Business Conference - Kingdom Investment Partnering - April 18-22
This post is brought to us by Al Caperna- Don't miss this opportunity to learn and apply Kingdom values in the marketplace. International business consultant Trevor Knoesen of South Africa will be the featured speaker in this outstanding five-day event. Since the early 1990s, Youth With A Mission has sought to influence the business and economic sectors of the world market place through Kingdom values such as honesty, diligence, stewardship, concern for the poor, and Spirit-led initiative. Our annual business conferences in Kona have underscored our belief that being a Christian business man or woman is a holy calling.
Business Conference - Kingdom Investment Partnering
April 18 - 22, 2010
YWAM Kona - University of the Nations
Participants in previous conferences have accomplished much in bringing positive change and the influence of Christianity to the market place. But many challenges remain, especially in the developing nations. At this conference Trevor and others will lead discussions about:
- How to spark economic development in the world's poorer nations
- Providing job opportunities for indigenous people
- Ideas for training and development of marketplace skills
- How to launch Kingdom Business Initiatives to stimulate commerce and build communities
The outreach -- a Kingdom Business Initiative in Tonga
For the first time, conference participants will be able to join a one-week business outreach immediately after the conference. Building on the work of previous conferences, we will be launching a Kingdom Business Initiative (KBI) in the South Pacific nation of Tonga. This innovative module offers practical ability to both develop and disciple nations, and brings both physical and spiritual help to peoples of developing nations.
All previous business conference participants are invited to attend the Business Conference 2010 in Kona and be part of the Tonga initiative. The model is so dynamic that each participant will easily be able to assist in it even if they never set foot in a developing nation.
Conference fees
Fees for the five-day Kona conference are $495 including meals and accommodation (based on double occupancy). Conference fees are $295 (includes meals) for those who have their own housing. REGISTER ONLINE
Labels: Al Caperna, Events and Conferences
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Marketplace Revolution Event Coming to Grand Rapids, Michigan
The power of Business as Mission is revolutionizing the marketplace and more people are asking, "How can business be a part of the solution to poverty?"
- Identify opportunities to be personally involved in fighting global poverty through business.
- Hear life changing stories of business owners and entrepreneurs making this vision a reality.
- Connect with over 400 members of the Partners Worldwide network who are applying the foundational principles of partnerships, training and mentoring, access to capital, and advocating justice.
- Discover ways to apply Business as Mission to your church, workplace and ministry.
Labels: Events and Conferences
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Greatest Potential for the Christian Movement rests on the Shoulders of Christian Business People
The marketplace is the only institution that touches virtually every person on planet earth. Pastors are very limited in their direct exposure to the marketplace. At the same time, the marketplace in general terms doesn’t look to professional church staff for guidance on managing their business. They do look to their pastors to help disciple them on how to live out their faith, but most haven't showed them how to connect it to the marketplace.
Here is the $70 billion question. What is our strategy to reach this world for Christ? Do we try to hire another 600,000 pastors, missionaries, worship leaders,etc?? Or do we unleash 6 million business people to take the Christian movement to the next level?
For too long, many faithful Christians have “out sourced” their responsibilities as believers. They give generously to the church and then allow the “organized church” to do the work. Honestly, it’s easier. You can live your life in compartments. There’s your task driven, results oriented, hard charging business world. Then there is your church world.
But what happens when you are asked to combine your sacred activities and your spiritual activities? Have we been indoctrinated to believe that oil and water do not mix? No wonder many successful entrepreneurs and business owners can’t wait to “cash out” when they are 50 or 55. For them, perhaps business was all about business.
There is a new generation of business leaders who see the world differently. For them, God has called them into business. Their company is to be used by God for His purposes. They are passionate about creating products or services. They love marketing and sales. They are always mindful of the bottom line. But there is a higher calling. Everything that the church stands for is actually expressed in “real terms” in their business.
Most people today, don't think this way but we need to see that more do. I’m convinced that we can discuss terms like Business as Mission and Marketplace Ministry and so many other subtleties until we are blue in the face but unless the bridge between our sacred spaces of Sunday morning is bridged with our work, then we'll continue to struggle in living a segmented life.
Labels: Sacred and Secular Divide
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Inspiring Story of Haitian Manufacturer Returning to Production
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Ralph Edmond was fighting to re-open his pharmaceuticals business that was damaged in the January 12 earthquake.
He, his 82 employees, and their families were held up by a damaged $30,000 piece of production equipment that could not be replaced through Haitian channels. 1,800 miles away, in the science lab of a college near Lake Michigan, sat the very item they needed, gathering dust.
Hope College chemistry professor Mike Pikaart heard Edmond’s story during a conversation on post-earthquake business recovery in Haiti. In Edmond’s specific list of needs was a description for a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) unit. Pikaart read the list and remembered that an extra HPLC unit, donated to the college by a company liquidating its assets six years ago, sat homeless in the chemistry department building.
To read the full story, click here to read the Partners Worldwide Website.
Labels: Business as Mission Impact Story, Haiti, Partners Worldwide
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Christian Sales Association Formed
A new ministry for sales people, The Christian Sales Association, has been formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to founder Dave Kahle, the association is a group formed “by sales people and for sales people” with the mission to equip and enable Christian sales people to become outstanding in their profession and to gain positions of leadership in order to influence the culture of commerce for Christ. For more information, visit http://
Labels: Dave Kahle, Press Release
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Opportunity International has a New CEO
David Simms at the Harvard Business Review wrote a great post announcing the new CEO of Opportunity International, the Global Micro-finance Organization. Exciting times for Opportunity International and it was encouraging to see an inside look at some of their thought process.
You can also read the press release on Opportunity International's website.
Labels: Microfinance, Opportunity International
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The Biblical basis for a 6 day work week?
Look back in the Old Testament and you'll find that a lot of people were working overtime by today's standards. 6 long days, from sunup to sundown.
I'm not selling that we should be working every Saturday. But as I re-read through the Old Testament I'm reminded that I don't have a lot of legs to stand on the next time I complain about a long day or long week.
I wonder what's the story behind that? Why do we have a 5 day work week today instead of a 6?
Labels: Sacred and Secular Divide
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"A little rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit"
By Justin Forman - "Great execution of a good idea will beat poor execution of a great idea any time."
I can't remember which Fortune 500 CEO said it but I've seen it played too many times. I've come to appreciate that the relentless drive, discipline, and focus found in great execution is more often the difference between success and failure.
But last week when I was reading through Proverbs I was struck that this idea isn't the original idea of a famous business guru.
It finds its roots deep within scripture. Proverbs 6:10-11 says "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."
Why do great leaders work as though they are always playing 4th quarter basketball and the other team is right on their heels?
I think its because the margin in error in everything we do is so little.
As followers of Christ, I think we're called to take this to heart. Its not something we can choose to ignore. The proverb doesn't say "much sleep" or "much rest". It focuses on the slight margin of error not just once, but 3 times!
Haven't we seen this scenario played out in business? One wrong decision, a little coasting can be the difference of a business continuing to thrive or starting its downward slide.
Its a challenge. But its also a stark reminder that God loves Hard Work and he's glorified when we use our God given passions and skills with excellence.
Labels: Justin Forman, Sacred and Secular Divide
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Taking Care of Business with Andy Stanley of North Point
There's something of a futility and routine in all of our work. In any job, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Work can be Worship.Last week I was able to take some of the leaders in our ministry through a study, Taking Care of Business with Andy Stanley.
I've always enjoyed reading Andy's books on leadership but I especially enjoyed hearing Andy dig deep into the scriptures to find the Biblical significance of work that we all too often overlook. Here's a couple of thoughts that stood out:
- Why do we often think that work was the result of sin? One of the first things God did after creating Adam was putting him to work in he garden. When the garden was "as good as it got" and free from sin, God had Adam working. Genesis 2:8-9, 15.
- The significance of our work is not found in the details of our job but in our willingness to put our heart into it.
- In Heaven we will work. God is watching how we do what he has called us to now to see what kind of responsibility he can entrust to us when we get to heaven. Because of that, our work has eternal implications, no matter how routine our job is or what company we work for.
- How hard we work and how well we perform is just as important as how we behave or our character.
I think Andy did a particularly great job on the first message. It defines the purpose of work in a way that reaches out to anyone with a job.
Over the years, I've personally bought several copies and given it to friends or co-workers. In fact, we're going to start to use this on our first day of training for anyone who joins our team. To purchase your own audio set, visit the North Point website.
Labels: Andy Stanley, Audio, North Point, Podcast
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Our Souls at Work -- The book we've needed to break the sacred and secular divide
For years I've thought it was an organized follow-up system that could connect people with opportunities to fuse their faith with business.
It's not that that kind of system wouldn't be beneficial, but the greatest obstacle we face is validating men and women and unleashing them to look for opportunities in the things they are already doing.
One of the greatest untapped strengths of The Church are the entrepreneurs sitting in the pews every Sunday morning. They have unlimited business ideas that come from years of experience. These gifted entrepreneurs don't need a structured system to tell them HOW to use their skills ... They just need someone or something to tell them that work can be worship.
That's why I'm so excited about a new book called, Our Souls at Work- How Great Leaders Live their Faith in the Global Marketplace by Mark Russell.
In the book Mark tells the stories of several great business leaders who understand that work can be worship.
- Dennis Bakke- Author of Joy at Work
- Steve Reinemund- Former PepsiCo CEO
- Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes
- Steve Lynn – CEO of Backyard Burger and former CEO of Sonic and Shoneys
- Ed Meese- The 75th US Attorney General
- Mo Andersen – Vice Chair of Keller Williams Realty
- Bonnie Wurzbacher – Coke Sr. VP of Global Leadership
- John Tyson, Chairman of Tyson Foods
Dave's introduction was spot on. He understands that work can be worship and the importance of making sure the men and women in his church understand that as well. If more pastors understood this intersection like Dave, the ripple effect through the church would be incredible.
Mark didn't put me up to this, but I'd really encourage you to pick up a copy of the book for yourself. While you're at it grab an extra copy for your pastor. The pulpit is the largest megaphone into the Christian movement. And if work is going to increasingly be seen as an opportunity for worship its going to take a lot of pastors "getting it".
You can get a copy on Mark's website, www.russell-media.com. I asked Mark if we could get a special discount and he gave us a discount code, Rmdiscount4. When you enter that in on his website, it will give you free shipping and 20% off.
Labels: Books and Articles, Sacred and Secular Divide, Top 25 Business as Mission Books
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2010 Business as Mission Training Course in Chiang Mai Just Finished
"Before I came to the iBAM Course with my wife, we knew that the Lord was leading us to establish an IT Business as Mission company in Uruguay, the least reached country of Latin America. One of the many things that I have heard from other BAMers when they referred to BAM is that these are businesses used by the Lord to transform peoples, communities and nations. However, I was still not sure how the Lord could use such a small IT company to bless a nation! When we came here and experienced these intensive 5 weeks of learning and sharing with other brothers and sisters from different parts of the world, the Lord provided so that we had all these doubts clarified. We learned more about adding value to people, being effective servant leaders in the marketplace, and even how to start a company from scratch. There were so many things that we learned from the staff members themselves by their example and experiences. Now we are coming back home to Puerto Rico with formal plans and ready for a season of prayer so that the Lord can show us when we should move to Uruguay to begin the market analysis. iBAM 2010 Thailand has been a blessing for me and my wife."
JC, IT Professional and future BAMer from Puerto Rico
This year 7 participants went through iBAM Explore Course and 11 went through iBAM Standard Course in Chiang Mai. We are now taking applications for June 2010 and February 2011 Courses in Colorado Springs and Chiang Mai. Click here for more information.
Labels: IBAM, Thailand, Training, YWAM
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