Business as Mission Network:: News and Resources to Turn Good Business into Great Ministry: Doing God's Business

Doing God's Business :: Paul Stevens

"Christians have likely been struggling with the place of business in the life of faith ever since Paul’s days as a tentmaker. Just how do the spheres of private devotion and public business intersect in a meaningful way?

Paul Stevens has been exploring this question since his earliest working days in his father’s steel business. His Doing God’s Business tells how readers can find lasting and satisfying meaning for marketplace involvement in the light of the Christian faith and tradition. Stevens explores the potential of business as a location for practicing everyday spiritual disciplines and as a source of creativity and deeper relationship with God."

Click here to read the excerpt of the first chapter, "What Business Is God In?"

Labels: Books and Articles

posted by Justin Forman | 7.13.2007 - 7:00 AM

0 Comments:

Add a comment

Business as Mission Magazine Sign-Up

Featured Business as Mission Ministries

Launching this network has been made possible by partnering with several ministries. If you're interested in information on how to be a featured business or ministry send us an email by clicking here.

Search the Content on this Network

Resources and Recent Series

25 Most Admired Business as Mission Companies-08 25 Most Admired Business as Mission Companies-07 Top 22 Catalysts to Watch in 2007 Top 25 Business as Mission Books Business as Mission Case Studies International Business as Mission Course

Networking- USA

1) Global CEO 2) C12 Group 3) BBL Forum 4) CEO Institute 5) CBMC 6) ChristianCEO Fellowship 7) Silicon Valley Fellowship 8) KingdomBus Alliance 9) MarketPlace Solutions 10) GlobeServe 11) Faith&Work NYC

Networking-Intl

1) OPEN Network 2) Transformational Business 4) Business Professionals 5) Intl Christian CC 6) WorldPartners 7) Kingdom Companies 8) Business Prof Network 9) Professionals for Global Impact 10) Tentmakers Intl

Top Conferences

1) Global CEO 2) C12Conference 3) Partners Worldwide 4) Open for Business 5) LeadNow 6) Baylor Univ 7) Seattle Pacific

Top Intl Conferences

1) Trans Bus Network 2) MEDA Convention 3) Morocco BusinessForum 4) KnowFest

Past Conferences

Kingdom Catalyst Business as Ministry Intersections WorkPlace Transform TimeOut Conference

The Top 25 Books

1) God is at Work 2) Lausanne Forum Papers 3) Business as Mission 4) On Kingdom Business 5) Great Commission Companies 6) Marketplace Christianity 7) Business for the Glory of God 8) God at Work 9) Kingdom Catalyst 10) Doing God's Business 11)Tentmaking 12)Transformation 13) Business as a Calling 14) Devotional Ventures 15) Annointed for Business 16) Convergence 17) God @ Work 18) Where there are No Jobs 19) Kingdom Companies 20) Transform the World 21) Entreprenuer's Creed 22) Business as Mission by Steffen+Barnett 23) The Gods of Business 24) Loving Mondays 25) Galtrnoics Story

Other Top Books

The Church in the Workplace Kingdom Path God is my CEO The 9to5 Window BusinessGodsWay ReleasingKings YourWork Matters to God BusinessbyBook WorkonMonday Other6Days MyFathersBusiness God @ Work Vol 2 Where There Are No Jobs Mastering Monday

Bloggers

1) India or Bust 2) MEDA Interns 3) Aquila Network 4) Transformational Business 5) Regent Blogs 6) GlobeServe 7) Clint Davis 8) Morning Star Fiber 9) Chris Horst 10) Kiva Chronicles 11) Management by God 12) Mike Mcloughlin 13) Trade as One 14) Red Letter Believers 15) Jimmy Quach

Training

1) IBAM Training Course 2) Regent 3) Biola 4) Intervarsity 5) North Park 6) ActonMBA 7) Wheaton 8) Whitworth 9) Seattle Pacific 10) Chalmers Center 11) Taylor 12) Redcliffe

Podcasts

RSS

Feedburner

25 Most Admired Companies

Galtronics Pacific Resources International Meixia Arts The EC Group Little Texas Bethany Press Olive Technology Barrington Group Paradigm Engineering Cards from Africa Bluefish TV Assemble Communications Choice Hotel in Portland Vista Group Source Cafe RemovedforSecurity House Blend Cafe Michael Mgt Breakthrough Extol Prince of Peace Yeager Kenya Group Trade as One Go Africa Safaris Meiya Rugs

Other Admired Companies

Yejj The Momentum Group Play Career MorningStar Practical Strategies Chimney Ballon Drive Buv Global Venture Ugly Mug Coffee Stitch and Bloom Innotec Group Kingdom Ventures Bulembu Lumenous LightTheThai VivaBolivia eKreative KafeKreative OurFathers.biz HIMS ColdCup ShemahTours EspressoAmericano QuramArt BanyanPaper TLGInnovation EDP UK Bridge KandyCityMission Joy Orphanage Ambsteel OneVillageCoffee Ethnos Coffee

Tools to Use in Your Business

Life Lessons Over Lunch

Jobs

Talk to a Coach 3,000 Jobs with Traditional Agencies

Recruiting

Rightnow.org MountainMovers

Top 15 Places to Serve

1) RightNow.org 2) Integra 3) Rep Short Term Business Missions 4) Partners Worldwide 5) Global Advance 6) Ideas World 7) Business Without Borders 8) Global Opportunities 9) MentorLink 10) CRM Leaders 11) InterServe 12) Global Leadership 13) Global Business Success Foundation 14) Five Talents 15) Joseph Company

Top Microfinance Groups

1) Kiva 2) Opportunity Intl 3) Hope Intl 4) World Relief 5) Partners WorldWide 6) World Hope Intl 7) MEDA 8) Chalmers 9) Grameen Bank 10) Oiko credit 11) GodFarm 12) ECLOF 13) aid for trade

Stories

Yeager Kenya BPN Stories Tentmaker Stories Micro Enterprise Galtronics InfoSail Electronics Basel Trading Co

Competitions

The World Challenge Open for Business Social Capitalist Awards Novak Scholarship Global Social Awards

Financing

1) Living Stones 2) Kingdom Ventures 3) Alabaster Ent

Mkt Place Chaplains

Marketplace Chaplains

Resource Centers

1) BusinessasMission.com 2) Christ@Work 3) Regent 4) EC Institute 5) Acton Inst 6) Mission Links 7) Bussionary.com 8) Wholistic Transformation 9) Business with a Purpose 10) MissionResource 11) BAM Africa 12) Prof. Stream 13) EuroPartners 14) Getting God to Work 15) Integrity Resource 16) Transforming Business

Audio Messages

Urbana06 Kingdom Bus Forum

Chat & Portals

1) BAM YahooGroup 2) Open for Business 3) Regent Network 4) TBN Portal 5) Scruples 6) BAM Connect

Projects

TBN Projects

Submit a News Story, Event or Resource

Click here to submit a new resource or news item.

E Zine Archives

What is Business as Mission?

Business as Mission Companies have these Characteristics (Adapted from Great Commission Companies):

Socially Responsible: The underlying goal is not pure profit, but rather a transformational business.
Income-Producing Businesses: These are authentic businesses that create value-added products or services and are not sustained by donations.
Managed by Kingdom Leaders: Critical decision-makers are Kingdom leaders who seek to reflect Jesus's teachings.
Committed to The Local Church: The business supports partnership with the indigenous church in the community.
Glorifying to God: The name of God is the ultimate object of praise, not the name of the business.

About the Network

For far too long I believe that as Christians we have assumed that a marketplace vocation and a passion for Jesus are mutually exclusive. Yet the Bible is full of people like Joseph who used their skills in administration and business to meet needs and be a light for God's kingdom.

As a business student preparing to graduate from Baylor University, I was faced with this age old assumption. It was one of those fork in the road moments. I had a passion for serving God but I also had a passion for business. Down one road lay the "American Dream" and the comfortable, defined path that corporate America had to offer. On the other hand was an opportunity to fuse a passion for business with ministry and live that life of adventure.

Since joining the team at BluefishTV and The RightNow Campaign in 2002, I've loved every moment of using an entrepreneurial drive and passion for business to further God's kingdom across the country and around the world.

As Vice President of Sales and Strategic Partnerships, I have the privilege of spending my time leading our team in ministering to over 93,000 churches that have used one of our small group studies through both Bluefish TV and The RightNow Campaign. I also have the great opportunity to facilitate partnerships with some amazing ministries and missions organizations who share a passion to help people teach.

With a passion to connect more people to the growing movement of Business as Mission this Network was started in early 2006. By providing news and information to over 5000 leaders on various resources and companies we hope to inspire and connect others to opportunities to get involved.

My wife, Sharee and I live in Allen, Texas and are actively involved at Allen Bible Church. We're also thrilled that we will be expecting a new addition to our family in just a couple of months.

Media

Baylor Alumnus Turning Good Business into Great Ministry :: Baylor Business Review Building on Passion :: Baylor Lariat 7 Things Every Mission Agency Leaders Should Know About BAM :: Businessasmission.com Mission Agencies: Infrastructure, Passion, Business as Mission? :: Mission Frontiers Business as Mission: Kingdom Focused Companies :: Mission Frontiers