The Business as Mission (BAM) movement has grown exponentially over the past 25 years. This is to the glory of God. I was very excited to see it. When I first started getting involved in 2005, there were only a few books on the subject. Thousands of titles about faith and work are currently published, with new titles released almost every day. In the United States alone, more than 1,200 NGOs are working to integrate faith and work. What a great time to be part of this movement!
But one key institution remains largely unengaged, and without it, the BAM movement risks losing momentum over time. That missing institution is the church.
Many faith and movement organizations operate in parallel with the church, training believers to glorify God through their activities. However, pastors, church leaders, and denominations are often not formally involved.
Churches often avoid conversations about work, business, and money, except when it comes to tithing.
Common reasons include “churches are too inward-looking,” “churches and businesses don’t mix,” or fear of promoting the “prosperity gospel.” As a result, churches often avoid conversations about work, business, and money, except when it comes to tithing.
Let’s be clear. We all agree that the church, or ekklesia, is the body of Christ and the people of God. We know that wherever two or three people gather together in the name of God, Christ is present in the midst of them. However, over time, since Emperor Constantine institutionalized Christianity as the state religion, the church became increasingly defined by its buildings, programs, and professionally paid leaders, rather than by the people of God practicing their faith in their daily lives.
I believe God is taking back the marketplace and calling His church, the bride, to join Him. This requires a major paradigm shift in the way we view both the church and its mission field.
1. From a church vision to a kingdom vision
The Kingdom vision…seeks the flourishing of all creation.
A church’s vision is often centered around numbers, converts, programs, and buildings. But the kingdom vision calls for the flourishing of all creation: people, communities, and the natural world. It focuses on holistic discipleship and lifelong evangelism.
Kingdom-oriented churches teach that all believers are engaged in full-time service. We understand that worship is not limited to Sunday mornings, but is expressed through every act done for the glory of God. A church with a kingdom vision helps believers understand that “the purpose of Sunday is Monday.”
Sunday meetings are like team meetings, where the light of Christ comes together to recharge. But the church is truly “open for business” when its members leave the building and live out their faith in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
2. Redefining the church’s mission field
A kingdom-focused church does not limit its mission area to the perimeter of its buildings. Instead, we recognize that the Church has multiple parishes, each corresponding to the place where its members live and work.
Church leaders are called to equip the Saints for the ministry.
Church leaders are called to prepare the Saints for the ministry (Ephesians 4:12–13). Most of its services take place outside the building. As believers mature and grow in unity, they come to reflect the “complete and perfect standards of Christ.”
The five roles of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher are not offices given to a few, but gifts that every believer should develop and express within his or her sphere of influence. All followers of Christ are called to practice these daily, becoming mature disciples who bring Christ’s presence to every place and space.
3. Restore 3D Discipleship
The Great Commission is often understood too narrowly. Discipleship is intended to be three-dimensional.
1. Vertical (1-D): Focuses solely on your personal relationship with God. This is good but incomplete. It remains private and static.
2. Vertical + Horizontal (2-D): Adds the great commandment to love others and integrate faith into relationships. This expands our faith, but it can still leave us flat.
3. Vertical + Horizontal + Creation (3-D): Adds the great effort of Genesis 1-2 to manage creation and bring about the prosperity of all things. This gives body to our faith and makes it completely alive and transformed.
In many cases, Christianity remains flat, lacking impact on communities and nations.
In many cases, Christianity remains flat and lacks impact on communities and nations. Like Israel, we became a nation of priests rather than a nation of priests.
But as we prepare all believers to be the church in every place and space, we begin to experience the fullness that God intended from the beginning.
We serve a three-dimensional God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and God invites all creation to worship Him. Let us join God in glorifying God with every part of creation.
If you would like to learn more about this topic, read the BAM Global Report on BAM and the Church.
To find out how your church can begin discipleship in the workplace, contact Dr. Renita Reed-Thomson at renita@dmleaders.org or visit www.dmleaders.org for more information.
Originally published by BAM Review. Republished with permission.
Dr. Renita Reed Thomson is the President and Founder of Discipling Marketplace Leaders. Renita holds an MBA and PhD in Sustainable Development. Discipling Marketplace Leaders (DML) is the result of her experience living and working in Africa since 2005.
