Do You Have What it Takes to be a Business Missionary?

25 October, 2007 by Matt Robison

Traditional avenues of missionary work are continually being closed off to those who wish to preach the gospel. The Business as Mission Network has been promoting what they call tentmaking, which, from what I can gather, pulls from the example of Paul and expands it to fullest potential.

The apostle Paul traveled the Roman Empire and supported himself by making tents. So in some way, you could say that his tentmaking was critical in preaching the gospel, as it was a key enabler. I wonder how many extra markets and areas Paul had access to by having a legitimate, money-making trade?

Now expand on this concept.

What if your particular brand of tentmaking could give poor people jobs, or in many cases, give them the tools and training to become tentmakers themselves? What if your brand of tentmaking had the potential to plant the roots of prosperity in an impoverished land? And all the while, you could preach the kingship of Jesus Christ to people who would not have heard it through another venue.

Contrary to popular belief, profit is not a dirty word. Free markets and businesses, powered by the desire for profit, create wealth and tend to raise the standard of living and dignity of all those involved. They help foster hope.

This a nice change in method from your typical missionary or overseas aid paradigms.

Asking one corrupt government to give stolen money to another corrupt government doesn’t really qualify as “aid”, and has been shown to do more damage than good. (Bono, I’m looking at you.)

And traditional missionary work, while certainly successful in the number of converts, still leaves behind empty stomachs and dying communities.

But Christians are called to be transformational, to spread new creation. We are to care about people in the now, and not just their abstract eternal “soul”. We are to feed, clothe, and house them, and perhaps one of the best things to do is to then teach them how to do it themselves to they in turn can help others.

Business as Mission has posted a call to all entrepreneurs who can answer the following questions in the affirmative:

Do you have a heart for Christ-centered business development?

Do you want to help restore to the poorest in society the dignity God intended them to have when He created them?

Do you have a passion to see business missionaries go to places where traditional missionaries are not welcome, but business people are?

Has God given you entrepreneurial gifting, organizational, administrative, teaching or business management abilities?

Do you want to start up a business, and at the same time help mentor and train Africans to start up businesses that are God-focused?

Do you want to commit yourself to living in the heart of Africa, dedicating your time, skills and energy to help raise up Kingdom business people and at the same time helping to alleviate poverty through business development?

If so, contact them today. They are looking to open a Christian Business School in the heart of impoverished Rwanda and unleashing an army of skilled tentmakers to create businesses that will help eliminate poverty and spread the Kingdom of God.

I might consider it, if I was actually a successful entrepreneur.