Business as Mission Concepts
- from a South African Perspective
G. Marx, June 2006

Paradigms: Business as Mission
A number of people asked me to compile a document to logically explain the concepts:
“Business as Mission”, “Kingdom Business” and “Kingdom Entrepreneur”. I found it
difficult to do this without addressing certain paradigms that exist within the broad Christian community. This document draws from various sources and also seeks to bring a South African perspective.

Faith that empowers:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”. (Colossians 3:22-23).

From the first pages of the Bible we clearly see that God instituted work as a blessing. All work is informed by faith and all our work becomes the concrete evidence that this faith is true. For too long followers of Christ in South Africa believed that faith has nothing to do with our work. At a recent gathering I asked the churchgoers to show by hand how many of them spent the bulk of their time in a business environment, and more than 90% indicated that they do.

Spirituality at our place of work is something we need to cultivate. Because work
consumes so much of our time, unless we discover how to be spiritual at work, we risk
never being spiritual at all. There are an increasing number of South Africans who would like to integrate their faith and work and it is our responsibility to equip them to do so. Our work is more than just a tool for a salvation ministry. Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings: thereafter they shape us.” The same could be said of our work. For too long our Christian faith has been a comfortable addition to our work. If we do choose it, our faith ought to completely dominate the way we work. Our “business plan” and “kingdom plan” for our businesses should be totally integrated. As I once heard it from a missionary: “You are the Bible that your colleagues read.”

The mandate:
We as a church have a very clear mandate, and that is to:
- Reach every person; and
- Disciple and teach all nations in terms of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-21. Living in Africa we all heard the saying: “Christianity in Africa is like a river that is a mile wide but only an inch deep.” For too long we have focused primarily on the quantitative aspect of the Great Commission and have neglected the qualitative task, discipleship. I am from the generation called: "X’ers" (or Generation X). For years I have been seeking the mentorship of a mature Christian, without any success. I realised that, to address the growing need, I should start to develop it. I came to the conclusion that Christians tend to neglect discipleship due to the cost involved: time. We all struggle to have enough time at hand. Coaching is the modern word for “disciple making”. If we
remember our Lord’s promise in Acts 1:8 we are not surprised by the results (or fruit). Therefore we should never attempt a coaching session in our own power. If we do
it in the power of the Holy Spirit, it will ALWAYS be successful and ALWAYS bear
fruit to the glory of God. At first glance it seems that one will never make an impact, but finding the right balance between evangelism and discipleship is essential for Kingdom success. The fullness of the work of the Kingdom of God in all of life is expressed in both dimensions of the task being completed. Being saved and to be discipled is not the same. We are only vessels to help in the process, as people are ‘born-again’ by the Holy Spirit.

Discipleship involves personal transformation, the laws of the Kingdom of God need to be written in our hearts. Transformation needs to manifest in every sphere of our lives. Discipleship takes time, is difficult and complex. We need to finish the task that God has commissioned us for, as Jesus once said: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” (John 17:4)

To disciple a nation
A few years ago I asked a Jewish businessman in Pretoria to tell me the secret of his success in business. His answer was most astonishing: “Friend, you Christians do not read the Old Testament.” In 1999 a part of puzzle fell in place while I listened to a teaching from Landa Cope on the Old Testament Template to disciple a nation. By now a number of us are well informed on this. Our goal should be nothing short of transformation and I am only beginning to grasp what it implies to bring God’s wisdom and wholeness to bear fruit in all of your life. To disciple a nation means implementing kingdom principles and a biblical worldview as the foundation of a nation. “…the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord…” Isaiah 11:9.

Misconceptions
To fully understand the strategy of Business as Mission we need to acknowledge the fact
that certain misconceptions exist within our frame of reference. In doing this study I
have found the following:

1. Sacred versus Secular
We need to consider our view of secular and sacred. In working in the marketplace I find a number of Christians that refer to the marketplace as the secular world. We struggle with the division of the spiritual and secular work. Some believe that it is only people
working in a ministry environment that are called and that everybody else is working in a ‘secular’ job to generate funds for those who are in ‘full-time’ ministry. Business people believe that they are not spiritual enough because they enjoy business and struggle with
the idea of being a missionary in a far off country. This is clearly not Biblical; we (born again Christians) are all spiritual people and nowhere in the Bible do we find a division between the secular and the sacred. We are all called to a spiritual ministry - it is only
the geography that differs.

2. The Calling and Vocation of believers
As followers of Christ we are called to be ‘salt and light’ in this world. However if we look at the lives of some of His followers in the marketplace one can but wonder if we have lost the sense of calling in practicing our vocations. The Webster Dictionary defines “Vocation” as: “Destined or appropriate employment; calling; occupation; trade; business; profession.” In practicing our vocation we have to align ourselves not only with our Godly purpose, but also with our calling in the particular sphere of society we are operating in. God created this world in a Godly order. He planned it so that all of creation is to reflect His glory and his character. Therefore laid down in the foundations of society and the different spheres are attributes of His character.

3. The Gospel of Salvation or Kingdom
If His plan was only about Salvation, we would all go to heaven after receiving salvation. About half of the African population has been reached with the Gospel, but societies do not bear the fruit of the Kingdom. I keep asking Christians what they did today to bring
the Kingdom closer to the people they work with. Jesus modeled an approach that dealt with the whole person, not just salvation. People do have obstacles that need to be addressed before they are ready to accept Christ.

Jesus saw that people not only needed salvation, but they also needed to experience God in every aspect of their lives. We allow the babies to be born but we do not see to it that they reach spiritual maturity. Discipleship brings the Kingdom of God closer to new
believers.

4. God’s heart for Nations
From Genesis to Revelation one can clearly gather that God has a heart for nations, Psalm 2:8 says: “Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.” If God has a heart for nations, so ought we. Today every believer should be a missionary to the nations. The World is becoming a smaller place due to globalization. Business people have access to markets never tapped before. People
seek jobs internationally and intercontinentally. They flock to wealthy nations. Nations welcome poverty alleviation and job creation. What an opportunity for business people who understand their calling and live it.

Definitions
Business as Missions is to bring the Good News of the Kingdom of God to society through the realm of Business.
Kingdom Business as defined by Tony Black (former CEO of Chrysler): ‘Reaching real
people, with real products or services in a way that really impacts their lives.’
Kingdom Entrepreneurs are apostles called by God to disciple indigenous people and economies through cross-cultural businesses, meeting real human needs and using their business acumen as a means of ministry.
Kingdom Companies are founded by a Kingdom vision, accountable, well-managed,
profitable and sustainable entities, conducting operations within Biblical ethics to facilitate church planting and geared towards multiplication.

The heart of Christ
The challenge today is to reflect the heart of Christ, as it is written in Luke 4:18 -19:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Enter the new frontier of global mission with the words of Christ ringing in our ears; “I
must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other places too, for that
is why I was sent.” (Verse 43)