purpose – Page 3 – Business as Mission

3 Key Questions: How We Define and Evaluate Kingdom Impact

21 March 2024/in Features, Latest, Metrics & Measuring Impact/by Guest Author

By Will Thomas

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Ambassadors Impact Network

Ambassadors Impact Network (AIN) is an angel investment network based in Dallas, Texas, connecting Christian accredited investors with gospel-advancing entrepreneurs. Since inception in 2018, our members have deployed over USD $20 million across more than 50 companies and funds. In addition to targeting competitive financial returns, we are equally committed to seeking intentional and measurable spiritual impact.

One of the most common inquiries we receive from prospective members and applicant entrepreneurs relates to how we define, evaluate, and measure these kingdom returns. At the heart of our approach is a recognition that entrepreneurs come from diverse spiritual backgrounds, each with unique giftings, passions, and contexts. Therefore, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to gospel advancement. Instead, we encourage entrepreneurs to articulate how they intend to make Jesus known through three key aspects of their businesses: codified values, business activities, and products and/or services. Below are the questions we ask in our application and some background on each.

1. Incorporating biblical truth into company values

Does your company include biblical principles in the corporate documents (such as mission statement, manuals, etc.)?

Context and examples: Scripture tells us repeatedly of the immense power of words. “A person’s words can be life-giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook” (Proverbs 18:4). Indeed, it is through speech that our God brings things into existence. Similarly, we believe that the values of a company, when explicitly stated, play an enormous role in shaping organizational culture, guiding decision-making, and providing a stable foundation for God-glorifying growth. In our diligence process, we ask applicants to share about their corporate values, their alignment with biblical principles, and the extent to which these are formally codified in corporate documents, such as in mission statements, operating manuals, external communications, employee policies, etc. Read more

There’s a Role for You in the BAM Ecosystem! Four People Share [Video]

13 March 2024/in Features, Latest/by Staff Writer

Listen to four people share firsthand how they are contributing their unique gifts and experiences to build the BAM ecosystem.

The BAM ecosystem is bigger than you think! As well as BAM practitioners – those who actually run the business as mission companies – there are countless others supporting those practitioners and companies.

From mobilisers, to investors… from intercessors, to mentors… from communicators, to business incubators… from recruiters, to trainers… and many more. As well as businesses and business services, the BAM movement also includes academics, mission leaders, church leaders and others.

There is a role for you!

>> Read Part 1 of this series for ways to get involved!

Discover more on Launching and Landing for BAM and Incubation and Ecosystem.

More great BAM resources at our online Business as Mission Resource Library and The BAM Review Blog.

Are we missing any resources that should be listed? Contact us to share them.

BAM Ecosystem Builders: How You Can Support the Business as Mission Movement

7 March 2024/in BAM 101: Introduction, Incubation & Ecosystem, Latest, Pathways into BAM/by Jo Plummer

by Jo Plummer

As we began exploring last month, 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!

To recap, the two broad pathways are:

1) Getting involved by doing business as mission yourself, in a BAM company context, or

2) Enabling, resourcing or connecting others involved in BAM — through activities such as mentoring, investing, praying, building networks, incubating, training, mobilising, and so on!

God has equipped each of us with various skill sets and backgrounds and He is leading each of us on unique paths.

Last month, we started with the topic of getting involved in doing BAM yourself. This month, we’ll continue with 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. From obvious roles such as business incubators, investors, mentors, and trainers…

To perhaps less obvious ones, like network builders, recruiters and mobilisers, that enable the pipeline of people getting involved in BAM to flow…

Or communicators and content creators to keep the ideas and stories flowing…

Or perhaps prayer partners to help us all keep in step with the Holy Spirit…

There are many different and necessary roles in the BAM ecosystem!

Get Involved Building the BAM Ecosystem

If you are interested in getting more involved in supporting business as mission, chances are you are thinking about one or more of the following:

Providing support and services to individual BAM companies/practitioners, such as consulting, recruiting, investing, prayer, etc.

Building a network or entrepreneurial ecosystem that focuses on a particular region, industry or issue, for example a regional BAM network, a city-focused business incubator, or an alliance or community of practice for a particular speciality.

Contributing skills or services to the global BAM ecosystem as a whole, such as training, mobilisation, communications, prayer, and so on.

And these often overlap. For instance, we pray both for individual BAM companies and the BAM movement every month in BAM Global prayer calls. A city-wide business incubator will also provide services to individual companies. And so on.

So bearing that in mind, here are some different roles in the BAM ecosystem and some ideas for how to get involved in them: Read more

Starting out on Unique BAM Paths: Two More Stories

29 February 2024/in Features, Launching & Landing, Stories/by Jo Plummer

This month we are starting a blog series that will explore different pathways into BAM and different ways to be involved. We begin this month with the topic of getting involved in doing BAM yourself. In the coming months, we’ll explore more ideas for enabling, resourcing and connecting others to do BAM.

In Part 1 of this two part series, we shared two unique stories of how God led people to get involved with BAM.

Here are two more stories highlighting different ways to get involved. In the first, Danilo shares how he is has integrated BAM principles into an existing business. In the second, JC started working remotely for a BAM company in his first job out of college. We hope these will encourage you that there are many different paths into business as mission!

Danilo, CEO of Snowman Labs

Danilo, age 34, holds a degree in Computer Networks, and was born and raised in the south of Brazil in a Christian family. His father is a pastor, which deeply influenced Danilo’s upbringing. Danilo loves Jesus, his family, people, technology, and innovation. Those passions opened up the doors for starting Snowman Labs, a digital solution company helping clients navigate their digital transformation challenges. Danilo is currently the CEO of Snowman Labs, where their purpose is to let people experience the kindness and love of God through technology, innovation, and UX/UI design.

What motivated you to get involved with business as mission?

Actually, it was God who led me to BAM after years of wrestling with my views on the sacred-secular divide in business. I used to see business and serving the Lord as polar opposites. But, through God’s grace, I now see BAM as a natural integration of my faith and professional life.

My journey began in early February 2018 during a service in Brazil, where I heard João Mordomo speak on 1 Peter 2:9. His message, that not all of us would have a call to full-time ministry, but we are all full-time ministers, profoundly changed my outlook. I sought João out for lunch to learn more about BAM, and he has since become a pivotal mentor in guiding me toward integrating these principles into Snowman Labs.

What is your role in Snowman Labs?

As CEO, my role is to steer Snowman Labs toward the vision God has imparted to us. This aligns perfectly with my strengths, especially since it involves overseeing sales, a domain I’m passionate about. My love for our vision and responsibility in sales creates a synergy that drives me daily.

You transitioned Snowman Labs to incorporate BAM principals. Did you run into any challenges or discouragements along the way?

Honestly, starting in BAM felt like a path God had prepared for me, so the initial steps were surprisingly smooth. The real challenges came later as I worked to weave BAM concepts into our company’s culture. Read more

Joining BAM: Stories of People Getting Involved in Business as Mission

22 February 2024/in Features, Launching & Landing, Stories/by Staff Writer

This month we are starting a blog series that will explore different pathways into BAM and different ways to be involved. We begin this month with the topic of getting involved in doing BAM yourself. In the coming months, we’ll explore more ideas for enabling, resourcing and connecting others to do BAM.

Over the past 15 years, there’s been an unprecedented rise in the global connectedness of people involved in business as mission (BAM). As the movement continues to grow, many more seek opportunities to join the movement — specifically by joining or starting BAM companies and resourcing organizations.

As engagement in business as mission grows, so do the range of opportunities. There are almost as many ways to get involved with BAM as there are people on their BAM journey and we’ve been eager to hear more about the variety of ways to get involved.

We reached a handful of individuals who each had unique stories of how God led them to get involved with BAM. Here are two of their stories:

G, Team Member of a Business Incubator for Refugees in the UK

G works with a team based in the UK that helps local refugees relaunch the businesses they operated back in their home countries. She and the team are driven by BAM principals and hope to see real financial impact with refugees lifted out of poverty and released into economic prosperity for their families. They aim to impact social bottom lines by encouraging and deepening ties between locals and refugees, and to have spiritual impact by sharing Christ with groups who, before arriving in the UK, had limited exposure to the gospel.

What motivated you to join the organization you’re working with?

I learned about social enterprise during my studies of global business issues at university. After my first exposure to these concepts, I wanted to learn more about businesses doing BAM in a practical and meaningful way.

I am from a very rural area and there didn’t seem to be many opportunities for the practical, hands-on experience I was looking for. During one of my summer breaks, a man from the UK (now G’s team leader) started to share about his community’s desire to serve refugees and start a social enterprise in his area. If anyone was interested in joining them for an internship, he said to connect with him after service.

What did you do to prepare for involvement in BAM? Can you tell us about the networking, research, learning, and formal or informal preparations you did?

As I said, I studied social enterprise in college. But to me, it felt more like most of my learning was “caught” not taught.

My mom is an entrepreneur herself, and I would say most of what I’ve learned has been from watching and helping my mom run her Mary Kay business. She’s always been intentional about networking and connecting to enrich the lives of women, not just to make a sale. She always made sure genuine care for people was never lost. During college, I followed in her footsteps and started my own Mary Kay side business. This taught me a lot about bouncing back from rejection, and how to not take it personally, which is hard!

Running my own business taught me how to talk to people even when I’m intimidated, giving me the confidence to boldly ask questions and follow up with people I’m interested in learning from. This gave me buoyancy to keep following up on this opportunity with the team in the UK, even after it had been repeatedly canceled and postponed due to Covid. Read more

Pathways into BAM: Resources for Your Journey

15 February 2024/in Features/by Jo Plummer

by Jo Plummer

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!

The two broad pathways are:

1) Getting involved by doing business as mission yourself, in a BAM company context, or

2) Enabling, resourcing or connecting others involved in BAM — through activities such as mentoring, investing, praying, building networks, incubating, training, mobilising, and so on!

Others of you on the BAM journey are still exploring where they fit, or maybe are intrigued by the idea of BAM and just want to stay in touch (see ways to do that in the footer below).

God has equipped each of us with various skill sets and backgrounds, leading each of us on unique paths. No matter how you’ve been equipped, what role you have in business as mission, or where you are on your journey, we hope you will find the resources on this website useful and encouraging.

This month we are starting a blog series that will explore different pathways into BAM and different ways to be involved. We begin this month with the topic of getting involved in doing BAM yourself. In the coming months, we’ll explore more ideas for enabling, resourcing and connecting others to do BAM. If option 2 is you, get ready… we’ll have blogs on resourcing others in BAM and building the BAM ecosystem coming soon.

Get Involved Doing BAM

If you are interested in getting involved in doing business as mission yourself, chances are you are thinking about one of the following options:

A: Starting up a BAM company

B: Joining a BAM company that someone else has started

C: Repurposing an existing company to integrate BAM principles into it

There is no right or wrong way to get involved in BAM, but here are some helpful ideas and a roundup of resources for whichever option you are exploring…

General Resources for Everyone

Whatever your approach or path, here are a few resources that will help you get a good foundation in BAM:

BAM Global Summit

Join us at our online BAM Global Summit on Thursday 9th May. With the tagline Accelerate… your journey, your business, the movement, together – the whole goal is to inspire, equip and connect you for your unique journey in BAM. Get a glimpse of what God is doing around the world in business as mission and discover how to be a part of it. Find out more here.

BAM Manifesto

The BAM Manifesto is our foundational document to frame business as mission; it shares in one page what BAM is all about. Read it here.

Why We’re Passionate about Caring for God’s Creation [Photo Journal]

8 February 2024/in Environment & Creation Care, Photo Essays, Video, Audio & Photo Blogs/by Guest Author

Every BAM company is an environmental company. They are having an impact on the environment and the environment is having an impact on them. – Mark Polet

In December we ran a series on BAM and Creation Care on The BAM Review and on social media we asked readers to share their favourite photos of the environment to show us why creation care is at the heart of BAM!

This is why creation is worth caring for through our business as mission initiatives:

“The Tea garden I photographed means everything to me. It is where I started life as a school-going child, and my salvation experience came through in one such Tea garden. Moreover, I love mountains. I really love nature! I firmly believe they’re the best gift of God’s love and communication to us and to me in particular!! If we as humanity miss out on noticing and especially taking care of the good nature by protecting its habitat, we lose everything. I have done my best to engage in practices that encourage wildlife, for example a peacock, which is our national bird and of great importance roams around our house and we as a family notice them and even allow them the space they need in our premises too!!” – Callistus Read more

12 Ways that Business as Mission is Bigger Than You Think

31 January 2024/in BAM 101: Introduction, Latest/by Guest Author

As we start the new year, we are revisiting some foundational material on what business as mission means. Here’s a classic article from Mats to expand our thinking about BAM.

By Mats Tunehag

Business as Mission is a growing global movement of Christians in the marketplace asking: How can we shape business to serve people, align with God’s purposes, be good stewards of the planet and make a profit?

We are on a mission in and through business. It is for example a mission of justice. One could even say ‘Business as Justice’. This and other terms may help us understand the holistic and transformational nature of Business as Mission.

Let me give 12 brief examples. The list could be made longer, but these 12 will hopefully show that Business as Mission is not just doing business with a touch of “churchianity”.

1. Business as Justice

God loves justice and hates injustice. God sent prophets again and again who spoke out against injustice, and they demanded change and correction. Injustice often manifested itself in the marketplace: it was corruption, labor exploitation and abuse of vulnerable people like immigrants. To pursue honest business and care for staff is Business as Justice. To treat customers and suppliers well is also a part of this God honoring pursuit. Business as Justice includes fighting corruption and bribery.

2. Business as True Religion

True worship is to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27). These are two vulnerable groups, who often are exploited in the marketplace today. Human traffickers often target lonely children. Circumstances and cunning people may force widows into prostitution. These are realities in many parts of the world. Who will offer orphans and widows a future; give them jobs with dignity, so they can support themselves and others? That would be Business as True Religion.

3. Business as Shalom

Shalom is a Biblical concept of good and harmonious relationships. But relationships were damaged and broken through the fall in Genesis chapter 3. Through Christ there is a way to restored relationship with God, with one another, and with creation. Business is so much about relationships, with staff, colleagues, peers, customers, clients, suppliers, family, community, tax authorities, and so forth. How can we as Christians in business strive towards Shalom; Business as Shalom?

4. Business as Stewardship

Every human being has been entrusted with gifts and talents. In business we also talk about assets. Stewardship is another important Biblical concept. How can we use what we have to serve? What does stewardship mean when we own and / or run a business? God has given some people strong entrepreneurial gifts. They can be used for God and for the common good through business. It is the same with managerial gifts or gifts of bookkeeping or sales. We should encourage people with business skills to be good stewards of their gifts – Business as Stewardship.

5. Business as Servant Leadership

Jesus came to serve. He was an example of good and godly leadership. Many books are written on this topic and it indicates the importance of the very concept of servant leadership. Doing business as unto the Lord means that we also explore what servant leadership means in the business context. It is not a simple formula or a cookie cutter approach. It may look differently in different industries and cultures. But the key underlying principle is to serve people, communities, nations, and God. We are too often reminded about the lack of good leadership in the business world. Business as Servant Leadership is more than needed. Read more

Business With a Mission: Go With God and the Flow

9 January 2024/in BAM 101: Introduction, Latest/by Jo Plummer

A New Year message from BAM Global leader Mats Tunehag, with a reminder to go with God and the flow this year.

By Mats Tunehag

God called Abraham to leave his hometown and go to another country. The direction was clear, but it was a journey with few, if any, details sketched out.

Moses wanted to help his enslaved fellow Jews, but he acted violently and prematurely. He was sent on a cool down period which lasted for decades. But then God appeared to him and called him on a defined mission: Freedom!

Again, it involved a journey, but little did he and the others know that it would take 40 years. The mission was clear, but it was not a detailed five-year strategic plan that steered them. God guided Moses and the people of Israel on their long journey. They repeatedly had to problem-solve as they faced new issues and entered uncharted territories.

Called to a mission with no plan?

There’s a long list of people in the Old Testament who God called to a mission, but they were not given a plan. They tended to doubt their ability to fulfill their roles and missions. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks observes about Moses and others:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” said Moses to God. “And how can I possibly get the Israelites out of Egypt?” Ex. 3:11 … “…people who turn out to be the most worthy are the ones who deny they are worthy at all. The Prophet Isaiah, when charged with his mission, said, ‘I am a man of unclean lips’ (Is. 6:5). Jeremiah said, ‘I cannot speak, for I am a child’ (Jer. 1:6). David, Israel’s greatest king, echoed Moses’ words, ‘Who am I?’ (2 Samuel 7:18). Jonah, sent on a mission by God, tried to run away.

They were people who doubted their own abilities. There were times when they felt like giving up. Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah and Jonah reached points of such despair that they prayed to die. … It is almost as if a sense of smallness is a sign of greatness.[1]

Caught between a rock and a hard place

Moses had left the royal court and he was no longer one of them. And his people of birth initially rejected him as a leader. Now he was to talk to two groups which didn’t trust him, and he really wasn’t deeply connected with either one. And the demands Moses presented to Pharaoh did not reveal a comprehensive plan.

We may sometimes feel like Moses, caught between a rock and a hard place, pursuing business with a mission. Not quite accepted by the church, and not fully understood by the business community. At times it may not be easy to convey our mission, as not everything can be quantified and put in a strategic plan. Also, things may progress a lot slower than we anticipate.

It is also worth noting that encounters with God were followed by a mission, people were given an assignment. It was not just a moment of bliss for their own edification. Rather, it often meant hardships coming up, and a life with many unknowns. They were to be true to God and their God-given mission, but they didn’t have a detailed plan, nor could they fully comprehend the implications of the journeys they started. Read more

Restoring Barren Soils and Barren Hearts: Announcing [Re]Generation

21 December 2023/in Environment & Creation Care, Latest/by Guest Author

Every BAM company is an environmental company. They are having an impact on the environment and the environment is having an impact on them. – Mark Polet

This month we are delighted to share a series on BAM and Creation Care on The BAM Review. While COP28 is focused on the crucial issue of climate in UAE right now, we know that creation care is much broader and that it’s God’s idea! As Christians in business, with a missional intention, we have a unique opportunity to be leaders creating positive environmental impact through enterprise. In their final post, Mark and Anugraha challenge us towards restoration and [Re]Generation.

By Mark Polet, with Anugraha Gaikwad

In our work, Challenge and Hope, we have made the link between regions with poor air quality and water stress to those who still need to hear the Good News.

Acute environmental damage and degradation is often to be found in places suffering dire poverty and in places relatively unreached with the gospel. This presents BAM practitioners and investors the challenge and opportunity to respond holistically with environmental solutions at the heart of their business model. Business as Mission companies serve people who face great environmental, even existential, challenges. BAM practitioners are on the ground already in many areas of the greatest need and are positioned to respond. [1]

Since then, Mark’s work in Central Asia has also shown that a similar link exists between barren soils and barren hearts, though, at this point the analysis is still qualitative.

Christ brings back flourishing to creation and to our hearts at the same time. All creation is restored through Him (see Colossians 1:15-20). Our passion is to restore barren lands even as we restore barren hearts.

In 2021, at the BAM Global Congress online, we celebrated those who have used their God-given talents to develop environmental technologies in the BAM space from Canada to Australia, and from Indonesia to India (watch Mark’s presentation from the Congress below). We called this the Environmental Technology Initiative.

Now, we are pleased to announce [Re]Generation: “Restoring the biome so generations can flourish.” The flourishing is both spiritual and ecological. This new initiative will likely extend beyond business as mission in order to fulfill the restoration, but BAM is an important component.

Our goal is to integrate ecological restoration with the restoration of the heart. The exciting thing is that there are BAM companies already involved from micro-irrigation to regenerative agriculture, from soil science and ecological design. As well, interested professionals from related fields such as landscape architects and ecologists are ready to help. It is as if the Lord has already laid out the pieces there for us to assemble — to His Glory. Read more

How are We Doing? Integrating BAM and Creation Care

13 December 2023/in Environment & Creation Care, Latest/by Guest Author

Every BAM company is an environmental company. They are having an impact on the environment and the environment is having an impact on them. – Mark Polet

This month we are delighted to share a series on BAM and Creation Care on The BAM Review. While COP28 is focused on the crucial issue of climate in UAE right now, we know that creation care is much broader and that it’s God’s idea! As Christians in business, with a missional intention, we have a unique opportunity to be leaders creating positive environmental impact through enterprise. In this second post, Mark and Anugraha explore how we are doing.

By Anugraha Gaikwad with Mark Polet

It takes courage to start a business, especially in a new land among new people and culture. It takes even more courage to keep going and not pull down the shutter amidst the adversities and challenges. One does not necessarily have to hold a degree in business management or international relationships to start a business when the Lord asks you to. One must simply have a heart of compassion and humility and take the first steps. [1]

How are you doing?

Many of you are already doing that all over God’s good earth. Some of you are in areas prone to flash floods and landslides, while others are in areas stressed with depleting water levels, heavy smog, or poor soils. Some of you may lack the resources, institutions, or facilities to completely process your waste, while some may find it too expensive to change to more environmentally sustainable ways. So, how are you doing? In this blog, we will talk about the BAM journey to care for God’s creation, people and planet. We hope to provide some inspiration for those who are looking for ways to care for the garden God created, for us to work and tend.

In January 2020, BAM practitioners were polled about their environmental practices and the challenges therein. In the poll, 72% BAMers state that environmental stewardship is part of their business. However, a considerable 73% of the respondents have been unable to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) in their organisation [2]. Where are you in your journey of environmental stewardship and what support do you need? Reach out to us in the comments via email to let us know.

Loving others and caring for creation

The most successful businesses are those that fail a lot, as they keep trying something new that hasn’t been done before. Be the kind of business that does what others won’t and can’t do. If your neighbours face food and nutritional insecurity or lack clean drinking water, you could be the company to step into the gap. That is exactly what will make your organisation distinguished and sought after in the marketplace! It will not only create opportunities to care for the resources the Lord has blessed you with around your company, but will also make an impact on the people you work with by giving them dignity in the work they do and will be an opportunity to act out the love of our Father for your neighbours. Read more

Flourishing Creation: Our Why for Environmental Impact through BAM

6 December 2023/in Environment & Creation Care, Latest/by Guest Author

Every BAM company is an environmental company. They are having an impact on the environment and the environment is having an impact on them. – Mark Polet

This month we are delighted to share a series on BAM and Creation Care on The BAM Review. While COP28 is focused on the crucial issue of climate in UAE right now, we know that creation care is much broader and that it’s God’s idea! As Christians in business, with a missional intention, we have a unique opportunity to be leaders creating positive environmental impact through enterprise. In this first post, Mark and Anugraha share the WHY.

By Mark Polet, with Anugraha Gaikwad

He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. – Mark 16:15

In the busyness of business it is often easy to lose sight of how our salvation is intimately tied with the flourishing of creation. The integration of good environmental discipline into a thriving business is an act of worship.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.

Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

Praise the Lord from the earth,

You sea monsters and all deeps;

Fire and hail, snow and clouds,

Stormy wind, fulfilling God’s word;

Mountains and all hills,

Fruit trees and all cedars;

Beasts and all cattle;

Creeping things and winged fowl…

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

For God’s name alone is exalted;

God’s glory is above earth and heaven.” Psalm 148: 7–10, 13

We worship. Creation worships. We are singing in the same choir!

Every raw material you use in your business comes from that creation. You share that fact with every living being. Read more

Business Hope in Adversity: An Interview with a BAM Company in the Middle East

16 November 2023/in BAM Endurance & Well-being, Company Culture, Features, Latest/by Staff Writer

In our series this month “Exploring BAM as Justice: Choosing Hope in the Face of Challenge” we’re taking a deep dive into the intersection of faith, business, and complex global realities. We’ll be looking at business as mission’s impact on poverty and justice issues across the globe. In this interview, we have the privilege of hearing from a BAM practitioner in the Middle East.

Malika H and her husband began their tourism company in Türkiye over 20 years ago.

The couple has since fostered not only a highly successful business – bringing in sustainable profits and demonstrating their commitment to the four bottom lines – but also a vibrant and close-knit community within their company.

The couple’s appreciation for life makes them excellent curators of delightful experiences for customers and friends who travel to Türkiye. Having spent time with them in the past, I also witnessed firsthand how they cultivate a culture of genuine joy, optimism, and connection around them.

It hasn’t always been easy. External threats and difficult operating conditions have affected this company in tangible ways. For this series on BAM as Justice, we wanted to share a firsthand perspective of holding onto hope and demonstrating integrity and justice, in the face of challenge.

….and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thes 4: 11-14

I took a sip of my morning coffee as Malika set up her camera. It was still dark out, my eyes were still adjusting to the bright desk light, and although my questions weren’t as elegantly prepared as I would have liked, I knew that what I would hear from Malika was going to be good.

It was sweet to see her again, even if just over video chat.

I pulled up my notes and started by asking Malika to add some background:

What sort of company is it? Where are they located? How did they start? And how do they navigate operating a business in their region?

Our tourism company is located in Türkiye, which is a very desirable destination on the global travel scene. We don’t usually have to convince people to want to come here, nevertheless, it can be a volatile area.

We started our company several years after 9/11, which set the stage for the reality of what it’s like to run a tourism company in a part of the world that is connected to the Middle East. At that time, all the tourism had dropped, and it was a long process requiring a period of stability and calm to see the industry return.

Since then, we’ve had to ride several waves of ups and downs…

Grow Your BAM Network! Tips to Start a Business as Mission Network in Your Region or Country [Video]

31 October 2023/in BAM is Global, Latest, Video, Audio & Photo Blogs/by Staff Writer

We have been sharing a series throughout October on ‘What in the World is God Doing through Business as Mission?!’ We’ve been aiming to ‘put the global into BAM Global’ by highlighting encouraging BAM developments from different parts of the world during this month.

If reading about the work of BAM networks in different Regions and Countries this month has inspired you to start your own network, here’s a really helpful ‘Fireside Chat Interview’ that BAM Global Chairman Mats Tunehag recorded in November 2020 for the BAM Global Congress series of online events:

What in the World is God Doing through BAM Canada?! [Video]

27 October 2023/in BAM is Global, Latest, Video, Audio & Photo Blogs/by Staff Writer

We are sharing a series throughout October on ‘What in the World is God Doing through Business as Mission?!’ We are aiming to ‘put the global into BAM Global’ by highlighting encouraging BAM developments from different parts of the world during this month.

God is on the move across the Americas! To provide an insight into just one part of it, Shay interviewed BAM Canada Co-Founder, Carrie-Anne Ballantyne.

Listen to their interview for a deep-dive into what BAM Canada is doing, how it is growing, and some really helpful tips for how to start and nurture a BAM network in your area:

What in the world is God doing through BAM Canada, interview highlights:

The founders of BAM Canada had got involved in BAM Global and saw a gap for building a BAM network and facilitating more engagement in business as mission in the nation of Canada.
BAM Canada hosts a private membership community, runs monthly events, and helps support and grow the work of local networks around the country.
The network and events focus on one of the bottom-lines of BAM each quarter of the year: Purpose, Planet, People and Profit.
As well as engaging business people and entrepreneurs, BAM Canada has also been offering opportunities to connect for church leaders, mission leaders, and academics.
BAM Canada has definitely built on the pioneering work of the team at BAM Vancouver. All sorts of networks are possible and needed: city/local, region-in-country, national, world region.
Top tip if you are thinking of starting a network in your locality: don’t despise small beginnings!! Start by getting together with a few others and talking and praying about what you can do.
Network or community building isn’t just ‘build it and they will come’. It takes a lot of effort to keep communicating and many one-on-one conversations.
A foundational part of establishing BAM Canada was a listening trip to several cities, to ask entrepreneurs and business people what they saw was missing and discovering felt needs. From this exercise they saw three themes: 1. Business entrepreneurs felt alone in their journey, 2. A common language was missing, so the concept of BAM wasn’t clear, and 3. There weren’t many ‘Canadian stories’ being told.
They are seeing a growing interest in business as mission and stories of BAM in action, especially Canadian stories, really helps people get inspired.
BAM Canada have been asking themselves how to close the gaps between people becoming inspired by the idea of business as mission and then getting actively involved.
Don’t do it alone – join in with events and networks that are already happening – and PRAY! Ask God what he has for you.
You can discover more and join the BAM Canada network from their website here: businessasmission.ca

What in the World is God Doing through Business as Mission?! [Video]

6 October 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest, Video, Audio & Photo Blogs/by Guest Author

We are starting a new series for October on ‘What in the World is God Doing through Business as Mission?!’ We are aiming to ‘put the global into BAM Global’ by highlighting encouraging BAM developments from different parts of the world throughout this month.

First up, here’s a primer from one of our global leaders, Mats Tunehag, on the global business as mission movement and how it has been growing.

Putting the Global into BAM Global

Business as Mission (BAM) is a biblical concept; BAM is also a practice, a particular way of doing business; and it is a global movement made up of many companies and organisations around the world.
People from all continents and backgrounds are involved in business as mission – those engaged in business, as well as mission agencies, churches and academic institutions.
Networks are collaborating across the world, sharing fruitful practices and connecting for greater Kingdom impact.
Did you know that some of the oldest established BAM networks come from Asia, for example Indonesia and South Korea?
As well as a growing number of BAM companies, there are initiatives helping the BAM ecosystem to flourish, including investment, mentoring, prayer, mobilisation and network building, among many others.
BAM regional networks are growing around the world, with BAM resources being developed in different languages – look out for some reports from different regions coming up this month on the blog.
Discover more about what we do at BAM Global here: bamglobal.org/about

How the Church Can Engage in Discipling Marketplace Leaders

14 June 2023/in BAM and the Church, Latest/by Guest Author

by Dr. Phil Walker and Renita Reed-Thomson

There is a story told about a frog in a kettle. The frog is placed in a kettle of cold water. The frog does not notice that the water temperature is being turned up gradually until it is too late. He dies from the heat of the water, not realizing the danger he was in.

The Global Church is suffering from the “frog in the kettle” syndrome. As people increase in financial security, they tend to decrease their dependence on God. It is time to get the frog out of the kettle! In many parts of the world the local church has moved from an evangelical, spiritual force in the community to a closed off social activity in the corner. This move away from the vitality of government, education and business is slowly making the local church irrelevant to the community it is called to serve as a light. Like the frog in the pot, we are slowly reaching a boiling point from which we will not recover our critical role and calling. The dropping statistics of church attendance in both Europe and North America is alarming. Failure to make Jesus relevant in the marketplace will lead to a failure of mission. While business as mission has found a niche in the Christian community, it is not fulfilling its potential.

In 2004 the Occasional Paper on Business as Mission from The Lausanne Movement called on the church to disciple and release its members to be lights in the community.

We call upon the church worldwide to identify, affirm, pray for, commission, and release business people and entrepreneurs to exercise their gifts and calling as business people in the world—among all peoples and to the ends of the earth.

In the same proclamation it called on the business people to live out their calling as Ambassadors, moving out of the four walls of the church into the four corners of the marketplace. Read more

A Movement of Consumers: Exploring Our Ethical Purchasing Power

10 May 2023/in Features/by Staff Writer

The BAM movement is not just a movement of business people. It’s a movement of consumers. We are all consumers, so while it’s crucial that BAM business owners are making ethical decisions regarding their supply chain and workforce, it could be argued that collectively as consumers we command an even greater power to shape ethical business practices. And any business owner knows that no matter how great their team or how ethical and mission-driven their business model – if there are no consumers lining up to buy their fantastic products, they cannot make the impact they hope to make.

So, as consumers who believe in the business as mission movement, what are we doing? Are we researching the products we’re buying? Are we checking their environmental footprint, or whether they are associated with injustices such as ethnic cleansing or child labour – or simply paying unfair wages? Do we care about the economic, social, or spiritual bottom lines of the businesses we’re purchasing or sourcing from? Purchasing decisions are powerful!

Opening Eyes

I discussed the topic with a group of colleagues in my neighborhood. I asked openly if this was something that they cared about, and one of them responded very honestly, “I prefer not to know the ethical backgrounds behind the things I buy… I just don’t want to put in the effort to research. If I knew, I would feel like I had more responsibility and then I would have to make decisions based on that information and I don’t want to. It feels inconvenient and I don’t feel I have the money or the time.”

This was an eye-opener. Yet the truth is that the majority of the world does not consider the ethical consequences behind the purchases they make, whether that is due to lack of information, money, time, access, or motivation. Even when people do have the resources and arguments for ethical purchases have been thoroughly integrated into major marketing messages, many are still inclined towards convenience.

For those of us in the privileged position to be able to make informed consumer choices, how do we begin to make better ones?

As believers we should certainly care about the impact our purchases have on the “least of these” – those populations most susceptible to exploitation. What would happen if we aligned our regular purchasing habits with our calling from God’s to care for His most vulnerable people? What could happen if we factored our God-given assignment to tend and steward creation as we shopped? What would we communicate if our neighbors saw us living out a deep care for the world they live in and the people they live with, in all aspects of life, not just from our ‘religious’ platforms.

We’re called to be good stewards of our money and resources and as BAMers, we should be leaders in this area. Is it okay to say we care about the least-reached and poorest of the poor whilst also (unintentionally or not) funding slavery, bad air quality, or unjust working conditions? How can we champion at-risk communities in public forums and also when we spend our money? As people who care passionately about how business reflects the glory of God, we have the opportunity to amplify our message and act on our values with our purchasing power.

Consumer demand drives the market. So, as ethical consumers, let’s do our part to drive the market for the glory of God and care of His people!

Easier said than done.

But also, not impossible. My personal take is that redemption comes through research. So here are some simple strategies for making ethical purchases:

Learn more

Start by researching ethical purchasing or products, in general, to find out ideas on how to integrate them easily into your lifestyle. Take a deep dive into learning more about it. This is the best way to start caring.

Check here to view ethical company scores

Here’s another example of an ethical shopping guide

Access Tearfund USA ethical shopping resources

Learn more about ethical fashion

Most resources like the above are based in a particular geographical region, though they contain many useful principles that can be widely applied. Search your country or region for resources that apply to your area.

Chat about it

Then, talk with friends and your community about it. If you have a friend who cares strongly about the environment, they’ll probably know which companies not to shop with. If you have a friend who is passionate about ending slavery, I’ll bet they have a small list of companies they won’t touch with a ten-foot pole. Get those word-of-mouth recommendations from people you trust and keep the conversation going.

Browse the ingredients

One of the easiest ways to provide some sort of middle ground for someone who doesn’t necessarily have the money or the resources to always buy the brands we wish we could is to at least browse the ingredients list on regular grocery purchases. Do some research on goods produced for your market and avoid products that are often unethically sourced such as palm oil, mica, or non-certified cocoa.

Read the labels

Take a quick glance over the labels on a product, or check into the company’s certifications. It’s not always the easiest or an official determiner for a company’s ethical footprint but it can at least help. For clothing check for labels such as Fairtrade, organic, WFTO, or Fair Wear. For food and drinks, look for labels such as Fairtrade, Fair for Life, Rainforest Alliance UTZ, free range, palm oil free, or MSC. For health products look out for Fairtrade, BDIH, Natrue, or Leaping Bunny.

Promote ethical companies

In the BAM and Freedom Business spheres we know of so many great, genuinely ethical companies that are not only striving for environmental and social bottom lines, but want to use their companies to share the love of God with people. Let’s tell our friends about them! Let’s rally around the businesses and brands we love and know are out there doing good in the world. What a simple and effective way to support what God is doing around the world.

Pro tips:

Shop Freedom Business Alliance

Shop Dignity Coconuts

Shop Simple Coffee

Shop Dinadi

Shop Earth Heir

Shop Imani Collective

Shop Deux Mains

Shop Thistle Farms

Shop Outland Denim

The first two on the list above produce Ethical Shopping Gift Guides and Directories that will connect you to a whole lot more companies. Get in touch with us if you have more great ideas.

Don’t Promote Unethical Companies

There’s an unbelievable sale online where we can buy an item for four times cheaper than market value. We tell everyone we know. At least this is my first response! But before we jump to telling everyone, let’s ask how they can afford to sell the product for so little. Let’s do our research and make sure the company treats its workers ethically and uses sustainable practices. People are more inclined towards convenience. We’ll tend to jump at the opportunity for cheaper, faster products. But by not promoting an unethical sale or company, by avoiding wearing brand logos or sharing that less-than-ethical online deal, we can do a lot of good over the long-term.

~

Here in the USA, we are doing last minute Mother’s Day shopping this week. What are you buying this week that you can think more intentionally about? Whether it’s an occasional gift or our weekly grocery shop, let’s step into our next purchasing decisions with integrity and care, not just for our own family, but for all peoples and the world we live in.

You can use the strategies above to guide you through your purchase decision this year. Or, if you’re already a champion of ethical purchasing, let us know what ethical companies you love to shop at or what strategies you use when stewarding your purchasing power. Please share them with us at editor@businessasmission.com.

Shay acts as the communication assistant for the BAM Global team. As a full time content creator and web developer, Shay uses her skills to partner with community-building organizations.

The BAM Global Summit: A Time to Glorify the Work of God

2 May 2023/in Features/by Staff Writer

It is difficult to capture what it was like to attend the BAM Global Summit. It’s tough to do justice to the experience of hundreds of people sharing their ideas and prayers live and in real-time from all corners of the world. Of hearing testimonies of how God is moving through His people in business on each continent. When God’s people come together like they did, in one heart and mind to share about God’s work in their stories, it is holy and it is sacred.

To me, this year’s BAM Global Summit was a divine opportunity. Who else gets to see this? Who else gets to hear these testimonies of how God is glorifying His Name through business? How many opportunities are there to hear about God’s work on such a massive and global scale? It brings new depth and meaning to the words “And you shall be my witnesses in all of the earth.” We, quite literally, were able to witness God working on a global level through this medium of business.

After reflecting on the stories heard at this year’s Summit, one thing stood out clearly: God is using business and business people to bring Himself glory on a global scale. This was highlighted in three ways:

1. BAM is springing up naturally in the hearts of people worldwide – even people who aren’t aware of the global movement

2. The BAM movement is from everywhere to everywhere

3. The Spirit of God comforts and supports His people in BAM, and also through the strength of the BAM community

It was great that we were able to come together online to celebrate, praise, and glorify the Lord for His marvelous works through business.

A Global Work Springing Up Naturally

We may have had moments in the past when it felt like we were pioneering a movement. After attending the Summit, it’s hard to still think we are the pioneers. Rather, it’s evident that God is the one heading up this movement. We can tell because of the countless reports of the people of God starting businesses and engaging in the market with the intention of seeing God’s Kingdom reign on the earth. And this is springing up everywhere, with no other central coordination than the stirring of the Holy Spirit. Many have begun without BAM terminology or resourcing and get connected to the wider community later.

Bill, who has been traveling around the globe to visit with and encourage BAM practitioners, reported,

“I came across this really interesting BAM operation with people who really knew nothing about the movement. What that indicated to me was the movement was really a reflection of what God is doing. And sometimes he keeps doing it even though the folks he’s doing it with haven’t figured out how to connect with the rest of us.”

K from Pakistan reported on a recent initiative in that nation,

“Two hundred people from all across the nation came at one single call. God is really doing something big… people from the international community were there, the people from the business community were there, the people leading the vision were there. It was such a great motivation, and we all together just decided that we will take this as a movement. It is not project-like thinking or activity-based thinking, it is not just an idea. It’s a passion for us to change the paradigm, it’s a dream to see the Christian entrepreneurs in the marketplace in our country.”

As the Summit gave us the opportunity to connect and reflect together, it’s no longer the feeling of a small and starting movement but an evidential explosion into the world of commerce being brought about by God at work and the prayers of the saints. As a community, we’re seeing the fruits we’ve prayed for and realizing it is far beyond ourselves – we give thanks for God’s work.

From Everywhere to Everywhere

On multiple occasions throughout the Summit it was reported, “It’s not just ‘West to the rest’, it’s from everywhere to everywhere”. The phrase “West to the rest” came about because early in the history of Protestant missions, many missionaries went out from Europe and the Americas with the goal of bringing the gospel to the whole world.

But the picture of global mission has been changing for some decades and this is true in the business as mission movement today. From our time at the BAM Global Summit, we heard from global leaders located in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East reporting how they’ve seen new business ventures blossoming, growing, thriving, and multiplying – and entrepreneurs and professionals being mobilized. We are witnesses that He is at work throughout the whole business world.

Not only that, but we’re celebrating together on a global scale. It felt like a glimpse of Revelation: that every tribe, tongue, and nation will come together to praise Him! In our virtual and increasingly connected world, we live in a time when it is beginning to feel commonplace for different tribes, tongues, and nations to come together praising the Lord. Has the world ever been like this before? The Summit was certainly a wonderful opportunity to experience it.

This is how we know it is the Lord at work, and that we are part of His purposes: that people from everywhere are coming together, in unity and fellowship with people they have nothing in common with but the Lord. And that people from everywhere are going everywhere to proclaim His name.

The Ministry of the Spirit of God and the Strength of the BAM Community

The final highlight of the Summit for me, the story I heard time and time again, was how deeply personal and involved God was in each BAMer’s story. In times of tragedy and hardship, pain and hurt – which were quite vulnerably and honestly shared from the main stage and during breakouts – God showed up and spoke into each life, heart, and circumstance.

BAMers go through very specific and unique types of hardships. Though everyone has tough times and trials, businesspeople face a unique set of problems that can be difficult for others to understand and relate to. Add to that an intense passion to serve the Lord, an onslaught of spiritual warfare and trials that seem to go hand-in-hand with daily life. Those who shared from these places of hardship and struggle testified how God had powerfully and uniquely lifted and encouraged them in their tough moments.

One BAM leader said,

“Many people in this realm find a disconnect from their church, from their support… It becomes somewhat difficult. The more serious they are about the business the less they’re understood. One of the positive effects I’ve experienced and seen in others is that you will probably be led more to lean on the Lord Himself rather than the structural systems [you had] before. As a result of that, the Lord is the real resource that we have, the only resource we have in some cases.”

Often those in the surrounding community – including employees and coworkers – were the ones who delivered hope and encouragement from the Lord, giving BAM practitioners the strength to press forward into what God had called them to.

Julie gave a testimony from the main stage of one of her darkest moments and how her community strengthened her faith,

“The car caught on fire, it blew up and it was the only company asset we had. Then there was a robbery at our factory and they stole our generator, batteries, tools… And I kid you not, then there was a flood and all our raw materials were flooded, and then I got dengue fever. This was one month. I was so low and felt so abandoned and so alone, I didn’t know if these were the signs to walk away…. The healing part of that story, the God part, was through my business partner Jolina. I came into the office after I got better and I was crying, and she let me cry for about a minute and she took her thumbs and wiped my tears away and she said ‘Okay, back to work’. And it was that spirit and the faith that they (this people group) had, that allowed me the strength to carry on. She was showing me the love of the Lord in her response to me, by not allowing me to stay down and lifting me up.”

God is the One we rely on, but having a community and BAM ecosystem around us gives courage in times of discouragement… and the resources to grow in times of flourishing.

It was an incredible Summit this year; so evidently God is moving and working in the lives of His businesspeople around the world. What a wonderful time it was to celebrate, be encouraged, and praise together with you all!

As we reflect on all that we learned together and on the work of the Lord among us, I pray that these truths would sink into our hearts afresh. We are part of a movement ignited by God and it is God’s Spirit that sustains us, in community with one another – all for His Name’s sake and His glory among the nations.

Sign up for BAM Global News or The BAM Review email to hear about future events.

Shay acts as the communication assistant for the BAM Global team. As a full time content creator and web developer, Shay uses her skills to partner with community-building organizations.

A Thread in a Tapestry Part 2: Tools to Understand Who I Am in the Context of My Community

21 April 2023/in Features, Latest, Launching & Landing/by Staff Writer

In last week’s blog, we discussed understanding ourselves as threads tightly woven by God into a tapestry of community and purpose. This week we’re passing along some great resources and practical steps to pair with part 1.

God gifted each of us with unique skill sets, talents, and abilities to speak into the lives of others. In celebration of that, we have chosen some resources that have helped others 1) identify the gifts and abilities God has given them, and 2) navigate how to use those skills in workplaces and communities.

Without further ado, let’s look at some resources. ‌

Understanding ourselves in BAM

First things first, a great way for someone to understand how their personal calling to business might play out in the context of what God is doing around the world is for them to attend a BAM conference. The BAM Global Summit (online) is coming up this week and provides excellent opportunities for people to discover opportunities to contribute their skills and experiences and hear how God is using others with similar callings to fulfill His Kingdom’s purposes.

BAM Global conferences are community-driven and centered on connection. People all over the world come together to share stories and exchange experiences. As we listen and share we begin to develop a greater understanding of the grand tapestry God is weaving around the world through BAM. For some of us, we may begin to better understand the ways God has been preparing us and what He is calling us to do. Having this sacred time to sit with God and hear from the global church body practicing business for His kingdom is a great opportunity to reflect or launch into something new. We leave with fresh ideas, strategies, and a better understanding of how we fit and how we can impact others. Read more

A Thread in a Tapestry: How God has Woven Us into His Story

14 April 2023/in Features, Latest, Prayer in the Business/by Staff Writer

Our individual stories are like the “threads in the tapestry” that make up the story of mankind. Each unique thread contributes to the whole picture. This week in The BAM Review, we will use this metaphor as we consider our stories in the context of God’s story, business as mission, and the stories of people around us.

A thread cannot see the whole picture of the tapestry, but the Maker of the tapestry can

Understanding how and where we fit into God’s story is complicated. We’ll never fully know the reason we’ve been woven into the relationships, positions of authority, communities, or situations we are in now.

This can be intensified for BAMers, who are often part of a challenging and complex picture. At some points we might have the most authority in the room, at others we may have the least. Some of us may have many friends, people we’re discipling, and feel rooted in our communities. Others of us may feel outsiders as we grapple with language and cultural differences. Some may have thriving businesses and the capacity to expand. Others of us may have been trying for years and never made it into the black. Many of us have gone between these extremes. Yet God is capable of weaving all of our experiences and all of these extremes into a glorious tapestry. He is able to redeem our circumstances to His glory. In the process, He has more innovative and creative solutions than we ever could imagine.

As just one thread in the tapestry, we know that in our most intensely dry, brittle seasons and in our most glorious and beautiful seasons, we are being woven by Him. God will weave our complicated stories into his big picture, even if we never are able to see the whole.

A thread is deeply interwoven with other threads around it and cannot be separated from the tapestry

A tapestry must be tightly and strategically woven or else it is just a pile of threads, not a picture. Business and mission are both relationship-oriented and we can clearly see how intertwined, dependent upon, and connected we are with other people – the other threads in our picture.

As business people, we consider others daily. How are we providing value for our customers? How are we benefiting our stakeholders? We consider and weigh our interactions with employees, bosses, coworkers, teammates, and the surrounding community. We have more reason than most to deeply consider our interactions with others because the life of the business depends on it. In business we are acutely aware of our connectedness to, and our dependence upon, other people. Read more

BAM Out of Brokenness: An Easter Reflection

7 April 2023/in BAM Success Factors, Latest, Prayer in the Business/by Jo Plummer

Today is Good Friday*. A day absolutely central to the gospel story and to our lived experience as followers of Jesus.

One of our scripture readings in our monthly BAM Prayer Call this week was of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53:

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

This is the picture that we have of Jesus on Good Friday – our wounded healer.

And we are reminded that as followers of Jesus, we too are called to be wounded healers in a broken world.

As we contemplate Christ dead on the Cross, our thoughts turn to the countless injustices and sufferings which prolong his passion in every part of the world. I think of the places where man is insulted and humiliated, downtrodden and exploited. In every person suffering from hatred and violence, or rejected by selfishness and indifference, Christ continues to suffer and die. On the faces of those who have been “defeated by life” there appear the features of the face of Christ dying on the Cross. Ave, Crux, spes unica! Today too, from the Cross there springs hope for all. – Pope John Paul II, Good Friday, 10 April 1998.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

In just a few short weeks we will be gathering together at our BAM Global Summit, an online connecting point for the global business as mission community.

Doing BAM out of a place of brokenness and weakness, with a posture of humility and dependency on the Lord, has been a theme that the Lord has highlighted to us. Read more

Future BAM Challenges: Keeping Momentum in the Right Direction

29 March 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

We asked a group of BAM leaders:

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

If yes, please share a little of the ‘how, why and what’ of that development. If no, please share what you feel has helped or what is still needed.

From the responses we’ve ‘charted’ the impact of the Manifesto on the BAM movement over the last few decades – read Part 1 ‘Pioneering Practitioners’ for a fuller introduction.

GRAPPLING WITH FUTURE CHALLENGES 2020s Onwards

At various times in the past twenty or so years, groups of BAM leaders have asked, ‘Where are the gaps, where are the pitfalls, what are we still wrestling with?’ These have been recurring questions in the past few years in particular, as we have contemplated ‘BAM 2.0’ two decades into intentional BAM collaboration – and especially as we prepared to come together at the BAM Global Congress in 2020 (though eventually disrupted by Covid).

The journey continues! We are still a relatively young movement and there is still much work to do and dangers to avoid for the future. One of the things we asked the twenty BAM leaders for this series was, ‘What are our current and future challenges? What is still needed to maximise future BAM growth and acceleration?’ Read more

Global BAM Ecosystem Growth and Multiplication

22 March 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, History of BAM, Latest/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

We asked a group of BAM leaders:

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

If yes, please share a little of the ‘how, why and what’ of that development. If no, please share what you feel has helped.

From the responses we’ve ‘charted’ the impact of the Manifesto on the BAM movement over the last few decades – read Part 1 ‘Pioneering Practitioners’ for a fuller introduction.

BAM ECOSYSTEM GROWTH & MULTIPLICATION Late 2000s & 2010s

The initial burst of BAM networking, advocacy and resource development in the early 2000s – including the publishing of the Lausanne Occasional Paper on BAM and the BAM Manifesto – helped to lay the foundation for a multiplication of regional networks and BAM initiatives over the following 10-15 years and resulted in the greater mobilisation of new BAM practitioners.

Ecosystem builders began to intentionally support and connect BAM companies and helped the identification and spread of fruitful practices. And while business people and companies are the central constituency in the BAM movement, there was also growing acceptance and understanding among the other key BAM constituencies of mission, church and academia. Read more

Creed or Conversation Starter? Creating a Shared BAM Understanding

14 March 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, History of BAM, Latest/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

We asked a group of BAM leaders:

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

If yes, please share a little of the ‘how, why and what’ of that development. If no, please share what you feel has helped.

From the responses we’ve ‘charted’ the impact of the Manifesto on the BAM movement over the last few decades – read Part 1 ‘Pioneering Practitioners’ for a fuller introduction.

CREATING SHARED UNDERSTANDING Late 1990s & Early 2000s

The late 1990s saw some early conversation and collaborative efforts among a small network of pioneer BAM practitioners and mission thinkers, with a couple of first books published and the term business as mission emerging through early dialogue. This led to a sudden acceleration of activity globally in the early 2000s which can only have been instigated by the Holy Spirit! Within a few short years from 2000 to 2005, the first full BAM conferences took place, networking/advocacy teams were established, the first websites launched, training courses pioneered, the first BAM investment fund began, key regional consultations started, and a small wave of further books were published.

In 2002 and 2003 the first ‘think tank’ effort for BAM was initiated, convening under the auspices of the Lausanne Movement, and a direct predecessor of BAM Global. This was the first attempt to gather a significant number of practitioners, as well as mission, church and academic leaders, to bring some consensus around the concept and practice of business as mission. In total over 90 individuals worked virtually together and around 70 convened face-to-face in November 2004, to produce the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission (2004), a landmark collaborative effort – of which the BAM Manifesto was a concluding one-page call to action. Read more

Charting the Course of the BAM Movement: Pioneering Practitioners

7 March 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, History of BAM, Latest, Research & Academics/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

The BAM Manifesto was conceived twenty years ago this year. To celebrate this milestone, we asked twenty BAM leaders whether, in their view, the Manifesto had impacted the business as mission movement, and if so how. These included practitioners, capacity builders and network leaders, representing different regions and constituencies.

We asked them:

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

If yes, please share a little of the ‘how, why and what’ of that development. If no, please share what you feel has helped.

One of our contributors suggested the Manifesto could be a ‘map’ for BAM practitioners to help them achieve their goals. Inspired by that metaphor, we’ve ‘charted’ the impact of the Manifesto on the BAM movement over the last few decades. Over the next few posts, we’ll share the stages of BAM movement growth that we observed in the responses we received:

PIONEERING PRACTITIONERS 1980s & 1990s

Although the interweaving of business and mission is nothing new and has occurred at various points throughout church history, the emergence of the contemporary BAM movement can be traced back to the 1980s and 1990s. During those years a small number of early pioneers began to practice what would come to be known as ‘business as mission’ before any unifying term had been coined for it. Prior to that, during the 1970s and 1980s, the practice and concept of ‘tentmaking’ had become more familiar. In the late 1990s out of a number of small discussion groups and conferences, the name ‘business as mission’ began to emerge as a distinct label for a small, but growing wave of integrated business-mission models. Other terms such as transformational business, business for transformation (B4T), missional entrepreneurship, plus many more in other languages, have also been used. Much more important than the specific label was an emerging dialogue around the concept, plus early networking efforts, that came right at the end of the 1990s. Read more

3 Characteristics of a Growing BAM Movement: Diverse, Learning, Multiplying

28 February 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

The BAM Manifesto was conceived twenty years ago this year. To celebrate this milestone, we asked twenty BAM leaders to reflect on what they had seen developing in the last 5 years in the business as mission movement. These included practitioners, capacity builders and network leaders, representing different regions and constituencies.

We asked them:

What have you been most encouraged by, or you have seen accelerating the most, in the last 5 years in BAM in your sphere of influence, region or network?

The responses we got were comprehensive and deeply encouraging. Although there was overlap between different points, we identified 6 main themes, characteristics of a maturing BAM movement, if you like.

In a first post last week, we introduced the first three themes in, 3 Hallmarks of a Maturing BAM Movement.

In this second post, we will cover the second three themes that emerged from the responses:

3 Characteristics of a Growing BAM Movement

These characteristics are:

Diverse – growing in global depth and breadth
Learning – growing in understanding of fruitful BAM practice
Multiplying – growing in numbers

Here are the responses of those we asked:

1. DIVERSE

The business as mission movement is growing in terms of its diversity. BAM is a global, poly-centric movement. It is not a ‘west to the rest’ model, centered on a few places – it is already ‘anywhere to anywhere’ and is becoming ‘everywhere to everywhere’. BAM is innovating, evolving, and diversifying in terms of geographical spread, industry representation, and range of impact.

I’ve been involved in BAM since the early 1990s and, while the early days were pioneering and exciting, the developments of the last 5 years have been beyond encouraging. BAM has become (or perhaps has been revealed to be) a truly international movement of God. The national, ethnic, and strategic diversity – especially that came to light as the pandemic forced us to meet virtually – is astounding and proves this is a heavenly thing not an earthly, religious trend. – MB, USA

3 Hallmarks of a Maturing BAM Movement: Affirmed, Collaborative, Connected

21 February 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest/by Jo Plummer

In this new blog series on the BAM Manifesto we are taking the different parts of the Manifesto as inspiration and exploring them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

Introduction

The opening of the BAM Manifesto explains the unique collaborative and global conversation that produced it:

The group consisted of more than 70 people from all continents. Most came from a business background but there were also church and mission leaders, educators, theologians, lawyers and researchers. The collaboration process included 60 papers, 25 case studies, several national and regional Business as Mission consultations and email-based discussions, culminating in a week of face-to-face dialogue and work.

It was vital then that different voices were represented in the process:

Both BAM practitioners and ecosystem builders
People from all regions of the world
Leaders representing our four main constituencies: business, mission, church and academia – and others.

Hearing global and representative voices is still vital today and remains a strong value.

The BAM Manifesto was conceived twenty years ago this year. To celebrate this milestone, we asked twenty BAM leaders to reflect on what they had seen developing in the last 5 years in the business as mission movement. These included practitioners, capacity builders and network leaders, representing different regions and constituencies.

We asked them:

What have you been most encouraged by, or you have seen accelerating the most, in the last 5 years in BAM in your sphere of influence, region or network?

The responses we got were comprehensive and deeply encouraging. Although there was overlap between different points, we identified 6 main themes; characteristics of a maturing BAM movement, if you like.

In this first post, we introduce the first three themes:

3 Hallmarks of a Maturing BAM Movement

These hallmarks are:

Affirmed – an increasing recognition and acceptance of BAM
Collaborative – a developing ecosystem that functions together to support BAM companies
Connected – that we are part of a wider move of God in the marketplace

Here are the responses of those we asked:

God’s Purposes for Work and Business: Our BAM Foundations

14 February 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest/by Jo Plummer

Every word of the BAM Manifesto is intentional and it begins like this:

The Lausanne 2004 Forum Business as Mission Issue Group worked for a year, addressing issues relating to God’s purposes for work and business, the role of business people in church and missions, the needs of the world and the potential response of business.

First Things First

Before we do anything else in BAM, we need to ask ourselves this question, “What are God’s purposes for work and business?” We can’t talk about ‘business as mission’ until we talk about ‘business’ – and what the Bible has to say about it.

Business is part of God’s good plan for human flourishing and has a God-designed power and role in human society. When we do business that is God-honouring, we are already responding to God’s mandate in Genesis 1 and 2 to steward the earth’s resources and enable human flourishing. That is because business has an innate God-given potential to create dignified jobs, multiply wealth and resources, provide for families and communities and push forward innovation and development in human society.

Business as mission then harnesses that God-given role and potential for human flourishing through business and applies it in God’s mission to the world, with greater intentionality and focus. That leads to us doing business in redemptive ways in our communities and across the globe, using the whole company as a response to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission: to love God and love others as ourselves, and to make disciples of all peoples, even to the ends of the earth. Read more

A Manifesto for Business as Mission

7 February 2023/in BAM 101: Introduction, Features, Latest/by Jo Plummer

The BAM Manifesto is about to celebrate a significant milestone! It was conceived 20 years ago this year, as we began work with the Business as Mission Consultation Group in 2003. This Consultation was commissioned by the Lausanne Movement, that was systematically looking at the most critical mission issues of the day. Business as mission was one of those issues and remains so.

This unique collaborative work on business as mission involved nearly 100 people working virtually together over the course of a year. This work culminated in a face-to-face meeting of 70 group members at the Lausanne Forum in 2004. The outcome was the first truly global conversation and a fledgling network for business as mission — and of course the Lausanne Occasional Paper on Business as Mission (BAM LOP).

The BAM Manifesto was the final chapter of the BAM LOP, designed to be a one-page foundational document and call to action for the growing movement. This Manifesto has subsequently taken on a life of its own and has been translated into at least 17 languages. Over the past two decades, it has had a significant part to play in building a shared understanding across the BAM community. Furthermore, it has been key in growing the business as mission movement globally and remains a foundational statement for us today. In this new blog series, we take the different parts of the BAM Manifesto as inspiration and explore them in the context of current BAM practice and the still-growing movement, twenty years on.

To kick off the series, here is the BAM Manifesto in full:

Business as Mission Manifesto

The Lausanne 2004 Forum Business as Mission Issue Group worked for a year, addressing issues relating to God’s purposes for work and business, the role of business people in church and missions, the needs of the world and the potential response of business. The group consisted of more than 70 people from all continents. Most came from a business background but there were also church and mission leaders, educators, theologians, lawyers and researchers. The collaboration process included 60 papers, 25 case studies, several national and regional Business as Mission consultations and email-based discussions, culminating in a week of face-to-face dialogue and work. These are some of our observations.

Affirmations

We believe that God has created all men & women in His image with the ability to be creative, creating good things for themselves and for others – this includes business.
We believe in following in the footsteps of Jesus, who constantly and consistently met the needs of the people he encountered, thus demonstrating the love of God and the rule of His kingdom.
We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers all members of the Body of Christ to serve, to meet the real spiritual and physical needs of others, demonstrating the kingdom of God.
We believe that God has called and equipped business people to make a Kingdom difference in and through their businesses.
We believe that the Gospel has the power to transform individuals, communities and societies. Christians in business should therefore be a part of this holistic transformation through business.
We recognise the fact that poverty and unemployment are often rampant in areas where the name of Jesus is rarely heard and understood.
We recognise both the dire need for and the importance of business development. However, it is more than just business per se. Business as Mission is about business with a Kingdom of God perspective, purpose and impact.
We recognise that there is a need for job creation and for multiplication of businesses all over the world, aiming at the quadruple bottom line: spiritual, economical, social and environmental transformation.
We recognise the fact that the church has a huge and largely untapped resource in the Christian business community to meet needs of the world – in and through business – and bring glory to God in the market place and beyond.

Tag Archive for: purpose

By Will Thomas

Co-Founder & Managing Director, Ambassadors Impact Network

1. Incorporating biblical truth into company values

Does your company include biblical principles in the corporate documents (such as mission statement, manuals, etc.)?

Listen to four people share firsthand how they are contributing their unique gifts and experiences to build the BAM ecosystem.

>> Read Part 1 of this series for ways to get involved!

by Jo Plummer

To recap, the two broad pathways are:

1) Getting involved by doing business as mission yourself, in a BAM company context, or

2) Enabling, resourcing or connecting others involved in BAM — through activities such as mentoring, investing, praying, building networks, incubating, training, mobilising, and so on!

Get Involved Building the BAM Ecosystem

Providing support and services to individual BAM companies/practitioners, such as consulting, recruiting, investing, prayer, etc.

Building a network or entrepreneurial ecosystem that focuses on a particular region, industry or issue, for example a regional BAM network, a city-focused business incubator, or an alliance or community of practice for a particular speciality.

Contributing skills or services to the global BAM ecosystem as a whole, such as training, mobilisation, communications, prayer, and so on.

Danilo, CEO of Snowman Labs

What motivated you to get involved with business as mission?

What is your role in Snowman Labs?

You transitioned Snowman Labs to incorporate BAM principals. Did you run into any challenges or discouragements along the way?

G, Team Member of a Business Incubator for Refugees in the UK

What motivated you to join the organization you’re working with?

What did you do to prepare for involvement in BAM? Can you tell us about the networking, research, learning, and formal or informal preparations you did?

by Jo Plummer

The two broad pathways are:

1) Getting involved by doing business as mission yourself, in a BAM company context, or

2) Enabling, resourcing or connecting others involved in BAM — through activities such as mentoring, investing, praying, building networks, incubating, training, mobilising, and so on!

Get Involved Doing BAM

A: Starting up a BAM company

B: Joining a BAM company that someone else has started

C: Repurposing an existing company to integrate BAM principles into it

General Resources for Everyone

BAM Global Summit

BAM Manifesto

By Mats Tunehag

1. Business as Justice

2. Business as True Religion

3. Business as Shalom

4. Business as Stewardship

5. Business as Servant Leadership

By Mats Tunehag

Called to a mission with no plan?

Caught between a rock and a hard place

By Mark Polet, with Anugraha Gaikwad

By Anugraha Gaikwad with Mark Polet

How are you doing?

Loving others and caring for creation

By Mark Polet, with Anugraha Gaikwad

What sort of company is it? Where are they located? How did they start? And how do they navigate operating a business in their region?

What in the world is God doing through BAM Canada, interview highlights:

Putting the Global into BAM Global

by Dr. Phil Walker and Renita Reed-Thomson

Opening Eyes

Learn more

Chat about it

Browse the ingredients

Read the labels

Promote ethical companies

Don’t Promote Unethical Companies

A Global Work Springing Up Naturally

From Everywhere to Everywhere

The Ministry of the Spirit of God and the Strength of the BAM Community

Understanding ourselves in BAM

A thread cannot see the whole picture of the tapestry, but the Maker of the tapestry can

A thread is deeply interwoven with other threads around it and cannot be separated from the tapestry

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

GRAPPLING WITH FUTURE CHALLENGES 2020s Onwards

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

BAM ECOSYSTEM GROWTH & MULTIPLICATION Late 2000s & 2010s

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

CREATING SHARED UNDERSTANDING Late 1990s & Early 2000s

Looking back on the development of the BAM movement globally over the last one to two decades, do you think that a shared understanding created by the BAM Manifesto – and similar materials or opportunities for dialogue – have created growth/momentum in your region, network or sphere?

PIONEERING PRACTITIONERS 1980s & 1990s

What have you been most encouraged by, or you have seen accelerating the most, in the last 5 years in BAM in your sphere of influence, region or network?

3 Characteristics of a Growing BAM Movement

Diverse – growing in global depth and breadth

Learning – growing in understanding of fruitful BAM practice

Multiplying – growing in numbers

1. DIVERSE

Introduction