Week Three… A look Inside the Classroom of the Business as Mission Training
Thanks for checking in again this week for the update from the Business as Mission course in Thailand. It’s exciting to share with you how the events are unfolding here in Asia. It’s been another fantastic week of learning practically how BAM can be used to further the kingdom of God in this world. The students had 3 packed days of lectures, coaching sessions and working together in business development groups before the field trip teams left for a week in Indonesia, China, Cambodia or N. Thailand. The participants were assigned to the field trip that was best suited for their interests—manufacturing, textiles, micro-credit, micro-franchising, import/export, muslim-environment etc. Next week you can check back in to read an excerpt from each field trip team and how it impacted their understanding of BAM.Our keynote speaker this week was North American entrepreneur Neil K. who has been working in Chinese business for the past 15 years. He is an amazing pioneer of the BAM movement and shared from his wealth of knowledge and personal experiences. Although he is western, he came and spoke to us from an Asian perspective this week, addressing issues of corruption, bribery, role of family, learning culture and language. Because he was very “asian” in his approach this week, we were all challenged to think outside the boxes we automatically filter everything through. He was able to take us to a deeper level of understanding, preparing us for the challenges we will face when going to another culture…we must learn to think how they think and let values and principles inside us be lived out as an example to those we are working with. He also talked about the beauty of finding the thumbprint of God in each culture of the world.
Here’s a bit of his story and a summary of what he shared with us this week:
Neil has a history of business and entrepreneurial gifting in his family as his father and grandfather were all in business. When he felt a call to go to China as a missionary, his first response was to go by engaging in “classic” missionary work. When he went, his worldview could not grasp that God could use his business gifting to advance the kingdom. The longer he was there, his Chinese friends saw his entrepreneurial gift and kept drawing it out of him, encouraging him to use it to create jobs in China…to be a blessing! Through this, God began to heal his understanding of business--created for God’s glory. The theme of the week was this: although God called him to use the tool of business in China, his heart as a follower of Christ is always missional—asking the question, how can he use what God has given him to advance the Kingdom of God?
Neil said that one of the most difficult things he learned in China was that in order to succeed, he must willing give up his ethnocentric thinking and learn from the Chinese way. Learning the Mandarin language was a big part of this process. While learning the language, God was constantly humbling him because he was brought to the level of a child. This forced him to learn from them, asking questions so he could learn from them how to be a blessing as opposed to forcing his ideas on them. Practically, he gave us a list of 10 common pitfalls he’s seen in his experience of people trying to do BAM in a cross-cultural context and an operations manual for doing business in China.
Neil’s teaching this week was delivered “asian style” and included a dynamic mix of biblical principles, first-hand BAM experience/words of wisdom, stories and cultural training! The most impressive of all was Neil’s commitment to live out his passion for God through word and deed—it was evident in everything he did this week and left an impact on us all. Needless to say after listening to Neil share his passion for the Chinese people, the China team was excited to go on their field trip!
Labels: Recruitment and Job Opportunities, Training the Next Generation, YWAM
