New Monasticism & Business as Mission - PARTNER!
The challenge of poverty and how to help the hurting is huge. As someone who travels the world and has been involved in that for more than a decade, I’ve come a long way in my thinking and have changed a lot. At first, I was huge into charity--just give them money and it’ll all work out. I found out that wasn’t true. I soon began to understand why development was better than charity. It didn’t take long.
There are two new emerging, and I believe, healthy responses to the poor that should partner. Each has a part of the equation--neither has the whole enchilada. The first is the new monasticism, care for the poor while living in community. The second is business as mission. Use your business as a way of engagement and outreach to see people developed and lifted up.
Business as mission is heavy on business and development--not quite as heavy on community which can lead to an industrialized and impersonal faith. The new monasticism is heavy on community and not quite as heavy on development which can lead to nothing economically and developmentally if there aren’t sound economic principles at work.
Both strands are committed to caring for the poor. Both strands are believers looking at new ways of engagement. The business guy doesn’t need to fund the community guy to live in the inner city. The community guy doesn’t need to think the business guy only has pockets to help him live his dream. Instead, they need to partner doing economic development together. Both should have big hearts, both should think developmentally. Now, that would be a partnership that would do some serious damage!
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Nov 15, 2007 at 09:05 AM
I like what I am reading here, it's helping me to work through the tensions I feel in relation to the challenge of poverty.
I am partnering with a university in Zambia, Africa. The university's mission is to be involved in Zambia's economic development by teaching and enabling its students to remain in Zambia and contribute to the nation’s economic, social, and spiritual health. This sounds like an opportunity for both monasticism and business as mission. Some are trained to be pastors, others to be businessmen. It's an exciting partnership. For more info, http://www.northrise.org/vision.asp
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Nov 15, 2007 at 09:09 AM
Bob, you're definitely on to something! We who have been working amongst the poor for decades try our best to make a difference, but we lack the skills and basic know-how to really focus on development. And I think time is also a problem. But if business people could partner with us in the right way, in other words not coming with an attitude of people having all the answers, but coming in a humble and loving spirit and being willing to work long-term (I just read that chapter in your book last night) then, as you say, things can really start happening!
Nov 15, 2007 at 09:27 AM
Ahhh!!! I love it. This is a good principle for young, crazy, and rebellious guys like me who read Shane Claiborne's book and dove into the inner city. My problem was that I forgot that not EVERYONE can move in and set up shop in the ghetto. We each have a specific mission that God has placed on our hearts. I'm also often reminded that our ability to do the things we do in terms of serving the poor are backed by business men, and local suburban churches. The concept of Unity described by Paul in Philippians 2 has intrigued me over the past 5 months...this idea of not thinking that we have it all together, but actually showing others through serving them that what they are doing is significant as well is key. We must, as businessmen and inner city missionaries, learn the beauty of teaming up strategically to develop communities. Imagine that, the body of Christ unifying and working together! JAM.
Nov 15, 2007 at 01:33 PM
Make those business guys sweat - have them use their backgrounds to engage the inner-city - not just fund it!
Nov 17, 2007 at 01:13 PM
This is a great idea, but you’re 700 years behind the man who first thought of it. His name was Adam Smith. In his Wealth of Nations he wrote, ” Among men, on the contrary, the most dissimilar geniuses are of use to one another; the different produces of their respective talents, by the general disposition to truck, barter, and exchange, being brought, as it were, into a common stock, where every man may purchase whatever part of the produce of other men’s talents he has occasion for. ” In short, men of different talents help one another to help society. The two men that you described both have a desire to advance their own personal desires. As Smith stated in Theory of Moral Sentiments, ” … the sentiments and actions by which we advance those ends, and to imagine that to be the wisdom of man, which in reality is the wisdom of God. ” As I see it, the limitations to development of any society are roads. Think about that. We all follow some sort of road, or path. There is a need to converge the two roads that these gentlemen are on. That society is on. No longer should the business world live by the precepts of the “greed is good ” analogy made popular by the movie Wall Street. A new premise should be the compassion of the spectator. That desire to connect to those in need to develop mankind for mankind’s sake.
Nov 19, 2007 at 10:00 PM
Instead of bringing in the rich successful bussinessmen, who don't share the same view as the poors, why don't we try to bring in some small entrepeneurs, who raise up from the poor communities?
Even if a rich and big bussinessman really care for the poor, he will always have too little time and too much money, which will leading to only possible thing he could do, "funding".
A small entrepenour will have much more time and applicable knowledge to help the poor in the long run. After all, our purpose is to help to poor stand on their own feet, not getting rich overnight.
But of course, "funding" from rich bussinessmen is necessary too.
Nov 20, 2007 at 05:28 AM
Ti- FANTASTIC TO HEAR FROM YOU ON MY BLOG - THIS IS A FIRST!!!!!! OK, Ti - I think your point is well taken and right. This is the whole point of micro-finance - BUT too much of it is tied to buying a pig for the poorest of the poor which is good - but helps only one - in my opinion. Instead of helping just the person with the pig we should think bigger. The small mom and pop businesses - as we call them in the US - are the key to providing jobs that lifts many people up at once. That would be the entrepreneur coming out of the poor community as you say. I like your idea. Give me an idea - Let's do a project. Dr. Dad
Nov 20, 2007 at 01:00 PM
Bob (and Ti?) - I'd love some input on a situation: two years ago, on a short-term mission trip to Ethiopia with e3 Partners (http://www.e3partners.org), I met a number of dear Christian brothers with a passion to reach that country for Christ and strengthen his church there. I've connected with one of those guys by e-mail over the past few months, and he has shared with me a plan to start a small chicken production business. He's scraped together materials to build a place to raise the chickens, but is looking for funding - about $800. Economically, that's about a year's income in Ethiopia.
Now I'm torn. He's got a good plan - not perfect, but good. I could fund it entirely, though not easily (it would be a small sacrifice), but I don't have peace about it, either "missionally" or economically. I haven't yet been able to get in contact with any of the leaders we worked with there, to check on local accountability and assistance, nor have I found a place to work with for a microloan. I'm at a loss as to what to do for this guy, who sometimes wonders where the next meal for him and his wife will come from. Thoughts?
Nov 20, 2007 at 04:44 PM
It's worse than you think - if you disucss options like this often internationals think you're committing to do it. THEREFORE, if you don't, you may be percieved as a big talk American and worse a Christian who doesn't follow through. So, WWID, What Would I Do? Here's your answer, get 3 other guys here in the US who will each give $200. If you loose it, no biggie. If he's unfaithful - God judges him. I don't think E3 does a lot of local accountability. Find some Christian ministry here you can wire the money through - take a chance. Tell him when he doubles the money - you'd like to come visit the project to evaluate further investment.
Nov 20, 2007 at 05:02 PM
Thanks for the input, Bob. BTW - I'm helping out with Josh Butler and Imago Dei's Global leadership team...hoping to get Rick M's scheduled aligned so he can get out to connect with you. I'm also hoping that somehow I'll be able to be involved on the ground floor of our work with you in Vietnam. Still trying to figure out how I can use my background of administration in the financial planning world for the kingdom - not a lot of market for IRA/401k expertise outside the US, I'm afraid! That's my background, but my passion is to help North American churches understand and get involved globally as you are doing.
Nov 20, 2007 at 06:31 PM
You can do a lot - I mean a lot. You go to the Flood? I know your name - help me remember I'm a lot of places. I'd love to see you in Vietnam with us - lots of cool stuff happening. Have you done a lot of global stuff? Email me.
Nov 28, 2007 at 10:22 PM
Bob- My son and I heard you speak for the first time at FCCM at our regional meeting in Euless. I was very moved and challenged by the things you said. I have been working among the poor in inner city Dallas for over 20 years. I have done both monasticism and business as mission. We began businesses in the inner city and have used those businesses to train and mentor the man and women in our residential programs. We have used other business men and their expertise in many projects over the year. We currently are trying to partner with business men to re-develop some of our property in inner city Dallas (Uptown East - just east of downtown Dallas) to see needed business re-development and affordable housing (work force housing) that the city of Dallas has asked us to help develop. We just puchased a 30,000 sq ft, 3 story historic building, on the corner of Peak and Bryan Street. We are going to do mixed use retail/resturants on the first floor and affordable (work force) housing on the 2 and 3 floors.
Doing these two things (monasticism and business as mission) together over the years has really made a difference in our effectiveness among the poor and relating with business people. We need business men's experince and expertise in business..and they need a place to be missional in their "world"...not just try to get their money. Many business men I have worked with feel "used" by the church. I am reading your books that I got at the FCCM meeting. I just saw you have a new book coming out...that I cannot wait for on church planting. We want to plant more churches in the inner city. We have a local church here also. I believe your new book will be a big help.
My ministry was birthed out of one of the first mega churches in Dallas in 1986 (Church on the Rock in Rockwall) What you spoke about at the FCCM meeting concerning planting smaller churches really "got" me. Something about being part of an explosive mega church from it inception really blurred my objectivity and I have struggled with not building a mega church in inner city Dallas. But I know that God want us to plant more churches and ministiries over the next 20 years and you really spoke encouragment to me. Thanks. Bless you.
Nov 29, 2007 at 05:46 AM
Leonard I loved what you wrote. Way to go - you're a picture of what I believe the future of the church is moving towards.
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