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RE-THINKING MONEY, RELIGION & POLITICS

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Karen Kuykendall

Business as Mission, Part 2

In our previous post we introduced the group Business as Mission (BAM) Global, and the report it put out in May 2023 with an analysis of how the Church relates to business and what can be done to improve this relationship. The report provides 17 actionable recommendations for pastors and their congregants that could both strengthen the relationship and equip businesspeople for their role of ministry in the workplace. From these 17 "Promising Practices" we have chosen the following items to feature and expand on:


Promising Practice No. 1: Teach Against the Sacred-Secular Divide

We've probably all heard the appeal to have a spiritually integrated life, yet the struggle to do so continues. The pejorative term "Sunday Christian" is an unfortunate yet telling label for those church attendees whose behavior reflects this disconnect. It is especially easy for this kind of situation to flourish when church attendance becomes an expected cultural norm rather than a desire of the heart.


Additionally, people may not act in an un-Christian manner in their business but also may not understand that their work is an extension of Christian ministry. Many of us subconsciously hold the view that pastors and missionaries are the only full-time ministers, rather than seeing every Christian as a full-time minister in whatever sphere they occupy. Regular reminders of this calling will help everyone to keep a correct perspective.



Promising Practice No. 2: Promote Personal or Group Study

Bible study is a regular emphasis at most churches, but how many of us participate in one that is focused on our work? I am a big believer in the solid, practical application of what we study, and it's hard to get more practical than applying principles to where we spend most of our weekday hours. One series that the report suggests as a resource is Public Reading of Scripture. Their free videos on this subject are available here.


An extension of Promising Practice No. 2 is Promising Practice No. 4,  Study ‘Bible on Business’ Devotional Plan, a 31-day devotional that is offered here by BAM on the YouVersion Bible App. This study was developed by leaders in the BAM movement and makes significant connections between Biblical text and modern day business.


Promising Practice No. 11: Move from a ‘Pastoral Care Contract’ to a ‘Pastoral Equipping Contract’

While pastoral care (such as attending to those who have suffered a loss) is definitely part of what a minister does, pastoral equipping actually comprises the greater part of what a pastor is called to do. The BAM report references Neil Hudson's book, Imagine Church: Releasing Dynamics of Everyday Disciples, on this subject. Hudson asserts that, instead of the often unspoken pastoral care agreement between minister and members, a pastor's primary duty is to equip his or her members for their lives within and without the church so that they may "live out their faith in the realities of their day-to-day world."


Promising Practice No. 14: Share Stories

Throughout my time as a life-long church member, I have desired a more open and honest dialogue about our everyday lives in that setting. It has often seemed to me that we are careful to present the spiritually mature and best version of ourselves in these circles instead of sharing our struggles, downfalls, and doubts. Because sharing these things openly is not a regular practice in many places, we can feel awkward and not know how to respond when someone does so.


One way to combat this issue is to set a regular time for people to share stories from their lives and frame it in a non-judgmental context. The more that members hear about other members' everyday challenges, the more they will feel comfortable with sharing their own. Of course, positive narratives can and should be shared as well, as long as the opportunity to share all kinds of experiences without judgment exists. In addition to encouraging and teaching us, these stories can make us feel more connected with each other and thus build the church's unity.


Promising Practice No. 15: The Culture of the Church Needs to Change

This practice is the summary of all the practices and is stated as follows from the document, 'Setting God's People Free,' by the Church of England Archbishops' Council of 2017:

There’s a need for two shifts in culture and practice that we see as critical to the flourishing of the Church and the evangelization of the nation.

1. Until, together, ordained and lay, we form and equip lay people to follow Jesus confidently in every sphere of life in ways that demonstrate the Gospel, we will never set God’s people free to evangelize the nation.

2. Until laity and clergy are convinced, based on their baptismal mutuality, that they are equal in worth and status, complementary in gifting and vocation, mutually accountable in discipleship, and equal partners in mission, we will never form Christian communities that can evangelize the nation.

The entire document can be found at here.


Though we do not have time to touch on the other 11 Promising Practices, they are well worth reading, contemplating, and implementing. We at Better Capitalism are greatly encouraged to see yet another organization that has not only made the connection between theology and economics, but has also made it its mission to help the global Church make this connection as well.


While the work of connecting theology and economics is not limited to the Christian faith tradition, the Christian tradition is our social location. Accordingly, we invite and encourage those of other faith traditions to reach out and inform us of similar efforts in their traditions.



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