Holistic & Integrated Business as Mission (BAM) Will Make History
By Mats Tunehag
In the global Business as Mission (BAM) movement, we emphasize living out our faith in the workplace. It’s about taking our “Sunday talk” into a Monday walk—allowing what we profess in church to fully shape our daily lives, especially in business.
But there’s a deeper challenge: achieving holistic integration between faith and work, worship and business, Sunday and Monday. Without this, we risk compartmentalizing our lives and missing the powerful connection between business and mission.
The Risk of Compartmentalization in Faith and Business
Compartmentalization can be useful—for example, in scientific analysis. But it often blinds us to the bigger picture, where parts overlap and form a unified whole.
Consider water. Chemically, it’s H₂O—hydrogen and oxygen. But when you’re thirsty, you don’t want formulas; you want the real thing—water. Similarly, we can study God as Father, Son, and Spirit, but we must also embrace the mystery of the Trinity as one unified presence.
Avodah: One Word. Three Dimensions.
In Scripture, the Hebrew word “avodah” means work, worship, and service—three expressions of one integrated life.
Examples of Avodah in the Bible:
- “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work (avodah) it…” – Genesis 2:15
- “Six days you shall work (avodah)…” – Exodus 34:21
- “Let my people go, so that they may worship (avodah) me.” – Exodus 8:1
- “But as for me and my household, we will serve (avodah) the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15
These uses show that work and worship are not separate. They come from the same spiritual root. As Paul writes, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
BAM and the Quadruple Bottom Line
In BAM, we often talk about the quadruple bottom line:
- Financial
- Social
- Environmental
- Spiritual
While these can be analyzed separately for planning or accountability, they are interconnected. One must not be emphasized at the cost of another. They work best together—like hydrogen and oxygen, like work and worship.
Business and Mission: Not Opposed
BAM is not about doing business alongside ministry. It’s about doing business as ministry. This is a vocational calling. Business is not a distraction from ministry—it can be ministry.
“Entrepreneurs, managers, and all who work in business should be encouraged to recognize their work as a true vocation… In doing so, they engage in the noble task of serving their brothers and sisters and of building up the Kingdom of God.”
— The Vocation of the Business Leader, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Entrepreneurship Is a Calling from God
To create, manage, and lead in business is both deeply divine and deeply human. It reflects the image of God in us and aligns with God’s redemptive mission in the world. That’s why BAM is not just strategy—it’s story.
Business can play a central role in God’s greater narrative. When grounded in faith, BAM becomes a way to make history, not just money.
Final Thoughts: From Compartmentalized to Integrated
Let’s move from:
- Compartmentalized religion → to integrated faith
- Work vs. worship → to work as worship
- Business as distraction → to business as mission
Holistic BAM integrates Godly values with good business practices. It views work as sacred, entrepreneurship as divine, and business success as a Kingdom opportunity.
To do BAM is to be part of His story—making history through business.