Business as Mission: Transforming People and Nations for God’s Glory

Business as a Pathway for the Gospel

One of the unfortunate realities of global mission today is that many countries are closed to the gospel. Missionaries are unable to get visas due to the majority of non-Christian religions that control governments and access. From this perspective, it may seem that the gospel is unable to be spread in these nations. However, like water that slowly seeps from above, filling deep underground caverns, the gospel is breaking through and impacting the world in non-traditional ways.

Business is one channel God often uses to carry the gospel forward when more traditional ministry paths are shut. Governments of any country, no matter what religion is in control, are generally open to businesspeople who want to bring their trade into the country. Business brings money, provides jobs, drives education, and strengthens the economy.

Christians with a heart for the world and excellence in business can thus contribute to spreading the gospel in areas that are closed to the gospel, less developed, or less reached. This is known as Business as Mission, or BAM. Today, BAM movements are happening all over the world and are key to accelerating the spread of the gospel. In fact, ‘God is raising up a new work force of men and women from around the world who are on a mission for God’s glory in and through business.’ ¹

Defining/Understanding Business as Mission

Business as Mission is more than just Christians owning a business and using it as a platform to get into a country for the purpose of sharing the gospel and planting churches. In true BAM form, the business itself is the mission. This means that every aspect of the business is authentic and legitimate, not just a front for evangelism or church planting. How a company relates to customers, suppliers, and government officials, how it handles its finances and profits, how it cares for the environment, and how it treats its employees and invests in the community all contribute to being missional. Of course, being Christian, this means that though profits are important and needed for sustainability, the most important thing is living and declaring the gospel faithfully through business operations done with integrity, relationships done caringly, being good stewards of the environment from which resources are drawn, and through positively impacting community life where the business is.

As these things grow and strengthen, the community around the business is transformed through employment opportunities, improved education, better health, and better lifestyles. Non-believers working for or having contact with the business will notice the difference and begin to ask questions. They can hear about Jesus through relationships with the owners or believers working in the business, or even through purchasing a quality product. Optional small group discussions during lunch hours or after work can form to study the Bible and discuss spiritual matters, providing opportunities for discipleship.

A truly missional business will offer many ways for the gospel to spread. Certainly, there may be challenges, and it may take time, but eventually, the fruit will come. Successful Business as Mission companies will then develop favor in the community, have open doors with community officials, and can use profits not only to impact the community but also to start other businesses to invest in areas that are unreached with the gospel.

Biblical Foundations of BAM

A biblical perspective on BAM comes from the understanding that God is good and created everything very good (Gen 1:31). He is a God of abundance and desires humans to flourish. However, because sin, greed, and hoarding exist, there are problems with distribution, meaning people often don’t get what they need. In Deuteronomy chapter 8, Israel was told that there would be a tendency for them to forget God, become proud, and trust in their wealth in times of prosperity. But God reminds them in verse 18 that it is he who gives the ability to produce wealth. Wealth production, or running a business, is therefore a spiritual activity that brings glory to God. It is something he desires for humans to use for his purposes. Business, therefore, can have a missional impact, declaring the glory of God, introducing people to Christ, and providing a way for human flourishing where needs are met and there is plenty to go around.

Other passages of Scripture contribute to this mindset:

• Proverbs 31 speaks of a godly businesswoman who blessed her family and community because of faithfulness to God.
• Jesus talked often about money and investing in eternal treasures (see Matt 6:19-20). Christians in business must always keep that in mind.
• Jesus and the disciples were supported by Joanna, Susanna, and many others, who gave of their means, presumably from businesses they operated (Luke 8:3). 
• In Acts 2:42-47, believers with resources helped those in the new church who had very little. 
• Paul set an example of how to live out faith and share the gospel in the marketplace (Acts 18:3). He used his tentmaking skills to support himself and make connections in the community for the furtherance of the gospel. 
• Paul also encouraged believers to do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). Business can certainly give glory to God.

Business as Mission, though the term is not found in the Bible, has plenty of evidence to commend it as a viable aspect of mission and spiritual life. Missional businesses provide for the needs of the poor and helpless that God is concerned about, meet the church’s needs for the expansion of the kingdom, and provide avenues of creativity in productivity and investment, which reflect the image of God in humanity.

BAM in History

Though the term is relatively new in missiology, Business as Mission has been around since the birth of the church. During the Reformation, Martin Luther rediscovered the biblical concepts that led to BAM, identifying the church as the priesthood of all believers. There are several powerful examples in history of people who used their businesses for kingdom purposes.

• One is a Christian group known as the Quakers during the 1600s and beyond. Though few, many Quakers ran businesses and banks with a Christian ethic. Notable among these are Barclays, Lloyds, and Cadbury’s chocolate. Whether the business was banking or food, the goals were offering quality products with integrity that valued God’s creation, taking care of employees in the name of Jesus, avoiding corruption, contributing to better conditions, improving financial health, and providing opportunities in the community. Cadbury’s had a motto that showed its commitment to faith and community impact: ‘Spiritual and solvent’. This commitment led to not only great chocolate, but the company helped employees with housing and gardens, provided recreational facilities, offered transport for commuting workers, and held morning prayer and daily Bible readings. 
• Another is from 220 years ago in Norway by a man named Hans Nielson Hauge. In those days, Norway was poor, with most people eking out an existence through farming. Hauge was converted to Christ and traveled around the country preaching, teaching, and starting businesses to address the poverty and challenges in society. Jobs were created, churches were planted, disabled people were helped, and the revival he started helped to transform Norway’s economy, governing principles, and society for the better. ²
• And another is from 1758, when thirty cash-strapped Moravian missionaries were sent to Suriname and developed ‘missionary commerce’, which formed businesses to support themselves. Initially, the businesses focused on mission through the power of example, revealing Christ in practical life situations, doing everything possible to make godliness visible, and showing that Christian faith is not just for the life to come but also for this life.³ Because this form of mission produced a lot of money for the missionaries, serious challenges and difficulties arose. Still, communities were influenced by Christ, and the missions produced large and strong congregations. The modern-day BAM movement has thankfully provided teaching and guidance to guard against some of the temptations that arise from ‘missionary commerce’.

As these examples show, Business as Mission is a broad and nuanced concept. It is important, therefore, to connect with others doing BAM who have experience, understand the theology behind it, and have a commitment to doing good business for the sake of the kingdom.

How do I Engage in Business as Mission?

So, how can you learn more so you can start your BAM journey? Here are a few steps to take:

1. Understand Your Calling

Are you a business owner who wants to be more missional, or are you a missionary who wants to integrate business with mission? Both paths have areas that need to be developed and strengthened. Business owners desiring to be missional may need to take some Bible or theology courses, attend a discipleship training event, or get some spiritual coaching to gain a deeper biblical and spiritual understanding of the Christian faith and how business can contribute to the Great Commission. Similarly, those with a call to missions will need to understand how to run a legitimate, successful business.

Taking business courses at a community college, determining and developing a good product or service that will sell in a particular context (what sells in the West may not sell in Africa or Asia, for example), along with learning how to integrate business and ministry with integrity and excellence will help you become aware of how best to approach business as mission. In both cases, there are many BAM resources, training events, and seminars available that will lead you to the path of greater effectiveness.

2. Commit to a Holistic Gospel Transformation Purpose

The ultimate purpose of Business as Mission is to have a transformative impact on local communities and the world for Christ, especially those communities in need of the gospel. Gospel transformation happens when people’s lives are impacted both physically and spiritually in a holistic way. Better living conditions, earning more money and resources, gaining access to better healthcare, having better education options, and the like have much greater and long-lasting impact when paired with gospel proclamation and living. The gospel then spreads more intuitively and in a more integrated way to other communities in need of transformation as the BAM business grows. BAM brings the resources, access, possibilities, and opportunities for this kind of transformation to happen in a way that few other mission strategies can. Those involved in BAM must be committed to this holistic gospel mindset that impacts the totality of human need and experience, physically and spiritually, for every community.

3. Network, Network, Network

The best way to learn to do something is to watch others who are successful do it, then be coached by them in doing it. They can keep you on track, provide guidance and advice, set good (and sometimes bad!) examples, pray for and with you, and be your cheerleader as you set off in your calling. This is really the way of discipleship. The kingdom expands as people relate to one another with these kinds of purposes in mind. The key then becomes either finding someone to be like this for you, or if you are an experienced entrepreneur, finding someone to invest in for kingdom purposes.

There are several BAM networks to connect with, where you can meet other BAMers or potential BAMers, attend conferences, find training, and connect with businesses or agencies that you may be able to collaborate with in reaching a community, starting a BAM business, or strengthening your skillsets. Check out https://businessasmission.com/ or https://bamglobal.org/ for two of the best networking resources. In BAM, there is no competition among businesses because it is all about making a gospel impact and transforming communities. Through networking, many BAM movements have started in countries around the world where there are few or no churches. Thus, networking together in BAM helps spread the gospel faster and farther, everywhere.

Conclusion

The Lausanne Movement has many resources available to learn about BAM, the latest of which is the Lausanne Global Classroom on Business as Mission. In this video episode, global leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of the global Business as Mission movement were interviewed to get their insights, ideas, and best practices for more effective and fruitful business as mission. Watching the video will help you catch a vision for BAM, understand it better, and learn about the key ideas, missiology, and best practices of BAM. The episode also includes a downloadable User Guide containing discussion questions, academic syllabi, and a bibliography on collaboration.

Business as Mission is a gospel issue for the global church. We need BAM movements started around the world to see accelerated gospel impact for the glory of God.

Endnotes

1. See Lausanne Occasional Paper #59 (Tunehag, et al., 2005, 7).
2. For more examples of these and others, see Gort, Gea, and Mats Tunehag. BAM Global Movement: Business as Mission: Concepts & Stories.(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018).
3. Danker, William J., quoting Jahresbericht der Industrie-Commission der Evangelischen Missionsgesellschaft in Basel vom Jahre 1853 in Profit for the Lord. (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2002) 53-4.