BAM Featured in an International Business Magazine: Mats Tunehag Interview
An Interview with Mats Tunehag
Business as mission has been recently featured in an international business magazine; in three languages. Mats Tunehag was interviewed for the Destake News Business Magazine, you can read the full original version in English, French or Portuguese here or read an excerpt below.
Vision & Purpose
You often say that business can be a response to the world’s greatest challenges. What does Business as Mission, BAM mean in practice?
Business is God’s gift to transform the world, and we need to be good stewards of that gift. It means developing businesses so they honor God, and contribute to the total wellbeing of people and societies.
Drug and human trafficking are also businesses, and if business is primarily about making money why not do these things? Well, they are dehumanizing and against values we hold dear, and do not align with biblical principles.
Businesses run according to biblical values can become an impactful response to challenges such as poverty, unemployment, human trafficking, environmental degradation, and lack of hope.
At what point in your life did you realize that business could be an expression of faith and mission?
This realization emerged gradually in the early 1990s, when I was working in the Soviet Union and Central Asia, before and after the collapse of communism.
Societies were facing massive unemployment, social breakdown, and loss of dignity. Without meaningful work and economic opportunity, people and nations can not flourish.
At the same time, businesses were entering these regions rapidly, but often without ethical considerations. That contrast helped me see that business itself should be an expression of faith, by proposing a better way of doing business, grounded in biblical values, service, and long-term value creation.
Where does your passion for connecting business with social and spiritual transformation come from?
It is deeply rooted in my faith and Judeo-Christian values. It comes from a conviction that human beings are holistic. We are economic, social, physical and spiritual beings. When we compartmentalize these dimensions too sharply, we misunderstand both people and markets.
Global Journey
Was there a particular encounter or project that changed your perspective on mission through business?
There are many. One example comes from the Middle East, where a manufacturing company intentionally employed women with disabilities—a group often marginalized twice over, both socially and economically.
One woman, who had little prospect of ever finding work, was treated with dignity, offered meaningful employment, and became part of a healthy workplace community. Her life changed—economically, socially, and personally. Families and the wider community were impacted as well.
She later asked herself why this workplace was so different. Knowing that the founder was a follower of Jesus, she concluded: If this is what following Jesus looks like, I want to follow him too. It was a costly and risky decision in her context.
What drew her was not a religious program, but a job with dignity, professional excellence, ethical leadership, and human resource management shaped by biblical values — underpinned by prayer. Ultimately, it was God’s work, not a mere business strategy. Lives were changed—holistically—through a God-inspired business.
What cultural differences most influence how purpose-driven business is practiced in different regions?
Cultural context matters greatly. In some regions, business is viewed with suspicion because of historical or contemporary exploitation. In others, entrepreneurship may be admired, but is disconnected from social responsibility and long term thinking.
Purpose-driven business must always listen carefully to local realities. While expressions differ across nations, cultures and industries, the core principles remain the same. Effective Business as Mission adapts without compromising biblical values. It is about serving people, aligning with God’s purposes, being good stewards of the planet, and making a profit. With a special focus of countries and regions with dire needs.
Challenges and Realities of BAM
What is the biggest misconception people have about Business as Mission?
One misconception is that it is about using business to merely push religious beliefs. It is not. Business as Mission is about offering a coherent value proposition that integrates economic excellence with ethical, social, environmental, and spiritual responsibility. It is about seeking the welfare – the shalom, the total wellbeing of people and societies as we do business.
A global study by McKinsey showed clearly that the vast majority of people around the world consider spiritual health as very important. That was regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status, culture and faith. So, we make God a part of our value proposition, not an imposition.
What challenges do Christian entrepreneurs face today in maintaining ethics and sustainability in business?
There are both external and internal issues. External, things we face running a business. Short-term pressure related to sales and cash flow can be a great challenge, and a temptation to compromise with values. Entrepreneurs also face complex environments when corruption is normalized.
But there are also internal issues, like support systems to help us manage business decisions, and maneuver in a tough marketplace. It can be a lack of understanding that business is a godly calling, and a God given gift to transform the world. Thus, we need to affirm Christian entrepreneurs in their calling, equip and deploy them to serve God and people in the marketplace.
The Future of the BAM Movement
What has the experience of the pandemic and recent global crises taught the BAM ecosystem?
The importance of staying mission true, and plan flexible. We all learned that during the Covid pandemic. So, we need to be clear about the purpose of our business. What is our mission and our timeless core values?
This needs to be translated into continuity planning, which is more than succession planning. Our mission and values need to continuously be imparted into the organization. Staff come and go, management may change, and we may move from a founder CEO to a second-generation company. But will the mission continue, and will the values survive changes?
What advice would you give to young professionals who want to integrate purpose and work?
Be intentional. Learn. Ask questions. Read. Watch videos. Find a mentor. Keep learning, and applying. BAM Global has developed pathways for those who want to integrate purpose, work and business.
Connect with others. Don’t journey alone. BAM Global is providing an interactive global ecosystem map where people can connect with others around the globe and in different spheres of the BAM ecosystem.
You can find the BAM Pathways and the BAM Ecosystem Map at businessasmission.com.
>> Read full interview here
English, French and Portuguese versions available.
Mats Tunehag is the Chairman of BAM Global, and he is a global thought leader on Business as Mission, BAM. Since the 1990’s he has created numerous networks of leaders from business, church, missions and academia from all continents. He has served as an advisor to groups involved in business, investment, freedom businesses, research and partnership development. He is the chief architect of the ‘Business as Mission Manifesto’ and the ‘Wealth Creation Manifesto’, which is a conceptual framework for the global BAM movement. See: matstunehag.com/about/ for more about Mats.
Photo by BETZY AROSEMENA on Unsplash
