This blog is part of a series of four which link Olympic themes to that of a BAM startup. I apologize for those who are not sports fans and appreciate your tolerance for these four weeks.
—–
The 2024 summer Olympics are over and as always, there are many stories of inspiration, surprising successes and hard-working disappointments. There are the great American stories of Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, Noah Lyles, Gabby Thomas, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Mallory Swanson, Rai Benjamin …… and many more both from the USA and abroad.
As a Canadian, I often sneaked the TV channel onto CBC when my wife wasn’t looking and had the good fortune to watch Canada’s 18-year-old swimmer, Summer Mcintosh – wow – three gold medals and one silver. But what caught my eye was a simple quote: “I really hope I do my job so I can inspire the next generation,” she declared.
Imagine at eighteen, thinking about the next generation! I got to thinking how thankful I am for the BAM pioneers who have done their job and are inspiring the next generation. I do not know every name, but some which certainly stand out are:
Mats Tunehag and a few others listed below have led the BAM pack since the early days of the late 1990s. Mats is not only an articulate spokesman for the BAM ideals stated in the 2004 Lausanne Paper #59, but he is also a writer par excellence.
Jo Plummer has also been part of the initial BAM design group of 2004 but has been the key facilitator of the www.businessasmission.com website, BAM Global, and the several conferences (along with Mark Plummer) of the past two decades.
Mike Baer is unique in that he has been a pastor and a businessman, and that integration has been on display in Asia where he practiced BAM before we used the term. Subsequently, he has taken a leadership role in the Third Path Initiative, TriVenture, Mike Baer podcast and much more.
Patrick Lai likewise is a long-term practitioner, author and organizer of the OPEN network. He probably has, more than any other, brought BAM entrepreneurs together face-to-face to “talk shop” and pray for business success and for God to work in the hearts of the unreached. He is known for the term B4t and for the OPEN conferences in the USA.
CS was a practitioner in Asia and as such was one of the first to realize that something needed to be done to bring capital to BAM projects. He started and led a mezzanine capital investment fund, which provided loans for BAM businesses. He is an accomplished public speaker.
BJ is highly recognized for his faith stories while building a high impact business in East Asia. He is known for the shortest definition of BAM, “walking with God at work”. He has mentored many in his business context and challenged many others with his public speaking.
DN has modeled BAM principles in several technology-based companies in East Asia as he focuses on profitability and making disciples of Jesus. His speech entitled Lesson Learned from Thirty Years of Doing Kingdom Business is a “must read” for all seeking to do BAM the right way.
Steve Rundle, an economist at Biola University, along with missiologist Tom Steffen, wrote perhaps the most significant early book on BAM, Great Commission Companies. Stories from the book and Steve’s seminars significantly helped the BAM movement to grow.
These few represent the giants of BAM on whose shoulders the next generation stands. There are many others which contributed significantly and for sure I cannot know them all, but these have also had an impact me and IBEC – Ken Eldred, Mark Russell, Neal Johnson, Tetsunao Yamamori, Kent Humphreys, Mart Greene, Joao Mordomo, Tom Sudyk, Wayne McGee, Don Simmons, Joseph, Vijayam, Courtney Mills. Stephen Freed, James and Erica Bartle, John Warton, and many others embedded in agencies such as the Navigators, Lion’s Den, Faith-Driven Investor and others.
They all have led the way and “inspired the next generation”. God bless each of you.
Image Credit: https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-swimming-summer-mcintosh-91aca088229cc84719ca2cce5bfdd710
Larry W. Sharp, BAM Support Specialist, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com