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It's the list the list of the Top 25 Business as Mission Books that has appeared in ministry newsletters and magazines across the country. As everyone get's ready for that summer vacation, we had some avid readers add their input and help us re-rank the Top 25 books addressing the issue of faith and business. Maintaining it's place at the top is God is at Work by Ken Eldred. Our team also welcomed some new finds to the list ( #6 Marketplace Christianity with Robert Fraser, #10 Transformation with Ed Silvoso, Kingdom Path with Alan Ross, Doing Business God's Way, and Releasing Kings for Minisry in the Marketplace). Add your comments! We welcome any new finds to consider in the future.
Justin Forman
Director - Business as Mission Network |
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Featured Ministry |
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Top 25 Business as Mission Books |
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| Will Your Ministry in God's Business end with a "Period" or a "Comma"? - Buck Jacobs of C12 Group |
 There are at least two dimensions to this question. First, if you are the only one in your business that sees the business as the platform for ministry and stewardship responsibility that it truly is, and are using it as such, and you leave, sell, or die - the ministry, your ministry, ends with a period. It would be described as personal, singular, and single generation in scope.
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| An African Perspective - Effectively Fighting Poverty in Africa through Business as Mission |
 Eli, who is originally from Togo, Africa, has been working in neighbouring Mali for 5 years. His heart has been burning to see his continent break out of poverty.
The effort to fight poverty in Africa needs to be multiplied, increasing initiatives as well as individuals involved. But above all we need to take development in the right direction.
Poverty is not just material or physical. A development program, in Africa like anywhere else, can only be optimal, holistic and sustainable if it also accounts for the spiritual dimension of man. |
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Fall Event Spotlight: Business as Mission Events in 2008 |
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| Marketplace Christianity: Discovering the Kingdom Purpose of the Marketplace :: Robert Fraser |
 "The vast majority of the Church is comprised of marketplace people. They lead full, busy lives with 40 plus hours of work per week. Because their lives are necessarily less engaged in church activities, they have been traditionally viewed as less spiritual, causing them often to feel as if they are second-class spiritual citizens in the kingdom of God.
This disenfranchisement of marketplace people has had many tragic effects upon the body of Christ. They find themselves spiritually bored and unsure of their gifts and callings. They lack a biblical understanding of how to blend passionate spirituality with their vocation. Most importantly, they have lost their sense of spiritual purpose and significance."
Read on... |
| At the Top of the List - God is at Work by Ken Eldred |
 Every significant movement can point to a book, paper, article or series of all of the above that communicates in one clear voice the vision of a movement.
God is at Work by Ken Eldred defines and gives examples for the movement of Business as Mission with clear cut precision. Sharing from personal experience with two companies and acclaimed success Ken forecasts a movement of the Church and the Christian community to Business as Mission with speed similar to that of the response to the California gold rush.
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| God is at the Base of the Pyramid by Moses Lee |
 A key concept when operating a business at the base of the pyramid, or in any place for that matter, is contextualization. And by contextualization I mean a deep understanding and embrace of local culture. A simple example of contextualization in business can be observed by comparing the McDonald's menus in Asia and the United States. For instance, it would be impossible to find any McDonald's in the state of Michigan serving a curry burger. Why? Because people in the state of Michigan don't have a taste for curry burgers and wouldn't buy the product. Indeed, it is critical that businesses be aware of local patterns of human behavior - such as lifestyles, tastes, and social involvement - and develop products and services that suit these behaviors.
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| Minister to the Poor Without Creating Dependency - Chalmers Center |
 For those ministering to the poor in the Two-Thirds World, the Chalmers Center offers a series of three distance courses on conducting Christian microfinance and microenterprise. The first in the series, "Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry," will be offered twice this fall. The first offering is scheduled for August 18 - September 13, 2008 and the second offering is scheduled for October 20 - November 15, 2008. The "Foundations" course is designed for an individual or a ministry team doing community outreach among the poor - pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, lay staff and missionaries. It lays the foundation for understanding appropriate goals and strategies for Christian community development in low-income communities. | |
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