The Mindset of a BAMer: Lessons from Paul the Apostle
by Min-Dong Paul Lee and Dave Pederson, Wheaton College
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.
Paul’s mindset before his conversion is marked by unwavering resolve and zeal, often expressed through forceful action. He exhibits remarkable discipline when he sets his mind on a goal, pushing forward relentlessly until he attains his objectives. Paul also never lost his focus on his calling to be a witness of Christ to the gentiles. We see discipline and focus as he reminds the younger leader, Timothy, to kindle the fire inside, to pursue godly character traits, to study Scripture, and to preach whenever possible. We see discipline and focus in Paul’s catalog of suffering for the spread of the gospel, being beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, sleep deprived, and many other pains. He knows discipline and focus require emotional, spiritual, and physical energy. At one point, he exclaims that he makes his body his slave so he will be an effective minister (1 Cor 9:27).
As a BAMer, are you approaching your calling with discipline and focus?
Adaptive
The adaptive aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset refers to the entrepreneurs’ ability to change their behaviors and methods in accordance with the changing environment and conditions. While entrepreneurs are focused on pursuing their objectives, they can be flexible and dynamic in achieving them.
Paul’s pre-conversion actions demonstrated adaptability. Initially, Paul was content to endorse Stephen’s stoning passively (Acts 7:58). But when the passive approach did not work, he changed his tactics and became more aggressive and violent (Acts 22:19). This adaptiveness foreshadowed his post-conversion success in spreading Christianity across diverse communities. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes that he is willing to adapt to the audience’s culture to win them for Christ. To the Jews, he was willing to become as a Jew, and to the Gentiles, he was willing to become as one outside the law of God. He writes that he has “become all things to all people” so that he might save some. (1 Cor 9:19-22).
We can see how he practices such nimbleness in the seven public messages by Paul recorded in Acts. In each of these messages, depending on the audience, Paul changes how he refers to God and his rhetorical tactics. For example, when he was speaking to Jews, he refers to God as the “God of this people Israel” (Act 13:17) or “God of our Fathers” (Acts 24:14). Moreover, in his arguments, he draws authority/legitimacy mainly from the Old Testament. On the contrary, when Paul was speaking to the gentile audience in Lystra, he refers to God as “a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Act 14:15). He even tried to find common ground by appealing to their experience of obtaining benefits from the nature. Similarly, in Athens, he addresses God as one who made the world and everything in it. He even quotes Greek poets to reach a shared understanding as he builds his argument.
Paul’s commitment was to be all things to all people in order to win some to the gospel (1 Cor 9:22). He similarly encourages believers to adapt their eating and drinking so that others wouldn’t be offended (1 Cor 8:13). Paul was committed to God’s calling and his identity as God’s steward. Regarding strategy, however, he sought to understand his audience and proactively adapted his approach. As a BAMer, how are you adapting your work to your customers and contexts?
Collaborative
The last crucial element of the entrepreneurial mindset is collaboration. Entrepreneurs are not lone rangers. They often engage the energy of many people in their entrepreneurial efforts. Effective entrepreneurs build and sustain communities of like-minded people.
Paul’s missionary success stemmed in part from a deep commitment to collaboration and nurturing future leaders. Paul consistently partnered with others, forming diverse teams throughout his journeys. His return trip from Macedonia to Syria saw him collaborate with a group from across the region, demonstrating a commitment to collaborative ministry (Acts 20:4).
Paul wasn’t just a team player. He was also an incubator of talent. Acts 16:2-4 highlights his deliberate investment in Timothy, a young believer with strong leadership potential. Recognizing this, Paul mentored Timothy, intending to develop him as a leader for the burgeoning Gentile Christian movement. The two letters addressed to Timothy stand as testaments to this dedication. In addition to Timothy, Paul invested in the leadership development of many others, including Aquila and Priscilla, Philemon, Titus, and the Ephesian elders. We see personal collaboration in the sheer number of people mentioned in his letters who labored with Paul. Ninety people are listed in total, including 29 in the letter to the Romans. Interestingly, Paul had never visited Rome, so his collaborators were highly integrated with each other. More studies could be conducted on entrepreneurs’ ability to create collaborative environments to advance a project. Maybe in a future blog!
Paul’s collaborative spirit and focus on leadership development proved to be a winning formula. By fostering teamwork and nurturing future leaders, he ensured the sustainable growth of the church. Just like Paul, we hope that all BAMers work together with other BAMers, intentionally invest in developing the next generation of BAMers, and create an ecosystem for fostering other BAM enterprises to build His Kingdom together.
Min-Dong Paul Lee, Ph.D.
Co-Director of M.A. in Leadership; Norris A. Aldeen Professor of Business, Department Chair
Min-Dong Paul Lee’s passion is to see God’s people redeem and transform businesses to serve Christ and His Kingdom. He came to Wheaton with a very diverse set of experiences (e.g. ministry, corporate career, and international development) and training (e.g. theology, history, sociology, and business management). He is elated that, at Wheaton, all these experiences and training can come together in a meaningful way toward equipping God’s people to make positive impacts in the marketplace. Currently, the focus of his research revolves around three themes: corporate social responsibility, compassion in workplace, and faith and business as a mission. On the personal side, God has blessed him with a wonderful and godly wife, Caroline, and three hilarious children who cause him to give thanks to the Lord all the time.
Dave Pederson, PhD
Online and Projects Coordinator in the Litfin School of Divinity at Wheaton College
Dave served in the pastorate in Greece, South Korea, The Philippines and the United States. He chaired the Living in Korea Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Seoul and has served on various education boards. Dave’s current research focuses on four areas: the expatriate Christian, the intersection of addiction and theology, the social theories behind Paul’s community building, and the mindset of the modern entrepreneur. His favorite authors are John Owen and GK Chesterton. Dave and Debbie parent five grown children and one grandchild who has stolen both of their hearts.
Photo by Nicole Wolf on Unsplash
