Business and Missions

Jonny Chun
Executive Secretary of Tentmakers International

    Business Mission is one of the most important and effective ways to build the point of contact for evangelism today. Its influence is enormous. In fact, in many countries, even government policies are significantly influenced by business. So, for the Christian businessman wherever he is, doing business at his work-place can be one of the keys to modern evangelism and missions.
 

    Mission is the core of the church. It is not a part of the church only, but the life of the church itself. Christians who work at marketplaces should therefore relate their business and professions to the mission of the church. Following are the different approaches regarding this issue: Missions and Business.

1. No relationship between Business and Missions
    There are some Christian business people who do their business without any regard to their faith. They may be sincere Christians at heart, or in their church activities, but their faith has nothing to do with their business. They may send money for the mission work, but they do not see any relationship between God’s mission and their business. Once they are really interested in doing mission work, they think they have to leave their business. This is a typical example of the dualistic tendency in Christianity in the past.

2. Business is Mission

    This position is radically different from the previous one. When we talk about evangelism, we tend to refer to the by-word-of-mouth method. But our life in general – the way we speak and act, can be a good means of evangelism. We evangelize by our words and deeds. In a similar way, mission is not just the work of the mission agencies or denominations. What Christian business people are doing in their workplaces is mission work, in the sense that it enhances the realization of the Kingdom of God.

3. Business helps Mission

    Business as mission is not all about mission. Much mission work is performed by professionals in many areas. When a businessman is interested in mission, he can become involved in the mission work by supporting it with the product or profit of the business like the Christian group called “E-Land” in Korea. Christian publishing companies are a good example of this.

    Though the Christian businessman runs his business, business itself should not only be for ‘Christians.’ When there are non-believers in a company, the business can be the mission field.

4. Mission through Business

    The Biblical mission is always the mission to the world. Sending missionaries to other countries is one of the important works of mission. But the situation in the mission fields today is not so good for so-called professional missionaries. Therefore, there is a need for tentmaking missionaries.

    When Christian professionals or businessmen have the chance to do their business abroad, they can become tentmaking missionaries. They are professionals and businessmen with missionary vision. Many Christian companies and business send tentmaking professionals and business people to many developing countries today.

What is Value Added Tentmaking?

by  Ari Rocklin from tentmaking today

    We Christians are also known as Followers of Jesus. Of course, our faith is important to us, and we love to share it with others, but what else do we bring to the nations? Something tangible, perhaps something that will make life easier for someone? 
 

Appropriate Technology Solution

    I  once visited a missionary high up on a mountain where she had started and built a church. Propane had to be brought up by motorcycle and it was expensive. Hot water was a luxury for dishes and for showers. 

    I quickly noticed that it was hot and sunny most days, so I went for a walk to the village shops. There was a man selling all kinds of irrigation hoses for the farms and individual gardens. I bought 200 feet of two-inch black hose, laid it on the flat roof in a circle and ran the cold water into one end and the other end to the sink and bathroom area of the building. Apparently, there was never a shortage of hot water again in that building during daylight hours – a simple two-hour solution that was soon copied by others in the village. 

This Is “value added tentmaking.” 

    Most if not all English-speaking expatriates are at one time, or another asked to help locals with their English. Whether they do this formally or informally, it brings a tangible value to the community. This is why we urge everyone to take even a short certificate course in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). We recommend a minimal 60-hour course, that can be taken over four weekends to fit in with your work week, before leaving for your overseas contract. It is our recommendation that you do not teach English for free but charge a reasonable fee to maintain a level of professionalism. It would seem that many break throughs for tentmakers has something to do with teaching English. 
 

What activity do you enjoy? 

    I could write a book on the ways tentmakers have been able to impact their communities through their love of a sport or form of exercise. What’s your passion?
 

Surfboarding?

    One young man’s love of snowboarding led to the accidental start of a new sport called sandboarding. But before that, he was seen as an eccentric troubled young man who spent way too much time under the desert sun sliding down dunes. This led to an interview on local radio where he was able to share his faith openly, in a city of about one million people, with only one radio station. 
 

Scuba Diving?

    How about the tentmaker who loved scuba diving. His sport turned into starting a dive shop which attracted tourists bringing in much needed jobs to many young people. Bible studies were done on the beach by the setting sun. Is it just me or does holding Bible studies on the beach in the setting sun sound totally amazing? 
 

Gym Rat?

    And then there was the fellow who loved to go to the gym who ended up winning the gym owner to Jesus. 
 

Cooking?

    A stay-at-home mother, the wife of an engineer, loved cooking and invited the neighborhood ladies into her kitchen to teach her how to make and bake local foods. In turn she taught them how to make foods from her home country. Is it a surprise that this kitchen ended up facilitating a ladies faith discussion group? 
 

Computing?

    An IT technician was distraught at all the young men in his neighborhood who had no jobs but just sat around all the time getting into trouble. He started a computer club to teach them how to repair and build computers. This grew into a computer store and internet café. People trained and employed in a Christian environment in a Muslim country. Now what could go right with that? 
 

What God-given Passion or Skill Do You Have which Adds Value?

    What kind of skills, experience, or hobbies do you have that can be used to help locals improve their situations? 

    ESL is the most obvious and commonly used bridge to make friendships with your co-workers, neighbors and business people. Make yourself available even if it seems like a lot of extra work. 

    Here are some ways you might explore in becoming a “value added foreigner” to the local people: 

• ESL 
• Computer training 
• Cooking classes 
• Small business loans 
• New ways to grow vegetables 
• Recycling 
• Solar cooking 
• Solar power 
• Teaching your favorite board game 
• What else can you think of? 

    Now that you’ve given this a passing thought, what can you do here at home – at your workplace, school, or in your business? Start small and see how God can use your servant’s heart for His Kingdom purposes.