Five bits of Advice from a young Business as Mission Practitioner

Watch for a new book with a publishing date for next month, July 2022.  The title is MISSIONS DISRUPTED: From Professional Missionaries to Missional Professionals, and it includes missiology, business theory, and 27 stories of missional professionals, mostly businesspeople.

Here is a taste of one of the stories, just a summary of something more profound and instructive.

Matt lives in a crowded city in Asia where his real estate business demands a driver take him from place to place. Naturally, he has become close friends with the driver, Wang Wei, who had plenty of opportunities to observe Matt’s family. As he did so, he saw something quite different from what he was used to—something he wanted for his family too. He kept watching and then began talking to Matt about what he was seeing. There were plenty of conversations before Wang Wei became a true follower of Jesus. Matt now is privileged to disciple him in his new life in Christ.

Before I met Matt in 2012, he had graduated with a degree in computer programming, and worked for a multinational IT service company in Europe. Then it was off to manage a leather factory in Asia for seven years. It was all pretty impressive for someone to accomplish while still in his twenties and early thirties. He now is married, has children, has earned an MBA, and is back in Asia managing a real estate company.

I couldn’t help thinking about various questions: What makes for good choices? How does one find good mentors? How does one integrate faith and work? What really makes one happy? How did he gain business success so quickly?

I learned much from Matt – and here is just a list of the titles of his thoughts.  Get the book to read about real-life examples from Matt.

1. Spend time with God-fearing people in church, family, and community
2. Look for people to be your mentors
3. Find ways to serve and even mentor others
4. Keep flexible and always be willing to learn
5. Open your eyes to human need and do something about it

Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com