Digital Commons Network^™

Business As Ministry In The Us Rural Midwest For The Common Good, Eric Zhong-Ming Ma

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

The rural Midwest region of the United States serves as a significant locus for American history, culture, and faith, in addition to being renowned as the nation’s primary agricultural hub for maize and soybeans production. Nevertheless, the prevailing body of literature pertaining to the integration of business and Christian ministry for the common good predominantly represented the viewpoints of individuals engaged in international missions or those involved in urban settings regarding the underlying purposes of business. Limited knowledge existed regarding the practices and perceptions of business as ministry stakeholders in the rural Midwestern United States concerning the concept of the …

Darin Fey, Class Of '00, Sarah Moss

The Voice

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Case Study Of Church-Based Business Leader Discipleship Programs And The Furtherance Of The Gospel, Robert Cross

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Can ministry and business be integrated within the church so there can be a positive impact in the church and community by business leaders understanding their unique calling in furthering the gospel? This descriptive qualitative multi-case research explored whether business and ministry can be integrated through a church-based business leader discipleship programs that will result in the furthering and sharing of the gospel. Churches with a discipleship program specifically for business leaders in the church and the business leaders who participated in the programs were interviewed to determine if there is a correlation between participating in a discipleship program and …

Book Review: New Funding Models In Global Mission: Learning From The Majority World By Tim Welch, John Cheong

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Impacts Of Funding Models On Business As Mission Organizations In Asia: A Multiple-Case Study, Jeremiah Joel Finch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In a 2014 research study, Dr. Steve Rundle examined the impacts of business-funded versus donor-funded business as mission (BAM) organizations. The research study answers Dr. Rundle’s call for further research on funding models, and the findings from the study help to fill in gaps in the social-entrepreneurship (SE) and BAM literature. BAM organizations, like other SE-oriented organizations, seek to achieve success in multiple bottom lines. The qualitative, multiple-case study utilized a theoretical replication design to explore differences between donor-funded and business-funded BAM organizations in Asia. Specifically, the research study explored principles related to BAM funding methodology’s impact on economic outcomes …

Marketplace Summer 2023, Southern Adventist University

MarketPlace

The Summer 2023 issue of MarketPlace features information on the future of the School of Business and the university endowment. The issue features an article about Bob Jimenez, Cox Enterprises' senior vice president for corporate affairs.

Legitimate Business As Mission Ventures And Effective Witness, Summer Rogers

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the practice of missionaries creating cover businesses solely for visa purposes, which brings a dishonest presence and harms the ministry. In contrast, Business as Mission (BAM) is a strategic business model to bring the gospel overseas through social, economic, and spiritual impact. Through a literature review, best practices for legitimate BAM ventures are explored based on studies done by BAM professionals and experts. Research shows that Christian businesspeople can establish an authentic image and credible witness through BAM businesses that are integrated into the local community, generate a profit, and incorporate biblical principles into business operations. BAM …

Book Review: Missions And Money: Global Realities And Challenges By Jonathan J. Bonk, Michel G. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, And Jae Hoon Lee, Gregory C. Cochran

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Equipping Marketplace Ministers For Unity: The Need For Ministry Leaders To Model Interdenominational Partnership, Eric Laudenslager

The Asbury Journal

In recent decades, the marketplace ministry (MPM) movement has made significant progress. A predominant theme in the current discussion is a focus on how to support individuals in their place of work. While this renewed attention to supporting laity is an important change, it should be asked whether strategies that focus on the individual alone reflect the pragmatic needs of MPMs or the role models put forward in the NT. This paper will review a case study of a MPM team and how a team based approach contributed to the longevity of the ministry. It will then examine the responsibility …

Taylor: A Magazine For Taylor University Alumni, Parents And Friends (Summer 2022), Taylor University

The Taylor Magazine (1963-Present)

The Summer 2022 edition of Taylor Magazine, published by Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.

Commencement 2022 (Full Program), Taylor University

Commencement

The full program of the 2022 Annual Commencement of Taylor University, May 21 2022.

Sacred Business: Outlining Business As Mission For The Fulfillment Of The Great Commission, Eli Jackson

Senior Honors Theses

Business as Mission (BAM) is the operation of a for-profit business located in a cross-cultural setting and aimed toward the fulfillment of the great commission. This definition reveals four key success factors for BAM: support, financial and otherwise, for both the business and the missionaries; the ability to gain access to cross-cultural settings; the opportunity to advance the gospel; and the requirement of managing both missional and business goals. Examining each of these areas, along with the historical effectiveness of BAM, reveals that BAM is an efficient and effective missional strategy, which should be used to see the Great Commission …

The Continuity Mindset For Christian Mission, Jack T. Davison

Great Commission Research Journal

Missionaries from the Global North regularly serve as trainers for Christians in the Global South. From personal experience, missionaries are regularly seen as being qualified to do this work simply because of their position. Rather than missionaries assuming they are competent purely on the basis of their titles, I believe they should instead practice the Continuity Mindset for Christian Mission, a mindset that emphasizes the continuity of one’s identity and ministry in one’s home culture with one’s identity and ministry in the host culture. This practice includes elements of vulnerable mission, nonresidential mission, tentmaking, cultural intelligence, and authentic leadership. I …

Discipleship And Leadership: The Correlation Between Discipleship And Servant, Transformational, And Shared Leadership In The Marketplace, Daniel E. Gifford

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative correlational study explored the intersection of Christians in leadership positions who are not in full-time ministerial positions and the transformational nature of discipleship. It focused on determining if a correlation exists between a marketplace Christian leader’s involvement in a discipleship relationship and exhibiting characteristics of servant, transformational, or shared leadership in the marketplace. It did this by examining the concept of discipleship as currently practiced in today’s environment, comparing it with similar terms and practices prevalent in the literature, such as spiritual formation, mentoring, and coaching. It also reviewed three specific leadership styles, arguing that servant, transformational, and …

The Servicemaster Company As A Model For Bam Startups, Larry W. Sharp

Pollard Research Fellowship Papers

A template/typology for Business as Mission startups using the redemptive methodologies of ServiceMaster, which focused on the people-first development of the employee, with a focus on areas of the world which restrict free speech.

Volunteering Abroad : Best Practices For Connecting The Gifts And Skills Of North American Christians With The Expressed Needs Of The Global Church, Bruce Wilson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2021: One Thousand Days Transformed, Cedarville University

Cedarville Magazine

No abstract provided.

Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Case Study Of Evangelicals, Richard Clark

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study is the experiences of eight individual evangelical social entrepreneurs within their congregations. What type of legitimacy do they seek and/or receive for? Do they sense any pressure to conform/motivations to act relative to their congregation’s values/identity? Do these relationships encourage or discourage their entrepreneurial orientation/intensity and in what ways?

The primary research question is “how does embeddedness in an evangelical faith community affect the experiences and expression of social entrepreneurial orientation and intensity for evangelical faith-based social entrepreneurs, if at all?”

The study identifies three types of congregations in terms of their relationship to the …

Toward Ten Thousand Tozers, Jayden Wilhelm, Hank Voss

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Animal Science Department News, Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue, David R. Dunaetz Editor

Great Commission Research Journal

No abstract provided.

China’S Belt And Road Initiative: Mission Opportunities And Challenges, Paul Lee

Great Commission Research Journal

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an infrastructure project proposed by China to improve transportation in Eurasia. This will bring both mission opportunities and challenges in the regions affected. God is perhaps giving Christians a unique opportunity for evangelism through this project which facilitates the movement of not just humans and products, but also the gospel.

Vile Methods: Bridging Divides And Expanding Churches' Understanding Of Creativity, Tyler Jack Kaufmann

Doctor of Ministry

Over the last 25 years, technology has made learning, sharing information, and connecting easier than ever before. Humans, especially in North America, have access to unprecedented amounts of information, ways to interact, and tools for relationship building. Yet, in the United States, humans find themselves in one of the most polarized times of the last 50 years. At the same time, the US church has been in major membership decline and its societal influence has decreased. Great numbers of the poorest US Americans are leaving the church and with that exodus gaps between social classes are widening as less spaces …

Faith-Driven Impact Investing: Renewing A Belief That An Investment In Entrepreneurialism And Commerce Is Central To God's Plan Of Redemption And Human Flourishing, Jonathan Mark Halverson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addressed the need for a renewed belief among faith-driven investors that investments in redemptive businesses is central to God’s plan of redemption and biblical human flourishing. The explosive growth of values-aligned investing, such as Socially Responsible Investing and impact investing, has opened the door to introducing values into investment decision-making. There are significant opportunities for Christ followers to align their biblical values with their investment strategies, and to “put to work” (Matt. 25:16) resources apportioned to them by God; however, they have been slow to embrace the opportunities. Research was conducted to understand the underlying biblical-theological beliefs of …

Revisiting The Purpose Of Business, Joseph Bamber, Andy Borchers

Faculty Publications

While it is easy to see the ways that business has gone global today, it is less easy to see how scriptural ideas for holistic business are currently put in practice. We have outlined themes related to business found in Scripture and used them to create a holistic scorecard for businesses. We also compare recent views on the purpose of business and some businesses that follow these models using the scorecard. We include the classic 1970 essay by Milton Friedman (“The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits”) and continue through John Elkington (Cannibals with Forks), Mackey & …

Fitness App Wins Virtual Business Funding Contest, Mark Weinstein

News Releases

An app-based fitness plan using old school card game strategy was the winner at The Pitch, a new business funding competition held Labor Day weekend at Cedarville University.

Switch For “The Pitch”: Remote Judges For Business Competition, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Cedarville University‘s Beyond Entrepreneurship Accelerator program will hold its third The Pitch competition with a COVID-inspired twist. The Pitch, similar to ABC’s “Shark Tank,” will be held at Cedarville’s DeVries Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. However, the judges will be reviewing each pitch remotely through Zoom.

Business Education: How Culture And Leadership Impact Organizational Outcomes, Joyce Lemay, Chris Kaiser

Business Faculty Publications

Leadership and organizational culture influence the outcomes of any business. Many companies look at various information to measure results but may not know how to manage the information or interpret it in a way to make ethical and effective decisions. Many organizational cultures are broken and leadership needs to better understand how culture impacts the required outcomes. This article reviews the demands of a broken culture and creative ways to impact culture to ensure effective organizational outcomes. In times of crisis, like COVID-19, organizational culture can direct, redirect, or worsen the desired outcomes. The ability to analyze, understand and positively …

Justice And Righteousness For Creation, Renita Reed-Thomson

Business as Mission Theses and Dissertations

A hymn entitled “This Is My Father’s World,” written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock around the year 1901, includes the words: “This Is My Father’s World, O let me ne’er forget…” Unfortunately, many Christians seem to have forgotten that this world belongs to their Heavenly Father. Justice for the poor and the environment has been neglected as Christians pursue economic and material gain, as well as the church’s pursuit of converts over disciples. That the Protestant Evangelical Church may have forgotten the creation may be a surprising point for some given that it has a reputation for caring for the poor …

More Than A Means To An End : The Practice Of Bi-Vocational Ministry Among Missionaries In Northern Nigeria, Oludamilohun Adeliyi

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.