Business as Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice
"There is a growing awareness throughout the world church that in the twenty-first century business as mission (BAM) may well prove to one of God’s primary, if not the principle, instrument of world evangelization and kingdom transformation. Neal Johnson’s presentation of BAM is masterful, comprehensive, clear, wonderfully readable, motivating and challenging--the best in the field. May this work help to motivate and mobilize biblical Christians around the globe to new, creative and committed missionary action to, within and through the marketplace to proclaim in word and deed the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Charles Van Engen, Arthur F. Glasser Professor of Biblical Theology of Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary)"Finally, a complete book on the subject of business as mission. IfGod Is at Workis the 'why' of BAM, clearly, Neal's work is the 'how.' It is detailed, packed with great advice providing a step-by-step approach to doing BAM. It is punctuated with examples and tells it like it is. As the working encyclopedia for business as mission, it is a must for anyone who is considering work in this field directly or tangentially." (Ken Eldred, author, God Is at Work)"Masterfully combining 'how come' and 'how to,' Neal Johnson has crafted an instant classic on marketplace missiology. His unusually rich experiences in work, ministry and education prepared him to offer in a single volume almost everything we need to know philosophically, theologically, scripturally and practically with the greatest mission opportunity in the twenty-first century--business as mission. While elaborating the complexities and ambiguities of definition and implementation--this is no slick quick fix book--Johnson leaves us with a heart panting after God’s own heart in the words of Jesus: 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you' (John 20:21), a fully incarnational mission." (R. Paul Stevens, Emeritus Professor, Marketplace Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, BC, part-time faculty, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, adjunct professor, Biblical Graduate School of Theology, Singapore)"Johnson'sBusiness as Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practicedelivers on its title. If you want simple bromides about business as a mission field, this book is not for you. But if you recognize the centrality of work in God's created order, and if you want to integrate Christian teachings and workplace life through the lens of mission, then this richly resourced book is a must-read." (David W. Miller, Ph.D, director, Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative, and author of God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement)"The most powerful and complete presentation of business as mission I have seen to date! Neal goes beyond theology and inspirational stories, delving into the real-life issues of doing BAM in a global context. I highly recommend this book for those who are serious about using their business skills for God and who recognize the importance of spiritual stewardship when running an evangelistic business in a foreign land." (Thomas Sudyk, CEO, EC Group International, India, China and North America)"The global business as mission (BAM) movement has for many years been on a journey toward holistic transformation through business and the quadruple bottom lines. Dr. Neal Johnson has developed an important road map for our journey. Fellow BAM travelers everywhere: Use this map!" (Mats Tunehag, Senior Associate for Business as Mission for the Lausanne Movement & the World Evangelical Alliance)"Be prepared to have your view of the marketplace launched into a new orbit! This is easily the most comprehensive and valuable guide to business as mission ever written, perhaps because no one is better qualified to write it than Neal Johnson. This book will serve multitudes who are finding that business may betheprimary gateway to extending God's kingdom into every corner of the earth in the decades just ahead." (John D. Beckett, chairman, the Beckett Companies, and author of Loving Monday and Mastering Monday)"Neal Johnson'sBusiness as Missionis the most comprehensive manual in the history of the marketplace movement. For years to come this will be the foundational text used by mission agencies, universities and seminaries, and business leaders interested in BAM. It identifies and simplifies the definitions, strategies, practical steps and key players in the worldwide BAM movement." (Kent Humphreys, Ambassador, FCCI / Christ@Work)"C. Neal Johnson'sBusiness as Missionwould be my first choice for a single textbook on the subject. It is comprehensive, up-to-date, theoretically lucid and instructive for implementation. Business is a strategic tool for a new breed of crosscultural workers in the twenty-first-century mission. Not only will it be used for evangelism but also for securing the economic well-being of the people." (Tetsunao Yamamori, Lausanne senior adviser and president/CEO of WorldServe Ministries)"Neal Johnson has provided a systematic, strategic and tactical approach in answering the important question on how to conduct business as mission in a God-honoring way." (Luis Bush, international facilitator, Transform World Connections)"Neal Johnson and I have been friends for many years during which we've experienced several generational leaps in the practice and understanding of BAM; with this book, Neal has jumped to a new BAM best-practices world record. This book is a must-read for those already doing BAM as well as for those considering BAM. May this book also catalyze closer working relationships and trust between mission agencies and the business people and especially entrepreneurs of the world." (Dwight Nordstrom, chairman, Pacific Resources International)"In this book, Dr. Neal Johnson does a masterful job of explaining business as mission (BAM) and its missiological significance. He also moves the conversation forward by providing insights--drawing from his personal experience and his research--into the 'how-to' questions that so many aspiring practitioners are asking. His book will be extremely useful to anyone interested in BAM, students as well as practitioners." (from the foreword by Steve Rundle, associate professor of economics, Biola University, Crowell School of Business, and coauthor of Great Commission Companies)