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Business as Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice Paperback – December 8, 2009
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Business as mission (BAM) is a mission strategy whose time has come. As global economics become increasingly interconnected, Christian business people and entrepreneurs have unanticipated opportunities to build kingdom-strategic business ventures. But Christian companies and business leaders do not automatically accomplish missional purposes. BAM requires mastery of both the world of business and the world of missions, merging and contextualizing both into something significantly different than either alone.C. Neal Johnson offers the first comprehensive guide to business as mission for practitioners. He provides conceptual foundations for understanding BAM's unique place in global mission and prerequisites for engaging in it. Then he offers practical resources for how to do BAM, including strategic planning and step-by-step operational implementation. Drawing on a wide variety of BAM models, Johnson works through details of both mission and business realities, with an eye to such issues as management, sustainability and accountability. Business as mission is a movement with enormous potential. This book breaks new ground in how faith and work intersect and are lived out in crosscultural contexts, where job creation and community transformation go hand in hand. Come, participate in what may well be one of the most strategic mission paradigms of the 21st century.
- Print length528 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherIVP Academic
- Publication dateDecember 8, 2009
- Dimensions6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
- ISBN-109780830838653
- ISBN-13978-0830838653
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Thanks goes to Neal Johnson for taking the BAM movement to the next level through scholarship that builds on the best theories, while walking in the real world."
-- Tom A. Steffen, Missiology, October 2010"I see this book as exactly what it should be: a helpful and thorough resource based upon years of hard work and research, yet delivered in an accessible and readable way for the highly motivated and engaged BAM practitioner.... It is for those who are going to fully embrace the promise and challenge of operating a business with the goal of contributing to the Missio Dei.
-- Mark L. Russell, EMQ, July 2010"A helpful and thorough resource based upon years of hard work and research, delivered in an accessible and readable way."
-- Mark L. Russell, EMQ, July 2010"There is a growing awareness throughout the world church that in the twenty-first century business as mission (BAM) may well prove to one of God?s primary, if not the principle, instrument of world evangelization and kingdom transformation. Neal Johnson?s presentation of BAM is masterful, comprehensive, clear, wonderfully readable, motivating and challenging--the best in the field. May this work help to motivate and mobilize biblical Christians around the globe to new, creative and committed missionary action to, within and through the marketplace to proclaim in word and deed the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit."
-- Charles Van Engen, Arthur F. Glasser Professor of Biblical Theology of Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary"Finally, a complete book on the subject of business as mission. If God Is at Work is the 'why' of BAM, clearly, Neal's work is the 'how.' It is detailed, packed with great advice providing a step-by-step approach to doing BAM. It is punctuated with examples and tells it like it is. As the working encyclopedia for business as mission, it is a must for anyone who is considering work in this field directly or tangentially."
-- Ken Eldred, author, God Is at Work"Masterfully combining 'how come' and 'how to,' Neal Johnson has crafted an instant classic on marketplace missiology. His unusually rich experiences in work, ministry and education prepared him to offer in a single volume almost everything we need to know philosophically, theologically, scripturally and practically with the greatest mission opportunity in the twenty-first century--business as mission. While elaborating the complexities and ambiguities of definition and implementation--this is no slick quick fix book--Johnson leaves us with a heart panting after God?s own heart in the words of Jesus: 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you' (John 20:21), a fully incarnational mission."
-- R. Paul Stevens, Emeritus Professor, Marketplace Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC, part-time faculty, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, adjunct professor, Biblical Graduate School of Theology, Singapore"Johnson's Business as Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice delivers on its title. If you want simple bromides about business as a mission field, this book is not for you. But if you recognize the centrality of work in God's created order, and if you want to integrate Christian teachings and workplace life through the lens of mission, then this richly resourced book is a must-read."
-- David W. Miller, Ph.D, director, Princeton University Faith Work Initiative, and author of God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement"The most powerful and complete presentation of business as mission I have seen to date! Neal goes beyond theology and inspirational stories, delving into the real-life issues of doing BAM in a global context. I highly recommend this book for those who are serious about using their business skills for God and who recognize the importance of spiritual stewardship when running an evangelistic business in a foreign land."
-- Thomas Sudyk, CEO, EC Group International, India, China and North America"The global business as mission (BAM) movement has for many years been on a journey toward holistic transformation through business and the quadruple bottom lines. Dr. Neal Johnson has developed an important road map for our journey. Fellow BAM travelers everywhere: Use this map!"
-- Mats Tunehag, Senior Associate for Business as Mission for the Lausanne Movement the World Evangelical Alliance"Be prepared to have your view of the marketplace launched into a new orbit! This is easily the most comprehensive and valuable guide to business as mission ever written, perhaps because no one is better qualified to write it than Neal Johnson. This book will serve multitudes who are finding that business may be the primary gateway to extending God's kingdom into every corner of the earth in the decades just ahead."
-- John D. Beckett, chairman, the Beckett Companies, and author of Loving Monday and Mastering MondayReview
"In this book, Dr. Neal Johnson does a masterful job of explaining business as mission (BAM) and its missiological significance. He also moves the conversation forward by providing insights--drawing from his personal experience and his research--into the 'how-to' questions that so many aspiring practitioners are asking. His book will be extremely useful to anyone interested in BAM, students as well as practitioners."
-- from the foreword by Steve Rundle, associate professor of economics, Biola University, Crowell School of Business, and coauthor of Great Commission CompaniesAbout the Author
C. Neal Johnson (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is founding dean of the School of Business and is professor of international business at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington. He has had an extensive and unique thirty-year career as an attorney, banker, educator, business consultant and entrepreneur both domestically and internationally.
Steve Rundle is associate professor of economics and business as mission at Biola University in La Mirada, California. His teaching and research interests are focused on the intersection between international economics and faith-based business. He is also the editor of Economic Justice in a Flat World: Christian Perspectives on Globalization.
Product details
- ASIN : 0830838651
- Publisher : IVP Academic
- Publication date : December 8, 2009
- Language : English
- Print length : 528 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780830838653
- ISBN-13 : 978-0830838653
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #900,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #899 in Christian Business & Professional Growth
- #1,024 in Christian Missions & Missionary Work (Books)
- #6,605 in Leadership & Motivation
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2024Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThis book is much more than a simple overview of the concept of Business as Mission. It lays out practical steps for the implementation of a business that has as its goal the positive influence of the gospel on a culture.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2021Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis book is an excellent reference book and strategic planning book if you are working overseas in missions and if you are involved in tentmaking with a business. I had a copy of this book once before when I taught a course from it but I lent my copy to someone and didn't get it back. Therefore, I wanted to replace it. I was very please with the condition of this book because it was labeled and purchased as "used." It was in excellent condition and new.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2014Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThere's a reason this book is used by so many who want to understand the nuances and methods of BAM. It's the most comprehensive and thorough work on the subject that I have found.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2010Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseTo start, I haven't found any BAM books that are worth 5 stars, though I think many are worth reading, but maybe that's just me. I come from a business background with an MBA and am interested in going into BAM in the future.
What is unique about this book, and also what I found the most insightful and helpful, was the section on the Four Camps. As someone in business looking into BAM, I've been pretty confused by many differing voices and opinions. Is an accountability group with coworkers considered BAM, or does BAM have to do with those who are creating micro-enterprises overseas among the poor? If you're like me, talking to more people does not always help answer this question, because everyone is petitioning for the importance of their BAM work as THE work of BAM. This book does help, overviewing all the various "camps" that are out there. Understanding this has really helped me identify where I fit, and how to support others who play in different spaces.
Sometimes, you don't need a groundbreaking idea, you just need someone to help you see the big picture. I think this book give you that, and I'd highly recommend it for those who are interested in exploring BAM and finally making sense of the growing whirlwind of media surround this important topic these days.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2019Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseBusiness as Mission is the foremost practitioner's guide for this approach to mission work.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2013Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseAs a former career international worker now transitioning over to tent-making and prayerfully considering BAM opportunities, I found this book to be helpful as I forced myself to stick with it, but a painfully plodding read overall.
The length of the book could easily have been cut to half to 2/3 of its length. In the early part of the book, the author needlessly repeats himself without adding much to the reader's overall understanding of Business-As-Mission or missiology. And he gets a little too bogged down for my taste later on in the details.
My favorite parts of the book came in the closing chapters when the author shares more from personal experience. More case studies or other practical examples would have been helpful.
In closing, in spite of my lukewarm review, I should also say that, using my Kindle Touch, I made copious highlights of various remarks scattered throughout the book which will provide food for thought and reflection in the future. So this "Comprehensive Guide" does have its strengths. Nevertheless, I would encourage the reader to look for another book as a possible better introduction, particularly if one is not coming from a business background.
- Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2013Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseAbsolutely loved this book! Also had the privilege of having the author as a professor recently for a course in my MBA program. This is a great read and will challenge your thoughts about outreach!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2018Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis is the most complete book on the topic.
Top reviews from other countries
- Ian CallardReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Heavy-weight but satisfying
Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI've been in a team promoting bivocational ministry and wealth creating projects for churches for several years. The stories in this book were relevant and informative, and the where-to-find-out-more sections were very helpful. Deserves wider consideration and application.