Top Three Business as Mission Documents

I.
God is at Work by Ken Eldred

This is a book about kingdom business, the effort to promote Christian faith and commerce through profitable business. It recognizes and describes the fundamental connection between spiritual transformation and economic transformation. By mobilizing its business people, the church has a unique opportunity to make an impact in developing nations. While secular development efforts focus solely on economic objectives, kingdom business recognizes that successful commerce, which improves a nation, requires a biblical moral-cultural foundation.

-Regent Center for Entrepreneurship

II.
Luassane Occasional Paper 59, Business as Mission

This document clarifies what Business as Mission is, and what it is not, This is a must read, as it was a set of standards set up by a working group of passionate Practitioners in 2005.

III.
Business as Mission: The Power of Business in the Kingdom of God  by  Michale R. Baer

If God has called us into business, our goal is to discover why and act on that purpose. As we do so, God's creation will be blessed, and He will be glorified." - Michael Baer

This book is a great read! According to this book, there are four characteristics of a kingdom business:

1. A kingdom business is vocational; something that God has called us to do.
Col. 1:16-20, Eph 4:1, Rom 12:1-2

2. A kingdom business is intentional; God has a very specific purpose for each business.
Eph 2:10

3. A kingdom business is relational; we are exposed to a vast network through business and God wants these relationships to be valued.
Mark 12:30-31

4. A kingdom business is operational; operations must honors and reflect God.
1 Cor. 10:31

Baer suggests establishing a kingdom business by doing the following:

1. Create a kingdom foundation
Write out what you believe about: profit, people, growth, service or quality, productivity and innovation. Examples:
- We will always seek mutually beneficial outcomes in all that we do.
- We will operate in a fiscally responsible manner.
- We will maintain the priorities of family and friendship.
- We will endeavor to find the maximum enjoyment in whatever we do.
- We will seek continual learning and improvement so that what is done is done well and with full commitment.
- We will live lives that invite inquiry.

2. Articulate a kingdom direction
Vision: broad, expansive statement of the general direction in which company is headed.
Mission: a narrower definition of your vision - or your vision with metrics.
Purpose: the expression of what you believe God has as his specific will for your company.

3. Identify kingdom targets and objectives
Target: a three year goal for your business.
Objective: a one year goal.
For example: revenues, expansion, staffing, profitability, ministry and missions.

4. Focus on a few pivotal strategies
For example: execute marketing/business plan, etc.

5. Draft and assign quarterly action items
Break down your plan into a list of 10 or fewer action items

6. Schedule regular accountability

-Review on Amazon

Related topics but not the same as Kingdom Business are:

-Tentmaking
-Church Planting with a partially supporting business
-Business activity built around a ministry.
-A church or parachurch ministry that survives primaily through ongoing donations.
-Social Entrepreneurs
-Ethical Enterprise


-Great Commision Companies are one type, a subset of Kingdom Businesses

There  are about 2 dozen books out there, but these three guys get it.









LeeRoyal

Posted in: Books,Enterprising Ministry,Ken Eldred,Michael Baer