 Business
as Mission: A Threefold Mandate
Guest Editor Mats Tunehag
Business is more than
making money, at least it should be. According to the “father of
capitalism” Adam Smith, businesses exist to serve the general welfare.
The computer pioneer Dave
Packard said:”Many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists simply
to make money. While this is an important result of a company’s
existence, we have to go deeper and find the real reasons for our being.
People get together and exist as a company so that they are able to
accomplish something collectively that they could not accomplish
separately - they make a contribution to society.”
In the last 12 – 18 months
we have been able to witness the effects of a global economic crisis.
Mahatma Gandhi’s list of seven deadly social sins seems to be an
accurate diagnosis for some of the causes of this crisis. It has been
too much…
1.
politics without principle
2.
wealth without work
3.
commerce without morality
4.
pleasure without conscience
5.
education without character
6.
science without humanity
7.
worship without sacrifice
The Christian social
activist Jim Wallis wrote about the economic crisis: “How will this
crisis change us? How will it change the way we think, act, and decide
things - how we live, and how we do business? Yes, this is a structural
crisis, and one that clearly calls for new social regulation. But it is
also a spiritual crisis, and one that calls for new self-regulation. We
seem to have lost some things and forgotten some things — such as our
values.”
We cannot, and must not,
go on assuming and practicing business as usual; neither the extreme
Wall Street way, nor the centrally planned socially engineered way.
Business is multi-faceted.
It is about profit and values, about wealth creation and social concern,
about value added products and services and creation care, about markets
and caring for people. But Business as Mission, BAM, is more than just
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it is more than job creation and
entrepreneurship. BAM, is about being a follower of Jesus in the market
place. BAM businesses also want to see Christ revealed and God glorified
among all peoples and nations.
For Business as Mission
rests on three distinct Biblical mandates:
1. The creation mandate is
to “till, care for, exercise stewardship, multiply, work, prosper”. This
is about being creative; create good things for ourselves and others –
also in and through business. This also means being good stewards of
our talents, resources and callings, but also caring for creation and
people. It is also acknowledging and affirming the gifts and calling of
entrepreneurs.
2. The great commandment
mandate is to “love your neighbor as yourself”. We know that business
can and should serve people and meet various needs. For example:
Unemployment is a major underlying cause to malnourishment and
starvation, homelessness, disease and limited access to medical
treatment, as well as to debt and crime. Providing people with jobs is
alleviating and preventing these dire conditions.
3. The great commission
mandate is to “make disciples of all nations”. As followers of Jesus we
have a global mission – to all peoples. BAM has a missional and global
intent. BAM takes B and M seriously: real business and intentional
mission, especially to areas with dire spiritual, economical and social
needs. BAM businesses want to see Christ revealed and God glorified, in
and through business, among all peoples and nations.
These three mandates must
be at the forefront when we plan and run BAM businesses. It is equally
important that these three serve as a context as we continuously
evaluate our practical BAM mission. We must be aware of the risk of
mission drift. One may start out with high hopes and ambitions regarding
all three mandates, but eventually end up just operating a CSR business,
only fulfilling the creation mandate and the great commandment mandate.
As good as that may be for various stakeholders, it is nevertheless a
shortcoming. Our unique contribution and responsibility as BAMers rests
on the threefold mandate.
Just doing business for
maximization of profit is also a mission drift. That limited
understanding and praxis of business contributed towards the global
recession. Mahatma Gandhi’s observations are important as we seek the
general welfare of society. Finally, as Christians in the market place
we strive to do business as unto the Lord, being accountable to Him and
to fellow followers of Jesus.
© Mats
Tunehag
February 2010
Lausanne Senior
Associate - Business as Mission
World Evangelical
Alliance Mission Commission Associate - Business as Mission
The Wheaton
Declaration
In October 2009 we organized a global consultation on Business as
Mission, BAM, under the theme ‘Business as Integral Calling’. The
Consultation, held in Wheaton, Illinois USA, was a significant
contribution to equip many on the journey towards a better
understanding and praxis of BAM.
We came from sixteen
countries and five global regions “to explore the place
of business in God’s purposes, together with the sacred
calling of a life in business.
We began with an acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and Lordship
over all aspects of human life, including our work, our business,
our money, our profit, our economy, and our working relationships.”
Our conversations were
organized around topics like:
-
What challenges
and opportunities confront business seeking to
implement Kingdom values?
-
How does an
understanding of the Kingdom of God re-center and
anchor business?
-
From a Kingdom of
God perspective, how should business, in conjunction
with non-governmental organizations and government agencies,
address poverty?
-
How do businesses
with Kingdom values operate within environmental and
natural resource constraints?
The Wheaton
Consultation brought together leaders from the realms of business,
non-profit organizations, and Christian ministry with theologians
and academic leaders in business, economics, and missions.
The Consultation
sought to build upon the Lausanne process and document.**
Our deliberations are
summarized in the Wheaton Declaration.
One brief excerpt:
“It is our deep
conviction that businesses that function in alignment with the core
values of the Kingdom of God are playing and increasingly should
play an important role in holistic transformation of individuals,
communities and societies.”
Mats Tunehag
Lausanne Senior
Associate Business as Mission
Please download the
full declaration:
The Wheaton
Declaration on Business as Integral Calling
** Click
here for Lausanne 2004 BAM report
Further Reading
Further Resources
Click on link to listen to Mats podcast Biblical Principles of
Business as Mission
|
