5 STAGES OF THE BIRTH OF A NEW BAM COMPANY

Peter Shaukat , CEO of Transformational SME (TSME), identifies five stages in the emergence of a new business as mission company. Each stage, from conception to launch, involves the integration of missional and commercial elements.

Preparation Stage

This is before the ‘baby is born’, the preparation that has taken place even before the business journey starts. It is about recognising what God has already done in the practitioner’s life in regards to their sense of missional call and life experiences; the tapestry woven together in their life before the BAM entity begins to be incubated. Preparation includes both business preparation and missiological preparation. What has God been doing to both missionally and professionally prepare the person, in terms of their skills and competencies?

This is where mentoring should begin: Tell me what God has been doing in your life? Tell me what your sense of call is? Tell me how God has been preparing you? The incubation process needs to begin there. The incubation of a new BAM business is the result of the process that God has already been doing before that.

Perception Stage

The perception stage is the next step. This is about gaining an understanding of what is going on in the environment that God has called you to do business as mission within; and what God wants to do through the business. What is going on in that environment in commercial terms? What are the needs? What is the market? What is the specific missional element? What is the missional calling to the people group? How is God raising up your business? The perceiving stage addresses the question: What is your business going to be about, commercially and missionally? This is the beginning of the gestation stage of the new business.

Activities in the perception stage will include formal market research, missiological research, taking exploratory trips, etc. There is no hard and fast rule, but this perception process needs to be at least 6 months to a year of really studying the market.

There are a couple of common stumbling blocks in the BAM movement in this stage. On the commercial side there has too often been inadequate market research. BAM companies have moved prematurely to the launch of the business without adequately researching the market. This is the stumbling block of falling in love with your product and discovering after the fact that the market doesn’t have the same affinity for it! Mentoring comes into this process. The BAM practitioner will need someone who is business-minded to ask good questions, to ask have you thought about these things? Where are you getting your commercial perceptions from? Have you checked out the local Chamber of Commerce? Have you met with government officials? And so on. The other common stumbling block is inadequate understanding of the missiological, anthropological, and sociological issues that are at play.

TSME has engaged with lots of BAM practitioners over the years at this perception stage; asking them questions around market, around their business readiness, around missiological understanding, etc. We have found that some practitioners need more commercial development, while others need more missiological development.

Persuasion Stage

This is the period of incubation that primarily involves team building, persuading others to join you. If you hold that it is risky and hard to launch a BAM company in isolation, as an individual, and that it is ideal to build a team around this business idea, then incubation will involve this stage of persuasion. Persuasion follows on from the perception stage and is about envisioning others and getting your team lined up, your investors lined up, engaging your spouse, and so on. From a funding perspective that will involve getting your ‘family, friends, and fools’, or, alternatively, your ‘love capital’, lined up for the start-up. The persuasion process is critical, it is bringing others on board, with commitment, with a willingness to sacrifice, to get to the point of ‘we’re going to do this together’.

The persuasion process also includes working together with national Christians and understanding together the context and business. This will involve persuading each other of the vision and intent of the company, and further refining what might work and what won’t. This should be bilateral; an expat that is not willing to listen to national Christians on what tweaking and refinement is needed is doomed to failure. This of course is not the same thing as listening to all voices – for there will be many nay-sayers and people who just don’t get it.  Choose your national counsellors with discernment and humility.

Through the persuasion stage you will also be perceiving new things about what God is doing. So these are not cut and dry, consecutive stages, this is an iterative process, where elements from previous stages repeat and intensify one another. It is like a river flowing in a linear direction, but within that flow there are eddies and circular movements sometimes carrying you forward, sometimes backward. In business incubation you get this reinforcement between persuasion and an even greater perception, as the vision for the business moves forward.

At this stage, the mentor is more hands-off. There is a mentoring process there, but it says to the practitioner, “If you are not able to persuade others to join your team, then I am not able to persuade them for you.” What is needed is availability and more of a Barnabas-type encouragement role. If you are the BAM practitioner, you have to do that persuasion process yourself to engage others to join your team, to finance your business and so on. For the business incubator the key role in this stage is to be an encourager to the persuader.

This is one of the key reasons that TSME has not funded start-ups. TSME has itself gone through the incubation process and as we developed our business model, we perceived that businesses could start with available resources from people closest to the entrepreneur – especially if it is a lean start-up – but it was the continuation process that they were most struggling with, in financial terms. We also realised that when the funding comes too easily at the start-up phase, the resilience of that persuasion process can actually be undermined. We fund businesses that have already been through that persuasion process, that have already got others engaged to start the business, and now they need to develop it.

Planning Stage

This is the detailed process of getting all the essential elements of your business lined up – the business planning process. It is understanding what the inputs to the business are, in turn, moving through a finite set of business processes, to what the business outputs are. Again it is an iterative process, after all, how can you persuade people if there are major unresolved pieces of the business planning process? However, persuasion begins first, because you need people willing to join you so that the planning can take place in a team context, otherwise you will be planning in a vacuum. You need to get people lined up behind the vision before the planning is complete, because in a sense it will never be complete. Although, there will be elements of the persuasion stage that will be dependent on presenting a decent plan – and that is legitimate and to be expected.

In terms of the services that are provided in the planning stage, again coaching and mentoring are very important. It is important to be thinking through with people experienced in business who can help you plan. This is where the traditional concept of incubation and the activities of the incubator are often centered. There is classically this idea of a ‘hothouse’ environment or facility where there is mind-share with like-minded groups, where the incubator has a group of experienced, committed coaches who are helping to refine the business plan and that the business planning process is being acted on step by step.

Business as mission is not a purely commercial enterprise, so the planning process for BAM companies is going to include missional planning and the development of a spiritual impact plan. This may include a cultural adaptation and language learning phase, living with a national family, for instance, or other necessary preparations.

Perseverance Stage

This is the launch cycle, where the ‘baby is born’ in sense – and where it might be keeping you up at night, there might be teething problems! The incubation process involves persevering through the phase of business start-up. What do you need at that point? This is where field-support in terms of mentoring and coaching, and prayer support is needed.

The Rest @ Transformational SME 

This material was first published in the BAM Think Tank Report on BAM Incubation.

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5 Culture questions-is your Company Culture Special?

Is your talent strategy rooted in your business strategy? Culture can’t just be an assortment of well-meaning HR practices; it has to grow out of distinctive business practices. As I reflect on the great companies I’ve gotten to know — companies that are winning big in tough, competitive fields — they all exude what brand strategist Adam Morgan calls a “lighthouse identity.” Every time you encounter them, however you encounter them, you understand what makes them different, what they’re prepared to do that other companies aren’t, and why what they’re doing is relevant today. That’s why building a great culture starts with intellectual clarity about what your organization stands for and why you expect to win. There can be no talent strategy without a compelling business strategy.

Does your company work as distinctively as it competes? Yes, the most successful companies think differently from everyone else — that’s what separates them from the competition in the marketplace. But they also care more than everyone else — that’s what holds people together as colleagues in the workplace. So much of what we focus on as leaders is how to be more clever: big data, slick apps, social media. A great culture allows clever organizations to be more human, to make everything they do more authentic, real, memorable. The true promise of a culture, argues influential venture capitalist Ben Horowitz, is to “be provocative enough to change what people do every day.” That’s the real connection between culture and strategy: If you want to energize and elevate how your organization competes, you have to energize and elevate how your people behave.

Can you capture what it means to be a member of your organization? At its core, the role of culture is to reinforce a sense of belonging, a shared commitment among colleagues about how they solve problems, share information, serve customers, and deliver experiences. Which is why the most enduring cultures are built on language and rituals that are designed to create a palpable sense of community — which, in many cases, only makes sense to people who are part of that community. A favorite slogan among students and faculty at Texas A&M University, a long-established school with a one-of-a-kind culture, sums it up: “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” That’s the spirit I’ve seen at companies with the most powerful cultures. Their leaders devote enormous time and imagination to devising small gestures and little symbols that send big messages about what it takes for everyone to be at their best every day.

Is your culture built for learning as well as performance? High-output cultures are all about fierce competition, crisp execution, and a relentless commitment to service. But truly enduring cultures are also about change and renewal. It’s one of the hazards that comes with success: The better an organization performs, the more ingrained its culture becomes, and the harder it can be for executives and employees to stay alert to big shifts in markets, technology, and culture. That’s why the best cultures and the most effective leaders keep learning as fast as the world is changing. They’re constantly scanning for new practices from other companies, new ideas for unrelated industries, a new sense of what’s possible in their own fields. At WD-40, a company with one of the richest learning cultures I’ve seen, CEO Garry Ridge likes to challenge his colleagues with a simple question: When’s the last time you did something for the first time?

Can your culture maintain its zest for change and renewal, even when the company stumbles? It’s a lot easier to maintain high levels of energy and morale at a company when sales are booming and the stock price is soaring. But the reality of competition today is that long-term success is virtually impossible without short-term stumbles. For any organization, part of staying relevant is experimenting with dramatically new technologies, sketching alternative business models, and rethinking how it engages with customers — all of which are bound to involve setbacks and disappointments. That’s why the most enduring cultures are the most resilient cultures. Colleagues at every level embrace the power of creative ideas, deep convictions, and confidence in the face of missteps. Leadership scholar John Gardner calls this outlook “tough-minded optimism,” and it’s a hallmark of cultures that can move and morph with the times.

The Rest @ Harvard Business Review

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Low Profit Limited Liability Corporation ( L3C) Update

I believe Low Profit Limited Liability Corporations (L3Cs),  are key entities that will allow believers to fund  BAM initiatives in mission environments.. L3Cs are entities that may allow Corporations to Fund Entrepreneurial Projects and yet still receive Charitable Contribution tax credits.

It's  still complicated to set up, but there is legislation pending, the PRIs Promotion Act,
which is aimed at making funding of  BAM and other social enterprise start ups easier.

The following article is an update on the status of the L3C and the legislation.

********************************

by  Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations.

Earlier this year, Americans for Community Development held its inaugural conference, “L3C A to Z,” in Evanston, Ill., to educate nonprofits on Low-Profit Limited Liability Companies (L3Cs) and the advantages they provide for those pursuing program-related investments (PRIs).

At the opening plenary, I served on a panel, along with Robert Lang and Max Martin, on new philanthropic funding structures-focusing primarily on PRIs.

PRIs are an increasingly attractive tool because they allow achievement of charitable goals without depleting endowments, even producing a modest return in many cases. Such investments can provide much-needed capital to initiatives for which a foundation cares about and can often lead to innovative solutions. Examples include low-interest loans and equity investments to entities aligned with the core values of a foundation.

Another type of PRI is the L3C, a special IRS designation for for-profit companies whose primary goal is to provide a social benefit.

• It is a cross between a charity and a for-profit company. 
• While PRIs offer several advantages to foundations, government regulations are extremely burdensome. 
• Under the current system, before a foundation can enter into a PRI it must make a determination that the investment is primarily intended to further a charitable purpose. This is a legal determination based on the facts and circumstances of each transaction. 
• For old tried and true PRI models, this can be relatively simple because IRS regulation, published letter rulings, and other experience provide guidance about what is and is not allowed. 
• Newer models for PRIs, particularly L3Cs, are not so straightforward because there are not many examples to rely on to determine when a particular investment’s structure will be considered “charitable” by the IRS. 
• As a result, foundations may be uncomfortable with the uncertainty of a particular PRI, potentially leading to two choices: advising against the investment or recommending the foundation seek a private letter ruling from the IRS-in other words, killing the opportunity outright or delaying it so long it dies out. 

To ease the burdensome regulations and assist foundations in mission-driven investing, the Council supports legislation creating a voluntary procedure for entities seeking foundation participation in PRIs to obtain an IRS determination that such participation constitutes a permissible charitable activity.

• The PRIs Promotion Act would restrict how much time the IRS has to respond to these requests, thus encouraging lawyers to seek IRS approval rather than advise against the investment. 
• The legislation also would increase the efficiency of the system by allowing multiple foundations to rely on a single determination that a PRI is charitable. Currently, each foundation has to make its own determination-increasing the costs and time involved. 

The PRIs Promotion Act has yet to be introduced in Congress, but it is among priority legislation contained in the Council’s legislative agenda. To stay up to date on this and other legislative priorities relating to philanthropy, sign up for our weekly Public Policy Update and visit our Legislative Action Center.

And if you are attending the Council’s 2011 Fall Conference for Community Foundations, you have a great opportunity to learn more about L3Cs: Attend the preconference session, “The L3C-New Opportunities for Community Foundations.”

The Council has lined up a number of speakers, including Sanders Davies, senior partner, PKF O’Connor Davies; Ericka Harney, assistant director of development, The Council of State Governments; and Robert Lang (moderator), founder, Americans for Community Development. Community foundations will have the chance to learn more about using this new tool to help fulfill their mission. Steve Gunderson is president and CEO of the Council on Foundations.

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Is My Business Labor an Act of Worship?

The word "ministry" carries different meanings depending who's using it and what's being described.
In the last decade, there's a movement among some workplace-based believers who pursue business labor as an act of worship.One of the names the movement carries is  Business as Mission (BAM).
People involved in Business as Mission, Workplace Ministry, "tentmaking", church planting, Kingdom Business Professionals, Great Commission Companies use the word ministry in a way that appears to carry  a different meaning than when the word "ministry" is used by clergy. Some clergy participating in BAM discussions cautiously explore what BAM people mean by the word "ministry".
Some questions they ask are:

Do you mean ministry alongside of your work to make money?
Do you mean ministry during work breaks with people you meet at work?
Do you mean ministry to the body of Christ by providing employment, so that those employed can do ministry?
Do you mean out-reach in the workplace so that you can draw them into a church somewhere?
Do you mean generating wealth to give to ministries?


To answer, I wanted to look at how the word "ministry" is used in the Bible:


The old testament uses three Hebrew root words that most English versions of the bible translate as "ministry":


Kahan - To  act  as  priest or mediator between God and Man, a ministry before God and men. For example, offering sacrifices.


Aboha - To labor in bondage or in service to a religious project such as a craftsman ministering by labor to build the temple.


Sharatch - to assist or serve alongside: this was the word used for Samuel when he first came to Eli as a child to minister in the temple.


The New testament only uses two Greek root words that most English versions of the bible translate as "ministry":


Hupo -  or rower, as in a ship a  low level laborer. God spoke directly to Paul at his conversion on the road to Damascus and said that his ministry was to be a "rower".


Leturgio  to perform religious or  priestly Service:


Acts 13:2 (worshiping, fasting, ministering before the Lord) 
Romans 15:16, 27 Gentiles churches ministering to  the Jewish churches financially
Hebrews 1:7, 8:6, 9:21, 10:11: When Paul was teaching Jews about the ministry of Jesus as mediator of the new covenant. He called that Jesus' ministry.

Business-based believers are saying that their activities in business are no less than leturgio ministry before the Lord, Acts of Worship.Financial support of other ministries is also part of their worship.

Apostles, Overseers, Elders, Deacons etc are a different question of service (ministry). For example, Diaconia by a diacano (Service done by a deacon) is used  for other acts of service or ministry to the body of Christ.

Conclusion

Under the new covenant, ministry is not restricted to clergy or to acts of church administration. Some people minister before the Lord in acts of worship by conducting business. Yes, they share their faith, do out reach and serve the body of Christ in many other way, too.

The clergy do litergio ministry to God, serving in the role of administration for  the body of Christ past, present and future. They sometimes do this full time.

Some believing entrepreneurs do literugio ministry to God by serving the Body of Christ, past, present and future in the role of the administration of business.

Neither is more is more anointed (Set apart) than the other.

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5 Christian owned Companies Uncomfortable With BAM

Christian entrepreneurs who own some kinds of businesses will become uncomfortable the deeper they get into Business as Mission. BAM Questions the world view that make them successful,and when they ask the hard questions, they must either embrace BAM  or turn away from it. People who own these five kinds of businesses will be challenged by real  BAM concepts:

1. Business by The World's Book :Acknowledge Responsibility only to the law and shareholders. Shareholders are majority Christian but exert not influence or do not believe they are accountable for the actions of the company.
2. Old School Sacred/Secular Separatists: Businesses who's Christian owners believe that business is inherently "old nature", and they separate secular and sacred activities and standards. Their job is to operate in the"dirt business world" according to its rules, and reclaim "mammon" to give to the church. Only an organization who's home is in a church building can do God's work. Often in co-dependent complicit relationship with a sacred only church.
3. My Kingdom Business. An un-surrendered business by me, for me and mine from which I donate occasionally to God's work.
4. A Jesus-free Business. Humanitarian based  Social Enterprise. May be Christian in name only, and thereby inoculated against any real Kingdom of God Contribution. a "good place" to work as long as you keep your god generic. Perhaps worships a large religious institution like "The Church" or has a large christian denomination in its name.
5.  Ministry wearing business clothes. A business designed to create interactions with people whether it grows revenue or not. Run by gifted Church planters, pastors or Missionaries, who have no entrepreneurial business gifts. Requires regular cash infusions from other sources to survive, and has no business plan that leads to long term profitability and growth.


More to be published later

-Lee Royal

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What is Business as Mission? ( BAM )

First, BAM or Business as Mission is the idea that there is a "calling" to business. Why, how and where do carry out my calling? How do I interaction with other people in the Body of Christ? How do I connect? Here is a brief introduction.

In 2004 a group of  believing global business leaders gathered, and after much prayer and work, wrote  The Lausanne Occasional Paper 54 They said that God is at work in a new way, all over the world, both in the market place and in the Church. This dynamic movement within the Body of Christ is based  on God’s love for the world and His call to His Church.  It is a new wave of activity that is closely linked with the work of the Holy Spirit throughout history.  It is a relevant strategy for the 21st century.  God is raising up a new work force of men and women from around the world.  These men and women are on a mission for God’s

glory in and through business.  Christian leaders in business, church, missions and  beyond have all concurred that God is at work and business as mission is  dynamically meeting the various needs of a world in desperate need of the whole Gospel.

In a nutshell:

• Workplace ministry or Marketplace ministry  can be done in any workplace and is vital component to BAM but is not, in itself, BAM
• Tentmaking is a way to earn a living while doing missionary work, but is not BAM
• A business owned by Christians may or may not be BAM activity
• Using business as a "platform" to send missionaries is not BAM, and many BAM practioners have questions about the integrity of this approach
• A Kingdom Business Professional is a believer serving his or her purpose in any worplace that may or may not be a BAM activity.

A BAM business is a business a real business, a purpose driven business, created and designed by entrepreneurs with the express -purpose of  serving their role to advances the kingdom of God, not to take anything over, but to full fill the great commission (Matt 28 19-20), using the gifts that some believers were given.

A fully grown and balanced  BAM organization has Six defining characteristics:

1.   It makes a profit

2.   It's enterprises engage the world by creating business

3.   It deliberately engages its believing and non believing employees with workplace ministry

4.   It deliberately engages the community where it lives and works as Ambassadors for Christ

5.   It deliberately engages its customers and venders knowing it overtly represents Christ

6.  It deliberately engages the local Body of Christ as a siblings in the body of Christ here on earth.

There are two kinds of BAM Organizations:

a. A Greenfield BAM organization ( a start up owned by believers designed according to BAM principles)

b.  A Brownfiled BAm organization (a business owned by believers started in the traditional way and having been redesigned.

A BAM activity also usually  has Chaplains integrated into workpliace ministrt, and intercessors integrated into the business processes of the company.

• The Lausanne Occasional Paper 54  is a great start to understanding BAM, because the concept is not clearly understood by everyone who is working at it.

 Here are some Great Resources:

• The Business as Mission Network
• The YWAM BAM Center
• The Regent Universiy's Center for Entrepreneurship
• BAM FAQs

BAM Books:

• Great Commission Companies
• God is at Work

I hope this is you jumping-off place. May God make your way straight and clear, and may the seed He planted in you produce a hundred-fold in advancement of God's Kingdom.

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BAM's Four Components

Business As Mission (BAM) has four core components.

• First, it involves the creation of a business controlled by Great Commission minded owners and senior management who seek to glorify God with every aspect of the their business operation. This eliminates Tentmaking which focuses on individual impact rather than the business impact.
• Second, it has profit (or at least sustainability) as a goal. This eliminates business "platforms" and other ministries and NGOs which cannot operate without donor funds.
• Third, it exists primarily to advance the gospel among less reached peoples of the world. This eliminates marketplace ministries which are typically not cross-cultural in emphasis.
• Fourth, it is socially responsible; it does not seek profit at any cost. Restricting our definition in this way is not to say that these excluded strategies are not desirable or effective.

-Source WikiBAM

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The Integrated life

What if we could resolve the exhausting struggle between work, family, and spiritual life? What if we recognized a dep connection between faith and business? What if we could see our everyday work as ministry that has spiritual value? and What if God were even involved as an everyday partner in our work?

Experience the Integrated Life...

Ken Eldred, in his new book

The Integrated Life

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Kingdom business is purpose-driven business

Kingdom business is purpose-driven business. It is business pursued with a goal of achieving spiritual, economic and social transformation in individuals and nations.


Dr. David Yonggi Cho, from the forward of God is at Work, by Ken Eldridge

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How Small Ministries Can find Partners to Do Big Things- The 755 Network

If a ministry looks at it's calling and resources in three ways,

(1) - Pick one of 7 Categories of how they intend to influence the world for God's kingdom,
(2) - Pick one of  5 areas of  Christian Saturation where they intend to serve, and
(3) - Pick one of  5 roles they are called and willing to play

 the organization can make good decisions about what kinds of work projects they want to engage in, and who they should partner with. If a number of small groups do this together, they become - a 755 network.

A Real Life Case Study:

Banda Ache and the Tsunami

Its January, 2005, Lewisville, Texas, two days after the worst tsunami in living memory devastates the Banda Aceh region of Java, Indonesia. Reporters on the scene said the area resembled pictures of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. Seven waves 75 to 100 feet went 30 miles Inland, contaminating every fresh water source with sea water, debris, and what ever was in the warehouse of several chemical plants that were washed away in the path of the waves. This was also a place that had been closed to the gospel.

A missionary from a nearby region, in Texas on furlough, called a contact in Banda Aceh. “All the drinking water sources are gone” they reported. “Bottled water is being brought in, but it's going to take months to rehabilitate all the water sources. We need a solution now.”

The missionary contacted a small ministry that specializes in drinking water situations in support of mission projects, with water engineers on staff. A kingdom business offered a conference room and computers for the project. An informal project team formed. After an initial assessment, the engineers and contacted another specialty water purification manufacturing ministry in South Carolina that makes equipment that met the Banda Aceh situation needs. Now that the team knows the costs, a large denominational ministry goes about raising the funds. Finally, space is found on an aircraft chartered by a different international NGO that will pick up the equipment and get it sent to Banda Aceh. The missionary goes to South Carolina for training on the equipment, and then leaves for Indonesia to set up and operate the equipment.

This all takes place in about three days.

The project team formed for this project had a missionary, a denominational mission organization, a kingdom business, two small water ministry specialty organizations and an international NGO. As soon as the missionary, now a water purification system operator, joins the water purification systems in Indonesia, the project team is disbanded, and the organizations never worked together again.

This situation shows as emerging partnership model, and suggests a way to create a partnering framework for the next phase of global ministry so that projects like the one above can happen more often. I call it the 755 network.

The 755 Network

In it’s simplest form, the network is made up of many different sizes and kinds of organizations, each of which has identified themselves along three Dimensions:

• Molders of culture ( 7 Parts of the culture the group intends to address-How they intend to serve)
• Waves of gospel saturation (5 progressive waves of Gospel saturation-Where they intend to serve)
• Five Charters (5 Kinds of organizations-What role they serve )

The framework is based on based on observation of what God appears to be doing already, suggesting some additional structure.

Three Dimensions

Each ministry that participates in a 755 network conducts a self-assessment along these three dimensions. They can identify where their ministry organization exists in relation to other members of the network.

The First Dimension: Where does your ministry intend to reach out to influence the culture, wherever in the world you serve? The seven part of the 755 frame work, listed below, appears to have been originally provided by Bill Blass and Loren Cunningham of YWAM and Bill Blass of Campus Crusade for Christ.
• Religion
• Government, Law, medical
• Media
• Family
• Education
• Business
• Arts and Entertainment

The Second Dimension:
Where does your organization’s Ministry Passion focus among these five transformational Waves?
• The first wave is the Seeding wave- Pioneering, possibly Hostile (Somalia)- 2nd Antioch Church; Acts 17, Matt 28:18-20
• The second wave is the Soaking wave- A Foothold is established (Nigeria, China ).Ephesians 6: 4-5
• The third wave is the Spreading wave- Spreading to the entire local area of influence (Fiji, Mexico –The Church at Corinth).
• The fourth wave is the Sharing wave- Sends Missionaries (US, South Korea, South Africa)(First Antioch Church, Acts 14)
• The fifth wave is the Securing wave- The work to reseed countries with declining Christian Influence (Europe, The church At Ephesus).

The Third Dimension:
What gifting and resources has God given your organization, and whom has he called you to serve?
1.  Mission Project Coordinator: God has given you a vision for a specific mission to a specific area, and you may already have a local ministry Partner, but you may not know how to get it done.
2.  Catalyst  has your team done a lot of different projects and have a lot of Contacts but not Workers?
3.  Workers- Does your group do a a lot of mission trips together, are a church looking for a ministry opportunity and you just want to serve?
4.  Resource - Does your group have assets, skills, training, tools, funding, or other resources you want to use?
5.  Local Ministry- Are you a globally local church or ministry with a special need?
This is related to, but not the same as mission project roles we will describe later. For example:

That’s it...

So How to I set up a 755 Network?

Conferences: Picture a conference where conference sponsors send out a short 755 Network questionnaire ahead of time

an example Attendee wears a badge like this:

Name- Orion Banda
African Christian Fellowship International
• Domain – Religion
• Wave – Second Wave-Foothold
• Role- Local Ministry

Or

Name-Jane Smith
Aviation Missions International
• Domain – Across 7 Domains
• Wave - First and Second Wave
• Role – Aviation and technology Specialists

Or

Name: John Doe
Kingdom Travel
• Domain- Across Church, Business, Govt.
• Wave –Specialize in First and Second Wave
• Role- Travel/Visa Specialist

How it can work:

1. Setting up Conferences and inter-ministry events:
You set up conference with 3 sessions, each offered 3 Times:  

-Session 1 For everyone In the Same Domain (religion, government, media, business, etc) 
                 Topic: lets compare best practices
-Session 2 For every Transformation Wave (for example (Europe/North America) together,
                 (Somalia, Pakistan, Japan)
                  Topic: What Ministry Strategies work best in our areas?
- Session  3  For Every Role:  (Local Ministries, Catalysts, Mission Project Coordinators)
                   Topic: How do we reach out to find other small ministries?

Seating at meals is always role cross-functional : 

The networks will develop naturally under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

2.  Setting up a project 

     Using this framework, Like the Banda Aceh Project, a  Mission Project Coordinator and Local Ministry might hunt down a Catalyst who could help them structure their project, point them in the direction of  workers and resources for the project.

3.  Assessing a current Project that may be meeting resistance? 
     What parts of the Framework are missing?

Conclusion

The 755 network is ministry strategy that facilities the partnering of diverse ministries of variable size to work together on mission projects of short to long duration. The network itself can be formal or informal. The frame work works best when an organization member, after assessment, self identifies along three dimensions. Armed with this understanding, they can operate in the network to find the right kinds and quantities of other mission organizations to develop relationships and later to possibly partner with for a mission project.

There will likely be many 755 Networks for different sizes and emphasis, formal and informal of short and long duration. Finally, there are still issues to be explored, including creating partnership agreements and internal conflict resolutions processes.


Next: Now that I have my 755 Network, what's next?

Then: Once a 755 network emerges, How do I manage and grow it?

Lee Royal
Editor, Enterprising Ministry

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The Theology of Serving God - The Ministry of Enterprise

Service to God must be done out gratitude for his love and mercy, not to earn a passport to heaven or even in repayment of a passport to heaven. So every part of our service portfolio is in gratitude. Our Service in Enterprise, in church (which is our refuge, not our biosphere) every interaction with every person at anytime.

Am I really called to service right now, right were I am?\

• You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of  God, who called you. (1 Peter 2:9 GW).
• Now you belong to him ... in order that you might be useful in the service of God." Romans 7:4 TEV

Is everyone called to service?
 9, 26; 7:17; Philippians 3:14; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3)

Why was I called to service? Did I earn the Job?

• Now you belong to him ... in order that you might be useful in the service of God. (Romans 7:4 TEV)
• He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose." (2 Timothy 1:9 TEV)

I am not prepared to serve. How will I be Equipped?

• And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[a] who^[b] have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified  (Romans 8-28-30)

Since we are all called to serve, and serve out of Gratitude, I understand that God Equipps me for his service; Serving other People.

Next - How Do I serve?

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Charles Spurgeon on Prosperity

“Moab settled on his lees, he hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel.”

Give a man wealth; let his ships bring home continually rich freights; let the winds and waves appear to be his servants to bear his vessels across the bosom of the mighty deep; let his lands yield abundantly: let the weather be propitious to his crops; let uninterrupted success attend him; let him stand among men as a successful merchant; let him enjoy continued health; allow him with braced nerve and brilliant eye to march through the world, and live happily; give him the buoyant spirit; let him have the song perpetually on his lips; let his eye be ever sparkling with joy—and the natural consequence of such an easy state to any man, let him be the best Christian who ever breathed, will be presumption; even David said, “I shall never be moved;” and we are not better than David, nor half so good.

Brother, beware of the smooth places of the way; if you are treading them, or if the way be rough, thank God for it. If God should always rock us in the cradle of prosperity; if we were always dandled on the knees of fortune; if we had not some stain on the alabaster pillar; if there were not a few clouds in the sky; if we had not some bitter drops in the wine of this life, we should become intoxicated with pleasure, we should dream “we stand;” and stand we should, but it would be upon a pinnacle; like the man asleep upon the mast, each moment we should be in jeopardy.

We bless God, then, for our afflictions; we thank him for our changes; we extol his name for losses of property; for we feel that had he not chastened us thus, we might have become too secure. Continued worldly prosperity is a fiery trial.

“Afflictions, though they seem severe,

In mercy oft are sent.”

Morning and Evening: Daily Readings by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

@ Scriply Bible

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Low Profit Limited Liability Company (L3C), a Business as MIssion Start up Solution

There is an emerging company in the US called the Low Profit Limited Liability Company (L3C). I believe that this company structure can resolve the problems we have experienced when investor try to give grant start up money to for profit companies.... Check this out.

Lee Royal

***************
A low-profit limited liability company (L3C) is a legal form of business entity in the United States that was created to bridge the gap between non-profit and for-profit investing by providing a structure that facilitates investments in socially beneficial, for-profit ventures while simplifying compliance with Internal Revenue Service rules for "Program Related Investments".

Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Legal Structure
3 Capital Structure
4 Tax Implications
5 Advantages
6 Applications
7 Legislation
8 Proposed Legislation
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

The L3C is a low-profit limited liability company (LLC), that functions via a business modality that is a hybrid legal structure combining the financial advantages of the limited liability company, an LLC, with the social advantages of a non-profit entity. An L3C runs like a regular business and is profitable. However, unlike a for-profit business, the primary focus of the L3C is not to make money, but to achieve socially beneficial aims, with profit making as a secondary goal. The L3C thus occupies a niche between the for-profit and charitable sectors. As of September, 2009, an L3C can only be formed in the states of Michigan[1], Vermont, Wyoming, Utah, the Crow Indian Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe. On August 4, 2009, Gov. Pat Quinn signed Illinois' L3C Bill SBO239 and the law will take effect on January 1, 2010. [2]

Robert M. Lang, the creator of the L3C, CEO of The Mary Elizabeth &; Gordon B. Mannweiler Foundation Inc. and CEO of L3C Advisors, L3C the nations very first L3C recommends that you visit the web page for Americans for Community Development[1] for frequent developments on the L3C.

Legal Structure

The L3C is a form of limited liability company (LLC) and possesses many characteristics of a typical LLC. Like a traditional LLC, the L3C is a for-profit entity. Like a traditional LLC, the L3C offers a flexible ownership structure, wherein each member’s management responsibility and financial stake may vary according to individual needs. Like a traditional LLC, the L3C’s members enjoy limited liability for the actions and debts of the company. And, like a traditional LLC, the L3C is classified as a “pass-through entity” for federal tax purposes.

However, there is one important distinction between the L3C and the LLC. Although both are profit-making entities, the primary purpose of the L3C is not to earn a profit, but to achieve a socially beneficial objective, with profit a secondary goal. Whereas a traditional LLC may be organized and operated for any lawful business purpose, the L3C must be organized and operated at all times to satisfy the following requirements:

1. The company must “significantly further the accomplishment of one or more charitable or educational purposes,” and would not have been formed but for its relationship to the accomplishment of such purpose(s);

2. "No significant purpose of the company is the production of income or the appreciation of property” (though the company is permitted to earn a profit); and

3. The company must not be organized “to accomplish any political or legislative purposes.”

These three requirements, which must be specified in the L3C’s organizing document, deliberately mirror the requirements in the Internal Revenue Code governing Program-Related Investments (PRIs). Thus, the L3C is designed to meet the IRS requirements for qualifying as a recipient of PRIs. However, the IRS has not ruled on whether investments to L3C's will qualify as PRIs and has publicly stated that foundations may not rely on L3C status in determining whether or not an investment qualifies as a PRI.

PRIs are IRS-sanctioned investments made by private foundations, often into for-profit business ventures, to support a charitable project or activity. PRIs may involve high risk, low return, or both, but are made by foundations despite those apparent drawbacks because they are intended to achieve charitable purposes—and, as a result, receive special treatment under the federal tax law. Federal tax law generally requires private foundations to distribute at least five percent of their assets to social programs every year - or by making socially beneficial "program-related investments" of five percent or more of their assets every year in order to receive their tax benefits. [3]

PRIs usually are structured as below-market-rate loans, but may take other forms as well, including loan guarantees, purchases of stock or other equity security (including membership in an LLC), and letters of credit. For example, the federal tax regulations governing PRIs describe a business enterprise in an economically disadvantaged area that will receive loans from financial institutions only after it receives a below-market loan from a private foundation, and conclude that the foundation’s below-market loan qualifies as a PRI. The tax rules governing PRIs also permit private foundations to join conventional investors in financing enterprises that might—but are very unlikely to—provide the foundation a market-rate return. The key to a PRI is the foundation's motivation in making the investment. The legal form of the recipient is not determinative.

Presently, few foundations choose to make significant PRIs, in large part because of the difficulty and expense of ensuring that a proposed investment will qualify as a PRI.

[edit] Capital Structure
As a new, hybrid business form, L3C can leverage foundations' program-related investments to access trillions of dollars of market-driven capital for ventures with modest financial prospects, but the possibility of major social impact. An L3C enjoys a flexible ownership structure and can have different classes of investors—individuals, non-profits, for-profits, and even government agencies that have distinct investment goals and are willing to assume different levels of financial risk. [4] Because members of an L3C are not required to assume equal stakes in the venture, the structure of the L3C allows for tiered financing, also known as tranching. Tranching allows for the uneven allocation of risk and reward among investors, thus ensuring some investors a safer investment with lower returns.

At least two tranches of capital are involved in an L3C. The junior tier (or equity tranche)—the capital most at risk in the enterprise—is provided by foundations in the form of PRIs. The foundations holding PRIs in an L3C have the last claim on the assets of the enterprise upon dissolution and, for the reasons discussed above, are willing to accept a below-market rate of return. By allowing foundations to absorb excess risk and receive below-market returns, the junior tranche of PRI capital provides the financial backbone of the L3C, strengthening its balance sheet and positioning it to attract substantial additional capital from non-charitable investors.

The most senior tranche of capital in the L3C is provided by investors that need to generate market rates of return, but would like to invest in projects that provide tangible social benefits. With the PRI capital in place, the L3C can offer market rates of return at acceptable levels of risk to institutional investors (e.g., pension funds, banks, insurance companies, endowments) and other traditional investors. Thus, the L3C's investment structure can bring substantial new pools of funds to bear on problems normally only treatable by non-profit dollars, by providing socially beneficial investments that also are sound, market rate, and commercially viable.

In certain cases, an L3C’s capital structure may also include an intermediate tier, or “mezzanine” tranche, between the higher-risk/lower return junior tier designed for foundations’ PRIs, and the market-risk-and-return senior tier designed for profit-seeking investors. The mezzanine tranche is designed to attract socially-conscious investors whose definition of “return on investment” includes the achievement of socially desirable ends. Mezzanine investors are willing to forego market-rate financial returns and instead accept part of their return in the form of enhanced social welfare.

 Tax Implications
Although L3Cs are created to advance charitable purposes, they are not charities. Therefore, L3Cs are not exempt from federal or state tax and investments in L3Cs are not tax-deductible. While the L3C is designed to facilitate PRIs by private foundations, these foundation investments are governed by the federal tax rules applicable to PRIs.

Rather, an L3C—like a traditional LLC—is a “pass-through entity,” like a partnership or sole proprietorship. This means that no federal income tax is imposed on the L3C itself. Instead, items of income, expense, gain, and loss “pass through” the L3C to its members, are allocated in proportion to the members’ ownership shares, and are reported on members’ individual tax returns. Though L3Cs by their nature begin as enterprises that are expected to generate low overall profits, those profits are subject to taxation at the rates of tax that apply to their members.

As of July 2009, the IRS had not yet resolved several key questions with respect to the tax treatment of L3Cs. Foremost among these is whether investment by a private foundation in an L3C will constitute prima facie evidence of legitimate PRI. Another unresolved issue is whether profits flowing from an L3C to a tax-exempt member with a similar mission may be less subject to UBIT than if they had come from a traditional LLC.[5]

Advantages
The L3C is a defined entity organized under state laws.
It would allow the use of the more efficient free enterprise system unburdened by nonprofit regulation.
Its financial structure would allow the creation of a salable product by the financial industry
Foundations may buy ownership shares, make loans to, or otherwise financially interact with the L3C, and if these investments qualify as Program Related Investments, all or part of those investments will count towards the foundation's minimum payout requirement. [6] However, income from the investment must be added to the foundation's minimum payout requirement for the year in which it is received.
The L3C embodies the operating efficiencies of a for-profit along with a reduced regulatory structure. As an LLC, it can bring together foundations, trusts, endowment funds, pension funds, individuals, corporations, other for-profits and government entities into an organization designed to achieve social objectives while also operating according to for-profit metrics.

Under L3C status, a foundation (and its partner organizations) retains ownership and management rights in the L3C while possibly recovering its principal investment and potentially realizing a capital gain which, in turn, increases the amount of funds available to dedicate to the foundation’s charitable purposes.
The L3C creates an opportunity for the investment of private capital to further a social purpose. Because of its tranching structure; an L3C could be partially funded by money intended for prudent investment only such as state pension funds. This opens the door to trillions of dollars not currently available for socially beneficial investment.

Applications

Possible nonprofit structure for museums, concert halls, symphonies, recreational facilities and the hundreds of thousands of nonprofits that perform service for the government under contract, with the government as their primary source of revenue. As long as there is a definable revenue stream; the L3C is a potential vehicle.

The L3C is also a possible business structure for newspapers. While the IRS has not accepted newspapers as nonprofits, the federal legislation mentions L3C especially and it lists newspapers specifically. The idea of the Newspaper L3C is to bring back those journalistic contributions like neighborhood reporting, music reviews, book sections and even ads and make them part of the community services. An L3C is sustainable because it can tap into foundation money, and because an L3C business must meet a social purpose, it realigns newspaper with their mission of community service. "The participation of the foundation, which is seeking high social return but low monetary return serves as a catalyst for high investor return," said Marc J.
Lane, a Chicago-based attorney who authored the Illinois L3C legislation. [7]

L3C's investors can also offer low-interest loans to needy students, finance low-income housing projects, provide credit to disadvantaged business owners, combat community deterioration, and help alleviate other social strains. [8]

An L3C allows its investors to buy, say, an abandoned factory, rehab it as a LEED (Leadership on Energy and Environment Design) green building, and lease it at below-market rates to an ambitious, but cash-strapped manufacturer. The entrepreneur could become a successful employer and a catalyst for sustainable urban development. [9]

Legislation

Vermont. The pioneer legislation approving the L3C as a legally-recognized form of business entity (House Bill 0775) was approved by the full Vermont House of Representatives on February 27, 2008 and by the Vermont Senate on April 11, 2008. It was signed into law by Governor of Vermont James H. Douglas on April 30, 2008. As of August 10, 2009 Vermont lists about 60 L3Cs in the state database, including a chess camp, theater, alternative energy companies, publishers, food companies and numerous consulting firms. [10]
Michigan. Introduced by Traverse City Republican State Senator Jason Allen on July 24, 2008, Senate Bill 1445 was signed into law on January 16, 2009[11] as an amendment to the Michigan Limited Liability Company Act[12] by Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm. The bill was supported by the Council of Michigan Foundations[13], and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth[14].
Utah.

February 2009 - State Senator Lyle Hillyard (Utah politician) from District 25 introduced the Low-profit Limited Liability Company Act S.B. 148 on February 2, 2009. The Act is sponsored in the House by State Representative Kraig Powell of District 54.On March 23, 2009, Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman Jr. signed the Low-Profit Limited Liability Company Act S.B. 148 into law. [15]
Wyoming.
January 2009 - Wyoming State Representative, Dan Zwonitzer, introduced the L3C bill HB0182. On February 26, 2009 Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed the L3C Legislation into law.
Illinois. August 2009 - Gov. Pat Quinn signed Illinois' L3C bill on August 4, 2009. The law took effect on January 1, 2010. [16] [2]

The law aims to make it easier for social enterprises to attract capital, said Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago), who sponsored the bill. "Foundations have a growing interest to not only make grants that achieve a social purpose but also use investments to do that," Steans said. Chicago attorney and financial adviser Marc Lane of Marc J. Lane Wealth Group, who helped spearhead the Illinois legislation, said the L3C law could create new jobs by supporting social enterprises that otherwise couldn't exist. [17] It's particularly timely given the credit crunch, he said. [18]
[edit] Proposed Legislation

Legislation allowing the formation of L3Cs is currently being considered in North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Montana[19]. Marc J. Lane, a Chicago lawyer, who helped push for the L3C legislation in Illinois, and is the midst of helping start as many as 50 L3C around the country said this compelling concept has so much energy behind this movement.[20]

See also

Community interest company (similar legal structure under United Kingdom law)
Social entrepreneurship
Triple Bottom Line business theory

References
 Lane, Marc (1 September 2008). "L3Cs Hold Key To Solving State's Social Woes". Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.marcjlane.com/index.php?src=news&refno=288&category=2008%20Lane%20Reports.

 Lane, Marc (1 September 2008). "L3Cs Hold Key To Solving State's Social Woes". Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.marcjlane.com/index.php?src=news&refno=288&category=2008%20Lane%20Reports.

 http://www.cof.org/files/Bamboo/programsandservices/publicpolicy/documents/schultzletter.pdf

Meyer, Ann (Monday, December 28, 2009 “Nonprofits benefit from for-profit practices”. The Chicago Tribune.

Sally Duros (9 February 2009). "How to Save Newspapers". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sally-duros/how-to-save-newspapers_b_164849.html. Retrieved 14 May 2009.

Lane, Marc (1 September 2008). "L3Cs Hold Key To Solving State's Social Woes". Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.marcjlane.com/index.php?src=news&refno=288&category=2008%20Lane%20Reports.

Lane, Marc (1 September 2008). "L3Cs Hold Key To Solving State's Social Woes". Crain's Chicago Business. http://www.marcjlane.com/index.php?src=news&refno=288&category=2008%20Lane%20Reports.

Meyer, Ann (Monday, August 10 2009). "New corporate structure could give social entrepreneurs new funding stream". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-mon-minding-l3c-aug10,0,5321379.column. Retrieved 10 August 2009.

http://www.michiganfoundations.org/s_cmf/bin.asp?CID=10388&DID=23108&DOC=FILE.PDF
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20090222/SUB01/302229972/1069
http://www.michiganfoundations.org/s_cmf/sec.asp?CID=6766&DID=14917
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dleg/Analysis_of_Enrolled_L3C_Bills_261198_7.pdf http://le.utah.gov/~2009/bills/sbillamd/sb0148.htm
Lane, Marc (January 2010), "The Illinois Low-profit Limited Liability Company" http://marcjlane.com/clientuploads/l3cbook.pdf.
Senator Steans' Office.

Lane, Marc (December 2009) "The Family Foundation and the L3C"

http://marcjlane.com/clientuploads/NWSLTR_PHIL.pdf. Family Office Association.
Meyer, Ann (Monday, August 10 2009).
New corporate structure could give social entrepreneurs new funding stream". Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-mon-minding-l3c-aug10,0,5321379.column. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
http://www.americansforcommunitydevelopment.org/legislativewatch.html
Williams, Grant (Tuesday, November 10, 2009) “Dozens of Companies Are Sprouting with the Same Goal: Doing Good”. The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

External links
Introducing L3C
Balancing the Mission Checkbook: Where For-Profit and Nonprofit Meet
Legislative text for Vermont House Bill 0775
Americans for Community Development
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L3C

The Rest @ Wikipedia

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BAM Survey Conclusions Still Relevant

What follows below my comments is an excerpt from a 2007 BAM Study from Kervin Ring's site. The survey sample size was a bit small (497 people in 38 countries), but the conclusions remain useful. It appears that, at the time of the survey, at least among survey participants, 10% may have been involved in "creative access" business ventures, and that the remaining 90% had a significant negative response to those who engage in creative access business.

It is  a personal observation that now, three years later, most "creative aceess" ventures have either failed or become transparent. The premise of these ventures were flawed, and reflected a lack of understanding of kingdom business culture by traditional ministry leaders. In essence, asking God to bless a creative access business is no less a problem than a violation of the James 4:3 warning: "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."  it might read "When you ask (pray) you do not recieve because you ask with the wrong motives, a motive to lie about who you are."  A "watcher" in a "creative access" target country woud say:

• " a goat that pretends to be a sheep may some day be a snake pretending to be a sheep. Once a pretender, always a pretender. Nothing he says can be trusted."

Next, I agree with the following survey premise that Commercial Function, licitness, and management oversight are hallmarks of a genuine business as mission enterprise, or enterpising ministry. Without these key ellements, registering a business in a limited access country becomes a sham, unworthy to be associated with the name of Jesus, destructive of genuine evangalistic activity.

Tom Sudyk stated it more simply and starkly one day while he helped us review some business we were planning.

"If there's no Profit, There's No Business"

I agree.








Lee Royal


*******************************************************
(the Survey Summary)

In order for Business as Mission objectives to drive the strategic management of BAM companies, the structure of a BAM company must align with those objectives.

Different strategies that integrate business activities with ministry efforts hold to different principles on how a business should operate. How each of these principles is manifest within a business is a subject of much debate. Core principles such as operating with integrity and honesty are universally accepted as important to Christians in business. However, research shows that three key considerations regarding [1] structure (commercial function) [2], licitness[3], and management oversight) are not universally accepted as vital elements of Business as Mission (Exhibit 5).

• Nearly 10 percent of respondents do not think that commercial function and legal structure are vital for Business as Mission. (5.1 and 5.2)
• One out of four respondents expressed no opinion about whether an advisory board is a vital element of a BAM business. (5.3)

Management Considerations

• Aspects of corporate structure (licitness and commercial function) are recognized by 77 percent of respondents as important elements of BAM companies.
• Both licitness and commercial function are considered to strongly influence a business’s ability to make a profit. Both also influence evangelism efforts and focus on the developing world.
• A BAM company’s commercial function influences that company’s role in building the local economy.

Implication:
These results highlight the important role that a Business as Mission company plays in its marketplace and host country. Honoring the laws of a host country and offering a valuable product/service create legitimacy, which puts the business in a position of influence allowing it to achieve its goals.

• Commercial function has a negative correlation with providing access to countries.

Implication:
the negative correlation between "Is a commercial enterprise" and "Provides access to many locations" may be a result of skepticism that has been created by missionaries that have taken advantage of countries’ openness to gain access with no intention of pursuing successful business.

• Simply using BAM to gain access is contrary to legitimate market activities and as a result, associating BAM with creative access has a negative connotation.

Management oversight

• Survey respondents heavily favor Management participation in discipling and accountability relationships (87 percent).
•  Additionally, 68 percent agree that BAM companies should have an advisory board.

Results indicate that the primary influence of these two types of management support is on the company’s evangelism efforts and focus on the developing world.

Implication
There is a general belief that support at the management level is valuable; however, this support is focused on the missional aspects of the company.

• The fact that respondents are doubtful of partnering with social service agencies and that management oversight does not have a perceived contribution to a company’s ability to make a profit, points to an inclination with BAM operators to hold back from engaging outsiders.

Whether this is a result of their entrepreneurial nature, a byproduct of the sacred/secular divide, or a reaction to unrealistic demands placed on BAM operators by people with very little at stake, if the BAM movement can find an acceptable way of engaging outside support, it would greatly increase the impact BAM has.

Sustainability

Sustainability is considered a highly important aspect of Business as Mission, with over 85 percent of respondents agreeing that

• Net profitability of the organization,
• Growth in capital base for future development of kingdom businesses,
• Development of a succession plan are valuable elements.

Respondents correlate net profitability with the ability to build the local economy and to bless the nation.
Respondents also believe that developing a succession plan facilitates the ability to evangelize and the focus on the developing world.

Implication:
in order to have a lasting impact, BAM companies must be able to survive.

Additionally, given the dynamic environments in which these companies operate, it is important for BAM operators to plan for the long term. Considering that company leadership largely determines the mission strategy of a BAM company, a key area of concern is planning for transitions in leadership in such a way the preserves the company’s focus on its ministry.
All three aspects of sustainability are negatively correlated with the goal of gaining access through Business as Mission.
Implication: these results also highlight the association with creative access and spurious business efforts, since sustainability is not a key area of concern for illegitimate businesses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] The survey data is not robust enough to draw inferences about the nature of such links; however, it does point to the possibility of their existence. Further study of such correlations is important for helping to address the complexities of Business as Mission.

[2] Commercial function refers to the role a company plays in the marketplace, specifically the activities of providing goods and services and may involve financial, commercial, and industrial aspects. (Exhibit 5.1)

[3] Licitness refers to conformity to the applicable provisions of the laws of the countries of operation of a company. (Exhibit 5.2)
********************************************************
The Rest @ Kingdom Strategist

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Business as Mission Books

Suggested Reading on Kingdom Business
As compiled by and with acknowledgement to Regent College


Books

Befus, David R. (2002).
Kingdom business: The ministry of promoting economic development.
Miami: Latin America Mission.
Befus writes from his experience in integrating ministry with economic activity and presents five models of integration. There are both Spanish and English translations.
Burkett, Larry (1998).
Business by the Book: The complete guide of Biblical principles for the workplace.
Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
Practical advice for how to apply Biblical principles to business operation and management.

Bussau, David, and Russell Mask (2003).
Christian micro enterprise development: An introduction. Regnum Books.
A handbook to equip practitioners and donors to build Christ’s Kingdom through Christian MED.

Chan, Kim-kwong, and Tetsauno Yamamori (2002).
Holistice entrepreneurs in China: A handbook on the World Trade Organization and new opportunities for Christians.
Pasadena, CA.: William Carey International University Press.
Practical information on the economic changes taking place in China and the opportunities for Christian business entrepreneurs being created.

Danker, William J., Beaver. R. Pierce ().
Profit for the lord: Economic activities in Moravian missions and the basel mission trading company.

De Soto, Hernando (2000).
The Mystery of capital, why capitalism triumphs in the West and fails everywhere else.
New York, NY: Basis Books.
Examines the problem of why some countries succeed at capitalism and others fail. He finds a link to the legal structure of property and property rights of each nation.

Eldred, Ken (2003).
God Is At Work: Transforming people and nations through business.
Ventura, CA: Regal Books
Deals with Kingdom business as an emerging mission movement, one in which Christian business people are meeting significant spiritual and economic needs in the developing world. They are pursuing for-profit business ventures designed to facilitate the transformation of people and nations. There are both Spanish and English translations

Gibson, Dan (1997).
Avoiding the tentmaker trap. Ontario, Canada: WEC International.
Practical guidance for the prospective tentmaker, including a comprehensive resource list of books and organizations.

Greene, Mark (2001).
Supporting Christians at work: A practical guide for busy pastors.
London: London Institute for Contemporary Christianity

Grudem, Wayne (2003).
Business for the Glory of God: The Bibles Teaching on the Moral Goodness of Business. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway.)
Examines how business, in particular ownership, employment, profit, money, inequality of possessions, competition etc. may glorify God.

Hamilton, Don (1987).
Tentmakers Speak: Practical Advice from Over 400 Missionary Tentmakers. Duarte, CA.: TMQ Research, 1987.
Research led book sharing insights from tentmakers’ real life experiences.

Hammond, Pete, R. Paul Stevens and Todd Svanoe (2002).
Marketplace Annotated Bibliography: A Christian Guide to Books on Work, Business and Vocation. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Comprehensive listing of 1200 books on marketplace-faith integration. The authors include a historical survey of the marketplace-faith movement and a variety of thematic indexes.

Hill, Dr. Alexander (1997).
Just Business - Christian Ethics for the Marketplace. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.
An introduction to business ethics and help for examining ethical issues that arise in any business development context.

Humphreys, Kent (2004).
Lasting investments: A pastor’s guide for equipping workplace leaders to leave a spiritual legacy. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.
Rediscovering the common goals and visions that pastors and workplace leaders share.

Knoblauch, Jorg and Jurg Opprecht (2004).
Kingdom Companies: How 24 Executives Around the Globe Serve Jesus Christ Through Their Businesses. Self published.
Introduces kingdom companies - those businesses that operate on biblical values and as a means of spreading the gospel. Highlights principles for kingdom companies through short company profiles.

Lai, Patrick (2003).
Window businesses: Doing tentmaking in the 10/40 window. Pasadena, CA: William Carey International University Press.
Practical guide for starting businesses as a tentmaker in countries at various economic stages.

Lewis, Jonathan, ed. (1997).
Working your way to the nations: A guide to effective tentmaking. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
A study guide and handbook on tentmaking, with a series of practical essays by experienced specialists. Available at http://www.tentmakernet.com – free to download in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Arabic.

Myers, Bryant (1999).
Walking with the poor: Principles and practices of transformational development., (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis.)Theological basis for economic development and holistic mission, with discussion on the application of these principles.

Nash, Laura, Ken Blanchard and Scotty McLennan (2001).
Church on sunday, work on monday: The challenge of fusing Christian values with business life. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
A guide to improving communication between the worlds of church and business. The authors draw on extensive research including case studies and interviews, and define the obstacles to such communication.

Novak, Michael (1996).
Business as a calling: work and the examined life. New York, NY: The Free Press.
Examines the interplay between religion and business and the effect on the moral and social condition of a nation.

Olsen, J. Gunnar (2004).
Business unlimited: Memories of the coming kingdom, (ICCC, 2002: Scandinavia Publishing House.
The autobiography of Gunnar Olson, founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce. A story of an intimate walk with God which has lead to the author being used to influence nations.

Prahalad, C.K. (2005).
The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid: Eradicating poverty through profits. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.
The relationship between business and development in developing nations. Examining the entrepreneurial ability and buying power of the poor.

Rundle, Steve, and Tom Steffen (2003).
Great Commission Companies: The emerging role of business in missions. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Introduces principles for Great Commission Companies in the context of globalization. Provides five case studies from businesses involved in mission.

Silvoso, Ed (2002).
Anointed for business: How Christians can use their influence in the marketplace to change the world. Ventura, California: Regal.
Silvoso shows how ministry in the marketplace should go hand in hand with building God’s kingdom and transforming society. He urges the church to overcome the barriers that remain to integrating business and ministry.

Schlossberg, Herbert, Ronald J. Sider and Vinay Samuel, Eds. (1994).
Christianity and economics in the Post-cold war era. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
Developed from the second Oxford Conference on Christian faith and economics, this book reproduces the 1990 Oxford Declaration itself and eleven critical responses on the subject of Christian faith and economics.

Suter, Heinz and Dr. Marco Gmur (1997).
Business Power for God’s Purpose. Greng, Switz.:VKG Publishing.
Introduction to the role of business in the task of world evangelization, including history and ethics and some cases.

Swarr, Sharon B. and Dwight Nordstrom (1999).
Transform the world: Biblical vision and purpose for business. Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development.
A Biblical introduction to the domain of business followed by some practical guides and principles for developing ‘Great Commission businesses’.

Tsukahira, Peter (2000).
My father’s business. Self-published.
By drawing from his experience as both a pastor and a business leader, Tsukahira gives guidelines for ministry in the marketplace.

Wilson, J. Christy, Jr. (1979).
Today's tentmakers. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
Introduction to the idea of tentmaking from one of the founding fathers of the modern tentmaking movement.

Yamamori, Tetsunao (1993).
Penetrating missions' final frontier: A new strategy for unreached people. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Yamamori presents a challenge for tentmakers to go out into places other missionaries cannot, all in the light of the remaining task of world missions.

Yamamori, Tetsunao, and Kenneth A. Eldred, Eds. (2003).
On kingdom business: Transforming missions through entrepreneurial strategies. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
This is a thorough introduction to the concept of Kingdom business from a broad range of experienced contributors, and is divided into three parts: case studies, essays and conclusions.

Articles and Papers:

Befus, D. (2002, April). Kingdom business: A new frontier in missions.
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 204-209.

Dwight Baker (2001). William Carey and the business model for missions. Unpublished Manuscript.


K.C. Chan and Scott McFarlane (2002, October). Business as missions: Stewardship and leadership development in a global economy at Christian Business Faculty Association annual conference, Northwest Nazarene University.

Davies, Stanley. (2001, October). Business & mission or business as mission: A report by Stanley Davies. Global Connections, London.

Derek Christensen (1997). Training endurance food for serious tenmakers. International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, 3, 133-138.


John Cox (1997). The Tentmaking movement in historical perspective. International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, 3, 111-117.


Denise Daniels, Tim Dearborn, Randel S. Franz, Gary L. Karns, Jeff Van Duzer and Kenman L. Wong (2003, July). Toward a theology of business. The Fifth International Symposium on Catholic Social and Management Education, Bilbao, Spain. -

Judith Dean (2003, January). “Why trade matters for the poor.” The 20th Anniversary Conference Association of Christian Economists, Washington, DC.

Norm Ewert (1992). The role of business enterprise in Christian mission. Transformation 9, 7-14.

Stanley J. Grenz (1999). God’s business: A foundation for Christian mission in the marketplace. Crux 35, 1, 19-25.

Guthrie, S. (1995, November 13). Tentmaking put down stakes in missions movement. Christianity Today, 39, 13, 80(2).

Hammond, A. L., Prahalad, C. K. (2004, May 11). Selling to the poor. FP Foreign Policy.

Patrick Lai (1998). Starting a business in a restricted access nation. International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, 1, 41-46.

Bob Lupton. (2003, August). Markets and missions. EC Institute.

Mark Markiewicz (1999). Business as mission, or how two grocers changed the course of a nation” at Central Asia business consultation. Published by Business Professional Network.

McLoughlin, M. (2001, May). Back to the future of missions: The case for marketplace ministry. Youth with A Mission (YWAM), Marketplace Mission.

Patrick Lai (2000). Tentmaking: In search of a workable definition. Unpublished Manuscript.

David Llewellyn (2004). The witness of work: Business as mission. Unpublished Manuscript.

Scott McFarlane (2004). Six ways to get involved in the business as missions movement. Regent Business Review 11.

Robert Morris (1998). Shrewd yet innocent: Thoughts on tentmaking integrity. International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, 1, 5-8.

Dwight Nordstrom and Jim Nielsen (1998, Janaury-March). How business is integral to tentmaking. International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, 1, 15-18.

J.I. Packer (1990). The Christian’s purpose in business. In Richard C. Chewning, Ed. Biblical Principles and Business: The practice. Colorado Springs: NavPress.

Padilla, C. R. (2000, April-June). Holistic mission: Crossing frontiers to transform lives.

Price, D. J. (1997, July-September). The tentmaker’s mandate. International Journal of Frontier Missions, 14. 3.

Jim Reapsome (1997). Paul: The nonprofessional missionary. Occasional Bulletin.

Steve Rundle (2000). Ministry, profits and the schizophrenic tentmaker. Evangelical Missions Quarterly 36, 3, 292-300.

Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen (2004). Building a Great Commission Company. Regent Business Review 11.

Dr. Kent W. Seibert and Scott McFarlane (2004, October). For the love of business: Demonstrating the reality of God through the practice of business. The 20th Annual Christian Business Faculty Association Conference.

Ruth E. Siemens (1998). Why did Paul make tents? A Biblical basis for tentmaking. GO Paper A-1.

Ruth E. Siemens (1997). The tentmakers and their Churches: Mutual responsibility. GO Paper A-9.

Ruth E. Siemens (1997). The tentmaker’s preparation for work and witness. GO Paper A-5.

Karen Schmidt (1999). Versatile vocation – Using marketplace skills to reach the world for Christ. World Christian, 31-33.

R. Paul Stevens (2001). The marketplace: Mission field or mission. Crux 37, 3, 7-16.

Sharon B. Swarr and Dwight Nordstrom (1999). Best practice for business as missions. Transform the World.

Smith, K. (1998, January-March). Tentmaking: The practical dimension. International Journal of Frontier Missions, 15, 1.

Suter, H., & Gmur, M. (1998, January-March). Business power for God’s purpose. International Journal of Frontier Missions, 15, 1.

Gary Taylor (1998). Don’t call me a tentmaker. International Journal of Frontier Missions 15, 1, 23-24.

Tsukahira, Peter (1997). The business of the kingdom: Guidelines for businessmen and women in the relationship between business and ministry.

Mats Tunehag (2000). Business as mission. Unpublished Manuscript.

John H. Warton, Jr. (2002). Employment and the dignity of life – the economic agenda of the Church. Convention of Christian Businessmen in Panama and Argentina.

J. Christy Wilson, Jr. (1997). Successful tentmaking depends on mission agencies. International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, 3, 141-143.

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