Practical advice from a successful Business as Missions Entrepreneur

At the recent GoMarket Gathering, God used successful Business as Missions (BAM) entrepreneur, Scott M., to give practical advice and encouragement from his journey.  Scott has started more than 16 business ventures, most of them successful, which are bearing fruit for God’s Kingdom.  In addition to sharing his story and encouragement, he answered questions such as:

• How do you go about starting a business?
• How do you find the right people for your team and get them trained?
• What does a successful entrepreneur look like?

Take a look at these videos (parts 1 & 2) to hear what Scott had to say:
Part 1

Part 2

Key Quotes:

“It has been extremely fun via sixteen ventures to learn how to integrate business and missions.”
“An entrepreneur is opportunistic.”
“It doesn’t matter how good your product or service is…if you can’t sell it…you’re done.”
“Successful entrepreneurs care for people.”

Challenges Facing Tentmakers

In an article entitled “Ministry, Profits, and the Schizophrenic Tentmaker,” Steven Rundle says that there are three main problems facing different tentmakers: first, that some have inadequate training in the Bible, theology, and cross-cultural evangelism (these people have strong professional skills); second, that some are ambivalent towards their secular job (these are the strong evangelists, but incapable professionals); and third, that many professionals have trouble adapting their experience to countries who have little experience with free-market capitalism. Rundle says that many jobs result in a loss of profit, and that “an antiprofit mentality is a poor witness and is unethical, given its context.”

Who is a missionary?

As I mentioned in an earlier post, a group of friends and I modified Patrick Lai’s Tentmaking Categories to include national marketplace professionals. (see: “GoMarket Gathering serves as a catalytic event for those looking to serve God through the marketplace”)  A good friend, who is a missions expert, challenged the idea of including nationals in our marketplace professionals categories.  He said, “When locals can also do MP-2 then what is the expat doing?  Clearly the business seems to be the same, or the ministry seems to be the same, but ask anyone who is there, ‘Can you do business the same as a local?’  ‘Can you do ministry the same as a local?’   An experienced person will know the answer to both questions is ‘No.’  Including locals (or nationals) in your marketplace professional categories, is deceptive to the expat who may think s/he can do BAM like a local.  Another perspective would be from Stephen Neil who said, ‘When everything is mission, nothing is mission.’”

I asked my good friend and mentor, Dr. Mike Barnett (Professor of Church Planting and Church History at Columbia International University), to give me feedback on this comment.  Mike replied,  

“This person’s point is a good one. When everything is missions nothing is. However, the new challenge is in defining missions. We used to be able to say it was when one was sent to another culture, i.e. country, but now in this world of missions from everywhere to everywhere the country analogy doesn’t work. We have “home” or North American missions–what makes it missions?

He  is saying let’s keep our terminology focused on the main thing. Missions is about reaching across cultures, fulfilling the Great Commission–this time’s version of the Mission of God. Let’s not lose that edge or, as history teaches us, we turn inward, self-focused, and slowly devolve.

Our challenge now at CIU is to transform our ethos from an institution that educates only future professional ministers (though we’ve been more than merely this for years) to a biblical university that educates students from a biblical worldview to impact the world with the message of Jesus Christ–both professional minister’s and ‘ministering professionals.’ So, we have the same tension. Who is a missionary? In a sense we all cross a cultural boundary when we share Christ with someone who doesn’t know him. Problem is, we don’t share Christ enough! So, we all need to become missionaries in our Jerusalems, to uttermost parts. The same tension. Who is a missionary?”

Although the lines are blurred…I think we should continue including the nationals in our marketplace categories.  What do you think?

Jon Brown interviewed on Mission Network News

http://www.mnnonline.org/article/12781

President Obama recognizes the need for the type of volunteer service business professionals (MP+) who follow Jesus have been and will continue to provide…

President Obama in Cairo, Egypt:

“On economic development, we will create a new core of business volunteers to partner with counterparts in Muslim majority countries. And I will host a summit on entrepreneurship this year to identify how we can deepen ties between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Muslim communities around the world.” 

Additional Information on MP2s and MP3s

As I mentioned in my previous post, some of my friends have adapted Lai’s 5 Tentmaker Categories…Here are some narrative thoughts on MP2s and MP3s:

MP2s (Marketplace Professionals – 2) are business professionals and workers living in a target country, who follow Christ. They are missional in their thinking and purpose, and view their job not as an end in itself but as a means by which they fulfill their God-given mission. Through their occupation, they engage in relationships and enjoy opportunities for sharing the gospel. Often they will choose a job based on how well it facilitates their ministry calling, such as evangelism or church planting. They typically will have a ministry plan they are implementing, and usually focus on a specific company, nationality, or any other well-defined group.

These workers include both nationals of a target country and expatriates who seek to relocate to these regions, ostensibly for work purposes, but more purposely for ministry opportunities. 

MP3s (Marketplace Professionals – 3) are nationals or expatriates living in a target country who start their own business and/or work part-time. As a result, their time is flexible and they have more discretionary time for language learning and accomplishing ministry-related tasks. They view their job as a vehicle to enter the country, a way to reach out to people, and as a source of additional income support. They are missional in thinking and often part (sometimes all) of their income comes from churches, mission agencies, or friends back home. MP3s are usually associated with a mission agency or a team in the target country. They are perceived as missionaries at home and professionals in the target area. These individuals are effective at entering closed countries and evangelism and church planting.

[There may also be a period of transition in certain MP3’s business life, usually after several years. At a certain time, the business he/she began may become financially viable and profitable. At this point, the MP3s would remain in the same category and continue evangelical and church planting work at an identical level, but no longer require all of the resource funds from the mission agency. The MP3 has the same goals and identity, but becomes a virtually self-sustainable missionary businessman.]

GoMarket Gathering serves as a catalytic event for those looking to serve God through the marketplace

GoMarket Participants Discussing Next Step Options

The GoMarket Gathering this past weekend was a blessing for all of us.  Participants came from Maryland, Missouri, Texas, and Colorado.   Some of those in attendance are in the process of relocation or seeking out jobs in Europe, North Africa, and Turkey, and desiring to be strategically connected with God’s mission in these locations (MP2).  Others are wanting to start Business as Missions companies in countries like the Ukraine (MP3).  And several are successful business people who want to invest their connections, experience, and lives in short-term initiatives enabling God to be glorified through the marketplace (MP+).

One of the participants said, “This weekend I’ve heard the Lord say, ‘You are not alone—marketplace ministry [in France] is possible!’”

A key tool in discussions such as this past weekend’s GoMarket Gathering is a modified version of Patrick Lai’s Tentmaking Categories.   In Patrick’s book, Tentmaking, he describes 5 Categories of Tentmakers (T1-T5)  This book was written from the perspective of expatriates living overseas and does not include national followers of Jesus ministering through the marketplace.  My Marketplace Initiative friends with Greater Europe Mission have modified Lai’s outstanding chart to include nationals and added a category for marketplace professionals serving God’s Kingdom’s advance abroad without relocating to the target country.  The table below in this blog describes these updated categories. 

What categories are missing?  Where do you see yourself? 

 

Marketplace Categories