January 2007 - Vol 2, Issue 1
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Business as Mission Catalysts to Watch in 2007

Cat·a·lyst ?noun 1. Something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected. 2. Person or thing that precipitates an event or change. 3. Person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic. The Business as Mission movement has been and continues to be fueled by catalysts. These people, organizations, or groups have been precipitating change in their community and around the world for some time. As the business as mission movement takes off it's vital to put the spotlight on what they are doing. Not for the sake of highlighting a name or giving praise to any one individual, but rather to encourage and connect others to ways they can get involved. Thank you for everyone who emailed me your nominations of people who are impacting the business as mission movement. I'm humbled to see both the number and the passion of your responses from the previous post. Starting this week we've begun to count down the "22 Business as Mission Catalysts to Watch in 2007." Check out the blog every day to see them all!

As an author, networker, a entrepreneur Patrick Lai is one person that will have an impact on the Business as Mission movement in 2007. Patrick Lai and his family have lived and worked in the 10/40 Window for over 20 years. They served for 4 years as regular missionaries and 19 years as tentmakers. The Lord has enabled his team to plant two churches and begin several for profit businesses. Three Business as Mission Blog readers took the time to share their personal stories about how these businesses have impacted their lives.

Tinjau Sinukaban wrote, "The businesses (started by Patrick Lai) have provided needed jobs in our areas and income for our ministries, as well as witnessing opportunities among the families here ... They have blessed my own community and others ... His businesses have resulted in many coming to faith..."
While flying back from visiting the family over the holidays I read the latest copy of Entrepreneur (Great magazine by the way for people involved in Business as Mission). One of the things I came across was a write-up on the book The Triple Bottom Line by Andrew Savitz.

The thing that peaked my interest was its title. I know it can be used in several different contexts in business, but ever since I read books like "God is at Work" and "Great Commission Companies", the term "triple bottom line" is something that I've grown accustomed to associating with the world of Business as Mission. Seeing the title in the context of a "social capitalist" idea was a vivid reminder of the similar yet different ideas of social capitalism and its growing popularity in business circles around the world.
A few months ago I had the opportunity to exchange emails with a regular visitor of this blog, Corey Cleek, about the release of his upcoming book "Devotional Ventures: 60 Inspiring Devotions B y Business Professionals For Business Professionals."

The book is a collection of devotionals written by business executives who have taken their faith to the workplace and the international marketplace. The book, which is a partnership with Intervarsity, Equip, and Priority Associates is now available for purchase on Amazon. In the spirit of a little "collaborative intelligence, one of the unique things Devotional Ventures has done is to invite readers of devotional ventures to submit writings for consideration for the next editions.
If your a regular visitor to this blog, you've heard a lot about the group Cards from Africa. Led by Chris Page, this BAM company is quickly gaining a spotlight on the Business as Missions scene. They finished 1st in the Open for Business Competition and 2nd in the World Challenge Competition. Another thing that you have heard a lot about is the coaching and connecting service that we do with the Rightnow Campaign.

Just recently, our team at Rightnow worked with Jared and Molli, 2 video production majors with experience at a local television studio. Molli?s heart to use this skill in mission led her to the Rightnow.org website. Molli?s Mission Coach connected her to Cards for Africa, a kingdom company training Rwandan youth in business skills. This summer, Molli and Jared will travel to Rwanda to document the community transformation resulting from this kingdom company and create a video to spread Cards for Africa?s story in other countries.
The Business as Mission Team of YWAM has announced on their website that they will be offering a six-week training course on Business as Missions in Autumn 2007. Here's what was published on their website: "We are looking to train YWAMers who have a heart to be launched into BAM. The ideal applicant for this school will have some business experience and will have the capacity to be involved in a Business as Mission project.

This course will be a 6-week introductory course on Business as Missions in a field-based location. A strong link with existing BAM practitioners will provide additional and ongoing learning opportunities for students. Some of the key topics to be include are...
For those of you in search of an easier way to stay up to date with the postings on this Business as Mission Blog, welcome the RSS feed. I know several people have already setup the RSS feed, but now you will find several RSS feed links on the bottom of the far right column of the page. This should make it easier for you to keep up to date with the conversation along with the other feeds from other blogs and websites that you follow. If your puzzled about this post and are unfamiliar with RSS feeds, click here to learn more. Remember, another great way to keep you and your friends in the loop is to sign up for the monthly e-zine. There's now close to 750 people that receive this monthly update! To sign up, type your email address in at the space on the top of the far right column of the main page.

If you have thoughts, comments, or would like your voice to be heard please comment at http://businessasmission.blogspot.com.
Justin Forman
Business as Mission Blogspot