Tag Archive for: purpose

A Decade of Nurturing the BAM Community & A Year in Review

BAM Global has been celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2024, having been formally founded in 2014 on the foundation of earlier network-building efforts. We look back on this year, within a decade of BAM Global.

by Jo Plummer & João Mordomo

 

As we conclude 2024, we reflect on a decade of God’s faithfulness and the transformative work accomplished through the Business as Mission (BAM) movement. This year has marked BAM Global’s 10th Anniversary, a milestone that has allowed us to evaluate our journey and set our sights on the future. Although the roots of our work resourcing the business as mission movement stretch right back to the late 1990s, we had our formal inception in 2014, after the BAM Think Tank project and the Global Congress of 2013. Read more about our history here.

Our Highlights in 2024

Throughout our history, our intention has remained constant: To build a vibrant community of practitioners dedicated to integrating business with mission, to live out the Great Commandment and fulfil the Great Commission. Our efforts in network building, resource provision, research, and thought-leadership have significantly contributed to the growth and impact of BAM worldwide.



Our vision is for a movement of businesses transforming people and nations for God’s glory!

And we fulfil our mission to accelerate the global business as mission movement through six key initiatives:

Partner Network Initiative

In 2024 we relaunched the initiative that works to nurture and establish BAM networks around the world, renaming it the Partner Network Initiative. Partner Networks focus on regions, issues or industries for business as mission connection and collaboration. In 2024 we launched a new Community of Practice for Partner Network Leaders to support one another and this year, 28 leaders from 24 global networks went through the introduction process. Regular Zoom calls and online forums have been established to help leaders learn from each other and plug into the global BAM community on an ongoing basis. The Partner Network Initiative will serve as an incubator to see the growth of robust, flourishing regional, issue-focused and industry-based networks in the coming decade and beyond.

Events

We continue to support regional and network-based events around the world, promoting them in the wider BAM ecosystem and providing content and speakers. If you have an in-person BAM event in your region, we want to encourage you to get to it! However, one of our unique functions is convening online BAM Events that enable the global business as mission community to come together. In 2024 we hosted two main virtual events, attracting around 550 attendees: the BAM Global Summit and the BAM Global Connect. The Summit in May 2024 was a full day program billed as the annual global connecting point for business as mission. With the theme of ‘Accelerate’ we offered 12 hours of BAM content, including main stage keynotes, case studies, panels, workshops and roundtables. In November, we hosted our annual free networking event, which is always a great opportunity for new people to find out more about BAM and veterans to come and connect on the topics that interest them.

BGlobal Community

We now have over 800 members through organic growth in the BGlobal Community, a secure online platform for the international BAM community to connect and collaborate. The platform already has an active Members Directory, Live Feed, Jobs Board and direct messaging. We are planning a rebrand for BGlobal early in 2025, with new features and communities of practice coming soon.

Think Tank

BAM Global initiates working consultations under its BAM Global Think Tank initiative where there are identified gaps in the BAM ecosystem. BAM Global Consultations open up an unprecedented opportunity for discussion, collaboration and networking with the results captured in a published BAM Global Report and outworked in new projects and communities of practice. In 2024, a major new report in BAM and Mission Agencies was published after a multi-year consultation process, and a new BAM Global Consultation on BAM Practitioner Care and Well-being was launched. This new Consultation group will collaborate throughout 2025 and is currently seeking input from the preliminary survey that will help shape its agenda and direction.

Media & Communications

Our long-established social media accounts, websites and mailing lists have been serving the BAM community for over a decade, both aggregating and creating new business as mission resources. In 2024 we refreshed our logo and branding for BAM Global and and relaunched our two main websites. Our BAM Global organisation website at bamglobal.org hosts over 30 published BAM Global Reports and the landing pages for our events and other initiatives. This BAM Resource Center website hosted at businessasmission.com is one of our communications initiatives and is home to the online BAM Resource Library and The BAM Review Blog, with over 650 short articles on business as mission related topics.

Prayer

In 2024, we celebrated 5 years of monthly prayer for the business as mission movement. Since May 2019, BAM Global has hosted a monthly Zoom prayer call, sent a monthly Prayer Update email (now to around 150 subscribers) and shared prayer concerns in a BAM-focused WhatsApp Prayer Group. We have a mechanism for subscribers to our BAM Review email news to submit BAM-related prayer requests and have intercessors engaged with praying for concerns in our community.

Help us Continue to Accelerate in 2025

Since our formal inception in 2014, BAM Global has been instrumental in building a vibrant community of practitioners dedicated to integrating business with mission in order to live out the Great Commandment and fulfill the Great Commission. Our efforts in network building, resource provision, research, and thought-leadership have significantly contributed to the growth and impact of BAM worldwide. As the movement continues to evolve, we remain committed to catalysing new initiatives, addressing global challenges, and envisioning the next generation of BAM leaders.

As we prepare for 2025, we invite you to partner with us in accelerating the global BAM movement. We are grateful that generous donors have offered $15,000 in matching funds for our year-end giving campaign. This means your contribution will be doubled, amplifying and accelerating our efforts globally.

U.S. Donors: We encourage you to make your donation by December 31st! International Donors: Donations will be matched through January 31st 2025

Thank you!

 

 Jo Plummer is the Creative Director & Co-Founder of BAM Global and the co-editor of the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission. She has been developing resources for BAM since 2001 and currently serves as Editor of the Business as Mission website and The BAM Review Blog. 


Dr. João Mordomo loves to help start and lead anything — mission agencies, churches, businesses, networks — that helps fulfill the Great Commission. He is a founding board member and Executive Director of BAM Global, and Catalyst for Business as Mission at the Lausanne Movement. João serves variously as owner, managing director and board member of several BAM companies, and designs and teaches BAM and other courses at several universities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Multiplying Your Influence by Using Good Words

by Dave Kahle

 

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Did you have that saying in your childhood? Or one like it?

It was a response from our parents when we were verbally attacked, criticized, or otherwise made to feel bad by what someone said to us. It was probably helpful in nudging us off our hurt feelings. However, like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, in my childhood, it was untrue!

The truth lies in the opposite direction. While words may not break our bones, they can have a huge impact on our lives. On one hand, they can build us up and give us confidence and dedication, and on the other, they can generate feelings of inferiority, a defeated self-image and lead to depression and passivity.

Words are one of our most powerful tools for living a life of fulfillment and purpose.

The Bible is full of passages that remind of this powerful truth and encourage us to choose our words wisely. For example, the Bible is God’s Word. Not Gods feelings, not God’s actions, not God’s intentions. It is God’s Word for a reason.

Words are one of our most powerful tools for living a life of fulfillment and purpose.

In addition, God spoke the world into existence. It was His words that formed creation. (Genesis 1, NIV)

And, Jesus is called the Word. ..

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. (John 1: 1, NIV)

In case there is any confusion, Jesus makes clear how important words are to God:

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)

As with so many other passages, we often relegate the idea to the realm of “church” and give ourselves a pass when it comes to our behavior in the marketplace. But there is no exception here for people in the marketplace. No where does it say, “This applies to your life, except your business or career. You don’t have to obey this on the job.” Read more

Multiplying Your Influence by Striving for Excellence

by Dave Kahle

 

As a college student, I supported myself by working in a relatively expensive men’s clothing store. It was a small local chain, with five stores around town – one big headquarters store downtown, and four suburban stores in shopping centers.

One of our premium clothing lines was named after the designer – Oleg Cassini. He came to our city to promote his line, and the company’s executives held an evening reception for him. Even though I was just 19, I was one of the few employees from the suburban stores who were invited.

Why was that?

Even though I was young and relatively inexperienced, I was the number one salesperson among the four suburban stores. The company wanted to recognize that excellence by including me in the reception. It was excellence in my work that led to the reception invitation and the consequent recognition and influence.

That was my first exposure to a powerful rule of human behavior by which Christian businesspeople can create a disproportionate impact for the Kingdom: Excellence in your work inevitably leads to greater influence and that influence can create a significant impact for the Kingdom.

Excellence in your work inevitably leads to greater influence and that influence can create a significant impact for the Kingdom.

Since then, I’ve seen the connection between excellence and influence manifest in multiple situations, people and industries.

For example, in athletic contests, it is the outstanding player who is interviewed after the end of the game. Patrick Mahomes, the American football quarterback, to name just one, often gives credit to God in postgame interviews. That’s a perfect example of excellence in work translating to influence for the kingdom.

In company meetings, it’s the star salesperson who is often asked to opine on the new product line or lead the discussion on strategy or tactics. In my work, I often interview some selected representatives of the sales force for a client company. The people that management selects to talk to the consultant are invariably the best. Those who are struggling with mediocrity aren’t considered.

In industry associations, it is the leading companies who are asked to be on the committees and chair the task forces. Read more

What is Business as Mission? A Short Introduction

by Jo Plummer

Business as mission, simply put, is the seamless integration of excellent business with intentional mission. It is doing business for God’s glory, the gospel, and the common good.

Business is a God-given vocation and institution in society, with the potential to bring multiple benefits to people, communities and nations. Business as mission intentionally leverages this intrinsic power of business to address spiritual needs, hand in hand with social, economic and environmental needs. Business as mission is strategic today because it is often best placed to meet a wide range of needs in communities around the world.

Let’s start with business

Dallas Willard once said, “Business is a primary moving force of the love of God in human history.” Business, done well, is glorifying to God. Period. We see in the Bible and throughout history that business is able to create dignified jobs,  multiply resources, provide for families and communities, push forward innovation, and, in short, do good in society. A company does not need a business as mission strategy to justify its purpose or to somehow make it more ‘holy’. Business professionals following Jesus in the marketplace already have a sacred vocation. Business is a good idea that comes from God.

Yet, God has called us, His Church, to partner with him in the work of mission. To love our neighbour as ourselves, to care for the poor and vulnerable, and to share the gospel and make disciples in every part of the world. And business people, along with their skills and experiences, are some of the most needed in the work of global mission today. Alongside more traditional forms of mission, the world is crying out for for-profit, business solutions to some of its most pressing issues. These issues include job scarcity, human trafficking, economic exploitation, corruption, environmental degradation, dire poverty, and the challenge of sharing the love of God and His good news with those who haven’t yet heard it.

Business as Mission

In the global marketplace today, we have an opportunity to harness the God-given power of business to address these pressing spiritual, social, environmental, and economic issues. Business as mission is a movement of business professionals, mission leaders, church leaders and academics who are doing just that. They are taking the instrument of business, with its innate, God-given ability and power, and intentionally using that power in the work of mission. They are using their professional know-how and the gifts of entrepreneurship and good management to bring creative and long-term, sustainable solutions to local and global challenges. They are making a positive impact through for-profit business, along the ‘four bottom lines’: social, environmental, financial and spiritual. We sometimes refer to these as the 4Ps: people, planet, profit, and eternal purpose.

Defining BAM

There is no one universally agreed definition of business as mission, but there are some key common denominators in the global BAM movement. And while there is growing consensus around the concept, many other terms are also used for the same, or similar, idea. Many prefer terms such as: missional entrepreneurship, transformational business, missional business or business for transformation (B4T), among others. Business as mission, or ‘BAM’, is just one widely used term in the English language, other terms have developed in other languages.

This is the working definition of business as mission used by BAM Global:

Business as Mission is:

  • Profitable and sustainable businesses;
  • Intentional about Kingdom of God purpose and impact on people and nations;
  • Focused on holistic transformation and the multiple bottom lines of economic, social, environmental and spiritual outcomes;
  • Concerned about the world’s poorest and least evangelized peoples.

Intentional and Integrated

Business as mission is not a new idea! Business and mission have been combined in different ways, at different times throughout Church history. However, the contemporary business as mission movement represents a growing intentionality in the global Church to fully integrate business goals with the call to the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. It is an answer to the prayer, ‘May Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven’, as people and communities are positively transformed through for-profit business activities. BAM is the intentional integration of business and mission.

The idea of integration is important. This is not ‘ministry’ tacked onto business for convenience or business tacked onto ministry. Instead the mission is worked out in and through the business, through its activities, through the products and services and through relationships built in daily business life—with employees, customers, suppliers, officials, business networks, and the wider community.

As already stated, business is designed by God to provide livelihoods, multiply resources, and enable communities to flourish through a combination of creativity, hard work and risk. A profitable and sustainable business is able to create new jobs, drive innovation, provide needed goods and services, and help societies develop. Through business as mission we can intentionally tackle poverty, bring positive social and environmental change, and carry with us the message of eternal life.

Business as mission is a concept that can and should be applied everywhere, but the business as mission movement has a special concern for people and places where there are dire economic, social, environmental and spiritual needs – Mats Tunehag

We invite you to be inspired and equipped by the stories and resources that we’ve created and curated on this Business as Mission Resource website.

Download this article as a PDF.

Watch the 3 Minute What is BAM? Explainer Video

The first version of What is BAM? was published on The BAM Review in 2015, this version was updated in 2024.

Want to find out more about BAM?

Join us at the BAM Global Connect on the 13th November

 

 

 

 Jo Plummer is the Creative Director & Co-Founder of BAM Global and the co-editor of the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission. She has been developing resources for BAM since 2001 and currently serves as Editor of the Business as Mission website and The BAM Review Blog. 

 

 

 

 

Photo by M. Cooper on Unsplash

 

 

 

So That They May See your Good Works and Give Glory to your Father in Heaven

by Larry Sharp

Read Part 1 of this two part series here

Michael Oh, re-affirmed on the eve of the Fourth Lausanne Congress in 2024 that the workplace is the most strategic mission field in the world (watch his opening address here). Considering that workplace believers comprise 99% of the body of Christ, it must be a priority to equip Christians in the workplace to fulfill their role in the Great Commission (Eph 4: 11,12).

Jerry White and Bill Peel wrote in 2023,

“What if the 99 percent understood that playing a part in someone’s journey to faith in Jesus could begin with something as simple as having a cup of coffee with a colleague, encouraging someone who had a rough week, or offering a helping hand to a boss or coworker under stress? What if they understood that doing good work can turn on the light for coworkers ‘so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven’ (Matt 5:16)?… We might be tempted to believe that the exponential growth of the early church was the result of effective preaching by Peter, Paul, and a few other gifted communicators whose work was spreading the gospel. Or we might credit Paul’s strategy of targeting key cultural centers and planting churches that could infect the surrounding countryside. These efforts were no doubt noteworthy and important, but even more so is the fact that early Christians of every ethnicity, gender, and level of society were passionate about extending Christ’s kingdom”.

According to theologian Michael Greene, these early Christians were determined to ‘act as Christ’s embassy to a rebel world, whatever the consequences’. [1]

As early as Acts 8 we find that it is not the apostles but those persecuted in Jerusalem who became workplace missionaries, taking the gospel wherever they went. This was not formal preaching, but informal chatting with friends and chance acquaintances, in homes and wine shops, on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing. [2]

Contemporary context and application

Back to my friends’ perplexity in his corporate world in East Asia that I shared in the opening of Part 1. How should he start with the human condition, move to living out contextualized values which make common sense in the culture – all without “spiritualizing” any of it? Yet!

While my thought and action process is still a work in process, a simple grid developed which lists a value for human dignity and flourishing (column 1), the biblical source of that value which is not readily known and available to the employees (column 2), and thirdly a plan of action (column 3). All of this is prior to any planned verbal testimony to Christian values and gospel witness. Read more

Toward a BAM “Kingdom of God Purpose and Impact” with a Secret Start

by Larry Sharp

Part of the working definition of business as mission is being “intentional about Kingdom of God purpose and impact on people and nations”, but what does that look like in practice?

A while ago I was in communication with a BAM worker in a large Asian country. During our conversation, he remarked that he wished he knew how to be intentional about teaching Christian values on the job without overtly revealing the source. He assured me that he was living out the values personally, but he wanted to do more, before they identified him as a Jesus follower.

I began to pray and think about the challenge and with the help of a grant from the Pollard Fellowship, I started to look for models and try to develop something concrete that he could use.

I became interested in comparing the need for a low-key witness in countries which forbid Christianity and proselytism with the various occasions where Jesus required those who were healed or who were otherwise benefited from his ministry to keep quiet about it. Matthew 9, 16, Mark 5, and elsewhere records events where Jesus commanded that they “tell no man.”

Some theologians believe that one of Jesus methods was to do work in secret before in public. The idea was that open news of a miracle would hinder his ability to move on and do ministry elsewhere. Notoriety could disturb and interrupt what his intentions were. He wanted to make certain progress before it was known that he was God.

So with these thoughts, first we will consider foundational assumptions, then some contemporary applications.

Some Foundational Assumptions

In his classic book The Soul of the Firm, Bill Pollard, long time CEO of ServiceMaster, presents the question, “How then do I relate my faith to a diverse and pluralistic marketplace?” He suggests four options:

1. Do I redefine my faith to be more inclusive and tolerant and acceptable? Water it down so as not to be offensive?

2. Or do I maintain the old separation between sacred and secular? Live a bifurcated life and accept the premise that religion and business just don’t mix, and
keep my faith a very private matter.

3. Or do I use my leadership to promote and propagate or impose my faith?

4. Or do I seek to live and share my faith in such a way that it can be examined, tested by my colleagues, and fellow workers and yes even be embraced by some, all within the context of a community that works together to produce goods and services and generates profits.

In selecting option #4 Pollard assumes the codes, commandments, guidelines and principles of God’s word as the foundational truths. These include such well known documents as the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, the Golden Rule, and the Parables. He proposes that we enter the lives and space of those in the workplace and community, just as Jesus did when he came to the shepherds, the hungry, sick and needy.  Read more

What is Business as Mission? A Brand New Explainer [Video]

We’re excited to share with you our brand new 3 minute explainer video for business as mission!

 

Business as Mission is the creation and growth of for-profit, sustainable companies that are intentional about Kingdom of God purposes. Business as mission (BAM) addresses the economic, social, environmental, and spiritual needs of unreached peoples and vulnerable communities.

 

Concept and script by BAM Global Communications Team, animation by Alana Schreiber. An initiative of BAM Global.

Read more

BAM Community: How We Stay Mission True and Continue to Bear Fruit in the Next 10 Years

BAM Global is celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2024, having been formally founded in 2014 on the foundation of earlier network-building efforts. This month BAM Global leaders are looking back, taking stock, and then looking forward – exploring how the worldwide business as mission community has been flourishing and continues to grow. Read Part 1 and Part 2.

by Jo Plummer

 

BAM Community,

Look what God has done! Look what He is doing!

About 25 years ago the term business as mission was coined to try and capture something that God had already been stirring among His people – business people, mission agency people, church people, educators and others. Small clusters of those people began talking to each other about what they were seeing: the potential of business to help solve the pressing mission issues they were working on. The intention to leverage the intrinsic God-designed power of business to do good in the world and bring glory to Him has only increased from there. Those clusters have become a global movement.

My friends and co-leaders, João and Mats, started this series of posts by looking back (part 1) and looking at what we are doing now, and why (part 2). My message to you in part 3 is forward-looking. How can we continue to grow and bear fruit as a movement? How do we avoid mission drift and stay mission-true?

Staying Mission True

In my view, one of the most important things we can do to stay mission true is to intentionally and vocally keep the Great Commission central to our messaging and engagement in business as mission.

Let me unpack what I mean by that.

Mission is central to God’s identity. As God’s image-bearers and co-creators, it is also central to the identity of His Church and every Christ-follower in it. Whatever our vocation, we are all participants (ministers) in God’s missio Dei (the mission of God). [1]

The implication is that we who follow Jesus are all ‘on mission’ every day in all our vocations – family, work, and stewarding creation. In an article for Missio Nexus, Greg Wilton calls this ‘missionhood’ which describes the centrality of mission in Christian identity:

Missionhood – all Christians must know and be convinced of their identity in God’s universal call to his missio Dei.

Within that, business people should know God’s design for business, and therefore be convinced of their unique identity and role as business people in the mission of God.

Commissionaries

When Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples…’, many scholars agree that he did not mean primarily ‘go elsewhere and make disciples’, but instead ‘as you are going, make disciples’.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28: 18-20

‘Go’ is not the operative word in the Great Commission, ‘making disciples’ is. We are all disciples of Jesus and we make disciples in all our daily contexts. Or, as Greg Wilton goes on to say, we are all ‘commissionaries’.

Commissionary – all Christians must know, understand, and practice the Great Commission in their daily life.

The first reason we need to keep the Great Commission central is because it reminds entrepreneurs and business professionals who follow Jesus that they too are ‘commissionaries’.

Read more

How to Catalyze and Accelerate a Global BAM Movement

BAM Global is celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2024, having been formally founded in 2014 on the foundation of earlier network-building efforts. This month BAM Global leaders are looking back, taking stock, and then looking forward – exploring how the worldwide business as mission community has been flourishing and continues to grow. Read Part 1.

by Mats Tunehag

A movement is different from an organization. The latter is registered, has a board, a budget and they hire (and fire) staff. It is defined and operates under some kind of legal and management control. A movement, on the other hand, consists of many independent initiatives and organizations. The movement flourishes as these independent entities choose to be interdependent; they share a common vision and are aligned in mission and values. Examples are the abolitionist movement, the civil rights movement, and the BAM movement.

Hallmarks of a Movement

Historically movements start small, are in a minority and face big challenges. As groups connect and work together, they gradually gain critical mass towards a tipping point, and transformation can take place.

Nobody has an executive control or power over a movement, but it is held together by a common cause. Movements grow through collaboration built on trusted relationships.

Today BAM is a global movement, with numerous initiatives on all continents; in business, missions, church and academia. The glue is our common vision, our aligned mission and values, as briefly expressed in the two manifestos: the BAM Manifesto and the Wealth Creation Manifesto.

These manifestos help form a common conceptual language, which enables meaningful communication and impactful collaboration.

Social Movement Organizations

A movement can be served by an ‘SMO’, a social movement organization. BAM Global is such an entity. An SMO facilitates communication and collaborations within and outside a movement, and it catalyzes new initiatives.

BAM Global exists to accelerate, serve, and equip the global BAM movement. We do that by creating and sharing intellectual and social capital in the global business as mission community through our three core activities:

  • Nurturing Partner Networks
  • Creating Global Forums
  • Delivering Essential Resources

In other words, we develop BAM concepts and create resources, sharing them broadly, and we connect people and initiatives with each other.

Our manifestos form a common conceptual language, which enables meaningful communication and impactful collaboration.

Nurturing Partner Networks

BAM Global catalyzes and helps grow BAM related networks around the globe, today about 40 of them. Most are geographical, and others are related to a particular group like church leaders or academics. There are also groups working on particular issues, like business solutions to human trafficking, and creation care. Others are related to industries. We have regular meetings with leaders of existing and emerging networks, to learn, support, strategize and create a community of practice – all to grow the movement. We are currently piloting a new initiative, the BAM Global Partner Networks Initiative that will acceleration the growth of business as mission networks globally. Read more

How BAM Global is Nurturing the BAM Community: A 10-Year Retrospective

BAM Global is celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2024, having been formally founded in 2014 on the foundation of earlier network-building efforts. This month BAM Global leaders are looking back, taking stock, and then looking forward – exploring how the worldwide business as mission community has been flourishing and continues to grow.

by João Mordomo

Over the past decade, Business as Mission (BAM) has evolved into a vibrant global movement, playing a pivotal role in the integration of business with mission to address spiritual, economic, social, and environmental challenges. BAM Global, at the heart of this movement, has been instrumental in fostering a community that is not only committed to business excellence but also deeply rooted in Christian missions. Let’s explore how BAM Global has built and strengthened the BAM community over the last ten years, reflecting on key milestones, challenges, and future directions.

The Foundations of BAM Global

BAM Global’s origins are closely tied to the Lausanne Movement, which has significantly influenced modern Christian mission strategies for 50 years. Since its inception, BAM Global has focused on leveraging business as a powerful tool for holistic transformation, guided by the belief that business activities, when conducted ethically and missionally, can serve as a conduit for the Gospel. This approach, which integrates faithful ministry with good business, seeks to fulfill the Great Commission through sustainable and scalable models.

One of the foundational moments for BAM Global was the 2004 Lausanne Forum in Pattaya, Thailand, where the concept of BAM was formally recognized and endorsed. This event produced the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission (LOP 5) and the BAM Manifesto, both of which have become cornerstone texts for BAM practitioners. These documents have articulated the theological and missiological foundations of BAM, providing a framework for how business can be used to advance the Kingdom of God.

The Lausanne Forum in 2004 brought together over 70 people from all continents at the conclusion of a year-long virtual consultation process. This first truly international, collaborative effort also marked the beginning of BAM’s journey as a global movement and set the stage for the later creation of BAM Global as an organization dedicated to advancing this mission-focused approach to business.

Building a Global BAM Ecosystem

Over the past decade, BAM Global has played a crucial role in building a global ecosystem that supports and nurtures BAM initiatives, mobilizes involvement, and deepens understanding in business as mission. This ecosystem includes a diverse network of businesses, churches, mission agencies, educational institutions, BAM networks, and other organizations that share a commitment to integrating business with mission. BAM Global has facilitated this through many key activities, including creating and connecting networks, hosting global forums and events, and creating and curating BAM resources.  Read more

10 BAM Resources That Influenced Us

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 resources from global BAM network leaders

We asked some of our partner network leaders to share a BAM resource that has helped them on their BAM journey… and inspired them to create resources of their own.

 

1. Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission

Christian scholars claim that the number of Christians in China has increased from less than 1 million in 1949 to over 80 million in 2010. Hence, the Chinese church has a growing potential to participate in global missions. Having the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission translated into Chinese has been so important and meaningful for the sending churches in Chinese communities to prepare for their missionaries. – TY, East Asia

Download the original English version of Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission (BAM LOP)

Download the Chinese translation of the BAM LOP here and access more Simplified and Traditional Chinese language resources at ChineseBAM.com, including BAM Think Tank Regional and Issue reports, BAM case studies and various BAM articles, as well as the BAM LOP.


2. BAM A-Z by Mats Tunehag

Materials like the BAM A-Z help us better communicate what BAM is. In Brasil we’ve translated the BAM A-Z and shared it with the network of entrepreneurs, giving them biblical and practical knowledge on the subject. This helps entrepreneurs on their BAM journey, as many have no references on how to carry out this work and still struggle with the dichotomy. – SB, Brazil

Download the English version of the BAM A-Z from Mats’ website, plus a free BAM A-Z Poster.

Get Portuguese resources and connect with the BAM Brasil network via Instagram, Facebook, YouTubeTelegram or at the BAM Brasil website.

Read more

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

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10 Guiding Principles for Business as Mission

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. This is one of our favourite 10 x lists, the classic 10 Guiding Principles for BAM from the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission.

 

Introduction

A good business as mission business will, by definition, have many of the characteristics of any well-run business. A kingdom business must be profitable and sustainable just as any other business. Integrity, fairness and excellent customer service are characteristics of any good business, not just a business as mission venture. As such, while important, those characteristics will not by themselves necessarily point people to Christ. A kingdom business begins with the foundation of any good business, but takes its stewardship responsibilities even further.

What follows is a list of principles that should underpin a business as mission business. First we list the basic foundational principles that must exist in any good business. Following that are the principles that distinguish a good business as mission business.

Foundational Business Principles

1.  Strives to be profitable and sustainable in the long term

Profit is an indication that resources are being used wisely. It indicates that the product or service being produced and sold does so at a price that covers the cost of the resources, including the cost of capital. For most businesses, profits are fleeting, and never a sure thing. It is common for businesses to experience periods of low profit, and even negative profit. Thus it is important to take a long-term view of profitability. Occasional windfalls are often what will sustain a company through periods of financial losses. For that reason a well-managed business will use extreme care when considering whether and when to distribute profits. Profit, and its retention, is not necessarily an indication of greed. Read more

10 Quotes to Inspire You for Business as Mission

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 of our favourite BAM-related quotes:

 

1. Ralph Winter’s editorial endorsement

Really big and sudden changes in the world of missions don’t come often. But now one is upon us. It’s the major optimism and thrill of business people who are devout believers starting or extending ‘Kingdom Businesses’ around the world. – Ralph Winter

Ralph Winter identified business as a major force in world mission in his Editorial for an issue of Mission Frontiers magazine in 2007. This bold statement from an elder statesman of evangelical missions in the first decade of the contemporary BAM movement was a great boost.

2. Dallas Willard’s panel gem

Business is a primary arrangement on God’s part for people to love one another and serve one another… Business is a primary moving force of the love of God in human history.Dallas Willard

This is Jo’s favourite quote on business and she almost always shares it whenever she speaks. Originally made in a panel response, Dallas expands on the question ‘What is business for?’ and comes out with some gems. This quote is echoed in the title of the booklet Called to Business: God’s way of loving people through business and the professions published posthumously by Dallas Willard Ministries.

3. Mats Tunehag’s keynote bombshell

If God has called you to business, don’t lower yourself to be a pastor.Mats Tunehag

We’ve included this quote by our very own Mats Tunehag from his presentation at the Lausanne Congress in Cape Town 2010. That’s because out of the many, many things Mats has said about business and BAM, this is the one that most often gets quoted back to him. Provocative, but true!

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Entrepreneurs on Mission: Two Barriers to Break Through

by Mark Russell

There comes a day when we sit back and ask ourselves what we are going to do with our lives. In a sense, I am still asking myself that question. But many years ago I felt a nudge, a call if you will, to spend time in cross-cultural contexts advancing the gospel. At the time, I had no idea what that entailed. The only role models I had to look to were the missionaries I had met in Paraguay. They were either medical doctors or preachers. As a business student, it seemed I would have to leave behind my business interests and develop a new set of skills.

A few years into my overseas ministry, I began to ask myself some new questions about why couldn’t one be a businessperson and a kingdom builder at the same time.   At the time I was working in a traditional missionary setting, but quickly found that a lot of people resonated with my search to integrate business and mission. Later, I realized that people all over the world were working independently to the same end. It seems God is up to something.

Over the years, as I have worked in various business as mission activities and talked to many others who have been likewise engaged, two points have emerged as worthy of examination.

Breaking Categorizations

First, Westerners tend to live according to categories that are not always beneficial. This tendency is not limited to Westerners but is expressed more strongly there. This is the sort of categorization that leads us to designate one person a “missionary” and another person as not.

Paul was a tentmaker because that is who he was, who he was designed by the Designer to be.

For example, ask most people if the Apostle Paul was a missionary or an entrepreneurial businessman. They will tend to reply that he was a church planting apostolic missionary or something to that effect. Nevertheless, a close study of his life and work reveals that he was both. For many of us, it’s difficult to accept that, so some in the church have taught over the years that Paul worked as a tentmaker solely for financial purposes i.e. to pay the bills so he could preach the gospel.

However, a closer look reveals that Paul lived and breathed the gospel everywhere he went and generally he went and worked as a tentmaker. Paul was a tentmaker because that is who he was, who he was designed by the Designer to be. Read more

What Kind of Entrepreneur was Paul the Apostle?

by Min-Dong Paul Lee and Dave Pederson, Wheaton College

Read Part 1  |  Read Part 2

On the road to Damascus, Paul’s life was transformed from a self-promoter to a steward of the gospel to the gentiles. A curious fact is that Paul never quit his job as a tentmaker. Why did Paul remain a leather-worker artisan throughout his missionary career? Could it be that this daily business was an integral part of his ministry? We use the lens of a modern entrepreneurship theory called entrepreneurial effectuation theory to unlock Paul’s combining of business and ministry.

Effectuation theory offers a unique perspective explaining the entrepreneurial process. Most entrepreneurship theory assumes that entrepreneurs start with a goal (i.e., creating products or enterprise) in mind and mobilize resources to achieve the end. Effectuation theory offers a very different perspective. It argues that entrepreneurs begin with assessing their available resources and determining the next best step given the resources, allowing them to adapt their goals and strategies as circumstances change. This approach emphasizes flexibility and improvisation over rigid planning, creating a more dynamic model for understanding the entrepreneurial process.

While some may distill effectuation theory into ‘going with the flow,’ there is a clear strategic emphasis that entrepreneurs exercise, especially when following a goal that is impressed upon them rather than manufactured by themselves. As a steward of God’s mission, Paul had a specific goal that was given to him. Yet, he seems to adapt his methods at nearly every turn to find the best approach to launching and building churches. Paul combined his tentmaking work with ministry to find and create opportunities and solve problems. Let us use the lens of four principles of effectuation theory to examine Paul’s unique ministry.

Bird-in-Hand Principle (Start with What You Have)

The Bird-in-Hand principle asserts that successful entrepreneurs create solutions with immediately available resources, such as their skills, knowledge, and networks.

When Christ confronted Paul on the Damascus road, he sent him on a mission to the gentiles. Paul immediately had to make a resourcing decision. According to a Roman Stoic philosopher, Musonius Rufus, an itinerant teacher like Paul could provide for themselves in four ways: (1) Paul could find a wealthy gentile patron; (2) he could collect tuition from his students; (3) he could beg for a living; (4) he could work with his hands. Paul learned leather-working skills from his youth. So, he chose to apply his skills in supplying for his needs and worked in the trade throughout his life. In fact, even when he was under house arrest in Rome at the end of his life, he worked to pay for the rent (Acts 28:30). Read more

The Mindset of a BAMer: Lessons from Paul the Apostle

by Min-Dong Paul Lee and Dave Pederson, Wheaton College

Read Part 1

 

BAMers have two integrated identities: Missional and entrepreneurial identities. We know that our missional identity is grounded in our conviction as stewards of God’s mission. Then, what is part of our entrepreneurial identity? What distinguishes entrepreneurs from everyone else?

In their influential study, The Entrepreneurial Mindset, McGrath and MacMillan define five critical characteristics of entrepreneurs as (1) opportunity-seeking, (2) disciplined, (3) focused, (4) adaptive, and (5) collaborative. Are these characteristics relevant for BAM entrepreneurs? Through examples from the work and life of Apostle Paul, we show Paul’s entrepreneurial mindset, firmly anchored in stewardship identity, was an essential driving force for his mission.

Opportunity-Seeking

The first characteristic of an entrepreneurial mindset is opportunity-seeking. Like good chess players, entrepreneurs are not just focused on what is happening on the board. Instead, their mind is racing ahead to predict the moves ahead. Entrepreneurs stay alert and constantly scan the environment to look for new opportunities.

The Book of Acts paints a fascinating portrait of the Apostle Paul, a man whose defining characteristic was his relentless pursuit of opportunity. While he sought opportunities to advance his career and crush the nascent Christian movement before the Damascus experience, after conversion, his opportunity-seeking mindset was redirected towards spreading the Gospel in Damascus and Jerusalem. Yet, Paul’s initial zeal did not always yield positive results. His attempt to preach to the Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem backfired, forcing him to retreat to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:28-30).

This experience may have been another critical turning point for Paul. What he thought was an opportunity was only a distraction when it was not God’s timing. Nonetheless, Paul had the humility to listen to others and went back home to Tarsus and the surrounding regions.

When God’s timing arrived, in contrast to his earlier self-directed pursuit of opportunity, Paul sought opportunities in God’s will and timing. This shift led him to unexpected and fruitful places. For instance, in the Philippi prison, Paul shared the gospel with the jailer’s family. His commitment to spreading the gospel extended even to encounters with powerful rulers. When engaging with King Agrippa, Paul’s passionate proclamation left a lasting impression. Agrippa, taken aback, remarked, “In a short time, would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28). Paul’s reliance on divine guidance allowed him to discover opportunities he did not anticipate.

The Spirit-guided insight for spotting fruitful opportunities is an essential quality of a BAMer.

Discipline and Focus

Discipline and focus are intricately connected like the two sides of the same coin. Once entrepreneurs spot opportunities, they pursue them with enormous discipline and focus. They have a bias toward action and are disciplined to turn ideas into products and services that meet real needs. Focus demands an unrelenting prioritization of the best opportunity. The entrepreneurs first select the most fertile battleground – the industry or arena with the most promise. Then, within this chosen domain, they focus on the most attractive opportunity. This inevitably necessitates trade-offs. Other potentially alluring opportunities are cast aside. They understand they must give up something to focus on the best possible opportunity. Read more

The Apostle Paul: An Entrepreneurial Steward

by Min-Dong Paul Lee and Dave Pederson, Wheaton College

The Apostle Paul is one of the most extensively studied biblical characters. However, much of the research focused on his theology, leaving Paul’s human side – his behaviors and motivations – underexplored. With the advancement of modern behavioral sciences, new conceptual tools are available to analyze his ministry from fresh perspectives. For example, what would we learn if we examined Paul’s ministry through the lens of modern entrepreneurial research?

Paul: The Accidental Theologian and Natural Entrepreneur

Paul was a theologian by accident. He didn’t see himself as a writer of long treatises. Rather, he saw himself as God’s servant and practitioner carrying out the pastoral and missionary work of the emerging movement of Jesus’ followers. If we focus on his actions and decisions, we see a unique figure that was highly proactive and entrepreneurial. He planted over a dozen churches, coached many leaders, wrote almost half of the New Testament books, and engaged in trades in multiple cities.

Paul’s life is an apt example of what modern organizational scholars describe as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have the uncanny ability to see the unmet needs in the market. They are willing to take the risk to create something that exploits the opportunity to add value to society. Modern entrepreneurship research suggests that entrepreneurs possess a distinct mindset characterized by five key features:

1. Opportunity-Seeking: They stay alert and actively scan the environment for new opportunities

2. Disciplined: They are determined and persistent in pursuing their goals

3. Focused: They prioritize specific goals and are willing to make strategic tradeoffs

4. Adaptable: They adjust their strategies to the changing environment

5. Collaborative: They recognize the power of working together with others

Interestingly, Paul had all the marks of an entrepreneur even before his conversion. Paul was a Hellenistic Jew from Tarsus in the province of Cilicia. Yet, he moved to Jerusalem to become a student of Gamaliel, a leading figure among the Pharisees in Jerusalem, eager to climb the religious ladder. When the Jesus sect emerged, Paul saw it as a heretical threat and began to persecute them with discipline and focus. He often adapted his strategies of persecution, growing ever more violent. He was willing to collaborate with even the Sadducees to achieve his objective. Paul was an ambitious entrepreneur driven by his religious zeal and personal success.

Transformation as an Entrepreneurial Steward

Everything changes on the road to Damascus. The encounter with the risen Christ shook Paul to the core and fundamentally transformed his identity, purpose, and practice. It is not that he lost his entrepreneurial edge. Instead, God redirected his natural disposition toward a whole new mission (Acts 9:15). Paul continued applying an entrepreneurial mindset in his missionary work. However, instead of being self-driven and opportunistic, he submitted himself entirely to the leading of his master and committed to the new mission. To describe this unique blend of entrepreneurial mindset with a servant’s heart, we introduce the term entrepreneurial steward. Entrepreneurial stewards are people whose identity is firmly anchored in the stewardship commitment to serve their master’s interest while leveraging their entrepreneurial talents. Read more

The Vital Place of Mission Agencies in BAM

In the month of June we have been highlighting excerpts from the recently published BAM Global Report on BAM and Mission Agencies. To round off this series, here’s a repost of a blog from our archives on why Mission Agencies are a major and vital constituency in the BAM community, alongside our main business constituency and also the church and academia. 

by Jo Plummer

Mission Agencies have long been a crucial player and partner in the contemporary BAM movement.

Many early pioneer BAM practitioners of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s either came from a missionary background or were members of a mission agency. These agency workers- turned-BAMers were at the forefront of the early wave of BAM companies because they were already at the front lines. Sent out with a call and vision to see people and communities transformed by the gospel, they discovered that business could be a powerful means of integral mission – meeting spiritual, social and economic needs in communities.

Looking back on 20 years and more of recent BAM history, we see that companies with missional goals embedded within their business model, business culture, company values, working relationships and so on, have often proved to be the most fruitful way for agency workers to pursue their work. But it has not always been easy.

Business failure – already a high possibility for seasoned entrepreneurs in home cultures – became a common experience for missionary-run startups with the additional hazard of being in environments often hostile to both mission and business. Many missionaries are by nature pioneering and somewhat entrepreneurial, however most early agency-related BAMers lacked the know-how and practical business experience they needed to create sustainable, scalable companies. Early BAM companies had few models to follow and lessons were learned the hard way.

Those hard-won fruitful practices are now being passed on, benefiting the current generation of BAM practitioners. They are able to stand on the shoulders of a host of early BAMers (from both business and mission backgrounds) because those pioneers heard the Lord and were willing to go, they were willing to innovate, risk and persevere. In turn, these early BAM pioneers stood on the shoulders of many generations of traditional missionaries that passed on their own hard-won lessons.

Beyond ‘Business as Visa’

Necessity is the mother of invention. In some parts of the world, starting a business has long been the only viable means to establish a settled, credible role in a community. William Carey, right back in the late 1700s, took a management position in an indigo factory when he first arrived in India because missionary visas were hard to come by in the days of the East India Company. And like William Carey*, modern day mission workers soon discovered that the power of a business model extends far beyond a means to getting a visa. (Read more on how it extends here).

Thankfully most agency workers who are getting into business now have many more resources to draw on. They understand that to have a credible, sustainable role in a community, their company has to be credible and sustainable. That means aiming towards excellence in business practice and the true integration of holistic missional goals into every aspect of a company – from business plan, to daily business life.  Read more

Four Contexts to Integrate the Four Bottom Lines of BAM

In the month of June we are highlighting excerpts from the recently published BAM Global Report on BAM and Mission Agencies. Mission Agencies are a major constituency in the BAM community, alongside our main business constituency and also the church and academia. We believe these resources will be of value whether you are agency affiliated or part of another BAM constituency.

 

Integration of the four bottom lines

Business as mission involves the intentional integration of business and holistic mission. It is in response to mandates God has given to us, His people, including:

  • The Creation Mandate given in Genesis 1 to ‘tend the garden’ and enable human society and creation to flourish
  • The Great Commandment to love God above all else, to obey His commands and to love our neighbour as ourselves
  • The Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all Jesus’ teachings

Our response in business as mission is to seek sustainable, holistic transformation for people and communities through for-profit business models.

As we have seen above, we want to plan for, implement, measure, and grow sustainability and impact in four main areas: spiritual, economic, social and environmental. Although we should examine each one in turn in order to be intentional about each, in the context of the daily business operations these four areas of impact cannot be compartmentalised, they are meshed together in BAM companies.

However, many of us have inherited dichotomised ways of thinking about what is sacred and what is secular. We may be used to compartmentalising our lives; between faith and work, between gospel witness and environmental stewardship, between ‘ministry activities’ and ‘making payroll’ (i.e. paying our employees), for instance. We may come from a church or mission tradition that prioritises personal evangelism over socio-economic justice (or vice versa). As a result, we might have to work hard to be intentional about integrating business and mission together—both individually and in the agency as a whole—and we should consider how to do this in four main ways:

1. Personal integration and preparation

As we (BAM practitioners) are integrated, so our businesses will be integrated. As we live integrated lives as disciples of Jesus, the rule of God’s Kingdom will extend to every part of our lives. Preparation for fruitful business as mission thus begins by being rooted in Christ, abiding in Him (John 15:1-5, Col 2:7) and by developing patterns of thinking that are transformed by that relationship (Rom 12:2). Integration flows from our theology and is expressed through our walk with Jesus in daily life.

It may be helpful to prepare for BAM by examining our own thinking in light of the sacred-secular divide and make a study of the Bible on topics such as economics, business, human flourishing, justice, mission and restoration, for example. Does our worldview align with God’s view of us as integrated people and communities?

As we commune with Jesus and seek the will of God, we allow ourselves to be integrated into his plan and He is able to use us in big, small, obvious, and surprising ways to advance his Kingdom. Being yoked with Him, allowing Him to carry our heavy burdens, we are able to rely on His direction and not on our own striving or direction. As we listen to His voice and obey it, we can follow the miraculous life that Jesus modelled for us as his disciples—in business.

2. Integration in business planning

To fulfil its potential to create integrated impact, a BAM business needs to have a clear plan for reaching profitability, alongside creating spiritual, social, and environmental impact. The first step in the process is to identify a business model that could be viable and profitable in the target location, among the community the business team hopes to reach and enable to flourish. This step may take extensive research and reconnaissance. Good community development practices, alongside business planning practices, should be engaged to research and discover the felt-needs of the community, rather than imposing solutions to social, economic or environmental problems from an external perspective. Read more

4 BAM Bottom Lines: Doing Spiritual, Economic, Social and Environmental Good

In the month of June we are highlighting excerpts from the recently published BAM Global Report on BAM and Mission Agencies. Mission Agencies are a major constituency in the BAM community, alongside our main business constituency and also the church and academia. We believe these resources will be of value whether you are agency affiliated or part of another BAM constituency.

 

The BAM and Mission Agencies Consultation considered the full and effective integration of business and mission and how we keep a positive tension between the multiple bottom lines of BAM. Working subgroups focused on each of the four bottom lines of spiritual, financial, social and environmental outcomes for BAM and these discussions were framed by dialogue on integrating ‘multiple bottom line impact’ in a BAM company.

Introduction to the ‘Quadruple Bottom Lines’ (QBL) of BAM

Business as mission, as we have read in the BAM Global definition, is intentional Kingdom of God purpose and impact on people and nations; focused on holistic transformation and the four bottom lines of economic, social, environmental and spiritual outcomes.

The idea of having multiple bottom lines for a business comes from the original ‘financial bottom line’—the number that indicates net profit (or loss) typically found at the bottom of a company’s income statement. A company that is solely focused on making money for its shareholders will only be concerned about this one ‘bottom line’, its financial earnings. The social enterprise movement introduced the idea of ‘triple bottom line’ impact that is also concerned with social and environmental outcomes. Business as mission extends this idea to ‘quadruple bottom line’ (or four bottom line) impact, including spiritual impact as well.

If intentional impact along these multiple bottom lines is a hallmark of BAM, agencies will do well to build a solid understanding of each. As has been previously stated, while these four areas of impact are integrated together in terms of the business model, strategy and daily operations—all things working together for missional impact—there are times when the focus should be on each one separately. This is especially true when planning for positive outcomes in each. Then careful consideration is needed as to how success is defined in each area and, therefore, how progress is measured so that there can be accountability and ongoing evaluation.

For business as mission, the four bottom lines are:

1. Doing spiritual good

Acting on the belief that faith in Jesus and a reconciled relationship with God addresses sin and brokenness at an individual and societal level that are the root cause of all other social, environmental and economic problems. Lasting change (God’s Kingdom coming on earth) and salvation from death and sin can only occur when our relationship with God, self, each other, and creation are reconciled. It involves sharing the gospel in word and deed, living as a disciple of Christ as a witness to others, and making disciples. Read more

Why BAM? It’s Biblical, Strategic and Time for New Wineskins!

In the month of June we are highlighting excerpts from the recently published BAM Global Report on BAM and Mission Agencies. Mission Agencies are a major constituency in the BAM community, alongside our main business constituency and also the church and academia. We believe these resources will be of value whether you are agency affiliated or part of another BAM constituency.

Why Mission Agencies do Business as Mission

Business as mission (BAM) is the strategic use of authentic business activities that create authentic ministry opportunities that bring spiritual, economic, social and environmental transformation to unreached peoples and marginalised people. In other words, it is taking the instrument of business, with its innate, God-given ability and power to do good in the world, and intentionally harnessing that power towards the work of mission.

There has been much discussion around the value of and justification for doing business as mission, not least among mission agency leaders. We would like to suggest that there are at least three strong bases for taking a positive approach: It is biblical, it is strategic, and it is time for new wineskins.

It is biblical

There are numerous themes in the scriptures that provide strong support for running businesses that give expression to Kingdom of God values and purposes.

In Genesis 1 and 2, we see God’s great enterprise of creation by which He reveals Himself as the original Great Entrepreneur. God created human beings ‘in his own image’ (Gen 1:2), as creative beings who are to co-labour with him to steward creation through innovation and work. They are to use the fruit of their labours to sustain families and communities, and to care for others.

In Deuteronomy 8, God reminds his people Israel not to forget him as they prepare to enter the promised land—to settle down and start agricultural and mining businesses (Deut 8:8-9)—because ‘it is [God] who gives you the ability to produce wealth’. In the desert, the Lord had provided manna daily, but when the people entered this new land the manna stopped immediately because God designed human society to be provided for through enterprise and work. Business is a God-designed and ordained institution that can bring glory to Him. Business done well involves innovating with natural resources, good stewardship of these resources, the opportunity for dignified work, the creation of life-enhancing products and services, and the multiplication of resources and wealth that enable people and societies to flourish and advance.

The Apostle Paul exhorted Christ’s followers to work hard and not be idle (2 Thes 3:10-12), and modelled the value of work and enterprise by his own example. Paul seemingly engaged in the business of making tents (or perhaps leather working or saddle making) to provide for financial needs (1 Cor 9:6), to ensure his message was credible by being free of the complications of patronage (Cor 9: 18, 2 Cor 12:14), to enable mobility and open up opportunities to meet and spend significant time with others (Acts 18:1-3), and to model the Christian lifestyle (1 Thes 4:11-12, 2 Thes 3: 6-9).

Justice and concern for the poor and marginalised is a theme pervading the scriptures and one in which all business as mission practitioners can actively participate and make a significant contribution. Starting business as mission enterprises enables us to ‘open our arms to the poor’; just as the entrepreneurial woman in Proverbs 31 did as she worked hard, produced good products, and traded well.

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Business as Mission Foundations: 4 Things You Should Know About BAM

by Jo Plummer

 

1. We can’t talk about ‘business as mission’ until we talk about ‘business’

Business is part of God’s good plan for human flourishing and has a God-designed power and role in human society. Business as mission takes this intrinsic God-given power and role of business and intentionally uses it as an instrument for mission. Just as water or wind power can be intentionally harnessed to do more good (or harm), business as mission is harnessing the power of business for God’s glory, the gospel, and the common good.

It is therefore vitally important that we have a good grasp of what the Bible says about business – and indeed, economics, human flourishing and God’s mission to the world – before we then apply those fundamental truths about God’s purposes to doing business as mission. Let us build on solid biblical foundations!

What we don’t want to do is create a new ‘sacred-secular divide’ while trying to break down the old one. Business does not need to be sanctified by being engaged as an instrument for mission, it is already part of God’s good design. Just as one vocation is not more spiritual or sacred than another, the same goes for different kinds of business. We can glorify God through work and our vocations, wherever we are.

For more on this idea read here and for a biblical foundation for BAM read here.

 

2. Business as mission is part of a broader movement, but also has a unique and distinctive response to the world’s most pressing issues

For example, business as mission is part of the wider shift in the global church towards more integral (or holistic) models of mission that break down the dichotomy between evangelism and social responsibility. But it is also distinctive in that it emphasises for-profit solutions to mission challenges, rather than charitable or donor-driven mission models.

Business as mission is also part of a broader re-evaluation in society concerning the purpose of business beyond financial returns for shareholders. This movement towards ‘social enterprise’, ‘impact investment’, ‘conscious capitalism, etc. focuses instead on creating ‘shared value’ for many stakeholders, with positive social and environmental impact included alongside economic impact. Although these expressions of social enterprise sometimes encompass spiritual impact as well, BAM always includes spiritual impact. Business as mission makes central a restored relationship with God, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross – plus all the implications for restored relationship with our neighbours and creation that will also bring.

Business as mission is part of a growing movement to integrate faith and work and to encourage entrepreneurs and business professionals everywhere to be ‘faith-driven’ – and such integration must be foundational in every BAM company. However, business as mission is also distinctive in that the ‘ministry’ happens both within the business context AND also through the business model, through every part of the business strategy and operations. Business as mission sees business both as the medium and the message.

By calling out the distinctives of BAM, we are not implying that it is superior to any other model or emphasis. However, it does require a particular set of methodologies, tools and resources, that benefit from a common language, a community of practice, and a connected, supportive ecosystem.

We are also not saying that the term ‘business as mission’ itself is unique, as there are many other terms in English and of course other languages that are used for the same idea. Rather it is the concept of business as mission (whatever you want to call it) – the idea behind it – that is distinctive.

To read more on the distinctives of BAM and its relationship to ideas like workplace ministries, tentmaking and other mission models, read Chapter 1 of the Lausanne Occasional Paper on BAM: ‘What is Business as Mission?

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Challenge and Hope: How Business Can Help the Planet and Its People Flourish [Video]

To celebrate Earth Day 2024, we’re reposting this classic presentation by Mark Polet from a past BAM Global event on how environmental impact intersects with spiritual, economic, and social impacts.

The people we want to reach are facing the greatest environmental, even existential challenges. BAMers are on the ground already in the areas of greatest need. This presentation explores how to meet these challenges with the Hope we share and the technical capabilities we can access.

Respond to the challenge… Join us at the BAM Global Summit on Thursday 9th May!

 

>> Download a free report series on BAM and Creation Care here

 

>>More on Creation Care on The BAM Review blog here

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Whose Business Is It? The Why of Business as Mission [Video]

Business as mission is a response to some of the world’s most pressing issues. Humans are exploited and trafficked. Communities are suffering with dire poverty. People around the world have never heard about the love of Jesus. Whose business is this? Why should it be ours?

Business as mission is also a growing movement. It is accelerating around the world! At BAM Global we are passionate about connecting individuals and organizations to help drive this movement forward. The BAM Global Summit is a great time to do this because it’s BAM… on a global scale. Hundreds of people gather for the same purpose: to get more connected and equipped for their own BAM journey.

Want to get a taste of online BAM events?
Want to be inspired for business as mission?
Want to find your ‘Why’?

Watch Annie Dieselberg’s incredible testimony and amazing challenge to us all in her keynote address at the BAM Global Congress in 2021.

 

“Trafficking for human beings is now tied for second place in illegal global crime. It is a global crisis affecting millions in every sphere of society, every gender, every age, every nation, every status. The roots run deep beneath the surface of everyday business. Without realizing it we walk on surfaces paved by exploited laborers,we wear garments made from the sweat of the desperate, we eat from the hands of the bound, we are entertained by the violated and we profit daily in part because somewhere, someone by no will of their own is supplying our wants, needs, and desires.” – Annie Dieselberg

Respond to the challenge… Join us at the BAM Global Summit on Thursday 9th May!

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Accelerate Your BAM Journey: Join the Summit

Business as Mission is a movement that is growing globally. It is accelerating around the world! At BAM Global we are passionate about connecting individuals and organizations to help drive this movement forward. The BAM Global Summit is one of the best times to do this because it’s BAM on a global scale. Hundreds of people gather for the same purpose: to accelerate the movement and get more connected and equipped for their own BAM journey.

 

Attendee Testimonies

Every year, after the Summit we get to hear testimonies about the connections that were made that lead to mobilised resources, new partnerships, new BAM businesses getting started, and so on. Here are a few things that past attendees have shared with us about what they gained by coming to an online BAM Global event:

 

Attending this summit and listening to the speakers and panelists, was really encouraging because I felt God confirming the desire to start a BAM and take the necessary steps to achieve that! – BZ, BAM Summit Attendee

 

Love seeing how BAM is growing around the world. God is moving in the marketplace! – CB, BAM Summit Attendee

 

For me, getting to know new people who are doing business as mission around the world and learning from them is the most important take away. I am not so good in attending online meetings, I have a kind of attention disorder when I am in them, but I really enjoyed meeting new people and listening to their stories. – Adrian Buhai, BAM Romania

 

I was encouraged by all the wisdom that God has granted many in the BAM network. We now have so many good examples to learn from and seasoned people to be coached by. – Hakan Sandberg, BAM Global Ambassador

 

I am encouraged by the devotional, all the testimonies of the business people, the workshops, my new network and everything in this event. I really enjoyed my first time experience. I really admire their desire to do business is not just to earn money but to really use this opportunity to share the gospel and reach the unreached. With all the helpful insights I heard today, I will apply the most applicable one to my new role and also to my small business. I will always remember that Christ should be the center and the goal is to reach the unreached and help the needy and also to provide services to people the people with less opportunity. – A, BAM Summit Attendee

 

I took away lessons from real BAM business experiences. It also reinforced that business as mission is one of the ways God uses to bring complete economic, social, environmental, and spiritual transformation, bringing dignity and life to people. It motivates me and encourages me to continue to work for this vision! – Samara Bramen, BAM Brasil

 

The greatest impact for me was being enlarged in what God is doing globally, and a view of how my work/life calling and BAM intersect! Kingdom expansion to bring all to Jesus. – WS, BAM Summit Attendee

 

I loved the diversity of people attending and the genuine desire to see more BAM activity in their region, plus all the encouraging stories of BAM projects already in action. – WG, BAM Summit Attendee

 

It was encouraging to see that the concept of business as mission has taken root across many regions of the world. It was also exciting to see a significant number of new entrepreneurs and those who are thinking of starting businesses learning about BAM through the event. The program was well designed with something new and valuable for everyone. I was encouraged to see that there are a growing number of BAMers from non-western countries, which I applaud. – Joseph Vijayam, BAM South Asia

 

I loved how Christ-centered the whole conference was! I definitely want to connect more and signed up for the online community. – Anon, BAM Summit Attendee

 

My major take away is the diversity, breadth and depth, and unity of the BAM movement. First, the unity of purpose of so many diverse faith traditions is inspiring and encouraging. BAM and the BAM Global events truly exemplify the Body of Christ as I believe Jesus intended. Second, much as Elijah needed to know he was not alone while in the wilderness, the conference showed us just how many BAM-involved people there are around the world. BAMers are not alone! If you feel that way, get involved in BAM Global and you will soon be a part of something so much bigger than you could’ve anticipated. – Mick Bates, BAM Academics

 

Compiled and edited by Jo Plummer.

 

REGISTER FOR BAM GLOBAL SUMMIT 2024

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see what God is doing through business as mission and join in.

Join us at the BAM Global Summit this year!

 

 Jo Plummer is the co-chair of BAM Global and co-editor the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission. She has been developing resources for BAM since 2001 and currently serves as Editor of the Business as Mission website and blog.

 

 

It Takes an Ecosystem to ‘Raise a BAM Company’!

There are many different ways to get involved in business as mission and the BAM movement needs many types of people, skills, experiences and passions. If you are interested in engaging with BAM, there is a path and role for you! Last month, we started with the topic of getting involved in doing BAM yourself. This month, we are exploring ways to support and resource others to do BAM – in other words, how to help build the business as mission ecosystem!

Business as mission companies and practitioners need many different kinds of support and resources to thrive. To discover the many different and necessary roles in the BAM ecosystem, read Part 1 of this series.

To wrap the series up, we thought it would be fun and interesting to look at this issue from the other side; from the point of view of the BAM practitioner. We asked the owners of two BAM companies about the supportive ecosystem around them.

A well-known saying in English is that “It takes a village to raise a child.” I think we could also say, “It takes a vibrant support network and ecosystem to raise a BAM company!” Would you agree with that?… And if so, how have you seen that play out in your own company experience?
Ryan and Lee, BAM Real Estate Development Company in Southeast Asia

Yes, absolutely. We wouldn’t be where we are today without an incredible network of advisors.  For us, it started with informal advisors from our personal network and over the years it has become much more formalized and strategic. I like to think about our network of advisors in concentric circles with those in the inner circle reserved for a few people who care for and understand everything about you. The highest level of trust and vulnerability happens at the inner circle level. Many people refer to this as a personal board. The next circle is our advisory board which in our case functions more like a governance Board for our BAM ventures. They are concerned about us, but also very much concerned about the mission and vision of the venture and ensuring it’s sustainability and purpose.  The next level of advisors we engage with are subject matter experts, who can be consultants and/or coaches. We normally engage with SMEs for specific challenges or time periods.

As we grow, we have had to learn how to adapt our use of advisors along the way. We are slow to bring a new person onto our Board, so we typically engage them first as an SME. An SME may engage with us for weeks/months, a board member engages for years, and the inner circle is  more of a lifetime commitment.  The relational aspect increases as it goes closer to the center, but in all situations we like to clarify expectations in writing that explains what we are asking of the advisor and how we will review our working relationship overtime. In the past, we didn’t have anything in writing and it was awkward to ask someone to step aside from a role, when in reality we needed someone else with a different set of experiences and giftings for a new phase of growth.  Read more