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GREAT COMMISSION COMPANIES The Emerging Role of Business in Missions Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen InterVarsity Press, 2003, 204 pp. ISBN 0-8308-3227-0 |
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Rundle
and Steffen are professors at Biola University. Rundle is professor of economics. Steffen is professor of intercultural studies and author of
several books on missions. Based on
five years of studying and visiting for-profit companies that have a
missional purpose, the book consists of principles and examples of business
as a means of ministry and a means of supporting ministry in other
cultures. The
first part deals with a) missions concepts, b) the economic, historical and
theological context of business as missions, and c) an introduction to
starting and governing a Great Commission Company (GCC). The second part describes several models
in operation. This is a new, growing,
complex, and mind-boggling arena, full of possibilities, opportunities, and
pitfalls. See the end of these notes
for additional resources. Part One. Principles of Great
Commission Companies “Globalization
did not catch God by surprise, nor is it out of his control.” (6) “Moreover,
we believe that this redemptive plan, which is the central message of the
Bible, is the intended purpose of the whole church, not merely those
in professional ministry.” (6) “Combining
business and missions is not easy, and it creates a tension that does not
exist when the activities are pursued separately. But the fact that it is difficult is not a valid reason for not
trying.” (7) “This
book is for the countless Christian men and women in business who want to do
more than watch the game of missions.
...they want to be on the playing field.” “The purpose of this book is to show how
it is not only possible today, but also necessary for business
professionals—and companies owned by Christians—to become more actively
involved in missions. Our main focus
will be on companies that are bringing the healing message of the gospel to
the least-developed and least-evangelized parts of the world.” “...27 percent of the world’s
population—some 1.6 billion people—still have no idea who Jesus Christ is or
why his death and resurrection matter.,
Furthermore, they will likely never encounter a single follow of
Jesus....” (13-14) “Large
parts of the world are suffering, unreached and off-limits to professional
Christian workers.” “Business, on the other hand, has a remarkable capacity
to touch virtually every person on the face of this planet.” “Business
provides such a context for long-term holistic outreach.” (16) “Large
foreign-owned companies can also have a spiritual impact that many
missionaries envy for the simple reason that people spend so much more time
at work than they do in traditional ministry contexts. Evangelism and discipleship can be
integrated into natural workday situations rather than forced to compete with
a host of after-work alternatives.”
“Corporate profits can be used to support other ministry outside the
company.” (16) Business
may be one of the most strategic career choices a missions-minded Christian
can make in the twenty-first century. (20) “What
all companies have in common is a highly specific purpose and a highly
intentional way they go about achieving that purpose.” (20) “One
model that has little to commend it is the ‘missionary in disguise’
approach. ...this ‘ends justifying
the means’ approach to ministry is dishonest and a poor witness.’” (22) “People who appear to have hidden agendas
are naturally hard to trust.” (24) “We
have found that the most effective GCCs are in fact quite open about their
faith and even have a reputation for evangelistic work. What keeps them from being persecuted or
expelled? The value added. Without exception the most secure business
‘platform’ is the profitable, job-creating, tax-paying company.” (23) The
purpose of a GCC is “to bring good news in word and deed to the neediest
parts of the world.” (25) What
is mission(s)? Satan’s damage,
quoting Bryant Myers, proved very broad, very holistic. God’s redemptive plan is also holistic,
extending not just to individuals but also to the whole of society, its
institutions and even to creation itself (see Rom 8:19-23; Eph 1:22-23; Col
1:19-20). The term mission (or
missio Dei) refers to this singular, all-encompassing plan of
reconciliation.” (27) “The specific
activities of the church have traditionally been referred to either as
‘missions’ (plural) or ‘’ministry,’ depending on whether geographical,
linguistic or cultural barriers are crossed.
Outreach efforts among people of similar language and culture are
usually referred to as ‘ministry,’ and the term missionary has
traditionally been applied to those doing crosscultural ministry, that is,
‘missions.’ (28) “Missions
presents a different set of challenges and requires a different kind of
preparation than near-neighbor ministry.
If everyone is a missionary, the term quickly loses its practical
usefulness.” (29) “Finally, calling
all Christians ‘missionaries’ is problematic.... This book uses the label kingdom professional. (34) “Assumption
3: Authentic missions meets real physical needs, but never stops there. Making a person healthier or more
prosperous in this life will never compensate for eternal separation from
God.” (35-6) “Assumption
4: Authentic missions aims to draw people into the family of God, but never
stops there. The second half of the
Great Commission—‘teaching them to obey everything I have commanded’—is
sometimes overlooked by evangelicals.” “Authentic missions seamlessly
integrates spiritual and physical ministry.” (36) “Kingdom
professionals recognize the intrinsic value of work; that work itself is an
integral part of God’s holistic, redemptive plan for the world. But they take their calling a step
further, seeking to make the most of their God-given opportunities to impact
the people around them and measuring success according to their contribution
to what God is doing.” (37) A
GCC [Great Commission Company] is “a socially responsible, income-producing
business managed by kingdom professionals and created for the specific
purpose of glorifying God and promoting the growth and multiplication of
local churches in the least-evangelized and least-developed parts of the
world.” (41) “Some
companies work very closely with missions organizations, even going so far as
to have a contractual relationship.”
We call these alliances.” (43)
“A facilitative GCC...sees its role largely as providing logistical
support for those on the field.” “On
the other hand, a pioneering GCC is more directly involved in the
actual ministry activities.” (43) “A
central part of our thesis is that globalization is a part of God’s plan to
integrate the entire body of Christ into his global plan (mission).” (47) “As
many as 40 percent of Western business professional who are given foreign
assignments return early, and many of those who stay suffer from a range of
problems including depression, marital problems and alcoholism.” (58) “The
World Bank’s definition of poverty—which takes into account only the income
necessary to sustain a human life—currently stands at $395 per year, or $1.08
per day (commonly reported as one dollar per day). Using a more generous figure of two dollars per day, nearly
half of the world’s population, or 2.8 billion people, lives in poverty.”
(69) Of
the $270 billion donated each year to Christian churches and ministries, only
0.02% ($54 million) goes to fund work being done in the least-evangelized
countries. (citing the World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001, via Mission Frontiers, September 2001,
p. 11) “The
startup process begins with some feasibility research, fundraising and
recruitment, followed by more fundraising, more research and more recruitment. In other words, it is an iterative process
whereby steps are continually revisited and refined. The goal will be to create a business plan
and a ‘Great Commission plan’ that provide answers to the questions investors
and other stakeholders will ask.” (77) Steps:
(quoting from p. 78) ·
Evaluate the business opportunity. ·
Evaluate the missions opportunity. ·
Assemble a management team. ·
Build an advisory network. ·
Develop a business plan. ·
Develop a Great Commission plan. “Without
something that clearly distinguishes the company’s product or service from
others, the company’s long-term prospects are not good.” “A company’s long-term survival requires a
continual process of innovation and improving service.” (80) “Investors
tend to scrutinize a for-profit opportunity much more rigorously than they
will a donation.” (81) “The
more serious entrepreneurs should have a clearly identifiable plan for
growing the company and for producing a 25- to 50-percent annualized return
for the investor.” (82) “As
with financial value, GCCs that have the most significant missional
value are those that address a relatively unmet need.” (82) “What
location or people group will benefit the most from this type of
company?” “What can this company do
that other Christian organizations in the area cannot?” “Where will the resources for
ministry-related activities come from?”
(82-84) The
best business plans illuminate the people, the opportunity, the context, the
risk, and the reward. (92) There
are both external and internal challenges.
Chapter 9 focuses on the internal, such as identifying stakeholders
(those who have an interest in the GCC success) and their contributions, and
ownership and governance.
Stakeholders include the owners, management team, home churches,
mission agencies, advisers, indigenous church (if one exists) and local
community. (96-7) “The
truth is, no matter how determined a person is to treat the business and
ministry as an integrated whole, the intentionality of a GCC implies that,
from time to time, tough choices will need to be made between the business
and the ministry.” (100) “In
theory, corporations are managed in the owners’ (the stockholders) best
interest, with the board of directors keeping the upper-level management team
honest and accountable. In practice
this oversight and accountability can break down....” (101) Part Two. Great Commission
Companies in Practice. Each
company is unique and reflects a slightly different vision. “Far more important than the business
itself is the people behind the business—their personal spiritual
development, their prior experiences in ministry and business, and so
on.” (107) “...quality
is usually the first and most important problem foreign companies must solve
when they locate a factory in a developing country.” (114) “Many
kingdom professionals have found that there is no better place to start the
discipling process than in this area.” (114) “Put
everything in writing. If an
agreement is not in writing, says Burkett, there is a 100 percent chance of a
disagreement.” (132) “Character
alone is no substitute for a professional skill set. A commitment to professionalism requires,
well, professionals.” (133) “If
you don’t know who you’re serving in your business, you will end up serving
the business.” (141) “Christians
today earn about one-quarter of all the income in the world. Thus, any effort to correct the ills of
our current system must begin with a look at how we acquire this income and
how we use it. ...Unfortunately, you
could go to many churches for a month of Sundays and not hear this message of
stewardship. More than likely you
would hear the principle of stewardship limited to call to put more in the
offering plate.” (p. 193, quoting Larry Reed) “We
believe that the trends in church giving toward more local, visible
ministries reflects a desire to see and participate more directly in the
ministry of the church. Christians
are not losing interest in the poorest and the least reached so much as they
are failing to see a connection between their current circumstances and those
of people in other parts of the world.”
“...there is potentially no limit to the resources—human and
financial—that will be unleashed once business professionals see the
connection between their gifts, their current occupation and the mission of
the church.” (193-94) The
missions paradigm is in transition and great ambiguities go with transition.
(194) The
Business Professional Network (BPN) (www.bpn.org)
assists Christian entrepreneurs in the developing world by linking them with
‘business development groups’ in the West. (194) Evangelistic
Commerce (EC) (www.evangelisticcommerce.org)
seeks to link Christian-owned companies with missionary efforts in the
developing world. Both these groups
host seminars and vision trips. (194) Common
themes uncovered by research: ·
Everyone makes mistakes. ·
The most effective GCCs are managed by teams. ·
The most effective GCCs work in partnership with established
churches, ministries and agencies. ·
The most successful GCCs are treated as real businesses. ·
The most effective kingdom professionals have a long history of
ministry and missions involvement. ·
Fierce spiritual opposition is a certainty. ·
Accountability at the individual and corporate level is
essential. (195) Appendix
lists selected resources, including: Kingdom Business, David Befus On Kingdom Business, Tetsunao Yamamori |
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