Business As Mission: On the Ground in Bolivia

While we were recently in Bolivia for two weeks, Dana & I spent the week of October 29 – November 5 with a group of business people from the U.S.  As a group, we focused on two separate projects: a sports ministry and a carpentry shop.  This was an exciting opportunity for us to witness firsthand the type of business assistance needed.

The first hurdle I had to get over in my mind was simply understanding why a missionary would be involved in either of these projects.  I had visited with Dan Collins (missionary in Bolivia) several times about these projects, and I had started to wonder if a lack of focus wasn’t taking away from the overall effectiveness of their efforts.  Dan had shared the overall mission of his efforts to “Be, Make, Mobilize: Disciples of Christ.”  Sounds like a great mission for a missionary!  But what about a carpentry shop?

Dana lends a hand sanding a chair destined for an orphanage.

“Following the Master Carpenter” is a catchy name for a missions-based carpentry business, but what exactly was the tie-in?  It turns out that the original objective of the carpentry shop was to build furniture for local orphanages, providing them with much needed bunk-beds, chairs, and desks.  Certainly a noble purpose, and one that caught on with donors back in the States.  But when the entire business plan is built around donating end product, that endeavor is entirely dependent upon those donations.  What happens when the economic engine that is U.S. donations slows down or comes to a complete stop?  I hope the answer to that is fairly obvious!

On the other hand, what if a sustainable business model can be developed that provides ongoing revenues, leveraging those donations into something that can have a positive impact even without the ongoing oversight and donations provided by the U.S. missionary community?  It’s a bit like the difference between giving a man a fish, and teaching him to fish.

Alex, the Bolivian in charge of the carpentry shop.

And what about making sure this project is consistent with overall mission to “Be, Make, Mobilize?”  This shop has recently transitioned from being managed and run by a U.S. missionary, to being run by a local Bolivian man who has several years of Bible classes.  Now, he is not only making furniture, but is working with men in a drug rehab center to provide “occupational therapy” that includes them learning a trade, as well as studying the Bible together, right there in the carpentry shop. 

The future of this carpentry shop still has some questions to be answered, and further opportunities have come up even in the three weeks since we undertook to help make this a sustainable business opportunity.  But seeing the potential outcomes, and helping make this possible, is exactly what “Business As Mission” is all about.  It’s something I’m excited about, and I hope it makes sense to you too. 

I have several other topics to address in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, if you have questions or want clarification on anything, please don’t hesitate to comment below, or e-mail me directly.  I look forward to hearing from you!

The Big Picture

So what is Business As Mission?  The basic concept is that by coming alongside people living in developing countries, areas of abject poverty, or circumstances that may seem otherwise hopeless, we can honor God by simply using the knowledge and skills He has given us.

I will admit that I used to question my ability to participate in “missions” around the world, for a variety of reasons.  But in the end, I think I thought that in order to be a missionary, I would have to forsake the very skills I have spent years and countless thousands of dollars developing through formal education, work experience, etc.  But I’m coming to realize that I have skills and knowledge that can be invaluable for supporting struggling endeavors, and building relationships as a natural outgrowth  of those efforts. 

You won’t see me standing on a box with a sign indicating the end of the world is coming.  I’m not planning to hand out countless numbers of tracts.  And I certainly won’t be planting a new church or getting up to preach every Sunday.  But what I will be doing is helping support an existing missionary in Bolivia by providing guidance and support to ensure that positive activities undertaken can be sustainable in the long-term, rather than solely dependent upon ongoing donations for the United States.  What I will be doing is developing relationships with key people who have the ability to affect transformational outcomes, whether those people are in Bolivia, or back in the states.  In other words, I’m planning to use the gifts God has given me, in a manner I can passionately engage.

If you want to see more about what this might look like, you can check out the website of Transformational Ventures, the Business As Mission arm of World Venture, a missionary organization whose vision is “Powerful Partnerships.  Transformed Lives.”  In fact, there are several references to our Bolivia page on the bottom half of that site right now.  There are also a variety of other exciting examples of the impact we can have on the world by using business skills in a positive way.

So yes, we’ll be missionaries.  But probably not in the way you might have expected.  And next week I'll give some concrete examples as we look back on our trip to Bolivia, and exactly what activities we did engage in.

Big Move: Bolivia

So we’re going to move to Bolivia.

I don’t know if that got your attention, but frankly, it got mine! Dana & I have been talking about this since last summer, and yet it’s still kind of hard to wrap my arms around exactly what it means. The good news is that we just returned from two weeks in Bolivia during which we had a chance to see the city we would be living in (Cochabamba), visit with some of the people we would be working with, see some examples of schools that we might put our kids in, and get a much better idea exactly how we might be able to really be of assistance.

The short version is that I will be taking a position titled “Coordinator of Business as Mission” for the country of Bolivia. What does that mean? It means we will be working alongside a traditional missionary, in a non-traditional missionary type of role. I don’t have Bible classes in my background, but I do have an M.B.A. and have experience in economic development, and working with small businesses. So I’ll have the opportunity to help make sure some business projects have the opportunity to be sustainable, long-term efforts that impact individuals and communities in the country of Bolivia.

I realize that’s a somewhat broad and vague description. Fortunately, our trip to Bolivia allowed us to get a much better vision for exactly how we can have an impact. Rather than try to lay out all of the details of that right now however, I am committing to updating this blog with stories, pictures, and more information in the coming weeks and months.

So if you want to hear more about this strange, wonderful, exciting, and daunting chapter in our lives, sign up to follow our blog or register for our email newsletter here, and see where this adventure takes us.