While Part 1 provided information on various aspects of the missionary calling and journey in general, this article will zero in on some common concerns of relocating to the missions field. 

This article will focus on the first category of the overall missionary journey.

If you’re interested in tentmaking missions in Asia or the Middle East, we have grouped some of our stories and articles into three categories to guide your exploration.

Accepting God’s call is putting one foot in front of the other to begin your adventure of faith. God did not only give us stories from Scripture about how He rewards obedience. Today, many others have accepted the challenge, stepped out in faith, and proven Him trustworthy.

Drawing from Rev. Mack Stiles’ message at the 2013 Cross Student Missions Conference, here are the fundamentals of a missionary calling.

Piper suggests ten ways that the missionary calling is awakened in you. The Bible is infallible. All the other ways are relative, and they are not exhaustive.

Mimi Chan spoke at our 9/24/22 Work as Globalocal Mission Webinar “Building Bridges Across Faith At Work”. Head of Seasonal Events at Amazon Books, she is also the founder and chair of Christians At Amazon, which started with ten people praying together but has since grown to over a thousand members and twelve chapters.

In Part 1 of the story, the author shared how Paul’s message from 1 Cor. 9:19-23 guides his approach to work and work relationships: To the Jews become as a Jew and be a servant to all. In his leadership position, he learns to be a bridge and to share with others the love of God and the blessings of the gospel.

Some years ago, God called me to work for a company that is the industry leader in East Asia. During this time, He has been showing me through 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 how to use my position to be a bridge and share His love with all sorts of people in my daily work and business travels around the world.

As God’s people, we’re all called to act upon the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20) as well as the Great Commandment (Mt. 22:37-40) wherever we are. The focus is often placed on our action or inaction, and the performance or result. But what if practicing our faith could be less about our needs, and more about understanding the needs of others?

In Mt. 5: 13-16, the Lord calls us to be salt of the earth and light of the world. To do so, we must be in the world to engage it, but not of the world because we are citizens of God’s Kingdom. As salt of the earth, we are to inhibit social decay, preserve what is good, and bring the flavor of God’s truth to all of life. As light of the world, we illumine the dark places in society and show the better way forward.

God impressed upon Nancy’s heart to be more intentional about bringing her students to his feet. Some of her former students met with her regularly to practice their English. Sometimes they would introduce her to their friends and questions about spiritual matters would come up. Nancy has also kept in touch with others through social media and emails. Government bans could not stop Nancy from speaking God’s love and truth into her students’ lives.

Christians may approach their work differently as it relates to mission. Their approach to work and mission can influence their career choices, work objectives, work-life balance, and ultimately the fruit of their work. But regardless of the approach, the call to be salt and light and reach the lost for Christ remains the same for all.

Through her changing attitude towards work and mission, Emma came to realize that being involved in fulfilling God’s mission wherever she worked not only contributed to God’s Great Commission, but also brought her fulfillment as a child of God. When she abided in relationship with him and took the opportunities that he provided along the way, she would be fruitful wherever she lived!

Don’t miss out on why God has placed you where you are! Be open and say yes to God and see what He will do. Be there to listen to your workmates and share with them your experiences of God. Finally, embrace the work and opportunities that God has given to you at this time and be the best steward of those resources that you can be!

We are called to be salt and light, and the great news is that light shines brightest in the darkness. Regardless of your industry and the stage of your career, you are not second class to a full-time worker or missionary. You are a minister and pastor in your own right in your organization to love people and walk through those doors to drive organizational change.

Professionals and business people, who look nothing like traditional missionaries but live cross-culturally to make disciples through their work, are missionaries. We call them bivocational missionaries or tentmakers after Paul, who used his day job stitching tents as a way to share the good news about God.

Christ-followers are called to live a purposeful life that honors God (1 Peter 2:9). Sometimes we may feel lost and wish we had a clear invitation from God: a Macedonian call for what to do with our lives.

“Really big and sudden changes in the world of mis- sions don’t come often. But now one is upon us. It’s the major optimism and thrill of business people who are devout believers starting or extending ‘Kingdom Businesses’ around the world.”

(Ralph Winter in Mission Frontiers, Nov-Dec 2007) 

Faith At Work & BAM

The Moravian Brothers of the 18th century were artisans.  They practiced their trade and made apprentices of the natives. Their business bettered the lives of the people they were called to reach, and provided natural daily opportunity for interaction with them. 

The story of the Basel Mission Industries in 19th century India is also quite inspiring.  The Indian converts were rejected as outcasts by their community. So the British missionaries had to provide for their employment and livelihood.  The Mission started printing, weaving and tile manufacturing businesses that employed 3,600 workers, of whom 2,800 were Christians.  Employee benefits for both men and women included low cost housing, savings accounts, and sick funds.  The famous khaki color was invented in their weaving factory.  In 1978, the business became a public company in compliance with government policies, but continued to channel profits to support charitable institutions set up by the Basel Mission Trust.  

BAM integrates all aspects of life and godliness. God cares about business related issues like economic development and justice, employment and unemployment, use and distribution of resources, etc. that impact the physical and spiritual wellbeing of people. This is clear as we read the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament.  BAM is a change agent to bless the nations.

As such, BAM involves spiritual warfare. It challenges the work of Satan, whose purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy lives through poverty and many forms of oppression resulting from physical and spiritual deprivation. Therefore, the full armor of God, spiritual vigilance and prayer are indispensable for BAM operators. 

The Sacred-Secular Divide In Our Thinking

Many Christians subscribe to a spiritual hierarchy that elevates those in full-time ministry to the top and relegates laypeople in secular vocations to the bottom. A sacred-secular divide is deeply entrenched in our thinking.  Since “secular” work competes with our time for “real” ministry, and money (confused with the love of money) is a necessary evil, demanding for-profit businesses should be avoided if the purpose for going overseas is to do ministry.  

While BAM poses many challenges, unreached peoples in many countries are “desperately seeking Western business know-how and investment. With jet travel, business people can get anywhere in the world in twenty-four hours.  English has become the lingua franca of business.  It seems that all of the pieces are falling into place for Business As Missions in much the same way the Pax Romana and the Greek language prepared the ancient world for the original transmission of the gospel.  It remains for us to strategize, plan, and then act to take advantage of this kairos moment that God has prepared.”  

Not all BAM companies are success stories.  Even in the U.S., at least 50% of startups do not survive beyond five years.  Entrepreneurship in emerging economies and foreign cultures means a high entry threshold and a steep learning curve.  Despite the daunting challenge, hundreds of trail blazers are already out there. 

Since the time of the Apostle Paul, trade routes have always been highways for missions, taking missionaries from the Old World to the New, and from the West to the East. 

Church of the West: World Changers With Mixed Reviews

Before the U.S. emerged as the pre-eminent superpower after WWII, Europe had been dominating the world for 500 years. Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, England and France were the major powers that explored, traded, and colonized many parts of Asia, Africa and the Americas.

During those 500 years, missions and trade were associated with colonial expansion, resulting in criticism from historians and anthropologists.

Trading Centers: Hubs for Outreach

During the first millennium, the spread of Christianity by the Church of the East started from major trading centers that were cosmopolitan, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural communities. With the coexistence and confluence of languages, ideas and religions, people were more open- minded, less tied to any set of traditions or beliefs. 

Along the ancient Silk Road, everyone needed a socially understandable identity to not only travel but settle down. As now so then, merchants could go anywhere and be welcomed. Furthermore, trade funded their travels.

Is it possible to have a profitable and missional business that creates jobs for the poor in an emerging economy using sustainable local materials to produce well-designed products for environmentally aware customers in the West? … The Quadruple Bottom Line of Business as Mission (BAM) aims at holistic witness to the Gospel that brings about economic, social, environmental and spiritual transformation to bless the unreached …