Business as Mission

In the past we heard about 'tent-making' means someone was sent to a mission field. He or she needs to do something for their living as they try to spread the Gospel.

Lately there is a term/movement 'Business as mission' -- means it's purely business and purely mission. How does it work?

Set up a business and it's profit making - use the profit to finance the mission. 

Business is business with a note you do it in Christians ways, observing the Biblical Ethics.

While you do business, do it with all good intention without any hidden agenda without setting any trap to get people into Church. As you relate to people in the business world, they will see the different -- you be the salt and light of the world. On the other hand, business will also create more jobs for people.

Second, use the profit to support the mission. 

Long time ago, the Mennonite churches in Indonesia has tried to prepare a piece of land for each of their rural congregation. The field will help to support the pastor and their family, as well as the church.

Several decades ago, Paul Cho Yong Gi build an impressive buildings... rent some parts of the building for profits, set up their own business... Yoido's Newspaper will make lots of profit from their members alone... 

The City Harvest, led by Kong Hee bought half of Suntec City, using the same principle like the Yoido Church -- get into fashion business, making money mostly from their own members who are mostly below 35 years old.

Yes, these two churches belief in 'prosperity theology' -- but the business to support mission and church work, may not be completely wrong after all. 

But how about other conventional churches, especially in developing countries? 

The Western Churches are declining if not dying; mission funds only depend on the endowment funds left behind by the rich Christians in the past.Many in the East are still look up to the West for their resources both financially as well as inspiration.

As the matter of fact, can we tell people, "thou shall not live by bread alone, but by the Word that come forth from the Lord." while people are struggling with their living -- wondering how to send their children to school? In some places, the South Church whose members are mostly from the grass-root communities, who mostly work from hands to mouth, yet for the sake of mission, the church managed to convince them to give their 'two coins' and we praise them for their faith and use them for examples in fundraising.

The past evangelism during the colonial time used to allure people to come to church by offering them 'bread' -- in Nias and Batak land;giving them used clothes, medicines, food, and tobacco. Created dependency and inducing them physically with nicotine :)

I wonder, if we are actually the same mistake sometime?

I believe, it''s time to re-think the nature of church and ways of doing church.