1. Is “business as missions” new?

a. No, there has been a strong connection between God’s business – bringing people from every tongue, tribe and nation to worship him – and the business of man since the beginning of time. From Abraham through to the present day, business is a big part of God’s story.

b. In the past few years there has been an increased emphasis on the integration of work and faith, and we have been involved at this point of integration for twenty years.

c. Our focus is not just on business, but on the fact that every area of life belongs rightfully to God, business included.

2. Is there some difference between “business as mission” and “business as a calling”?

a. The differences may be semantic: many people today understand that business is not just a way to fund ministry, but is in itself a vocation to which many are called, and as such they are ministers in that arena.

b. Everyone in business should be called to be in business, or they should exit business and find whatever their calling may be.

3. How does Tentmaking fit into the picture?

a. For some it is a means to an end: I work to support my mission endeavors. They view this as “business as ministry support.”

b. Our hope is that people will see “Tentmaking” as a deliberate strategy to have a self-funding ministry model, not as a thing to do when finances get tight.

c. The focus is not on funding but on identifying with and serving people in the marketplace.

d. Tentmaking is not a second cousin to supported missionary work. William Carey, the father of modern missions, believed that missionaries should only be supported for their first year; after that they should have figured out how to support themselves. 

4. Are there other groups with similar objectives?

a. Yes, there is a groundswell of groups who have the same burden.

b. We will learn from and participate with them as much as we can.

5. What are the distinctive elements of this endeavor?

Our ultimate focus is on people seeing their communities transformed through the application of kingdom principles to every aspect of that society. Our starting point is business, and we will selectively springboard from this into other domains where our teams have gravitas and a calling. In doing this we will strive to make the following areas foundational to what we do:

a. At the organizational level our focus is the end-to-end Operating Model of organizations and the infusion of Kingdom principles into every aspect of a business.

b. Our work is underpinned by research and practical tools.  The Institute’s I4 Methodology™, 10-P Model™, 10-F Model™ and other tools are novel and effective.

c. At the personal level we will seek to equip leaders with the thinking and living tools to integrate all aspects of their lives under Christ’s lordship. Convergence is a resource in this area.

d. At the macro level our focus is on the big picture of society-wide transformation.

e. In these we will deliberately seek to understand, practice and teach the principles of alignment and reconciliation to Truth that will result in deep transformation.

6. How do these distinct elements play out in practice?

rēp has established four tracks that are intended to be inter-related. Each provides an entry point into the vision, and a pathway to connect with areas where believers in business can be most effective.

a. The Mid-Market Track – aimed at companies with 30 – 300 employees.

b. The Entrepreneur Track – aimed at earlier stage or smaller companies that have growth potential.

c. The Community Track – a place where rēp engages in startup companies that create jobs at the grass roots levels of communities that are plagued with unemployment and poverty.

d. The e3 Track, which is short for executive-to-executive evangelism. We cannot forget the call to share good news with the un-reached people in the business arena, and then connect new Christ-followers to the other three tracks where they can put their faith to work.

7. Isn’t the transformation of societies grandiose?

a. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of whole people groups, not just individuals; he called them “nations.”

b. In the past, whole societies have been impacted by the power of the gospel, and business has been a key factor in this.

c. If we set our sights too low, we will not transform societies or disciple nations.

d. By having a deliberate plan and clear measures, we believe communities can indeed be changed, people-groups transformed, and the course of nations changed for good.

8. How will you measure success?

a. We expect to see re-purposed leaders.

b. At the micro level, each client will develop, with our assistance, a scorecard that is holistic, and that reflects kingdom values.

c. We expect such organizations to demonstrate the nature and ways of God in every aspect of their business, and make a profit while doing so. This will bring glory to God, first and foremost.

d. Over time we expect to work with organizations representing all major spheres of society so that people of applied faith are present in every domain.

e. We expect to see practical improvements in the statistics of societies, and numerous stories of God at work in new and powerful ways.

f. We expect funds, people and business ideas flowing from the SA team to other locations where society-changing initiatives are implemented.

9. Will the rēp model be replicated?

a. We are being careful to set up training, infrastructure and reporting mechanisms that can be used on a wide scale.

b. We have spent time creating in-depth materials and are ready to share the concepts and tools with other groups, under the proper licensing agreements, thereby ensuring proper quality control.

c. The concept uses the intellectual property of The Institute, and this will therefore need to be safeguarded as the program is replicated.

d. We are continually exploring ways to “franchise” or license the rēp products.