Posts by Mike Baer
Five Essential Reminders if you are Managing a Crisis
Written by Larry Sharp I was responsible for matters related to a crisis for many years as the VP of a mid-sized mission agency. During that time I faced the challenge of evacuating an unconscious child from a high-risk country, rescuing an imprisoned employee in East Asia, a mega-earthquake in Haiti, famine in Africa, automobile…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part III
Yes! The answer is empathetic, “Yes! Missionaries can do business!” But there are several “if’s” to consider… They can if they see business as a good thing from God and useful (not just acceptable) for the Kingdom. They can see that their call may include business and not treat it as a sideline. They believe…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part II
The short answer to this question is yes they can and probably must. Not only are missionary visas difficult to obtain, but funding is also becoming harder and harder to come by. Giving is down globally. Funding for missions in the US has dropped dramatically. The new development in missions is to figure out how…
Read MoreCan Missionaries Do Business? Part I
As the global landscape changes, more and more countries are resisting or refusing to allow traditional missionaries to enter. “Religious Worker” visas are harder and harder to get. Hence, the advent of “business as visa.” Business as Visa uses the creation of fictitious or quasi-businesses to obtain an entry visa to a country only to…
Read MoreKeys to Crisis Management
Coming through COVID-19, every time we think of crisis we think of something of the magnitude of a global pandemic. Thankfully, we don’t experience these very often; indeed, this is the first of its kind in my life! Nevertheless, we have learned a thing or two and scrambled to put crisis management in place. What…
Read MoreWhat Is The Quadruple Bottom Line?
Management guru, Peter Drucker said, “The purpose of business is to make money.” Clear. True. Factual. And, incomplete. There is no one bottom line. There are, in fact, four! Financial Profit Social Profit Environmental Profit Spiritual Profit These benefits of business are based originally on the Creation Mandate (Genesis 1:26-31). It was essentially the command to…
Read MoreBAM: It’s Not Exotic
Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people who get hung up on what exactly BAM or Business as Mission is. Sometimes, I think that’s the main reason we don’t see more practitioners—confusion! So, let’s break it down. First, BAM is business. Think real business with real products and services and profits. In other…
Read MoreThere’s Always Risk
Over the years in BAM, I’ve met a lot of people who believe that just because they are starting their business for the Kingdom, they will be able to avoid the risk of loss and failure. It is certainly true that Jesus will never fail you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6). It is certainly true…
Read MoreCreative Compassion
At the heart of all Business as Mission work is the heart of Jesus Himself. And that means creativity and compassion. Never have these things been more needed than right now in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. Let’s think about those two BAM characteristics in reverse. Compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion when He…
Read MoreThe BAM Relief Fund
Business around the world has been hit very hard by the COVID19 pandemic. Economies in large industrial countries and in developing countries have been wounded and set back. And the Business as Mission ecosystem is not immune. Most BAM companies run on a shoestring budget in good times. There was a shortage of BAM capital…
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