition and with plenty of BAM stories included, this book is relevant and serves as a guiding star for the future – a must read. – Mats



3. Called to Business: God’s way of loving people through business and the professions – Dallas Willard

Called to Business earns points because Willard is, hands-down, my favorite author. I read this book more recently, coincidentally during a discouraging post-business-college phase. My idealism had met a reality filled with unethical practices, uncaring business leaders, people who used people to gain status or rank, and corporations that disregarded consumer health. In this book, Willard puts words to God’s original design and purpose for business. It was a much needed reminder that God’s intention for business was not the same as what I was experiencing, and that there is a way to walk this line with the Holy Spirit. Knowing God was desiring a better world through me in business was quite an empowering feeling. – Shay



4. Business for the Glory of God: The Bible’s Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business – Wayne Grudem

The contents of Business for the Glory of God were based on a presentation given by Grudem at the Consultation for Holistic Entrepreneurs in 2002 titled ‘How Business in Itself Can Glorify God’. Twenty two years later, I still remember being absolutely riveted in the audience as he made the case for each attribute of business – ownership, productivity, employment, profit, and so on – that it was not inherently evil, or even morally neutral, but ‘created by God, and very good’, each attribute providing multiple ways of glorifying God. The atmosphere in the conference room was electric at the time, we were hearing a breakthrough framework for thinking biblically about business. It’s still the book I recommend most today for laying a great biblical foundation for BAM. – Jo



5. Business as Mission A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice – C. Neal Johnson

I love Business as Mission by Neal Johnson and use it in courses I teach because, well, the subtitle says it all: it’s a comprehensive guide to BAM theory and practice. It’s the OG of BAM books. (That last part is NOT in the subtitle!) – João



6. The Steward Investor Investing God’s Resources for Eternal Impact – Donald E. Simmons

In Steward Investor Don Simmons invites us to profoundly rethink money, stewardship, wealth, pensions, generosity, savings, and investments. These are all familiar words, but too often we define them using a secular worldview, adding, perhaps, a superficial Christian veneer. In contrast, this book defines these terms using a Biblical worldview, with a focus on doing business as justice – especially in areas with dire spiritual, economic, social and environmental needs. Don fills the pages with real life examples and the outworking of his and his wife’s own commitments. – Mats



7. When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself – Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

It’s been many years since I read When Helping Hurts but I remember loving it. One concept that I still reflect on weekly comes from an interview they conducted, asking the rich and poor what poverty meant. While richer people described it in terms of wealth, the poor described it emotionally, socially, and spiritually. People experiencing multifaceted kinds of poverty (economically, medically, socially, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) aligned strongly with my hometown experience where my mom was a hospital social worker, my dad worked in corrections, and our pastor was the police chaplain. I learned from them that empowerment was needed in every aspect of life when addressing poverty and I began to see business as a powerful contributing force for that. – Shay



8. The Missional Entrepreneur Principles and Practices for Business as Mission – Mark L. Russell

Narrowing down to two favourite BAM books felt like an impossible choice! I will cheat a bit here and say that BAM Global Movement, by my long-time colleague Mats Tunehag and co-author Gea Gort, along with Business as Mission by Mike Baer and this book, The Missional Entrepreneur, are the books I most recommend to people new to business as mission, depending on their background and goals. (See more tips in the Bonus list below). However, I’ve chosen The Missional Entrepreneur as a favourite for my own journey because Mark Russell conducted much of the research in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I lived for nearly 12 years and there was so much that resonated! The sections on the Apostle Paul and Best Practices are ones I’ve referred to quite a bit in my own teaching and writing on BAM. – Jo



9. The Poverty of Nations A Sustainable Solution – Barry Asmus and Wayne Grudem

The Poverty of Nations is a clarion call for the church to engage in economic redemption (BAM!), blending biblical wisdom with practical economics (BAM!) to lift nations out of poverty (BAM!). It offers a sustainable path to alleviate poverty (BAM!) that honors God’s design for human flourishing. This book fuels my passion for missions (and BAM!), revealing how empowering nations economically (BAM!) can advance the Great Commission by enabling communities to thrive both spiritually and materially. (The book is not actually about BAM but it’s full of BAM!) – João



10. Papal Economics The Catholic Church on Democratic Capitalism, from Rerum Novarum to Caritas in Veritate – Maciej Zieba

Business does not exist in a vacuum, it is related to who we are, and to what should guide our societies. BAM deals with theology and anthropology and can only make sense if we also understand human dignity, rights and freedom, and democratic capitalism. For me, Papal Economics has been essential to understand the church’s teaching on these and other key issues. Maciej Zieba reviews a dozen papal encyclicals spanning from 1891 to 2009 and helps us understand Christian views on private property, socialism, free markets and democracy. One of my foundational reads! – Mats



 

Bonus: BAM Books to Read First

Aside from the books above, here are some recommended books if you are relatively new to the topic of BAM:

  • BAM Global Movement – Gort and Tunehag: Engaging short essays by Mats that lay down the BAM concept are interspersed by case studies from Gea that bring the concept to life
  • Business as Mission – Baer: A really accessible book that especially speaks to entrepreneurs and business professionals
  • Business for Transformation – Lai: A practical primer if you are preparing to start a BAM company
  • BAM A-Z – Tunehag: A free booklet that is literally the A, B, Cs of business as mission

Bonus: BAM Book Lists

Here are some more helpful book recommendation lists:

What are your favourite BAM-related books? Share them with us via our Contact form.

Disclaimer – these books are in English because we mostly read in English. However, BAM inspiration exists in many languages, so feel free to share your favourite non-English books!

Books shared by members of the BAM Global core team, Jo Plummer, Mats Tunehag, João Mordomo, Shay and Alana. 

Celebrating 10 Years of BAM Global

 

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Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash