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July 22, 2008
Business and Mission
Is there a way to integrate mission and business...?
This is just a thought-provoker, following on from my last post about the impact of climate change and price rises on the population of the Gorom-Gorom area.
AIDS, Family, Mission... and Business
Around Gorom-Gorom, because people never get enough from their fields to feed their family for a whole year, the men will often go away after the harvest to the gold mines or down to Accra or Abidjan to look for work. Being away from their wives for extended times, many will sleeping with prostitutes, and some end up bringing HIV-Aids back home with them.
If we could start some good, church-centred, "kingdom-of-God"-shaped businesses, think of what a positive impact that could have:
- Reduce family poverty
- Support local pastor-missionaries
- Keep families together
- Fight the spread of Aids
- Bring people into contact with a church that ministers to the whole person.
- Provide funds from within Africa for the ministry of church and mission
Mammon and Mission
As missionaries, many of us see the potential for business to play an important role in mission for the coming generations, especially as the mission force moves away from the West to Africa, South America, and Asia. Yet we are not businessmen, and generally have no idea how to do it well.
I know people are beginning to look at this area of business and mission, and I wonder whether there is a way forward for us in this beyond the little bits and pieces we have already been doing. But for that, we need businessmen with a passion for mission to sacrifice something of themselves for the kingdom of God.
Now, I am the first to be cautious about mixing mammon with gospel, and also to acknowledge that money is not the answer to the world's problems. The Christian business world needs discipling through the cross of Christ and the vision for God's kingdom. A linking of business and mission would need to be two-way, where missiology shapes business, in order for business to serve mission.
Yet, (nearly) all of us all work to earn money. We use that money (hopefully) for God's purposes, acknowledging implicitly it has its role in life and in God's kingdom. What might that mean for Gorom-Gorom...?
Any ideas?
Tags: africa sahel burkina burkina faso business mission business and mission poverty
Posted by Keith at July 22, 2008 01:22 PM
