Author: Phill

Business as Mission and the Church – a Lausanne Report review

/ Phill

The Business as Mission (BAM) Think Tank of the Lausanne Committee just issued their latest report titled, “Business as Mission and the Church.” It is well worth a read.

Executive Summary

“We believe the local church can effectively disciple and equip their members to have a positive influence on the marketplace.

“The BAM and the Church Consultation Group focused on the role of business as mission in and through the local church. While the modern business as mission movement has been growing and expanding globally for several decades, much of this growth has been outside of local church contexts.

“Yet the BAM Manifesto, published twenty years ago, thoroughly grounded this movement in the Church when it ended with these recommendations:

We call upon the Church worldwide to identify, affirm, pray for, commission and release businesspeople and entrepreneurs to exercise their gifts and calling as businesspeople in the world—among all peoples and to the ends of the earth. We call upon businesspeople globally to receive this affirmation and to consider how their gifts and experience might be used to help meet the world’s most pressing spiritual and physical needs through Business as Mission.

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Overcoming Barriers to Discipleship 

/ Phill

Too often I hear people say that tentmaking can’t work. A person who works all day at his job will not be able to do an adequate job of ministry in his remaining hours of the day. “He will burn out.” 

They liken it to the image of a person who is burning his candle at both ends. It just isn’t practical, they say. The problem is that they do not have a proper understanding of the ministry (role) of a tentmaker. 

  • Bring the presence of the Kingdom of God to people who have not experienced it. 
  • Build relationships. 
  • Show God’s love and his desire (plan) for all mankind. 

    Properly understood tentmaking, or disciple-making, if you prefer, is a natural outcome of living out your faith intentionally. Several years back I came across a video on disciple-making which makes it so clear. I recommend watching and listening carefully to understand what the teachers are saying. 

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    42 Seconds: The Jesus Model for Everyday Interactions – a Book Review 

    / Phill

    The title immediately caught my eye. I began to imagine what the content of the book was going to be. I knew I wanted to see this author’s take on the subject. I have read other materials by Carl Medearis. I like his style and his approach. I knew I was in for a treat. He did not disappoint. 

    The book is a quick read. A mere 150 pages.  

    From the title I knew we were going to focus on the practices of our Master, Jesus himself, and not the clever schemes marketing people draw up to attract people to our teachings. It’s not really our teachings anyway, nor should it be. It is Jesus who came to show us about God and the desire of His heart. His desire that we participate in His Kingdom. 

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    The Invasive Kingdom – a book review 

    / Phill

    “God wants His people circulating among humanity ushering in His Kingdom and unleashing the power of His love!” [p. 40] 

    This is the premise for Lyn’s book The Invasive Kingdom. The sub-title foreshadows the methodology he proposes – transforming today’s believers into marketplace ministers. The book makes his case and shows the way it can happen. 

    Lyn argues, “A proper biblical understanding is that all believers have a calling to leverage their vocation (their work) for the glory of God.” [p. 228] 

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