ST Francis Magazine Complete February2012

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 1 | February 2012
BAM SEARCHING FOR THE BLUE OCEAN OF CHURCH PLANTING AND BUSINESS IMPACT
by Robbie Kerr and Murray Bennett1 The purpose of this paper is to share practical experience of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of positioning BAM within the context of a wider CP strategy in a creative access nation. It aims to offer a practical alternative to encourage a broader spectrum of thought and practice of business and ministry within the BAM community. This case study is not proposing the best model of BAM (Business as Mission) but is seeking to provide an alternative wholistic approach, perhaps more aptly named BIM (Business in Mission). The BAM company used as a case study in this article (OTC*) has successfully operated in an extremely unstable social, political and economic country for the last 3 years. OTC shares all the core tenets of traditional BAM practice and thought. OTC is a kingdom company with a legitimate presence and holistic focus on the Quadruple bottom line financial, social, spiritual and environmental returns. The real bottom line of business as mission is ad maiorem Dei gloriam, for the greater glory of God.2 We agree that BAM is about real, viable, sustainable and profitable businesses, with a Kingdom of God purpose, perspective and impact; leading to transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically and socially to the greater glory of God.3 As in the case of OTC, BAM usually takes place in countries where Christian presence is small to almost nonexistent, and in these locations there is pressing need for church planting. In this setting, BAM can play a strategic role in providing a tangible demonstration of the Kingdom of God. While OTC shares the core tenets of all other BAM (as above), there are also some foundational practical and philosophical differences that contrast to more traditional BAM
1 Robbe Kerr and Murray Bennet have worked in business in a creative access country for several years 2 Lausanne Forum 2004, Issue Group #30; Business as Mission 3 Mats Tunehag, Business as Mission, February 2006

practice and thought. The birth and growth of OTC have differed in several key ways from other traditional BAM models. In particular, the starting point for OTC was as one component in a church planting vision and strategy for an entire city. Rather than church planting being one part of the BAM strategy, OTC is one part of the church planting strategy. As such, one of the specific aims of OTC is to provide legitimate job opportunities for near-culture Christians to live in our city. This is balanced with our other aims of providing a service for a genuine need in the country and demonstrating the Kingdom of God, both in the services we offer and how we function as a company. So how is this different? It is common in BAM circles to hear phrases such as business is the mission and mission is our business4 . This is the core point of difference for OTC we would say business is PART of the mission and the mission is CP. OTC founders were determined to ensure that the business was always just a part of the wider CP mission in which the business plays a strategic role in helping this to be achieved. The business was established as part of the wider mission strategy, instead of mission being compartmentalised as part of the business strategy. This primary difference between OTC and other traditional BAM thinking can be demonstrated visually.
WIDER CP VISION AND STRATEGY OTC BAM VISION AND STRATEGY TRADITIONAL BAM VISION & STRATEGY CP VISION AND STRATEGY
4 Lai, P and Love, R, An integrated Identity in a Globalised World, From Seed to Fruit, 2008.

At this point, there may be many within the BAM community who are already thinking, Is this really a BAM? It smells more like a development NGO under the guise of a business! We arent particularly concerned about what we should or shouldnt be called, but we do see OTC as fitting clearly within the BAM spectrum: we are focused on the four fold bottom line for the glory of God and within two years were running a self-sustaining business (making a profit while supporting all staff on appropriate local salaries). Our greatest joy however is that as a team, by Gods grace, we have been able to effectively combine the role of businessperson and disciple maker into a holistic BAM/CP strategy so that the business (and the people working for it), in partnership with the near-culture church, has stimulated a movement of indigenous, self multiplying, local fellowships among the majority population. A case study of OTC, via a SWOT analysis, will explore more of this approach and other key success factors and mistakes made (due to security sensitivities, specific details of type of work and practical examples have needed to be minimised). A business/ministry matrix will then be provided along with key principles that may help other teams across the region find a suitable blue ocean BAM that maximises both ministry and business impact.
1. The Results: A Case Study - SWOT Analysis of OTC

1.1 Strengths Our core ministry/BAM team was formed before we even had identified the business opportunity. The OTC team was selected from an existing pool of workers already working, or preparing to work in a specific city. The OTC team then connected with other workers in our city and listened to their vision and purpose for being in the country. It was clear that church planting was our primary goal (although our jobs were different), so we agreed to intentionally work together towards an indigenous, self-supporting, selfmultiplying ch in partnership with the near-culture Christian church. Through this, we aimed to set a positive model for

others in the country of near-culture and western Christians working together. Clear Vision and Strategy: OTC first focused on developing a clear vision and strategy for ministry impact which informed and guided our decisions of how we would seek business impact (proclamation before profit). In effect, the ministry plan was written before the business plan. From the beginning, OTC sought to avoid the potential dangers associated with the business becoming the primary focus rather than the ministry vision. In the case of OTC, it has been the church planting vision and strategy which helped create and guide the business vision and strategy rather than the other way around. Developing the mission vision and strategy before the business vision and strategy, has meant that strategic OTC decisions are made with the bigger picture in mind. For example, business contracts in other cities were not actively pursued (even though there was plenty of potential), since it took the OTC staff/disciple makers away from daily and weekly out of work commitments needed to develop the local fellowships. Further, our vision has expanded from our individual BAM project to see how our presence can serve to enable other related ministries in our location. Far from being isolated from other workers and their ministries (which can often happen with BAM), the presence and successful operation of OTC has enabled many other church planting activities to occur. Leadership Team: OTC has a leadership team. Working as a team has multiplied both the business and church planting potential. For example, we have been able to share the load, responsibilities and time commitment required in running a business and separated roles so that team members can focus on their strengths. This is all the more important given the challenging environment that we (and most BAMs) operate in, especially a different language, culture, government regulations and business practices. If each of us had started a BAM on his own, we would possibly have been able to create an opportunity for one other near-culture
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Christian to work with us. However by working in a team, we have so far been able to create visas and professional opportunities for seven near-culture Christians to work in this creative access country - in both a professional and CP sense. Multicultural Leadership: Working as a multicultural leadership team has benefitted OTC in many ways. For example: Protects from the foreigner tax: As foreigners (especially Westerners) we inevitably attract attention from people who see us as an opportunity to extract money. This can range from paying more for goods and services, to obstructions by officials requiring extra unofficial payments. Our near-culture partners handle virtually all our interaction with suppliers and government officials, enabling us to operate on a much more even playing field than would otherwise be possible. Operates in areas of strength: Additionally, it means team members are less likely to be operating in areas of weakness but can focus on their strengths. For example, the Westerner isnt bogged down by government officials playing games with him, but can focus on contract proposals with Western International Aid Agencies. The near-culture member can deal with the government official far more effectively, while the Aid Agency is, sadly, far less likely to offer the contract to him than to the white face. In essence, having a multicultural leadership allows you to choose which face you want to display for any given situation and play to our natural strengths. Increases credibility: In many developing countries, there is an incorrect perception that Western is automatically better. While we may disagree with this perception, we are able to leverage our Western-ness to position ourselves as the premium service provider in our sector in the country. Similarly, Westerners are more easily able to source donor/investor start-up capital, as these usually come from their home countries.

Increases local acceptance: Despite the above perception (West is best), our near-culture members provide us with local acceptance and remove much of the suspicion that being foreign generates. Given our near-culture members provide the majority of our face-to-face interaction, we receive the benefit of near-culture acceptance with Western aspirational status. Synergy of business and CP vision: By working in partnership, OTC has achieved synergy as the BAM added significant value to the CP vision by creating legitimate job opportunities for near-culture Christians and their families; and the right CP team members added value to the BAM One of the strengths of the team leadership of OTC has been recognising that a key aspect of our effectiveness as cross cultural workers is balance in our lives. As expected with almost all BAMs, the first year start up was certainly a big investment of time and energy. However, doing it as a team meant we were able to maintain balance. To this end, we sought to set clear work limits to try to avoid the dangers of workaholism that can come from BAM being the whole ministry. Another strength is that OTC required relatively small scale start up, using donations not large scale venture capital or loans. OTC had small investment and scale but had a big vision and potential for growth. Taking this approach meant that our strategy at the start may have been viewed as a deviation from the recommended BAM approach and closely aligned us with a Precarious Company5 (since funding was donation-based with no expected return, with the business strategy primarily driven by missions goals and strategy). However we felt strongly that in our unstable context this was the best approach and we tried not to
Taxonomy of Business & Ministry Interaction, taken from The Galtronics Story, William Goheen, 2004. The preferred model of business for IS BAMs were propagation, presence or purity company

be boxed in to following a certain approach. As the Lausanne forum recommended, we need to develop creative solutions to the fact that low returns on investment are inherent in places like the country where w work, and seek to create better and more sustainable businesses in these environments. 6 We were wholly committed to aiming for a financially viable self-sustaining business (which by the grace of God we achieved within the first 2 years). However we were also realistic that we were operating in an extremely volatile environment, hostile for profitable business, in one of the most corrupt and economically and politically unstable nations of the world. So we were clear that any money given had to be done so with no expected return. Precisely because this start-up money was donated and not lent, we were able to use the profitability to establish our own emergency fund and ensure that we were ready for when the socio-economic situation plummeted further which is exactly what happened in 2011 when 90% of secured contracts for the year were not implemented due to a national crisis. If we were paying back loans, this would have lead to the immediate closure of OTC. We are thankful for likeminded donors who understood this tension and helped us have a solid start-up without being in debt. 1.2 W eaknesses Initial legitimacy: Starting without the clear business vision meant our initial legitimacy in the community (for example, the first two years learning language) was difficult to explain. This weakness was partially offset by moving cities to start the BAM, therefore starting fresh with a new repositioning in society. Crystallising our core services on the run: Following a more organic approach to business start-up and development meant that we had not really crystalised our core services until one year after operation. While we had a
Lausanne Forum 2004 Issue Group Paper - Business as Mission

clear vision and organisational values from the start, our business strategy took some trial and error to clarify. Too flexible and enthusiastic for growth: Because OTC was so light and transportable, we made the mistake of establishing branches too quickly in other cities. We should have waited until the head office was financially viable before expanding to other cities Supplementing near-culture income: OTC has been able to create legitimate jobs for near-culture Christians and pay salaries at the local market rate (a BAM benchmark in our region), with non-local staff subsidising their income from other sources (ie sending churches). However for some near-culture workers, lacking alternative income streams, it has been a struggle to provide for their full financial needs. Including airfares and accommodation, this equates to roughly 15 times a local salary (we had decided as team to strive for roughly comparable standards of living for both western and near-culture Christian OTC partners, thereby avoiding first and second class team members). It has been a slow process to engage the emerging church (of the near-culture Christians) in all aspects of sending, including bearing a financial responsibility, as the common perception is anyone working out of their country must be doing so in order to earn a high salary. Some of the emerging churches have the means to support and send, but even a lot of these financial resources are not indigenous to their church. As a gap filler, OTC raised donor funds to subsidise the cost of having several unsupported near-culture workers. However this is not a long-term, viable solution. The question of how to properly support and send nearculture Christians is an ongoing missiological challenge that needs more active exploration within the IS community of practice. An emerging idea is that of a matching fund, where the church in wealthier countries (recognising the huge inequalities in purchasing power between rich and poor countries) chooses to partner with newer sending churches by matching donations from emerging churches
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at a specified rate (ie $1 to $1 or $2 to $1). This matching concept encourages partnership in the gospel that transcends national or racial boundaries and offers a possible solution to the problems of dependency and a donor mentality by introducing personal responsibility on the part of the recipient church. 1.3 Opportunities A great need for people development: During our business research phase (while studying language/culture), the BAM team identified the underdevelopment of the Human Resource Sector in our country and saw the opportunity to work in this sector for several reasons. Firstly, we recognised that organisations and local businesses can only be productive if people are being productive so our core focus was improving people productivity: by investing in people, we restore human dignity and create both employment and sustainable economic development.7 We also saw that working in this sector represented an excellent opportunity to help people experience the Kingdom of God by sharing biblical values presented in a secular framework. We believe that mindset and behaviour change is the only way that the nations enormous problems can be overcome and the society transformed. This was our blue ocean opportunity since no other company or organisation was focusing on this area in the country (the under development of the human resource sector was a key strategic white space) Foreign business people are increasingly welcome: At the impetus of the World Bank (as highlighted in the Doing Business publications) and other bodies, developing countries are being encouraged to stimulate economic growth through the lowering of barriers to foreign trade and investment. This includes initiatives such as the simplifica7 Development Focus Area Issue Brief, Promoting Small and Medium Enterprises for Sustainable Development, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) 2007

tion of business procedures for foreign businesses, creation of free trade zones and the lowering of minimum capital. In the region where we are working, western staff in a company is seen as aspirational, and provides credibility. As such, our experience is that the East-West composition of our company is generally very well received. Influence the influencers: By engaging in people development, we are routinely in a position to speak into the lives of the current and future leaders and their families at both a local and national levels. We haveregular contact with company leaders, government ministers and other influential members of society, as well as the grassroots of society. Natural approach to relationship building: Due to the nature and approach of OTC, the foundation is laid for relationships to quickly and naturally progress beyond superficiality, to exploring and sharing core attitudes and beliefs. Forming genuine partnerships with the the near-culture Christian church: OTC has provided an unprecedented opportunity (for our country) to mobilize and deploy people and really build on thousand year old visions of mission yet limited experience. Especially, OTC has been an opportunity to use BAM to break out of many paternalistic attitudes that have developed in the west to develop a model of doing BAM-CP in genuine partnership with the nearculture Christian church 1.4 Threats Tensions in Coupling Business and Mission: Keeping OTC as a component of the overall mission strategy means that sometimes there is tension between making decisions that are best for the business versus helping wider mission objectives. For example, there has been the temptation to find a fit for a foreign employee because of their CP potential, while their business skill set is inadequate. We have had some that didnt work out but, by being willing to take some risk, we have discovered some hidden gems who have really grown into their roles. Another tension has been
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how long and how hard we work. As a team, if we were willing to put in even more time and effort, OTC would make an even greater impact and be even more profitable. However, we decided that, while flexible according to unique business needs, we would aim to have a boundary on our available time. We have found that BAM is like a sponge that soaks as much of our time and energy as we are willing to give. We recognized that working above a certain level would be at the expense of our ability for OTC team members and spouses to be involved in out-of-office CP activities. Difficult Conditions for Business: The country we have chosen to serve in has been and is likely to continue to be volatile for the forseeable future. This leads to wide fluctuations in business and also provides further opportunity to trust our heavenly GM. It highlights the need to select your sector carefully, and make sure you are providing a service or product for which there is genuine need, demand and profitability, even when the socio-economic situation becomes unstable. BAM linked to CP activities: The larger OTC grows in terms of foreign employees (the country currently provides very favourable conditions regarding foreign employees, with no local employee percentage quota) and the more we seek to engage in other out-of-hours CP activities, the more we risk putting all our eggs in one basket.
2. MATRIX OF MINISTRY/BUSINESS FOCUS

At the core of the OTC philosophy was a focus on ministry impact before business impact. We felt this was going against the grain of traditional BAM thinking and practice which seemed to focus first on the business vision/strategy. Through (very subjective) observation, comparing OTC with other BAM ventures in the region, it appears that there are some distinct strengths in the OTC approach, not the least being that it has enabled OTC to move from the
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Red Zone (trying to find a unique fit in a crowded marketplace) to the BLUE OCEAN (ministry and business sustainability). The key factor that we (and other BAMs) can control is where we start. The destination of sustainable growth has more to do with Gods abundant blessing than our skills or strategy. As a starting point, traditional BAM focuses first on ensuring the foundation of business effectiveness (profitability, social and environmental impact) and then aims to grow in spiritual/ministry effectiveness. At best, they then land in the GREEN GRASS of business success, with initial first fruits of CP. However, most get stuck in the yellow zone of one sided business focus In contrast, OTC focused first on establishing the foundation of ministry effectiveness (language and culture learning, near-culture /western CP team/ clear vision and strategy) and then grew and adapted OTC with the changing environment to ensure business effectiveness (profitability, social and environmental impact). This has enabled OTC to arrive in the BLUE OCEAN and effectively avoid becoming stuck (or even passing through) the yellow zone of one sided effectiveness.
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Growth/ Reproducible OTC after 3 years
Sustainability
First fruits of CP
Ministry Impact Score

Most BAMs at start Clear Strategy First Fruits of business Sustainability
Clear strategy / team
OTC @ start
Successful BAM after 3 years
Vision / Team
Vision / Team
Growth/ Reproducibility
Business Impact
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3. CONCLUDING QUESTIONS TO DISCOVER OTHER BAM BLUE OCEANS

In summary, utilising the experience of OTC, we would like to offer ten questions for future (or current) BAM practictioners to consider in order to help them discover a BLUE OCEAN of ministry and business effectiveness 1.Can you partner with near-culture Christians? For OTC this was the key to our ministry and BAM effectiveness. 2.Do you have a multi-cultural leadership team (of near-culture Christians and westerners) who share the ministry vision and have complementary skills for BAM? 3.Combining all your unique skills, what felt needs could a BAM meet in your community? How flexible are you in what you will do? What is your plan B, C and D if those doors are suddenly shut? 4.What would happen if you started to view BAM as part of your ministry, instead of ministry as part of your BAM? For OTC this has ensured the wider CP vision remains the main thing and also more motivating engagement, balance and holism for BAM team members with families. 5.Have you clarified your core vision and strategy? OTC focused first on having a clear ministry vision and then looked for the business opportunities that would enhance this vision 6.How can your BAM add value to your ministry vision and to the people you are serving?. Create a leap of value for buyers and for the company by opening up new and uncontested market space (finding the Blue Ocean Value Curve). Which factors that the industry takes for granted can be eliminated? Which factors should be raised well above the industry standard? Which factors should be created that the industry has never offered? Which factors should be reduced well below the industry standard?1
1 We found the secular business book and resources of Blue Ocean Strategy (www.blueoceanstrategy.com ) extremely helpful in shaping our business philo-
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7.Are you thinking big enough? Even if the start of your BAM is small scale, dont limit growth possibilities and the potential doors that might open. Dont rule out the possibility of inviting likeminded donors to help resource you to think bigger 8.What makes your BAM special? What is your FOCUS? How are you DIFFERENT? What is your BIG IDEA/ TAGLINE? How does it all fit together? If you have just one minute to explain why you are here how would you respond? 9.What are your boundaries? How can you ensure balance in your life? How can you be intentional about making sure the BAM does not justify workaholism or one sided focus? 10.How can you avoid boxing your BAM? We need to encourage the many different shapes and sizes of BAM in a range of different contexts. This has not been an effort to highlight the right way but rather to challenge thinking that limits us to purist models. It is our hope that this case study stimulates some lively debate with the IS BAM community of practice that leads to a greater diversity of both thought and practice. Especially, we hope that it might inspire some current and future partners who are driven by a ministry vision of church planting not to rule out the possibility of starting and successfully operating a BAM. The OTC testimony is that is IT IS POSSIBLE, in a multi-cultural team, to start and run a BAM which enables focus on the big picture of church planting and keeping this as the highest and most urgent priority.
sophy, specifically with reference to how we could use our unique organizational skill set to create a competitive advantage, leading to sustained business success as measured by the BAM 4 fold bottom line. We highly recommend that ALL prospective and current BAMers work through this book.
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BAM IN THE ARAB WORLD

By Bas1
Business as Mission (BAM) is a real, commercial enterprise that is intentional, missional and transformational. A BAM enterprise must be profitable, taking care of the people (the whole range of stakeholders) and the planet (caring for Gods creation, not abusing natural resources, avoiding waste and being energy-efficient). A BAM wants more than a company which establishes its triple P well, also known as Corporate Social Responsibility. BAM has a fourth P - Pneuma (spirit). Therefore a BAM is not BAM if it is not intentionally missional. And how is this working in the Arab World? I will try to answer this question by using my previous company, a management training institute in one the poorer Arab countries, called Idaare, as an example. The institute focused on management courses for local entrepreneurs.

What is a profitable company? I believe a company cant survive without making profits and without a positive cash flow. A company should be profitable within a couple of years. Also, it should focus on a healthy balance sheet. This means that it should minimize debts and build up its own reserves. In most countries where BAMers work, banks hardly provide loans, and if they do, you pay high interest rates. A BAM enterprise must be sustainable and should focus on a horizon of at least five years, and preferably 10. Only then the impact of the other three Ps (planet, people and pneuma) can be achieved well enough. Therefore, profit is an important condition to sustainability. Idaare had annual turnovers varying from $100,000 up to $350,000 over a period of five years. The profits, however, varied a lot too, from minus $50,000 to plus $50,000.
1. Profit
Bas worked in a business in a creative access country for seeral years
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Another aspect of profit is whether the company provides relevant commercial values to the society. Our services were management training and consultancy. Our students left our courses with a better understanding of entrepreneurship. A good number of them were able to improve their companies in terms of profit, number of employees or better products. The services provided quality, but most customers perceived the commercial value of the courses as too low and were not willing to invest in them. Only with a subsidy (development aid from international donors, like the World Bank and embassies), were our customers willing to pay for the highly subsidized courses. Financial profitability and commercial relevance are both important aspects of sustainability. My company did well regarding the commercial relevance, but its economic value in the market was perceived as too costly. This heavily affected the number of students. When the subsidy was used up, the sales dropped dramatically, which resulted in a huge financial loss. We tried to diversify our portfolio for different markets (government, NGOs, big corporations and SMEs), but time was too short to overcome the debts, partly due to a big client who was not willing to pay. The conclusion is that my company was not yet profitable. But is this common for all educational institutes and specific for the Arab World? No. Profits can be made, but only with the right mix of product and price. There are other aspects to this which are dealt with in the next paragraphs. So far I have looked at profit only from the perspective of my company. Another dimension of profit should be the economic impact we make in the society, from micro to macro level. Is a BAM enterprise contributing to a wealthier life? Is it helping to reduce poverty? Are we contributing to a fairer trade system? A BAM enterprise should be transformational in these aspects too. In this regard Idaare did well. The students left our institute with lots of practical tools and a better understanding of how to run a company more efficiently. Some of the students reported back to me that they became more successful entrepreneurs and needed to hire more employees!
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A BAM enterprise should reflect Gods Kingdom. Regarding people we have the great commandment from God: love your neighbour as yourself. In a world full of hatred and greed, a BAMer can play a redemptive role. Love is always looking for the benefits for others rather than yourself. It focuses on giving and an attitude of how I can contribute to the society, instead of looking to make more and more money for my own benefit. This style of running a company is really different from most. This type of enterprise will be transformational. A BAM enterprise can make a difference in hiring employees who may never get a job in any other company due to racism or discrimination on gender or disabilities. A BAMer should think well about his personnel policies, like wages, number of holidays, working hours, etc. All of this should be a reflection of the lovecommandment. A company should take care to balance all its principles. A focus solely on people is not good; all the Ps should be in balance. Idaare had about 10 employees and I tried to treat them all with respect regardless of their job or function. Sometime we all shared lunch in the same room, showing that we are all equal. When there were conflicts between my employees, I tried to solve them as peacefully as possible. If I had a share in the conflicts, I made my apologies, which usually made a strong impact. This emphasized again and again that a strong relationship with the living Lord is of great importance for me and the business. For example, all the employees observed me daily and noticed how I was handling problems, dealing with employees and customers or celebrating successes. Employees will share their observations with their families and friends. Only when my actions were in accord with a godly style could my impact be positive.
2. People
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Taking care of the planet while running a company should be normal and common practice,especially for Christians. However, for many companies the focus is on maximizing the profit. In many cases the productionprocess does not take into account the amount of waste that is left over,or that the health of the production workers may be at risk. A company should think of how they are producing their products, how this affects the health of their employees and the environment, the amount of energy it requires, what type of energy it uses, etc. Also, a company could help to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by smart innovations for alternative and renewable energysources, or advising on energy saving schemes for families and businesses. Idaare was not really focusing on these issues as we were not a production company and working conditions were safe and clean. The question is whether I could have done more - and I think it could have been a bit more: Adding some topics about environmental issues to our course material Informing the entrepreneurs about their responsibility regarding the environment. Teaching them that the planet is Gods creation which should be looked after well, which is our responsibility.
3. Planet
4. Pneuma
As Christians we all look forward to all people and all nations becoming followers of Jesus. We also believe that a spiritual transformation is the basis for transformation in all areas of life. Within a company we work together with our employees and teach them the Christian life, not by many words but by giving a real example. A business environment is an excellent place to be such an example as we spend many hours together. The employees will see us in good and bad times, and how we deal with successes and failures, etc.
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They observe us and know very well if we have a real, free and intimate relationship with the Lord of Lords. My company made up a list of all stakeholders who were involved and how that relationship affected Idaare and the person. It tried to identify the impact Idaare could make on that relationship. This helped me to visualize my witnessoptions. It helped me to pray more specifically. Also it helped to assess the risks in each relationship. With my employees I could share a lot about my personal faith without much risk, but in front of a class of students you cant share anything specific. My home was the only place where we could do Bible studies. In restaurants or tea houses I could talk face to face with locals, as they were too afraid to visit me at home. But all of them knew me from Idaare. I believe and pray that all these contacts have been a help to them to learn more about our Friend, Saviour and Lord Jesus.
5. Successful?
When is a BAM company successful? When it has done well on spiritual transformation? Or if it has been profitable? The ideal answer is if it has done well on all the four Ps together. My company was not yet there. It even became bankrupt and losses were paid by others. Was it, therefore, unsuccessful? This is not true. We have delivered very valuable courses and provided good consultancy services.. We made some good impacts on the society, my employees and a good number of students. Only God knows the real and everlasting impact. I am fully convinced that Business as Mission is an excellent way of witnessing to Jesus Christ. Many countries are welcoming foreign investors, as is the Arab World. If we can create jobs, employ the needy persons, provide and deliver innovative and valuable products and services which take care of the planet, then there will be plenty of BAMopportunities. Personally I believe we should focus more and more on delivering services or producing goods in the water and renewable energy
6. Future
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business. Products and services in these areas will affect all individuals and communities. Also, in the oil-rich Arab World, renewable energy will be needed in the (near) future. Water is already a scarce product. If we can do more business in providing water and offering smart solutions on reducing energy or producing alternative sources of energy, then Businesses as Mission will be really transformational.
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CRISIS IN A BAM ENTERPRISE AND THE MISSION AGENCY

By Dr Melanie McNeil1 Who bears responsibility when a BAM enterprise fails? The answer seems obvious- the business - but is it quite so straightforward? Mats Tunehag has described Business as Mission in this way:
Most would understand BAM to be about real, viable, sustainable and profitable businesses; with a Kingdom of God purpose, perspective and impact; leading to transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically, socially and environmentallyto the greater glory of God. To that should be added a major focus on people and areas with significant spiritual, social and economical poverty2.
The reality of practice raises a number of questions which need to be examined. Many BAM practitioners are workers with mission agencies, sent and supported by the agency. Many BAM enterprises are located in countries where the laws governing businessrelated matters are either not in place or difficult to police. Investors in BAM enterprises are often willing to take risks that they may not normally take because they have a kingdom perspective. Financing of BAM enterprises can sometimes seem more like NGOstyle fund-raising. This paper will examine the challenges around a crisis in a BAM enterprise from a mission agency perspective and look at the following issues: i.procedures around the placement of workers for BAM work from both the National Office (sending) perspective and the Country team (receiving) perspective ii.the relationship between the mission agency and the BAM work including the relationship with the board, the BAM worker, the country team and the national office
1 Dr Melanie McNeil is part of the International Leadership Team of her mission agency and has worked cross-culturally for more than 30 years 2 Tunehag, Mats The Mission of Business CSR +, Connections August 2009
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iii.financial guidelines and accountability for BAM businesses, including issues of responsibility in the face of a business collapse iv.Mission agencys responsibility toward the business in the BAM relationship v.appropriate policies in a mission agency for managing risk in BAM situations These issues will be examined through a case study and observations made as a result of it.
A mission agency recruited a worker who had a business background to take over the business of another worker who was leaving the field. The business was known to be struggling, but the Board and investors remained convinced that there was a future. The Country leadership accepted the advice of the mission agency business consultant and the Board, and supported the recruitment of a worker to run the business. The Country team engaged in extensive discussions with the National Office on the recruited partner regarding financial matters, the importance of language and appropriate support for the partner and family, with basic agreement reached on these matters. The Board signed an agreement of employment with the worker, guaranteeing salary to a certain limit should the income from the business be insufficient for a salary. The worker worked hard to cut costs, collect unpaid bills and develop new areas of work to sustain the business, but the Board became concerned about the deteriorating financial state and asked for a review; this was carried out by a business mentor whose conclusions agreed with those of the business consultant from the mission agency. The conclusion was that the business was operating from a state of insolvency with little prospect for recovery, and should be closed immediately as the worker was vulnerable to actions against him by the government and other debtors. This was communicated in a face to face meeting with the worker and with the Country Leadership, and agreed to by all. However, a subsequent Board meeting saw a disagreement among members of the Board about this advise, with those supporting the advise resigning
1. Case Study
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and the Board being left with two members who committed to seek to bring in additional money. The split in the Board over the decision was not communicated to the mission agency, their Country Leadership, or International Leadership, by the partner, the business consultant, or any member of the Board, and this information only became available when the mission agencys Regional Director spoke with the worker and country leadership about the closure. The remaining Board did not bring in the additional money it had said it would, and the worker made a decision to close the business and then set about doing this. The steps for closure that were taken included public notification of the closure which alerted debtors and others who wanted to lay claim to finances, and resulted in a conflict about the payment of money. This saw the worker jailed for a short period. Despite the promises made by the worker that he would pay all debts, it was clear that neither the business nor the Partner had any financial resources with which to pay those debts. Because of the conflict and jailing of the worker, the mission agency acted on its duty of care towards it workers and provided the finances to secure the basic payments. When it became clear that the amounts being asked by the government were in excess of what was owed, the decision was made by the mission agency, through its Regional Director, to immediately evacuate the family. With the help of the Acting Country Team Leader that was able to be done within a few hours, and just before the government put a stop on the worker leaving the country until debts calculated by the government had been paid. Subsequently, the mission agency decided to pay the amount it had been calculated was owed to the government as a matter of honouring the debt that existed. 1.1 Critical Issues 1.This BAM placement appeared to have all the ingredients for success: A National Office committed to and championing BAM An existing experienced BAM Partner A Board that included the mission agencys two most experienced and senior BAM advisors
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The close involvement of a mission investment and mentoring A new manager with considerable business experience and
group in investment and mentoring
BAM It would be hard to imagine a better scenario, and yet it ended with some devastation affects. ures. However, it is the manner in which the failure occurred and was managed that had major repercussions: The end of a familys involvement in ministry in a needy country A major threat to the ministry of another family, one of the most successful in the country The rapid evacuation of another family to get them out of the investigations of the local authorities Significant financial loss to the mission agency Financial loss to investors A bruising of relationships between Country Team, National Office and International Office of the mission agency
2.Business failure is not the issue, as we can expect there to be fail-
A fully involved Country Team Leadership committed to
skills
3.Whilst recognising that personalities have a key influence on outcomes, we can identify a number of points at which decisions made differently may have resulted in a different outcome. Initial placement: Lack of shared understanding between the National Office and business over the capability and gifts of the BAM worker. The key issue here is the clarity of communication between Country Leadership Team, business and its Board, and National Office. Advice to close the business: The lack of communication with the Country Leadership Team and Regional Director meant that matters spiraled out of control. In hindsight the mission agency should have withdrawn the worker from the business once the first Board felt the business was insolvent. The key issue here is the mission agencys relationship with the Board of any BAM business. Additionally, many businesses do not
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have a Board. The mission agency will need to find another way to minimise risk by having qualified people working with the BAM worker. Crisis management: During the events the National Office and Regional Director appeared to be in agreement, particularly over the payment of monies to remove the worker. Later these decisions were interpreted quite differently. The mission agency will have to define process in the event of a business failure and what responsibilities it carries in this situation. Given the high level of failure of small businesses this is an area of mission agency policy that needs urgent attention. We examine these issues in greater detail here by reviewing the issues that frame this review. Each section contains recommendations for best practice and action based on a review of the material of this case. It is hoped that these recommendations will be formative in growing the mission agencys understanding of BAM, resources for best practice, support structures, and ability to continue to grow BAM as a strategic engagement in mission today.
2. Re-examine procedures around the placement of workers for BAM work from both the National Office (sending) perspective and the Country team (receiving) perspective.
2.2 Significant issues that need to be addressed by a National Office 2.2.1 The role of the worker, particularly when they are recruited to take over an existing BAM business. ensure the worker has the background to do BAM review any agreed job description that the worker is being recruited for against their skills working with country team, worker, and Board for an agreed Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU)
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2.2.2 Financial arrangements adequate finance for the worker to live on, until such time as the business becomes a sustainable profit-making business adequate finances for setting up and settling in adequate finances for agreed language study commitments clear understanding with the business/Board on action steps should financial constraints in the business leave the partner short of salary agreed response to failure of the business that is defined in the MOU working with BAM worker, Board and country team on agreement for financial arrangements of the business 2.2.3 Basic requirements in country of service for missional part of BAM essential language and cultural learning necessary to live, work, and run a BAM business negotiated agreement with the country team covering the above issues, recognizing and agreeing to the financial implications. 2.2.4 BAMer as a mission agency worker appropriate orientation for a mission agency worker. 2.3 The significant issues to be addressed by a country team: 2.3.1 Inclusion of BAM as one of the means of fulfilling country strategy develop understanding of BAM among all members of the country team develop basic criteria for good wholistic mission in-country that will assist National Offices to understand the cultural and ministry context define the non-negotiables to assist in negotiating with the BAM worker and their National Office in the areas of language and cultural understanding
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create flexible structures to work creatively with ensuring the BAM worker can do appropriate language and orientation to the country. include appropriate orientation to doing business in the orientation programme for BAMers 2.3.2 Agree placement of BAMer work with the National Office for appropriate advice on the competency of the person for the proposed BAM role review the appropriateness of the proposed business for the country use a BAM consultant with understanding of the area for advice in above areas be a signatory to the MOU with the worker, Board and National Office 2.3.3 Provide support for the BAM worker support the BAMer as with all workers in their life and ministry use appropriate international resources to support the BAMer in the business aspect ensure agreed annual reviews as a mission worker are completed appropriately create clear channels for information flow from the BAMer/Board
3. Re-examine the relationship between Mission Agency and the BAM work including the relationship with the Board, the mission agency worker, the country team and the National Office.
3.1 Relationship between the M ission Agency and the Board of the business clear lines of communication between the business board and Mission Agency need to be defined, although it has to be recognized that even if these are defined it will not always deal with situations of a failing Board
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a named Mission Agency business resource person should receive the report of the BAM worker to their Board for information and to allow any issues to be flagged to the Country Leadership Team MOU and Financial agreements should address the financial responsibilities of the Board and Mission Agency, including recognition of responsibilities in a situation where the business may fail The Mission Agency and the Board would benefit from ensuring that the BAM worker has established a mentoring relationship, either within the Board, or costed into the Boards support of the worker. 3.2 Relationship between the M ission Agency and the BAM worker The Mission Agency has a duty to ensure someone wishing to do BAM has basic abilities necessary for the role they are taking on, or being asked to take on The Mission Agency assumes all responsibilities for a BAM worker that it does for any other worker, and in the light of this will need to consider establishing an emergency fund for BAM to cover the fall-out of potential failures. While it is acknowledged that the Mission Agency takes no financial responsibility for a BAM business, the reality must be recognized that in the community of the Mission Agency, there will be emergencies that will require it to exercise its duty of care and this will have financial implications. In examining this as a possibility it would need to be clear what the value added for a BAM worker with a Mission Agency is in paying into this;otherwise it may actually drive BAMers from becoming associated with a Mission Agency. The BAM worker should develop relationships of communication and accountability within the country team in order to help facilitate support for them and their family
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3.3 Relationship between the M ission Agency and the Country Team The Mission Agency must provide support to country teams for assessing and managing BAM ministries. This could includes the availability of the BAM Consultant for support for the Country Leadership; growing the understanding of BAM in the different contexts in which it is happening; developing resources to help country teams support BAM workers in appropriate ways; resources to help workers engage more through a growing understanding of BAM The Mission Agency will need to consider its decisionmaking processes with the Country Leadership Team when crisis situations arise 3.4 Relationship between the M ission Agency and the National Office The Mission Agency must assist National Offices through the establishment of practices for the selection and placement of BAM workers that facilitate recruitment and selection of BAMers BAM as part of a Misssion Agency will be facilitated by the Agency and National Offices agreeing to basic critical credentials for BAM workers In growing BAM the Mission Agency must provide appropriate financial support systems for National Offices and their workers going into BAM. It is recommended that this include an emergency fund for National Offices for the BAM Partners to play into The Mission Agency will assist National Offices by providing them resources for growing their understanding of BAM and the practice of BAM which could/should include: the availability of the BAM consultant for support and development of appropriate best practice in selection and recruitment; resources for defining agreements
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4. Examine the Mission Agencys responsibility toward the business in the BAM relationship. Definitions of BAM demonstrate that a mission agency has no responsibility for a business, although it seems clear that the mission worker who is a BAM practitioner is part of the broader mission community. This raises responsibilities in recruitment, selection and placement of BAM workers. There remains a need for thought to be given to the relationship that does exist by nature of the BAM entrepreneur being a Mission worker and the responsibility that the Mission Agency has because of that relationship. It appears that addressing the issues of responsibility have been tackled from a business perspective and could be enhanced by addressing them from the mission perspective as well. This should consider the following two points: If the Country Team Leadership/International leadership is concerned about the vulnerability of a BAM worker and asks the worker and/or his family to leave the country, then the worker should have agreed in advance that he will either obey or accept that the Mission Agency has no more duty of care to him and his family. This should be in accordance with the Agencys policy regarding evacuations. If the business is in financial difficulty, there should be agreement in advance with the owners and lenders as to what should be done and who has what responsibility. Owners could include the executive BAM worker and outside Christian or non-Christian investors. Lenders could include the executive BAM Partner and outside Christian or non-Christian lenders.

5. Conclusions
i. Good guidance documents on the philosophy and practice of BAM have been developed and provide a solid foundation for the development of BAM businesses.
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ii. Some suggestions for enhancing those documents and their scope to deal with some of the challenges for BAM as part of a Mission Agency have been suggested. iii. The most significant challenge for a Mission Agency is to help all entities, both National Offices and Country Teams, understand documents available and use them to provide the framework for best practice for which they were designed. It is recommended that Mission Agencies invest in a Business Consultant and use the resources of this person to grow this understanding and help entities engage with the best practice documents. iv. It recommended that a Business Mission Consultant be tasked with monitoring the use of the documents and the way they help address the significant issues of recruiting, selecting, placing, supporting and developing engagement through BAM. This will also enable the continued refinement of business and mission and their best practice documents.
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BUSINESS AS MISSION TASK FORCE REPORT FOR INTERSERVE1 1. Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference for the Task Force are as follows: A Task Force will be set up to develop guidelines outlining principles for a responsible engagement with Business as Mission in Interserve. The guidelines will be for the use of National Offices, International Office, Regional Leadership and Partners. They will include: i. A brief missiological commentary on Business as Mission ii. Comment on the Strategic significance of Business as Mission iii. Issues related to the recruitment, secondment, support and development of Partners engaged in Business as Mission iv. Issues related to business management and accountability v. Issues related to financial concerns regarding being an Interserve Partner engaged in business.
2. Business as Mission Task Force Methodology

The Business as Mission Task Force was comprised of a diverse group of people in the fellowship with combined experience in the equipping, sending, supporting, visioning and practice of Business as Mission across the Interserve world. The Task Force members had several conference calls over the past 5 months, participated in global conferences on Business as Mission performed research according to each members area of expertise, and conducted datacollection through questionnaires. Several members of the Task Force were active in the development of the Business as Mission Issue Group Paper for Lausanne 2004. Two sets of questionnaires were sent out; the first one was to assess the current recruitment and selection processes being used by different councils throughout the fellowship. The second questionnaire was sent to potential Business
1 This report was part of a review process called reloaded undertaken by Interserve in 2005
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as Mission candidates to obtain their input on Business as Mission and their assessment of Interserve. This report is a summary of the Task Forces conclusions, and should be read along with the Appendices to gain a more complete understanding of our recommendations in the current context.
3. What is Business as Mission?

Interserve recognizes that there are many ways to be involved in Business as Mission. For the purpose of the Business as Mission Task Force, the following definition is used for people involved in Business as Mission:
People involved in Business as Mission are entrepreneurs or leaders who have responsibility for setting up and running a Business as Mission.
Business as Mission sees business as both the medium and an outworking of the message. Business as Mission is the obedient responding to Gods call on Christian business people:
Business as Mission is an attempt to respond to Gods mission; to the Creation Mandate and the Great Commission. Business as Mission is being God-like, to be creative and create good things in and through business. Business as Mission is being Christ-like, to meet the needs around us, demonstrating Gods Kingdom in the market place, providing a means in which people may encounter Christ and thus glorifying the King.
3.1 General Business as M ission Principles Taken from the Business as Mission Issue Group Paper from the Lausanne Forum 2004, the following 10 guiding principles are presented as the essentials of good Business as Mission. We include them here as they provide a quick overview of what is needed for Business as Mission initiatives to have the impact we are looking for. These principles, we hope, are supported through the specific recommendations that we propose be implemented as Interserve purposefully engages in the task of Business as Mission in the years to come.
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3.1.1 Foundational Business Principles i. Strives to be profitable and sustainable in the long term. ii. Strives for excellence, operates with integrity and has a system of accountability. 3.1.2 Business as Mission Distinctives i. Has a Kingdom motivation, purpose and plan that is shared and embraced by the senior management and owners. ii. Aims at holistic transformation of individuals and communities. iii. Seeks the holistic welfare of employees iv. Seeks to maximise the kingdom impact of its financial and nonfinancial resources. v. Models Christ-like, servant leadership, and develops it in others. vi. Intentionally implements ethical Christ-honouring practice that does not conflict with the gospel. vii. Is pro-active in intercession and seeks the prayer support of others. viii. Seeks to harness the power of networking with like-minded organisations.
God is the Creator - he is creative, he created good things. God created man in His image (Genesis 1). Thus, people are creative, able to create good things, and can enjoy these good things together. There are clear principles throughout the scriptures about the need for work. The scripture teaches that people should work to provide for themselves and to meet the needs of others. Many people do not have the opportunity to work. Business as Mission is a response to this need by promoting employment. Jesus told his followers to make disciples of all nations. Many people do not have the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Business as Mission is a response to this need by bringing people together in the work environment where Christians and non-Christians can build natural and lasting relationships.
4. A brief missiological commentary on Business as Mission
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At the start of his ministry, Jesus used the words from Isaiah 61: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lords favour. Business as Mission is such a holistic approach modeled on what Jesus said. God is concerned about injustice and poverty. Business as Mission promotes ethical values and provides a sustainable solution to poverty. Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
5. A commentary on the strategic significance of Business as Mission

Business helps address the needs in the developing world. Sustainable business creates jobs and helps people support themselves and their families. Employment also gives people dignity and the opportunity to transform their communities. Governments around the world welcome business. Christians involved in business have the opportunity to impact the lives of people. Business is a way for some people to serve using the skills that God has given them. Business brings people together providing many opportunities for witness and discipleship. Business as Mission can create a workplace environment where Christians can model biblical principles and ethics. Business can enhance social transformation through job creation, skills training, provision of health care and education, fair wages and fair trade. Business can teach values, develop personal talent, and provide a place for individual creativity.
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6. Analysis of the Current Situation

A number of interviews, questionnaires and TF members personal experiences were drawn on in arriving at the conclusions of our analysis. They are intended to provide the basis for a way forward, and not for finding fault, or assigning credit, to any particular part of the fellowship. Copies of particular research data are available from the Task Force leader. From our discussions, observations and data collection, we draw the following conclusions regarding the current Business as Mission experience within Interserve. 6.1 Recruitment, Support & Development i. The current situation with Interserve may not meet the needs of Business as Mission Partners. The following issues have been identified: ii. Interserve operations do not function like a business. In some areas, procedures are rigid and inflexible. There is a lack of business experience in Interserve. iii. National Office personnel acknowledge that they do not know what specific needs Business as Mission Partners have. iv. The selection processes, which can last as long as two years, may limit the opportunities for Business as Mission. Despite the rigor of the process, none of the offices who responded to the questionnaire had on record any applicants who were rejected in 2003. v. Potential Business as Mission Partners report a specific need for support and mentoring that combines the challenges of business and discipleship. vi. People who have enquired about potential Business as Mission opportunities have not been followed up by some National Offices. vii. Some National Offices do not list Business as Mission as a possible area of service when presenting Interserve to enquirers. viii. Some National Office staff appear not to have time to develop specific Business as Mission personnel strategies, in addition to their existing partner-related roles.
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ix. Interserve systems focus on correctness and risk-reduction, but in Business as Mission speed, efficiency and flexibility are also important. 6.2 Business management & accountability In the current situation, there are issues which need to be addressed which relate to how many people involved in Business as Mission operate: i. Lack of adherence to business best practice. For example, insufficient documentation and agreements relating to property, roles, responsibilities and finance (not following generally accepted accounting procedures) ii. Unclear or nonexistent governance structures (e.g. Board of Directors) iii. Lack of business plans that demonstrate a viable business con cept with realistic implementation and funding strategies iv. Unclear ministry plans that outline how people will be reached for Christ v. Lack of relevant community of accountability that understands the pressures that business professionals face in business, church and family. 6.3 Financial concerns The following financial concerns have been expressed: i. Fear that Partners involved in Business as Mission may be distracted by an undue desire to accumulate wealth. However, the Task Force found no evidence to support this concern. ii. Interserve may become involved in financial issues related to the business. However, the Task Force found no evidence to support this concern. iii. Interserve financial guidelines are not appropriate for Business as Mission.
7. Recommendations
It should be noted that while the recommendations under section (a) below may be more generic in nature, and could be extended to
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other Interserve Partners, sections (b) and (c) are more particular to BAM. 7.1 Recruitment, Support & Development Interserve should: i. Recruit people with a business background and interest in Business as Mission to National Council boards. ii. Set targets for Business as Mission growth over the next 5 years. National Offices should create these, in line with international strategies. iii. Design National Office strategies, roles and communications to help meet these targets. iv. Make Business as Mission opportunities clearly visible on Interserves secure website (specific companies should not be named). v. Assess recruitment, support and development needs and provide training for staff to meet these needs. vi. Outsource support to Ibex associates, or other approved business specialists, who can be used in the delivery of business support and development of Business as Mission. Note: Whereas Interserve should be responsible for the selection of any Partners, we are recommending that reliable non-Interserve specialists could also be involved in the recruitment of BAM partners, by virtue of their presence and experience in the business world. In such cases, friends of Interserve would assist in identifying potential candidates, while Interserve would facilitate and decide the actual application and selection process and outcome for Partners. vii. Share recruitment and selection expertise between National Offices. viii. Provide recruitment and selection resources on-line where information only has to be input once and is accessible to all who need to know, wherever they are located. ix. Provide the normal support to any Partners who may work in Business as Mission. x. Facilitate enquiries anywhere in the world by using people that have close geographic or professional proximity for pre-
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liminary interviews and assessment, though for the purposes of ministry and support, the Partner would typically be listed under the National Office where s/he holds citizenship. xi. Treat Partners involved with Business as Mission the same as other Partners except for specific business related recommendations. This includes their relationship to their home and national churches. xii. Allow for flexibility in their relationship with Business as Mission Partners. This may typically be required in areas such as: speed of assessment and placement, financial support, home assignment, language learning and visits by Business as Mission Partners to their home, or other, country. 7.2 Business management & accountability There is a key issue that arises in the placement of BAM partners, which is that Interserve, is in effect, seconding a Partner to him/herself. As businesses develop in challenging and volatile locations, issues of policy inevitably arise, which, in the absence of a documented agreement, may lead to misunderstandings and difficulty. In the case of Interserve, it needs to be recognized that current Business as Mission Partners are almost all people who have gone out in another capacity and ended up establishing businesses as the most useful and appropriate structure for the exercise of their gifts. As an established Mission agency, it is not appropriate for Interserve to take a financial or governance interest in a business nor does it have the skill set required, though it still needs to care for and support partners and access the appropriate skills and structure to do so. Interserve should: i. Eliminate the use of secondment agreements in all BAMrelated situations (unless there is a particular area where the use of secondment agreements is applicable), and instead, provide an appendix to the Partnership Agreement which includes the Partners Business as Mission -specific responsibilities.
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Partners should: i. Agree to adhere to business best practice including documentation and agreements relating to property, roles, responsibilities, conflict resolution and finance using generally accepted accounting procedures. ii. Work with accountability, transparency and integrity, including the development of a board of directors for governance and oversight. iii. Write a comprehensive business plan that outlines the Partners business goals and implementation strategies. iv. Write a ministry plan. v. Seek a relevant community of accountability. vi. Take advantage of the professional experience of business mentors (e.g. Ibex). 7.3 Financial issues Interserve should: i. Be more flexible in developing appropriate personal financial support models for Business as Mission Partners. ii. Keep financially independent of business activities. iii. Develop appropriate financial guidelines. Some suggested financial principles and application guidelines are included in Appendix 7 Financial Recommendations. Partners should: i. Keep Interserve informed on fund raising activities.
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8. BAM Task Force Logic Chart for Recommendations

BAM INTERSERVE Recruitment, Support & Development Issues Inter6 serve (a) 1-8 7 (a) 112 Business Mgmt. & Accountability Inter- Issues Partners 7 serve6 (b) 1-5 (b) 2-7 7 (b) 1 Secondment 1 Financial Issues 6 (c) 1-3 Interserve 7 (c) 1-3 Partners (1) 7 (c) 4 Informat ion 4
Recruitment 1-4 Training & Resources 5-8 Support 9
Best Practices 2-3 Planning 4 Accountability 6-7
Flexibility 1 Financial Independence 2 Guidelines 3
Flexibility 10-12
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Some of the Appendices that provided background information used by the Task Force in arriving at its recommendations. Appendix 1 Opportunities & Challenges for Business as Mission Appendix 2 Taxonomy of Business Appendix 3 - Financial Recommendations
Appendixes
Appendix 1: Opportunities for Business as Mission

A World in Need We all know the statistics about world poverty and there is a tragic correlation between poverty, disease and unemployment. There is also a devastating link between lack of jobs and human trafficking. Christians in business can and must address this. I believe the only long-term solution to world poverty is business. That is because businesses produce goods, and businesses produce jobs. And businesses continue producing goods year after year, and continue providing jobs and paying wages year after year. Therefore if we are ever going to see long-term solutions to world poverty, I believe it will come through starting and maintaining productive, profitable business. Wayne Grudem How Business in Itself Can Glorify God, in Yamamori and Eldred, 2003 Aid & Development While aid for development projects and disaster relief remain important, governments and NGOs have recognised that aid alone is insufficient to alleviate the problem of endemic poverty. In many cases donor fatigue eventually sets in. Investing in sustainable businesses creates employment in the developing world and sustainable economic development. Real employment gives people the dignity and self-determinism to transform their own communities.
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Business is Welcome There are many doors that are closed to professional Christians, traditional missionaries and Christian workers. IS talks about closed countries and restricted access countries, but there are no closed doors for real business people doing real business. Governments around the world welcome business! Business is Influential Business has the potential to have a major impact both on individuals and communities. This potential can of course be played out on a scale ranging from positive to negative. Holistic development approach The need for and the benefits of a holistic approach that is sustainable - is emerging and increasing in importance in several spheres: missions, development and business. Most businesses exist solely to make a profit for their shareholders that is the financial bottom line. Business as Mission looks beyond that to the Quadruple bottom line financial, social, spiritual and environmental returns. Natural approach to relationship building There is a wonderful web of relationships that come as a gift within the context of business and enterprise. Christians who enter the business realm often have the unique opportunity to significantly touch and impact the lives of people of influence and resources. Also, Business as Mission can be the perfect platform to foster a workplace environment where Christian principles and ethics can be introduced and demonstrated as a standard. Networking and partnerships Business as Mission has the potential to model healthy and fruitful partnerships and has the potential to further break us out of some of the paternalistic attitudes that many have been trying to shake loose.
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Strengthening the church All countries and cultures have entrepreneurial people. They are also found in churches everywhere, even in small churches in the 10/40 Window. A possible and positive side-effect of Business as Mission is that local churches may be strengthened. Where there is no indigenous church, church planting and business planting can go together hand in hand. Releasing untapped resources There are thousands of people in churches world-wide with the right skill-sets, experiences and contacts. The job is to mobilise and deploy these people, so as to release untapped resources for the mission of the Church.
Challenges to Business as Mission

Pervasive sacred-secular divide in Christian worldview The sacred /secular dichotomy is a major challenge for the Church and for Business as Mission. Phrases like full time ministry and real ministry are revealing. In Creation and in Jesuss life there is no dichotomised view of reality and man. So Business should not just be added to the social action agenda of the church as a useful tool for meeting peoples physical needs. An integrated Biblical worldview says that discipleship and transformation should address the whole person and then seek a practical application of that in the market place. The Stigma of Business In many parts of the global church the vocation of business has a real stigma. This is largely a result of the pervasive Christian worldview that elevates spiritual realm above the material realm. The results are that business is often regarded as, at worst, corrupt and evil and, at best a necessary but distasteful activity. How then will business people consider that their gifts and experience have potential to make a powerful impact on their communities, nations and to the ends of the earth?
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Tensions in Coupling Business and Mission There are inherent tensions when you couple together business goals and mission goals. We need to have a healthy critique of past and present bad practices without discarding the fact that business has much potential power for good. Lack of Successful Business Activity In some I S regions there may be only minor involvement in business by Christians for a host of historic and cultural reasons. There is a great felt need for BAM initiatives to develop support networks, disseminate good models, make good business training available, develop funding and mentoring mechanisms and in general to mobilise the entrepreneurs in each nation. Spiritual opposition Business people should not ignore that any disciple walking in his or her true calling walks into battle on a spiritual plane. Thus the full armour of God and the weapon of all-prayer (as Bunyan called it) are a basic requirement for the BAM person. Difficult Conditions for Business Much of the world in greatest need of transformation is also a hostile environment for business. Corruption, intimidation and economic or political instability make it challenging for any business to survive.
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Appendix 2: Taxonomy of Business & Ministry Interaction
taken from The Galtronics Story, William Goheen, 2004. (Colour coding added to reflect the BAM TFs preferred model of business for IS) Ownership: Business too risky to set a reasonable rate of return commensurate to the risk. Funding may be donation based or investments with no expected return. Expected return may vary from a rate commensurate with risk or lower if investors are willing. In any case a return on investment is expected. Usually return would be expected to be commensurate with risk. Some Dual focus driven by both business financial considerations and missions strategy. Primarily driven by missions goals and strategy. Financial Position: Business Strategy Driven by:
Type of Company
Values Driven by:
Precarious Company
Evangelical interpretation to Scriptural Principles. Commitment to living out these principles in business.
Personal Kingdom Builder Approach Required: Can be overtly open and guided by the Holy Spirit; i.e. free to follow leading without considering financial implications unless donors would disapprove. Can be overtly guided by the Holy Spirit; i.e. free to follow leading but also give consideration to practical financial implications of decisions.
Propagation Company
Evangelical interpretation to Scriptural Principles. Commitment to living out these principles in business.
Presence Company
Evangelical interpretation to Scriptural Principles. Commitment to living out these
Owned by Christians who are firmly committed to furthering the Kingdom of God through business activities even if the business itself is not financially viable. Owned by Christians who are firmly committed to furthering the Kingdom of God through business activities but want to make sure the business is financially viable. Owned by Christians who are firmly committed to furthering the Kingdom of Driven primarily by financial considerations unless Biblical values are going to
Usually have to be more careful about using the name of Jesus. Witnessing 47
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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 1 | February 2012 might view the risk as lower because overt evangelism or discipleship not taking place. be compromised. approach primarily through life style.
these principles in business.
Purity Company
God. However they want to do any witnessing type ministry outside the business context. Also they run the business in a way to insure financial viability. Owned by individuals who believe business should be run according to Judeo/Christian values. Risk governed by normal market forces and expectations. Driven primarily by financial considerations unless ethical values are going to be compromised. Driven primarily by financial considerations unless ethical values are going to be compromised. Sometimes this is pushed to the limit. Driven by financial considerations or other objectives. Usually have to be more careful about using the name of Jesus. Witnessing approach primarily through life style. Must be very careful about bringing up spiritual matters at all. May be extreme pressure to compromise family or other values. Should get out unless called. Spiritual warfare expected. Risk governed by normal market forces and expectations.
Pluralistic Company
High Ethical Values. Usually accept the 10 commandments along with the Golden Rule. Dont deal with the rest of Scriptures in business context. Culturally driven by predominantly accepted values of society. Often times this is fuzzy and shifts over time. Pragmatic dollar orientation. Owned by individuals who do not believe personal religious beliefs should impact business; or whose actions would indicate they believe this. Owned by individuals who are aligned with evil powers and principalities. Risk governed by normal market forces but may make decisions consulting mediums, etc.
Pagan Company
Driven primarily to make money and to accomplish other objectives
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Appendix 3: Financial Recommendations

1. Financial Support of Partners: 1.1 General Principles i. Partners are expected to have enough money so they have what they need to function in the Field. ii. National Offices are expected to ensure that Partners have enough money to live while they are in the Field. iii. Where Partners engage in commercial activity there should be a clearly defined written agreement between Interserve and the Partner as to what funding is required for the and his/her dependents, independently of the business operation, and which is required to be raised through normal Interserve channels. Examples might include partial allowances, housing, education, insurance, language acquisition, home assignment airfare, etc. This financial input into the Partner is not deemed to represent an investment by Interserve into the business as such. 1.2 Application 1.2.1 Financial Support Definition: Donations directed to the relevant Interserve National Office for the support of the Partner The management of donations is the responsibility of the National Office. 1.2.2 Earned income Definition: Earnings from remuneration for work done in the Field, for example, teaching salary Earned income should be declared to the National Office unless the financial support is sufficient. Direct expenses, necessarily incurred in the work, may be deducted from earned income. 1.2.3 Personal funds Definition: Savings, interest earnings, dividends, personal property, etc. Personal funds belong to the Partner.

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1.2.4 Gifts Definition: Private gifts from individuals to the Partner Private gifts belong to the Partner. Gifts for regular support should be directed to the National Office as financial support. 1.2.5 Business income Definition: Salary drawn from the business, and also the share of net profit from business activity. Business income should be declared to the National Office unless the financial support is sufficient.
2. Financial Activities of Partners

2.1 General Principles i. Partners are expected to work ethically, legally and competently ii. Partners should not allow fund raising activities for projects and businesses to interfere with raising their financial support iii. Interserve has no financial obligations to the activities of Partners iv. Interserve has no claim on the financial activities of Partners
3. Application
3.1 Projects Definition: Planned activities incurring expenses Where there is a Joint Ministry Organization, projects must comply with the requirements of the JMO. Partners may raise funds for projects, subject to approval of Field, International and National leadership. Funds raised and reporting must be carried out in accordance to agreed donor requirements. Interserve has no obligation to fund projects. 3.2 Business Definition: the activity of providing goods and/or services to earn money Partners must prepare an adequate business plan. Where there is a Joint Ministry Organization, businesses must comply with the requirements of the JMO.
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Partners may raise capital for businesses, subject to approval of Field, International and National leadership. The Partner is obliged to finance the business venture in a manner that does not conflict with Interserve support-raising policies, and which does not commingle funds donated to Interserve. Capital raised and financial reporting must be carried out in accordance to investor agreements. Interserve has no obligation to provide capital for businesses, or cover any loss. If a project or business is in financial trouble, the Partner has no recourse to assistance from Interserve. Business risk is the sole responsibility of the Partner and his/her investors. Interserve cannot expect financial benefit from businesses. Partners may well consider contributing to Interserve ministry opportunities out of business profits. The only financial claim Interserve has on the Partner is the normal applied International Office Levy, Regional Costs, National Office Levy and other Direct Costs for Interserve Partners. 3.3 Gifts for M inistry Definition: Donations received for ministry activities in the Field Partners should be careful how they use donations, ensuring expenditure is not detrimental to the local community.
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BUSINESS AS MISSION BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES

By: Interserve International
1. Introduction
Businesses are almost as varied as the entrepreneurs and professionals who create and work in them. Nevertheless, there are good business practices which are widely recognized as being essential. This document is not intended to be prescriptive, narrow in application, or exhaustive. Rather, its goal is to provide a chekclist of items (generally in the form of questions), which, if given careful consideration, and appropriately applied to each unique business as mission (BAM) situation, should assist Interserve BAM practitioners (BAMers) in achieving the desired Christ-honouring outcomes. It is recommended that this document should be studied at the earliest possible stage when an individual is applying to Interserve as a BAMer, and periodically throughout their BAM ministry. Doing this in consultation with their National Office and Country Team Leadership will in all likelihood help maximize the benefit of this exercise.
2. Understanding BAM Concepts
Interserve defines BAM as marketplace ministry that harnesses the potential of business for intentional mission imact, with a view to profitability and sustainability. By extension, a BAM enterprise is one in which the entire business, from its underlying vision and intent, through every aspect of its operations, is deliberately seen as an opportunity to demonstrate and proclaim the Kingdom of God. Similarly, a BAMer is typcialy an individual in a BAM iniative as an owner, manager or otherwise in a significant leadership, decision making, direction and pace setting role. Does the business model Christ-like servand leadership in the marketplace? Does the business strive to be profitable and sustainable in the long term?
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Does the business have a Kingomd motivation, purpose and plan that is sahred and embraced by the senior management and owners? Does the Business aim for Biblical wholistic transformation of individuals and communities?
4. Business Plan and Commercial Operations

Failing to plan is planning to fail. If you want to make God laugh, show Him your business plan. These two statements capture the paradox inherent in business, in which the human and the divine come together in mysterious collaboration. They highlight the tension between careful strategic analysis and the intrusion of unexpected circustances, be they adverse or positive. Best practice in BAM requires business and professional competence, takes planning seriously, is understaken prayerfully, and remains responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in the context of real life. Has the proposed business been carefully researched and has this process been broadly consultative and informed by sources with a range of experience? Does the business have a visible concept with realistic implementation strategies? Does the business plan adequately address vision and objectives, market opportunity and marketing strategy, goods and services being made and offered, production and delivery processes and requirements, sales strategies and projection, management and staffing capacity and requirements, capitalization and other financial elements such as budgeted sales, costs and overheads, capital expenditure and cash flow, etc, and risk analysis? Does the plan adequately address anticipated growth? Does the business plan have an exit strategy (i.e. does it address issues such as leadership succession, contingency planning in case of crisis, emergency, company failure/closure, or the BAMer moving on from a successful business to other locations and/or ventures and/or calling)?
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5. Regulatory and Ethical Considerations

BAM companies, almost by definition, are working in environments which typically are economically poor, commercially undeveloped, systematically corrupt, and where the legal framework is complex, opaque, risky, and maybe quite different from what the BAMer has previously encountered. The BAMer will confront hostility, frustrated and challenges on an almost daily basis. S/he will require vision, commitment, realism, and good preparation in understanding and responding to these difficulties in a manner consistent with biblical principles. Has the regulartory context in which the business will operate been thoroughly studied, including issues of ownership, investment, exchange controls, employment and taxation, insolvency, bankruptcy and closure of operations (whether under conditions of distress or success)? Is the BAMer aware of their potential legal liability and have they taken adequate steps to protect themselves? Has advice been sought from local, informed Christians regarding how best to deal with these issues? How is the business structured, and is this most appropriate for the local context? Are the companys financial policies and practices morally responsible and consistely applied, e.g. in regards to accounting and reporting, banking and currency transactions, bribery, buying and selling, debtors and other investors, commissions and facilitation payments (service charges, agent fees, etc.), taxation, wages (or other employee benefits, compensation, social insurance, etc.)? Is the business sufficiently resourced with legal and financial audit capacity? Does the business demonstrate integrity before God and all its stakeholders by its whlseome witness to the values of honesty and truth, responsibility and commitment, justice
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and fairness, and dedication to work, family and community? Does the business exercise good stewardship in its conduct towards God and man by diligently caring for the environment and all other resources at its disposal, legitimiately realising reasonable profit and prudently using that profit to protect and grow the business, to share with those who have participated in the business risk, and to be generous towards others in the community in local charitable activity? Does the business make a reasonable contribution to the social and economic development of the local community in which it operates, e.g. by providing goods and services which build up the quality of life of people in the region; by using, as far as possible, local resources and talent; by providing employment opportunities and training; by being mindful of opportunities to help the less fortunate? Does the business have a written Code of Ethics?
6. Risk Analysis, Tolerance and Management

Companies are exposed to a wide variety of commercial risk. Before risk can be managed effectively, it must be recognized and assessed as realistically as possible, and then it must be determined what tolerances are acceptable to the business for risk can never be completely eliminated. Risk for BAM companies is often increased, on account of the cross-cultural dimensions and generally more challenging environment, which can render the BAMer and his/her bsiness more vulnerable. Best practice in BAM will acknowledge and accept the possibility of catastrophic risk materializing, and even bring total business failure as a result, but will in the meantime do everything reasonably prudent to mitigate that possibility from arising. Categories of risk (which should be addressed in the business plan and re-evaluated on a regular basis) include:
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Safety and security risk to company assets including financial, tangible and personnel; Financial risk including access to capital, volatility in currency, banking hazards, customer default, escalation in wages and other prices, and risk arising from insolvency and default on outstanding debts to government, creditors and other business partners; Relational risk including falling out between business partners or other colleagues, disgruntled employees, and indirectly, domestic and local relationships; Legal, political and religious risk; Loss of key personnel; Market risk, including competition, disruptive technologies or other the intrusion of other goods/services; Supply chain and operational risk affecting production and delivery of goods/services
7. Financial Considerations
Business is the legitimate activity of providing goods and/or services to earn profit. While BAM is neither nor predominantly about generating profit to increase the wealth of business owners, the best practice of BAM ideally will result in trading that is profitable and sustainable. Business is also founded on relationships, and the best practice of BAM will be built upon, and lead to the strengthening of trust across the spectrum of stakeholders associated with the business. In the light of these principles, financial considerations are a critical element of BAM, and ones which are often paramount in the minds of observers of business initiatives. Does the BAMer have clearly articulated, defensible perspectives regarding taking on financial risk, making and using profit, managing financial distress, and accepting loss, that contribute in a sensible way to shaping the companys operations, and that promote and positive perception of the business by the community in which it operates?
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Does the business plan, raise, spend, monitor and return its capital with integrity, modesty and competence? Does the business have reserves in place, in time and in sufficient amount to address any likely costs associated with the closure of the business (e.g. government taxes, employee severance, and key creditor claims). Particularly in order to maintain as credible a testimony to the gospel, so good business practice, and to minimize risk to the BAMer and other colleagues? Does the business take its financial obligations seriously (e.g. to its suppliers and venfors, customers and clients, lenders and investors, and the government)? Do its credit policies and financing activities (e.g. giving or taking too much credit, borrowing or lending) expose it to inappropriate additional risk, with respect to its ongoing operations and/or other financial obligations (e.g. to investors and the government)? Does the business have an appropriate perspective and reasonable practices regarding the role of subsidies, grants or donated capital for the age, type and location of the company, and other contextual considerations? In particular, does it have an appropriate policy and practice regarding compensation of expatriate personnel? Are the companys accounting documentation, and reporting practices, appropriately consistent with generally accepted accounting principles; are they regular, transparent and conducive to building trust?
8. Cross-Cultural Considerations
Mission is a cross-cultural mandate, calling and exercise. BAM is not just about doing business successfully in a limited commercial or economic sense. Nor is it about doing mission in a narrow or culturally paternalistic manner. Good BAM requires a breadth of awareness, sensitivity and capacity to engage with the nations (ethnos) with theological and missiological excellence. It is also thoughtfully contextualized in ways similar or dissimilar to other mission initiatives in a common geographical, religious and cultural domain.
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Is the BAMer appropriately equipped to engage effectively in cross-cultural mission, using business as their chosen means of ministry? What degree of competence in language and expertise with the religious context is appropriate? How do the policies, practices and productivity of the business reflect in informed, sensitive and efficient engagement with the beliefs, cultural norms and underlying worldview of the community(ies) in which it operates? How does the BAMer seek to integrate his/her business ministry with other ministry initiatives in the community(ies) in which the company operates? How is the BAMer developing his/her missiological understanding and practice?
8. Security Considerations
Companies in general are exposed to a variety of security threats, and this danger is typically increased on account of the relatively harsh environment in which BAM companies operate. Best practice in BAM will be informed and prudently seek to minimize these dangers to the business and its stakeholders. How does the business reasonably attempt to protect its financial assets from fraud, theft, loss or mismangement? How does the business reasonably attempt to guard its plant and equipment from damage, theft or loss? How does the business reasonably attempt to protect its customers from harm, particularly from product failure or loss of sensitive information? How does the business reasonably attempt to protect its employees from abuse, work related accidents, illness or violence? Is the business exposed to litigation, extortion, or other forms of intimidation, and how is it dealing with those threats? Does the business have access to good security advise?
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Are communication channels and protocols between the various participants in a BAM initiative secure (e.g. those internal to the company and between company personnel, between the BAMer and others in his/her larger community, within the larger community in conversation about the business and the BAMer, and in matters of publicity, recruitment, etc)?
9.
Leadership, Governance, Decision Making and Accountability
BAM companies should strive for excellence, operate with trust and transparency, and have an effective, appropriate system of accountability. Interserve affirms mutual accountability, flexibility, participatory leadership and local decision making as key values and operating princiles, and these apply equally in the practice of BAM. Does the business have leadership capacity and structure appropriate for its age, type and size? How is the business preparing for leadership succession? Are there written job descriptions for management? What is the process of performance review? What are the decision making processes of the company and are decisions made closest to the point(s) of impact? Does the business have a functioning Advisory Board or Borad of Directors appropriate for its age, type and size? Does the governance of the company include mechanisms for oversight of both commercial and spritual objectives> Is the Board well informed and actively involved in the challenges of the business, particularly during times of unusual growth, and any situation involving financial distress? How are board members chosen, and do the have they have written terms of reference? To be effective, a Board should be comprised of members sufficient in number, who share the vision of the business, are of good reputation, sufficiently independent (i.e. without material conflict of interest), available and engaged, informed, and who bring rele-
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vant skills and experience. It is reasonable for the BAMer to be a fully voting member of the Board (e.g. as CEL, Managing Director, etc.), however, there should be robust checks and balancesin place particularly with regard to his/her scope of decision making and other managerial roles and responsibilities (e.g. strategic, financial and human resources), performace evaluation, compensation and business income and/or distributions. How often, and how, does the Board meet? Does the business have appropriate (including backup) documentation of its Articles of Incorporation, ownership of shares, property and other assets, Board minutes, financial statements, tax filings, and other legal records? Is the Board appropriately aware of the relationship that the BAMer has with Interserve and its implications?
10. Spiritual Impact Plan

As it is with the commercial operations of a business, so it is with its spiritual impact, BAM is a complex and dynamic calling and activity in which business and missional objectives are sometimes complementary and mutually reinforcing, sometimes contradictory and imcompatible. In the same way events can overtake the best commercial plan, a desired spiritual impact may be obstructed and delayed, or take unexpected turns. The BAMer is spiritually mature, aware of and using their spritual gifts, and focused on outcomes that will bring glory to God and reach people for Christ. The following questions may provide a useful framework for focused planning and implementation of spiritual impact goals for the business: What is the basic premise of the business? What values does it represent? How will it demonstrate that it belongs to God and exists for his glory? What does it seek to reveal about the character of God and how will it do that? What will the companys financial and other operational practices be?
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What role will prayer and scriptures have in the business? What, and how are staff emplyed, nurtured and developed? How will the business acquire customers? How will the business influence the larger society? What issues does the business attempt to address in a redemptive way through its particular circumstances? Does the business have appropriate and sufficient Christians on staff to maintain and grow its intentional spiritual impact? Does the ownership structure of the business enhance or put at risk the intended spiritual impact? What contact will the business have with other BAM companies? How is the spiritual impact plan developed, and how widely is it understood, agreed and disseminated? Is it written down, and is it periodically reviewed and revised?
11. BAM and Community

Interserve BAMers do not work in isolation or with autonomy, but in collaboration with other Interserve partners , seeking the transformation of lives and communities through encounters with Jesus Christ. The problems they seek to address will have multidisciplinary solutions, grournded in Gods truth. In addition, they will be working together in environments with variable national Chrsitian presence. The following questions may provide a useful framework for focused planning and implementation of spiritual impact within this larger context. Have the BAMers objectives and strategy been shaped in a consultative manner with other Interserve colleagues, and are they compatible with the country team strategy? How will the company and the BANer relate to the local Christian community? Does the BAMer have a personal ministry plan and how does this reflect an appropriate balance in the various spheres of their life and ministry?
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How does the BAMer build, protect and use the social capital available to his/her business and vice versa, contribute to the larger network of which s/he is a part?
12. Measuring Success

Because BAM is a wholistic intergration of business and mission elements, any complete measure of success must take both commercial and spiritual outcomes into consideration. Implicit in this statement is an acknoweldgement that there will sometimes be tension between those apparently competing outcomes. Because tension is unavoidable, and indeed, often useful, the creative management of tension is an important character trait of the effective BAMer. What commercial meansure is the business using to determine success and why (e.g. financial, market share, etc)? What social measures is the business using to determine success and why (e.g. hobs created, impact on the marginalized, etc.)? How does the business assess and seek to minimize its environmental impact? What spiritual imact measures is the business using to determine suvvess and why? How is the business using and blanacing quantitative and qualitative approaches to assessing its success? Does the business have independent appraisal of its performance, and if so, how? How does the business report to its stakeholders?
13. The Personal Life of the BAMer

BAM is a demanding calling and should not be entered into lightly. It will attract opposition and the BAMer needs to be prepared. Ultimately, the most important asset for a BAM company are its spiritual resources, and it is critical that the BAMer keeps these in adequate supply.
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Has the issue of motivation been thoroughly addressed? Does the BAMer demonstrate an appropriate commitment to accountability and mutual submission? How is the BAMer guarding his/her devotional life? Is the BAMers spouse (especially) on board? Is the BAMers character compatible with doing business well, cross-culturally? Is the BAmer wholistically healthy? How is the BAMer appropriately balancing the various spheres of life and ministry?
14. Exiting a Business

The one certainty in life and ministry is that things will change. Business is no exception. For various reasons desirable or undesirable, anticipated and planned, or of unepcted necessity, BAMers may leave a business. Of particular interest are those situations in which a business may need to be closed. In this context, closing a business when it is failing, as opposed to its being in a situation of strength and success is of special concern. This section draws together items throughout the document, and again, requires reference to other BAM related core documents. Does the business plan have an exit strategy (i.e. does it address issues such as leadership succession, contingency planning in case of crisis, emergency, company faiure/closure, or the BAMer moving on from a successful business to other locations and/or ventures and/or callings)? Has the regulatory context in which the business will operate been thoroughly studied, including issues of insolvency, bankruptcy, and closure of operations (whether under conditions of distress or success)? Is the BAMer aware of their potential legal liability and have they taken adequate steps to protect themself? Are the companys financial policies and practices morally responsible and consistently applied, particularly in regards to debtors and other investors?
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Categories of risk (which should be addressed in the business plan, and re-evaluated on a regular basis) include financial risk arising from insolvency and default on outstanding debt to government, creditors and other business partners; Does the business have reserves in place, in time, and in sufficient amount to address any likely costs associated with the closure of the business (e.g. government taxes, employee severance, and key creditor claims), particularly in order to maintain as credible a testimony to the gospel, to good business practice, and to minimize risk to the BAMer and other colleagues? How does the exit from the business reflect an informed sensitive and effective engagement with the beliefs, cultural norms and underlying worldview of the community(ies) in which it operates? How is the business preparing for leadership succession? Is the Board of the business well informed and actively involved in the challenges of the business, particulary during times of decline, contemplation of closure, etc.? Does the Board understandits liability in the event of insolvency? Is the Board approrpriately aware of the relationship that the BAMer has with Interserve and its implications for a Partners evacuation or exit? Is the Interserve community appropriately engaged in the consultative process associated with the closure of a business? Does the BAMer demonstrate an approprate commitment to accountability and musutal submission?
15. Mentoring and Pastoral Care of the BAMer

BAM is a journey. The African proverb applies well to the best practice of BAM: if you would travel fast, travel alone. But if you would travel far, travel with others. Mentoring and the provision of pastoral care to the BAMer is essential for long term fruitfulness. Giving and receiving well are both Christian graces.
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Does the business have access to effective mentoring, particularly with regard to commercial challenges it might face, and does it demonstrate responsiveness to that mentoring input? Does the BAMer have access to effective mentoring in regards to his/her missional and personal growth and does s/he demonstrate responsiveness to that mentoring input? Is the pastoral and logistical support for the BAMer appropriate (informed, comprehensive and relevant, timely and sufficient)? How is the BAMer taking responsibility for his/her own care? Does the BAMer have appropriate relationships with the local church?
16. BAM for National Offices and Country Teams

Integrating BAM into the operations of the National Offices (NOs) and Country Teams (CTs) is an essential part of overall best practice. Does the BAMer have an appropriate and current Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with his/her NO, CT, and where relevant, with the company? Do the relevant parties understand and have a documented agreement regarding financial liability, authority and accountability, and crisis management (e.g. under circumstances of high risk, potential evacuation, etc)? Are the parties maintaining effective and relevant communications on an ongoing basis? Are the BAMers NO and CT aware of critical needs and are they being appropriately addressed? How are the NOs attempting to enhance their engagement with BAM, particularly with regard to recruitment and selection processes, member care and accountability? How are CTs attempting to enhance their engagement with BAM, particularly with regard to strategy, placement, member care, spiritual impact and accountability?
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Given the limitations and constraints that Nos and CTs typically face, it is often advisable, and an effective way to build capacity, to avail themselves of third party business expertise and support.
17. Conclusion
The fruitful pursuit of excellence in all we do honours God. It is with this in mind that the guidelines above are offered, in full recognition and confidence that their application must and will be creatively informed by the mid of Christ given to each one. Ultimately He is the one who gives fruit. It is out prayer therefore, that the Lord might be pleased to use a growing number of BAMers and their companiesto extend His Kingdom, for His glory alone.
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CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

By Colin Chapman1
1. Introduction

Christians from the Middle East are frequently asked, When did you or your family become Christians? Its hard for them not to be irritated by the question, and some of them want to answer, On the day of Pentecost! Arab Christians in the Middle East today, who number between 10 and 15 million, like to remind us of the fact that Arabs are mentioned in the list of God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven who were present in Jerusalem on that historic day (Acts 2:11), and they are proud of their continuous presence in the region for nearly two thousand years. Egyptian Christians think of themselves as the descendants of the ancient Egyptians and see the Arab Muslims who conquered them in the 7th century as foreign invaders. Similarly Lebanese Christians think of themselves as descendants of the Phoenicians and believe that they have been rooted in the region since the early Christian centuries. Christians in Iraq can look back to the golden age of the Eastern Churches between the 4th and 13th centuries, during which the gospel was taken to China and India and Christians made a highly significant contribution to Islamic civilization. But if Middle Eastern Christians can look back to this glorious past, its not an exaggeration to use the word crisis to describe the situations that they face today. In order to understand the nature of these challenges we cannot avoid attempting to survey twenty centuries of history. This will inevitably seem very brief and superficial, but every item in the following list is significant in some way for our understanding of the complexity and seriousness of the situations that they face today. The following nineteen themes can be seen rather like chapters of the unfolding drama of the Christian presence and of Christian-Muslim relations in the Middle East.
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I should explain that Im not going to say anything about the different families of churches in the Middle East Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant because this is a huge subject on its own and its not directly relevant to the contemporary issues which I want to explore.
2. HISTORY
2.1 Christianity in the first six centuries. Its important to remind ourselves that for the first three centuries Christians were a powerless minority (probably never more than 10%) and frequently persecuted. With the conversion of Constantine in 313, however, everything changed and Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. By the seventh century the majority of the population of the Middle East was Christian, and Byzantium was one of the two great powers when Muhammad was born. 2.2 M uhammad and Christians. The earliest Life of the Prophet written by a Muslim in the 8th century records a meeting between Muhammad as a young man and a Christian monk called Bahira in southern Syria on one of Muhammads trading journeys to Syria2. When Muhammad first believed that he was receiving revelations from God, the cousin of Muhammads first wife, Khadija, who was a Christian named Waraqa ibn Naufal, encouraged Muhammad to believe that these revelations had come from God. When the first Muslims were being fiercely persecuted in Mecca, Muhammad sent a group of them to seek asylum in the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia. It is very likely that Muhammad saw himself as a prophet to the Arabs and believed that by giving them scriptures in their own language of Arabic, he was giving them a contextualized version of Judaism and Christianity. He no doubt expected that Jews and Christians would recognise him as a prophet in the line of the biblical prophets, and
2 A. Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaqs Sirat Rasul Allah, OUP Karachi, 1996.
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was therefore surprised and disappointed when they did not accept him as such3. According to Islamic sources the Prophet, towards the end of his life, sent messengers inviting the rulers of Egypt, Byzantium and Persia to accept Islam. And in the last year of his life Muhammad received a delegation of 70 Christians from Najran (in todays Yemen) who stayed for some time in Medina and engaged in serious theological dialogue with him. These different encounters with Christians at different stages of his life are very important for understanding what the Quran has to say about Christians and Christian beliefs4. 2.3 Quran and Hadith The seven passages from the Quran on the separate page illustrate a variety of different responses to Christians and Christian belief. Some are quite positive, while others are argumentative and confrontational5. The Hadith literature is also important for giving us an insight into the thinking of Muslims concerning Christians in the first centuries after the death of the Prophet. So, for example, Aisha reported that during the last illness of the Prophet he said, May God curse the Jews and the Christians! They have taken the tombs of their prophets as places of prayer.6 She also reported that the last thing the Messenger of God charged was that there should not be left two religions in Arabia.7
Richard Bell, The Origin of Islam in its Christian Environment, Macmillan, 1926. See Hugh Goddard, A History of Christian-Muslim Relations, Edinburgh University Press, 2000. 5 See further my comments on these texts, addressed to a Muslim audience, in An Evangelical Christian Reflection on the Key Text of A Common Word, paper delivered at the Evangelical Christian Muslim Dialogue meeting, Fuller Seminary, May, 2009, www.bridgesoffaith.org/?page_id=89; and Islam in Christianity and Christianity in Islam: Bridges of Faith Between Islam and Christianity, paper delivered at Toronto meeting, May, 2010. 6 Muslim, Masajid, 19. 7 Ibn Hanbal, VI, 275; see also the account in A. Guillaumes Life of the Apostle of God, p 689.
3 4
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2.4 The Islamic Conquests By the time that the advance of a Muslim army in France was stopped short at the battle of Tours in 732 (exactly a hundred years after the death of the Prophet), the Muslim Arabs were ruling over a vast empire which stretched from Morocco and Spain in the West to the borders of China and the North West of the Indian subcontinent in the East. The Arabic word used for these conquests is futuhat, from the verb fataha, meaning to open or to conquer. While it is a very dangerous half-truth to say that Islam was spread by the sword, and while the spreading of the religion of Islam was probably not a major motive for these conquests, it was these conquests that created the context in which Islam could eventually spread. For the first two or three centuries a few thousand Arab Muslim were ruling over a population in the Middle East and North Africa in which Christians were the majority8. One could draw a comparison between this empire and the British Raj in which a few thousand British people were ruling a whole continent. 2.5 The dhimma system and the Code of Umar The Muslim conquerors regarded Jews and Christians as People of the Book and gave them protected status, allowing them to practise their own religion within certain limits in return for payment of a special tax. The so-called Code of Umar is attributed to the second Caliph, but probably comes from a later period. It outlines the conditions attached to the protected status of Christians like the wearing of distinctive clothing, restrictions on public expression of their faith and building new churches - and of course it was understood that no kind of evangelism was allowed.9 You could never have had a Henry Martyn Centre for Mission Studies! This code was not enforced in every period and in every area, but was harshly enforced at particular times.
8 See Hugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007. 9 See two versions of the Code in Jean-Marie Gaudeul, Encounters and Clashes: Islam and Christianity in History, Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, Rome, 2000, vol II, Texts, pp 47-49.
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2.6 The Crusades Although the Crusades were not perceived at the time by Muslims as religious wars and did not have any serious long-term effect on Muslim rule in the Middle East, they did have at least two significant long-term consequences. Firstly, they hardened Muslim attitudes towards Christians and Christianity and made life very much harder for Christians. Secondly, they seriously weakened the eastern churches, and the fall of Byzantium to the Muslim Turks in 1453 could be seen as an indirect result of the Crusades. Most Christians today feel an acute sense of shame over the Crusades, finding it hard to understand how a succession of Popes could encourage so much violence and bloodshed in the name of Christ in order to win the Holy Land back from the control of Islam. It is important, however, for us to listen to what many Middle Eastern Christians say to us on this subject. When Ive taught about the Crusades for several years in introductory courses on Islam at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, the message that I heard from students goes like this: Do you western Christians really need to have such a guilty conscience over the Crusades? Surely they were simply the delayed reaction of Christendom delayed by four centuries to the Islamic conquest. Western Christians today may want to apologise for the Crusades, but are Muslim Arabs every going to apologise for the initial Arab Islamic conquests? Were the Crusades not an entirely natural and inevitable reaction on the part of Christendom to the loss of territories which had been ruled by Christians for centuries?10 2.7 The M ongols The Mongols, who came originally from Central Asia and eventually dominated a large area of the Middle East, included some Christianized peoples and there were Christians among their leading families. Christians actually took part in the conquest of Baghdad in 1258, and some Mongol leaders later converted to Christianity. Their armies suffered a severe defeat, however, at Ain-Jalut (in
10 See my Living Through the 900th Anniversary of the First Crusade: To Apologise or not to Apologise?, Faith to Faith Newsletter, No. 1, Nov, 1998, pp1-2.
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the modern Jordan) at the hands of the Mamlukes from Egypt: this defeat marked a devastating reversal of Christian hopes.11 Until this time, in the words of Philip Jenkins, Christian leaders dreamed that Baghdad itself might be the capital of a new Christian empire that would consign Islam to the catalog of forgotten heresies.12 Then came the turning point when Mongol rulers began to favour Islam more than Christianity and created a Muslim superstate, so that by 1295 they had begun to persecute Christians and Buddhists. Writing about the swing towards Islam during this period, Jenkins writes: that victory was even more critical for the long-term relationship between Islam and Christianity than the original Arab conquests of the seventh century.13 2.8 The Great Tribulation This is the title that Jenkins gives to the chapter about the fourteenth century which, he says, marks the decisive collapse of Christianity in the Middle East and in much of Africa.14 He begins by describing the increased persecution of Christians in Egypt:
Although Egypts Christians had often been subject to outbreaks of persecution, the events of 1354 reached an alarming new intensity. Mobs demanded that Christians and Jews recite the Muslim profession of faith upon threat of being burned alive. The government struck at churches and confiscated the estates of monasteries, destroying the financial basis of the Coptic church. And unlike in previous conflicts, the persecution now reached the whole country, rather than being confined just to Cairo. Under increasingly violent conditions, many Christians accepted Islam, in a massive wave of conversions.15
He is critical of modern writers like Karen Armstrong who emphasise the tolerant nature of Islam and its reluctance to impose its beliefs by force.
11 Philip Jenkins, The Lost History of Christianity: the Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Lion, 2008, p 123. 12 Jenkins, p 20. 13 Jenkins, p 124. 14 Jenkins, p 98. 15 Jenkins, p p 97-8.
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In reality, the story of religious change involves far more active persecution and massacre at the hands of Muslim authorities than would be suggested by modern believers in Islamic tolerance. Even in the most optimistic view, Armstrongs reference to Christians possessing full religious liberty in Muslim Spain or elsewhere beggars belief.16 This is his summing up of the devastating effects of this century of persecution:
Oppression and persecution were not integral to Islamic rule; but such conditions could and did develop at particular times, and when they did, they could be devastating. At their worst, we can legitimately compare the conditions of Christians under Islam with that of Jews in contemporary Christian Europe, and the Egyptian campaigns of the fourteenth century look almost identical to contemporary European anti-Semitism. Though Muslim regimes could tolerate other faiths for long periods, that willingness to live and let live did fail at various times, and at some critical points it collapsed utterly. The deeply rooted Christianity of Africa and Asia did not simply fade away through lack of zeal, or theological confusion: it was crushed, in a welter of warfare and persecution.17
2.9 Increasing conversion to Islam Writing about the process of conversion he says, We should probably date the rise of a solid Muslim majority in Egypt to the 9th or 10th centuries, and a hundred years later in Syria and Mesopotamia. Even so, large minorities persisted into the thirteenth century, when we see a decisive movement towards absolute hegemony.18 Some converted to Islam in order to avoid paying the jizya tax and to improve their social standing by adopting the religion of their rulers. Others may have felt that the theological differences between the two faiths were insignificant19.

16 17
Jenkins, p 99. Jenkins, p 100. 18 Jenkins, p 114. 19 See my Islam and the West: conflict, co-existence or conversion?, Paternoster, 1998, chapter 2, Islamic Mission in the Past: persuasion without compulsion?, pp 29-56.
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2.10 The Ottomans For around 400 years the Ottoman Empire covered Asia Minor, the Balkans the whole of the Middle East and North Africa as far as Tunis. In 1453 they captured Constantinople, and in 1529 and 1683 they besieged Vienna but failed to capture it. During these centuries there were still sizeable Christian communities throughout the region; in the 19th century the Ottoman authorities developed the traditional dhimma system into what was called the millet system, which gave Christian communities powers to administer themselves. In this context we can hardly avoid mentioning the Armenian genocide. Jenkins writes:
The modern concept of genocide has its roots in the thoroughly successful movements to eradicate Middle Eastern Christians The decline of Christianity in the Middle East occurred in two distinct phases, two distinct falls. In the first, in what Europeans call the Middle Ages, Christians lost their majority status within what became Muslimmajority nations In the second phase, however, which is barely a century old, Christians have ceased to exist altogether are ceasing to exist as organized communities. We can argue about the causes of that change, whether they can legitimately be described as religious rather than political, but the result was to create a Muslim world that was just as Christian-free as large sections of Europe would be Jew-free after the Second World War. In both instances, the major mechanism of change was the same. For all the reasons we can suggest for long-term decline, for all the temptations to assimilate, the largest single factor for Christian decline was organized violence, whether in the form of massacre, expulsion, or forced migration Although some rulers were more explicitly motivated by religion than others, the Ottomans were often more aggressively anti-Christian than were the original Arab conquerors of the Middle East.20
2.11 W estern imperialism in the M iddle East Napoleons occupation of Egypt between 1798 and 1801 marked the beginning of significant European military and political intervention in the Middle East. Later in the 19th century European nations

20
Jenkins, pp 140-42.
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gained a foothold in the Middle East through trade and by offering loans, and individual countries set themselves up as guardians of the various Christian minorities in the Middle East. It is important to remember that the whole of the Muslim world - with the exception of Arabia, Turkey, Persia and Afghanistan - came under western colonial rule in one form or another in the period between 1800 and 1950. Even in these four countries western governments were actively involved in different ways. Britains involvement in Afghanistan and Persia, for example, were all part of the strategy of keeping Russia out of South East Asia. 2.12 The W ahhabi movement This movement is named after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who developed a strict, puritanical and literalist version of Islam in Arabia before his death in 1791. The Saud family who gained control of the whole of Arabia early in the 20th century adopted this form of Islam, making it in effect the official brand of Islam for the whole country. It has been pointed out that it is an accident of history that the discovery of oil in Arabia and the alliance between the Wahhabis and the Saud family have ensured that this form of Islam, which might otherwise have been confined to one particular isolated area of Arabia, has now been exported all over the world. The preferred name for this movement is Salafi, which comes from the word salaf, referring to the pious ancestors, the first three generations after the Prophet. 2.13 The Arab Nahda What is important to note here is that Syrian Christians were prominent leaders of this movement which began at the end of the 19th Ccntury. Not only did they want to assert a measure of independence for the Arabs over against their Turkish rulers, but they saw Arab nationalism as a way of ensuring escape from the dhimmi status and procuring equality for Christians alongside Muslims. 2.14 The creation of Israel, 1948 Developing as a response to anti-semitism in Eastern Europe and inspired by leaders like Theodore Herzl with his book in 1896 The Jews State, the Zionist movement deliberately sought sponsorship
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and protection from the British government and gained it through the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Thus after Britain was given the Mandate for Palestine after World War II, the Jewish community used the protection of the British to prepare for the establishment of the Jewish state. Avi Shlaim, the Israeli Jewish historian, describes the year of 1948 as
a year of Jewish triumph and Palestinian tragedy In Arabic, 1948 is called al-nakba, the catastrophe. For the Palestinians 1948 did mark the most catastrophic defeat in their protracted fight against the Jewish National Home The trauma of defeat, dispersal, and exile seared itself into their collective memory Many Arabs still view Israel as a bridgehead planted in their midst by Western powers determined to keep Arabs divided and to frustrate their national ambitions.21
2.15 Arab nationalism As championed by Gamal Abd al-Nasser after the coup of the Free Officers in Egypt in 1952, this movement was largely a response to the experience of colonial rule. Men and women across the Arab world, says Eugene Rogan, believed that the Egyptian president had a master plan for unifying the Arab people and leading them to a new age of independence and power.22 One of the reasons for the subsequent decline of Arab nationalism was that it did little or nothing to help the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. 2.16 The Islamic Revolution in Iran, 1979 This was a highly significant development since it was the first time in modern history that Shiites not only took over the government of a Muslim country but created a completely new political system in which the supreme ruler had to be a legal authority. In trying to understand the events that led up to this revolution, its sobering for British people and Americans to be aware of the role that our countries played in the events leading up to this revolution. I wonder how many of us are aware that in 1953 the CIA and MI6 engineered
21 Avi Shlaim, War and Peace in the Middle East: A concise History, Penguin, 1995, pp 22-5. 22 Eugene Rogan, The Arabs: A History, Allen Lane, 2009, p 319.
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a coup which brought down the first democratically elected government in Persia under Mossadeq and brought the Shah back to rule the country.23 At the present time its important to understand that Sunnis in the Gulf and Saudi Arabia are desperately afraid of the new arc of Shiite power developing between Iran, Iraq (where the majority are Shiites), Syria (ruled by Alawites) and Hizbullah in Lebanon. 2.17 American domination in the M iddle East Let me at this point state what seems to most people to be blindingly obvious: America is the one and only super-power in the world today, and has decisive influence in most international bodies like the United Nations. Its policies in the Middle East are largely determined by its own national interests which include the maintenance of its hegemony in the region, its unquestioning support for the state of Israel and safeguarding its main source of oil24. 2.18 Islamism, Islamic Terrorism and the W ar or Terror In teaching and writing about this subject in recent years, I have tried to understand so-called Islamic terrorism as an expression of the anger of Muslims and especially Arabs against the West for its policies in the Muslims world. Thus, while it is necessary to understand the way violence is justified by Muslims on scriptural and theological grounds, it is also necessary for all of us in the West to ask the questions, Why are these people so angry? and Do they have good reason to be angry? Part of the tragedy of the responses to 9/11 especially in the US was that few seemed willing or able to ask these kinds of questions, and governments put all their energies instead into the war on terror.25
See Stephen Kinzer, All The Shahs Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, John Wiley, 2003. 24 See further Robert Fisk, The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East, Fourth Estate, 2005; Rashid Khalidi, Sowing Crisis: the Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East, Beacon, 2009; and Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival: Americas Quest for Global Dominance, Hamish Hamilton, 2003. 25 See my Islamic Terrorism: Is There A Christian Response?, Grove, 2005; and Islam, Islamism and Islamic Terrorism, Cambridge Papers, vol 16, No 2, June 2007, www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge_papers.
23
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2.19 The Arab Spring What we have been witnessing in the last six months is a spontaneous protest against autocratic regimes, police states, corruption, poverty and unemployment. While the main inspiration for these protests has not been religious, committed Muslims in every country have been involved in the protests. Because groups like the Muslim Brotherhood are highly organized with extensive networks, they have been finding ways to take political advantage of the situation. It needs to be said that we are going to be very disappointed if we expect Arab countries to develop suddenly into western-style democracies, and Christians especially must reconcile themselves to the fact that Islam is bound to have quite a significant role in every constitution. I trust also that we are aware that there is a very fierce struggle going on at the moment between moderate Muslims and more extremist Muslims for the leadership of these new governments. Terms like moderate and extremist of course need to be used with great caution and the situation in most countries is much more complex with considerable differences between the different kinds of politically-minded Muslims.26
3. SOME GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
3.1 History is important; attitudes today are affected by 1400 years of difficult relationships When I taught Christian students from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Armenia, Iran and the Sudan at the Near East School of Theology, I had to remind myself constantly that these were people whose forefathers and mothers had lived under the rule of Islam for centuries, and who in some cases (especially the Armenians, Iranians and Sudanese) had not had good experiences of Muslims and Islam. Muslims, for their part, have lived for around thirteen centuries with the assumption that Islam must rule (al-islam la budda an yahkum) and have felt it utterly natural that Muslims should rule
26 See for example The New Islamist Scene in Egypt at http:/Islamists2day-e.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-islamist-scene-in-egypt.html
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over Christians. They have therefore found it very hard to accept the last two centuries in which western (Christian) powers have effectively been ruling over them. 3.2 W e are living with the consequences of the way western powers carved up the M iddle East after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The best explanation that I have found for the significance of these recent developments in the region since the beginning of the 20th C is from a Jordanian-American journalist, Rami Khoury. In an article entitled The Arab Freedom Epic, he writes:
To appreciate what is taking place in the Arab world today you have to grasp the historical significance of the events that have started changing rulers and regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, with others sure to follow. What we are witnessing is the unraveling of the post-colonial order that the British and French created in the Arab world in the 1920s and 30s and then sustained with American and Soviet assistance for most of the last half century The events unfolding before our eyes are the third most important historical development in the Arab region in the past century This is the most important of the three major historical markers because it is the first one that marks a process of genuine self-determination by Arab citizens who can speak and act for themselves for the first time in their modern history. The two other pivotal markers were: first, the creation of the modern Arab state system around1920 at the hands of retreating European colonial powers. Some of them were intoxicated with both imperial power and, on one occasion, with cognac, when they created most of the Arab countries that have limped into the 21st century as wrecks of statehood. The second, the period around 1970-80 when the Euromanufactured modern Arab state system transformed into a collection of security and police states that treated their citizens as serfs without human rights and relied on massive foreign support to maintain the rickety Arab order for decades more. Now we witness the third and most significant Arab historical development, which is the spontaneous drive by millions of ordinary Arabs to finally assert their humanity, demand their rights, and take command of their own national condition and destiny.
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Never before have we had entire Arab populations stand up and insist on naming their rulers, shaping their governance system, and defining the values that drive their domestic and foreign policies this is a revolt against specific Arab leaders and governing elites who implemented policies that have seen the majority of Arabs dehumanized, pauperized, victimized and marginalized by their own power structure; but it is also a revolt against the tradition of major Western powers that created the modern Arab states and then fortified and maintained them as security states after the 1970s.27
3.3 It is almost impossible to separate religion from politics. Christian history began with the crucifixion and the catacombs, but has included Armenia, the first Christian state, Byzantium and European Christendom. So, however hard western Protestants today want to separate church and state, the Constantinian model is part of our history. In Islam an indissoluble link between religion and politics began with the Hijra and the creation of the first Islamic state in Medina, in which, as has been said, Muhammad became his own Constantine. If therefore we ask why so many Muslims seem to be politically motivated, and why many are insistent on the principle of din wa dawla (religion and state), part of the answer must lie in the very origins of Islam with Muhammad being both prophet and statesman.28
3.4 Both Christianity and Islam see themselves as universal, missionary religions If we have our understanding of the missio dei and the Great Commission, Muslims also believe that they have received a revelation from God which is the truth and which they want to share with the
Rami Khouri, The Arab Freedom Epic, in The Daily Star (Beirut), 2 February, 2011. See also David Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace: the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern Middle East, Phoenix, 2003. 28 See the account of the life of the Prophet in William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, Oxford University Press, 1964; and Andrew Kirk, Civilizations in Conflict? Islam, the West and the Christian Faith, Regnum, 2010.
27
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world. This is how Ibn Khaldun, the famous Arab historian in North Africa (who died in 1406), summarized the traditional Muslim understanding of jihad: In the Muslim community, the holy war (jihad) is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the (Muslim) mission and (the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force.29 Both faiths therefore have had to wrestle with the relationship between truth and power and work out different formulae for how to relate the things that are Caesars to the things that are Gods. 3.5 Churches can die One of the many strengths of Jenkins book is the way it reminds us of the fact that the Eastern churches flourished and spread centuries before many of our churches came into existence in Europe, but that many of these churches have experienced severe decline or been completely extinguished. He writes: This older Christian world perished, destroyed so comprehensively that its memory is forgotten by all except academic specialists Theologians seldom address the troubling questions raised by the destruction of churches and Christian communities.30 If in some places the blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the church, in other places and at other times it has been the death of the church. The population of Asia Minor in 1050 was nearly all Christian, but by 1450 Christians were only 10 or 15% of the population. Between 1200 and 1500 the number of Asian Christians fell from 21 million to 3.4 million. It is sobering for us to be reminded that as late as 1900 Christians were still around 11% of the population throughout the whole of the Middle East, and 46% of the Ottoman Empire.31 Jenkins concludes: For practical purposes, Middle Eastern Christianity has, within living memory, all but disappeared as a living force.32

29
Quoted in my Cross and Crescent: Responding to the Challenges of Islam, IVP, 2007, p 330. 30 Jenkins 22-3. 31 Jenkins, p 42. 32 Jenkins, p 7.
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3.6 W e need to separate factors related to Islam from those which have nothing to do with Islam Another strength of Jenkins book is that while he recognises the significant role of pressure - if not persecution - from Muslim authorities which led to the decline of the church, he insists that all the blame cannot be laid on Muslims and Islam: In stressing the role of conflict with Islam, we should not exaggerate the intolerant or militaristic nature of that religion Nothing in Muslim scriptures makes the faith of Islam any more or less likely to engage in persecution or forcible conversion than any other world religion.33 He is at pains to point out the many other factors which contributed to this decline which had nothing whatsoever to do with Islam, such as: the weaknesses of the churches (from theological, cultural and political division, from isolationism, failure to contextualise and association with particular authorities); the general culture of cruelty; climate change and geography; the scape-goating of minorities at times of difficulty; economic hardship; social breakdown; population transfers - emigration and immigration; and, finally, political threats from outside powers and political alliances (like the alliance with the Mongols). 3.7 Some patterns in history repeat themselves Muslims see the foreign policies of the West in recent years which they perceive as the Christian West as a repetition of the pattern of the Crusades in which the Christian West waged war on the Muslim East. Islamist rhetoric has consistently seen the Iraq war and the war against terror as a continuation of the Crusades. Is there not an element of truth in this perception? A second pattern that can be discerned is that, in the words of Jenkins, a church that allied with the wrong nation or faction could make its own position worse as it became identified with the wrong side. This is what happened with those Christians in Mesopotamia and China who came to be seen as tools of the Mongol conquerors.34 A third example is that persecution can sometimes be caused by political

33 34
Jankins, pp 30-1. Jenkins, pp 209-10.
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rather than religious factors, and this pattern may help us to understand some of the present persecution of Christians in the region. This is how Jenkins tries to explain some of the motivation behind the Armenian genocide:
matters deteriorated from the early 19th century, as Muslim societies felt themselves under increasing threat from the Christian West. As so often in history, the persecutors saw their actions as fundamentally defensive in nature, and the sense that a majority community was facing grave threats to its very existence drove them to acts of persecution and intolerance against convenient minorities. And although this certainly does not excuse the later violence, Turkish fears of predatory Christian rivals were by no means an illusion The savagery of Muslim regimes must be understood as a manifestation of the shock and outrage felt at the resistance of peoples they had come to view as natural inferiors The closer the harmony of interests between domestic and foreign enemies, the greater the Turkish hostility to Christian minorities Christians communities within the Turkish Empire looked like a clear and present danger to the survival of Ottoman and Muslim power.35
4. TWO MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIAN RESPONSES TO ISLAM

I want at this point to present a highly original analysis of the different ways that Middle East Christians tend to respond to Islam. George Sabra is a Lebanese Protestant scholar who has been teaching systematic theology at the Near East School of Theology for over twenty years. In an article published in 2006 he seeks to describe and account for two fundamentally different responses that have been evident among Middle Eastern Christians from the beginnings of Islam to the present day.36
Jenkins, p 156-60. George Sabra, Two Ways of Being A Christian in the Muslim Context of the Middle East, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Vol 17, No.1, January 2006, pp 43-53.
35 36
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4.1 The Arab Christian This approach can be summed up in the words avoid estrangement from Muslims at all costs. This was the general reaction of Syrian and Egyptian Christians to the coming of Islam in the first century. Being anti-Byzantine and anti-Chalcedonian, they welcomed the Muslim conquerors as liberators freeing them from the dominion of Byzantium. Christians of this kind today feel more positively inclined towards Islam, and their basic instinct is, Dont antagonise Muslims! They emphasise their Arab identity and history and feel themselves to be part of Islamic civilization. They have always been strong supporters of Arab nationalism, and have often been anti-western (both Anti-European and anti-American). They are strongly antiZionist, and sometimes hate Israel more than they hate Islam. Sabra believes that this Arab Christian response had its hey-day through most of the 20th century, and sees the Greek Orthodox Bishop Georges Khodr as a representative of this view. He suggests that it is now on the wane, having proved with the rise of Islamism to be irrelevant and unrealistic. 4.2 The Eastern Christian This approach can be summed up in the words, Save Middle Eastern Christianity at all costs! This was the response to Islam of the Byzantine Church which felt threatened by Islam over a period of many centuries. For this kind of Christian the only way to maintain their identity as Middle Eastern Christians has been to be connected to a larger form of Christianity as represented, for example, by Byzantium, the Crusaders, Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Churches. Eastern Christians want to distance themselves from everything Islamic, and their central concern is the freedom and integrity of Christian existence in the Middle East. Their primary posture is oriented towards the West and they emphasise their distinctiveness from Arab and Islamic identity. They see the main threat to Christians as not the West, or Israel, but Islam. Sabra sees the most articulate expression of this response in the life and work of Charles Malik, formerly professor of philosophy at
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the American University of Beirut, and later Foreign Minister of Lebanon and Chair of the General Assembly of the United Nations. In response to the criticism that this analysis oversimplifies the issue, Sabra himself would say that any individual Christian can in one situation and at one time adopt the first approach and in another situation at another time adopt the other. But while he sees both tendencies within himself at different times, he believes that one of these responses is stronger in any person than the other and therefore influences their main responses.
5. ISSUES AFFECTING ALL CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Before coming to recognize how the situations for Christians differ in many countries in the region, we note here issues which affect all Christians of every kind throughout the region. 5.1 Identity: who are we? Charles Malik used to ask, Is a Christian Arab possible? Is a Christian Arab culture possible?37 In cultures in which it is assumed that Arab means Muslim, Christians are made to feel that they dont belong. So how do they affirm their identity as Christians? Can they feel that they are part of the history of the Arabs? Can they feel proud to be Egyptian, Syrian or Palestinian Christians? 5.2 The Ghetto mentality I have several times presented Christian students with the text of the Code of Umar and been surprised to find that very few of them have ever seen a text of this kind. But then the penny drops, and they begin to understand their fears and prejudices about Muslims and Islam. A Presbyterian Christian pastor from Assiut in Upper Egypt told me some years ago that it took him twelve years to get permission from the Governorate of his province to repair the toi-

37
Robert Brenton Betts, Christians in the Arab East, Lycabettus Press, Athens, 1978, p xv. 85
lets in his church. A Lebanese Christian once said to me, You know we fear them and despise them at the same time. 5.3 The struggle between Islamists and moderate M uslims Does Al-Qaida represent the most faithful and authentic interpretation of the scriptures, dogma and history of Islam in our present world context today? Or are other Muslims who dissociate themselves totally from that particular Islamist interpretation and who present a much more peaceful and moderate interpretation of Islam nearer to the true spirit of Islam? This is the struggle which is described by John Esposito as the struggle for the soul of Islam.38 5.4 Economic hardship When Middle Eastern Christians are emigrating in thousands to Europe, America and Australia, the main reasons are not religious, but economic. They are certainly conscious of increasing pressure from Islamists in different countries. But the main reason they emigrate is that they cant find work, cant pay their bills for housing, education and medical care, and dont see a great deal of hope for the future. 5.5 American foreign policy I wonder if you can appreciate the bewilderment and disgust felt by almost everyone in the Middle East Muslim and Christian at the spectacle of Benjamin Netanyahu receiving 29 standing ovations from the American Congress during his visit to Washington in May? I therefore feel I must disagree quite strongly with Peter Cotterell and Peter Riddell when they write:
In our view it is not the non-Muslim world that stands at the crossroads, but the Muslim world. Islam has, throughout its history, contained within itself a channel of violence, legitimized by certain passages of the Quran, though put in question by other passages Ultimately it is only the Muslim world that can deal with the roots of the problem, which, in our view, do not lie in Western materialism or nine-

38
John Esposito, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, OUP, 2002, p 28. 86
teenth-century colonialism or American imperialism, but in Islams own history, both distant and recent.39
5.6 Christian Zionism How do Palestinian Christians feel when they learn that there may be as many as between 30 and 50 million evangelical Christians in the US who believe that the Jewish people have a divine right to the land for all time? Christian Zionism has become an enormous stumbling block for the gospel.
6. ISSUES IN INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES

Here we need to underline the point that while there are things that are common for all Christians in the region, every country has a different history, different proportions of Muslims and Christians and a different dynamic in Christian-Muslim relations. Generalizations about Christians and Muslims can be very dangerous. 6.1 Egypt The Coptic community has all the complexes of a ghetto community. In January and February this year, however, Christians protested alongside Muslims in Tahrir Square, and Christians and Muslims held worship services alongside each other. The interim government has already passed legislation making it easier for Christians to build churches. But many Christians are afraid that the 25 January revolution which was largely inspired by nonreligious motives is in the process of being high-jacked by forces close to the old regime (especially the army) and/or certain kinds of Islamists who have their own agenda. It is important, however, to recognise the considerable diversity among Muslims associated with political Islam. For example, The Muslim Brotherhood has created a party to fight the upcoming elections which has a Coptic Christian intellectual as one of its vice-presidents and around 100 Christians among its founder members. If these represent more

39
Peter Riddell and Peter Cotterell, Islam in Conflict: Past, Present and Future, IVP, 2003, pp 7-8. 87
moderate Muslims, they have to be distinguished from the Wahhabi or Salafi Muslims who have a much more extremist political agenda. 6.2 Syria The Assad family who have ruled the country for 40 years come from the Alawite community (an offshoot of Shite Islam) which numbers about 10% of the population. Being a minority community themselves, they have had a special sympathy for the Christian community which is also around 10% of the population. In recent months Christians have faced a cruel dilemma: do they support the government or do they side with the opposition? The majority until now has sided with the government, and it wasnt good news a few weeks ago when we heard that the newly appointed Minister of Defence was a Christian. Sunni Muslims have been taunting Christians in the streets shouting, Alawites to the coffin and Christians to Beirut (il-Alawiyya a-beirut, wal masihiyya a-Beirut). Philip Jenkins is very pessimistic about the prospects for Syrian Christians:
debates over intervention have missed one overwhelming argument, which is the likely religious catastrophe that would follow the overthrow of the admittedly dictatorial government. Any Western intervention in Syria would likely supply the death warrant for the ancient Christianity of the Middle East. For anyone concerned about Christians worldwide even if you firmly believe in democracy and human rights its hard to avoid this prayer: Lord, bring democracy to Syria, but not in my lifetime.40
6.3 Iraq The Christian community in Iraq felt reasonably secure under Saddam Hussein and his secular Arab Nationalist Baathist ideology. In fact Saddam Hussein was once described by an Armenian Christian as the best possible protector of Christians.41 As a result of the war
40 Philip Jenkins, The Death Warrant of Ancient Christianity, www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2011/04/11/death_warrant_of_ancient_christi anity_106234.html 41 Rosemary Hollis, presentation to Christian Contact Group on Islam, Lambeth Palace, May, 2011.
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in Iraq in 2003, Christians have experienced what can only be described as ethnic cleansing. 6.4 Lebanon Lebanon was created in 1920 by the French who took parts of the mountainous areas of Lebanon which were the heartlands of the Maronite Christians and added to them areas to the north and south where Muslims (including both Sunnis and Shiites) were a majority. At the time of its creation the proportion of Christians to Muslims was 6:5, and by setting up an elaborate system of proportional representation (with a Maronite President, a Sunni Prime Minister and a Shiite Speaker), they were able to maintain an uneasy balance with a Christian majority - for some decades. Then the presence of around 300,000 Palestinian refugees upset the balance and the country was plunged into 15 years of civil war from 1975 to 1990. The situation of Christians in Lebanon has therefore been unique and they have felt that this was the only country in the region in which Christians could feel secure as a community and be politically involved. But the decreasing numbers of Christians and the increase in the power and influence of Hizbullah have made Christians feel very much less secure, and they have the feeling that their country has been turned into the battleground of the Middle East.42 6.5 Israel/Palestine Many who speak on behalf of the Christian community in Israel/Palestine say that Muslims and Christians stand shoulder to shoulder because they face exactly the same pressures from the continuing illegal occupation. The real situation, however, is probably more complex. One Palestinian Christian said to me once, We feel like the falafel in the sandwich, caught between the extremist Muslims on the one hand and extremist Jews on the other. 6.6 Algeria Roman Catholic missionaries and their many different institutions played a very significant role during most of the 19th and 20th centu-

42
See David Hirst, Beware of Small States: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East, Faber 2010. 89
ries, and this witness and service continued, although in a drastically reduced form, after Independence and even after the civil war in the 1990s. There has been remarkable church growth in the last fifteen years or so, and it is estimated that there may be as many as 20,000 to 40,000 Algerians, mostly Berbers, who have become Christians. Some of these have sought official recognition for their churches from the government, while others have felt that the price they would have to pay for official government recognition would be too high. 6.7 Sudan For many decades Sudanese Christians in the South felt that they had been on the receiving end of a deliberate policy of Arabisation and Islamisation from the government in Khartoum. They were therefore ecstatic about the creation of an independent South Sudan on 9 July. At the same time the Christians from the South who have been living in the North because of two decades of civil war are fearful that the government may want to impose sharia law and make their situation as Christians very much harder. In recent months Christians in the Nuba Mountains in the southern part of the North have been appealing desperately for help because of what they see as a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by the government, similar to what happened in Darfur.
7. CRUCIAL QUESTIONS FACING MIDDLE EASTERN CHRISTIANS TODAY
7.1 W hat can stop the numerical decline of Christianity in the M iddle East? If emigration is possible and comparatively easy, what is there to encourage Christians to stay rooted in the region? If you cant find employment, educate your children and pay for medicine; if you are fearful of your present government being replaced by an Islamist government of some kind, and if you have a green card because you have relatives who have emigrated and settled and feel secure in the US, why dont you go and join them? When I gave this paper at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in
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July, Munther Ishaq, a Palestinian Christian lecturer at Bethlehem Bible college and doctoral student at OCMS, suggested that the best way to encourage them to stay is to give them a sense of mission and help them to see what they can contribute to the life of the countries of the region. 7.2 W hat kind of constitution will enable Christians to feel secure? What is the new constitution of Egypt likely to say about the role of Islam in the constitution and laws of the country? Will it be the sole source of legislation or a source ? Some Egyptian Islamists have been saying publicly for some years that if and when they get into power, they want to reinstate the dhimma system and make Christian Copts pay the jizya tax. Other Muslims have said that the dhimma system should be consigned to the cupboard of history and insist that Christians and Muslims must be equal as fellowcitizens.43 The confessional system in Lebanon has until now guaranteed the security of the Christian community. But with the decrease in the proportion of Christians to around 35% of the population and the increasing power of Hizbullah, can the security of the Christian community be secured by the constitution? 7.3 Can Christians ever be involved politically? It is encouraging to notice that some Christians in Egypt have felt that they now have new opportunities to be involved. In an email from Egypt in the summer, the Egyptian director of the Alexandria School of Theology wrote, Christians are now much more active evangelistically, socially and politically. An ordained American Presbyterian OT lecturer at the Coptic Evangelical Seminary in Cairo preached at an evangelical church in Cairo early in February during the Revolution on texts from Jeremiah including the letter to the exiles in chapter 29. After an incredibly enthusiastic response
43 See Mohammed Talbi in Christian-Muslim Encounter in the Middle East, in Middle East Perspectives, Middle East Council of Churches, July-August 1985, p 10; and article about Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/world/middleeast/19egypt.html?_r=1&pa gewanted=1&ref=global-home
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from the congregation after the service, she wrote: I was amazed that the church here, whose pietistic (and fearful) isolationism has driven me crazy in the past, is now starting to engage in integrated reflection about public life and civic responsibility Christian hope means a vision for society, for Gods will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 7.4 How should Christians relate to Islamists and moderate M uslims? Its comparatively easy, of course, to have dialogue with moderate Muslims and many Christians feel they want to strengthen the hands of the moderates in their struggles with the extremists. If it seems impossible to have dialogue with Islamists who are committed to violent jihad, we need to be challenged by the example of people like Brother Andrew: he shocked many of his supporters in 1998 when he visited the Hamas leaders who had been expelled by Israel and were camping out in tents during the winter on the mountains in southern Lebanon, and has on several occasions visited Hamas leaders in Gaza.44 Similarly Sami Awad of the Holy Land Trust has worked closely with some Hamas leaders, exploring with them the principles of non-violent resistance.45 7.5 W hats the future for Israel/Palestine? I continue to believe that this conflict lies at the heart or very near the heart of many of the problems of the Middle East. Everything in the region is inter-connected, and I dare to believe that a peaceful and just solution to this conflict would go a long way towards reducing the anger of many Arabs and many Muslims towards the West. When Barak Obama became president, I felt a certain optimism based on his declared statements of intent about addressing the issues. At present, however, I have little confidence that he or the US is able or willing to play the role of peace-maker. Will the recent Palestinian request to the UN for recognition as a nation force the US to use its veto in the Security Council and therefore

44
See Brother Andrew and Al Jansen, Light Force: the only hope for the Middle East, Open Doors International, 2005. 45 www.holy land trust
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contribute to its isolation? Will Britain abstain, as it is expected to? Even if a Palestinian state is recognised, how will it deal with Israels occupation? I have to confess that I dont feel very optimistic. 7.6 Can Protestant Christianity ever be deeply rooted in the M iddle East? One of the reasons why Christianity virtually disappeared from North Africa following the Islamic conquests was that it had not become deeply rooted all over the country and its membership and leadership were largely foreign. Some (but not all) Protestant churches in the Middle East today look like carbon copies of the western churches which planted them and exist almost on a financial life-support machine. The Eastern churches look thoroughly contextualized although some would argue that the contextualization process got stuck in the 5th century. Is it conceivable that some Protestant churches could wither away in the same way that the churches did in North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries? 7.7 W hat role can the world church play? Here I want to make the specific point that among evangelical Christians world-wide Christian Zionism of some kind is probably the majority view. So, the majority of evangelical Christians all over the world probably have an instinctive sympathy for the state of Israel, seeing it as the fulfilment of biblical promises and prophecies.46 My challenge to Christian Zionists goes like this: Do you understand the political implications of this theology and can you to try to appreciate the enormous problems that it creates for Christians in the Middle East and for their witness to both Jews and Muslims?
46 See Stephen Sizer, Dispensational Approaches to the Land, in P. Johnston and P. Walker, eds., The Land of Promise: biblical, theological and contemporary perspectives, Apollos, 2000, pp 142-171; and Christian Zionism: Road-map to Armageddon?, IVP, 2004; and Zions Christian Soldiers: the Bible, Israel and the church, IVP, 2007.
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7.8 W hat are the most effective forms of Christian witness schools, hospitals, development, advocacy, dialogue, media, or Bible distribution? A former Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem used to describes the institutions of the diocese including schools and hospitals as the arms and legs of the church. In Egypt the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) has developed a wide range of development projects over many decades which are all serving the whole community of both Muslims and Christians. In recent years Christians have discovered a new boldness through imaginative and creative use of media including radio, literature distribution, satellite television and the internet.47 7.9 Can we look forward to an increasing number of M uslims becoming disciples of Jesus? It is an understatement to say that life is often very difficult for Muslims who turn to Christian faith or to any other kind of faith. They are regarded as apostates who, according to all the four major schools of Islamic law, forfeit the right to life. There is some heartsearching in some Muslim circles on this issue. But it may take a long time before the traditional Muslim mind can embrace Article 18 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. I am usually cautious when I hear statistics quoted of the number of Muslims who have become disciples of Jesus in different countries in recent years. But there can be no doubt at all that there has been remarkable church growth in areas of Algeria, and that considerable numbers of Iranians, both inside and outside Iran, have come to Christian faith. Some who follow particular approaches to contextualization, like those associated with the Insider Movement and with the Common Ground approach, claim that in Egypt, for example, many thousands of Muslims have professed faith - even if secretly. Some scholars have coined the term Islamic Christianity
47 Some examples of Christian ministry in the Middle East: Bible Lands; Middle East Media; SAT-7; FEBA; Bible Society of Egypt; the Amos Trust.
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to describe this phenomenon,48 and I know of an American educator in Israel who is writing a doctorate on this subject. In 1918 Samuel Zwemer wrote a book with the title The Disintegration of Islam. If it is understandable that such a book could be written in that context at the end of the First World War, its inconceivable that a book with this title could be written at the beginning of the 21st century. But should we be praying and working for the time when larger numbers of Muslims will come to see that Jesus is more than a prophet and experience less opposition from Muslim communities?
8. CONCLUSION

The title of this lecture was probably far too ambitious! This really is big picture stuff! Weve tried to cover twenty centuries of history and see how history, politics and religion are inter-related. Were up against deeply theological questions like, How should Christians think about Islam? and How do we understand the existence of Islam within the providence of God? At the same time weve been thinking about the very practical questions of how Middle Eastern Christians should respond to the Arab Spring. I feel deeply challenged and humbled by the task of trying to understand this complex history and to see how an understanding of this history can help Christians in the acute dilemmas they face today. We can of course take comfort from the promise of Jesus who said to Peter after his confession, You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) We dare not forget, however, that churches have died in the Middle East in the past and, some would say, are in dan48 See, for instance, Duane Alexander Miller, Reappropriation: An Accommodationist Hermeneutic of Islamic Christianity, in St Francis Magazine, Vol 5, No.3, June 2009, pp 3-36, and his paper Woven in the Weakness of the Changing Body: the Genesis of World Islamic Christianity, presented at the Coming to Faith in Christ 2 consultation in Buckinghamshire, England, in February of 2010, available online at www.scribd.com/doc/48641012/Duane-a-Miller-Genesis-of-World-IslamicChristianity.
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ger - for a variety of reasons - of dying today. If we dont know our history, theres a danger that we will repeat the worst parts of our history and make the same mistakes again. At the same time we can rejoice that in some of the churches in the Middle East today there are real signs of hope as individuals and whole communities wake up to the opportunities to be salt and light in their society and to bear witness to the gospel. Some outside observers like William Dalrymple and Philip Jenkins are quite pessimistic about the future of Christianity in the Middle East. I personally want to be as realistic as they are, but do not feel as pessimistic as they do. My own engagement with Middle Eastern Christians over many years makes me much more hopeful that Christians, however small their numbers, will continue to be a creative minority in this troubled and strategic region of the world where the Word was made flesh.
B.J. Bailey & J.M. Bailey, Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?, Eerdmans, 2003 Richard Bell, The Origin of Islam in its Christian Environment, Macmillan, 1928 Robert Benton Betts, Christians in the Arab East: A Political Study, Lycabettus Press, Athens, 1978 Colin Chapman, Whose Promised Land?, Lion, 2002 Whose Holy City?, Lion, 2004 Islamic Terrorism: Is There A Christian Response?, Grove Books, 2005 Islam, Islamism and Islamic Terrorism, Cambridge Papers, vol 16, No 2, June 2007 www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge_papers Kenneth Cragg, The Arab Christian: A History in the Middle East, Mowbray, 1992 William Dalrymple, From the Holy Mountain: a journey in the shadow of Byzantium, Harper Collins, 1997 Robert Fisk, The Great War for Civilization: the Conquest of the Middle East, Fourth Estate, 2005
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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David Fromkin, A Peace to End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East, Phoenix, 2000 Hugh Goddard, A History of Christian-Muslim Relations, Edinburgh University Press, 2000 Sidney H. Griffith, The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque: Christians and Muslims in the World of Islam, Princeton University Press, 2008 Jean-Marie Gaudeul, Encounters and Clashes: Islam and Christianity in History, vol 1. Survey, Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, Rome, 2000 Roger Hardy, The Muslim Revolt: A Journey Through Political Islam, Hurst, 2010 David Hirst, Beware of Small states: Lebanon, Battleground of the Middle East, Faber, 2010 Philip Jenkins, The Lost History of Christianity: the Thousand-year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Harper, and Lion, 2008 Hugh Kennedy, The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 2007 Rashid Khalidi, Sowing Crisis: the Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East, Beacon, 2009 Stephen Kinzer, All the Shahs Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, Wiley, 2003 Osama Makdisi, Faith Misplaced: the Broken Promise of US-Arab Relations, 1820-2001, Public Affairs, 2010 Arno J. Mayor, Plowshares into Swords: From Zionism to Israel, Verso, 2008 Eugene Rogan, The Arabs: A History, Allen Lane (Penguin), 2009 Avi Shlaim, War and Peace in the Middle East: A Concise History, 1995 Ben White, Israeli Apartheid: A Beginners Guide, Pluto, 2009 Bat Yeor, The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians Under Islam, Associated University Presses, 1985 The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam: from Jihad to Dhimmitude, AUP, 1996

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BOOK REVIEW OF: STEVEN PINKER, BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE: WHY VIOLENCE HAS DECLINED (VIKING PENGUIN, 2011)
By Joe Walch
But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. --The Federalist, No. 51, James Madison
This is easily one of the best books of 2011, and I suppose it must already be earmarked as a Pulitzer finalist. Its about violence, but so much more than that since it strikes at the very core of human nature, the human condition, government, economics, and moral philosophy. Stephen Pinker starts with a simple premiseproving the decline of violence in modern times. This apparently is so controversial to some that he meticulously plots the decline of violence with great historical and statistical detailthis is the descriptive what that Dr. Pinker illustrates in the first 2/3rds of the book. The writing is absorbing even if it rings a mildly irreverent tone that betrays a subtle anti-religious bias (especially vis--vis politicoreligious violence of the Roman Catholic and Old Testament societieshe was a roommate of Harold Bloom after all and is a dedicated humanist) that includes some humorous satire and contemporary references to lighten the mood of such a grim topic. Indeed, his graphic descriptions of torture, rape, suffering and grotesque sadism are enough for even the most macabre minds. Stephen Pinker is a true evolutionary scientist who is adroit in the heuristic of categorization and you can find lists, and lists of lists to aid in understanding the narrative he describes. For example, the declining trend of violence is broken down into these historical themes: 1) The Pacification Processour evolution from hunter/ gatherers into political, agrarian societies. 2) The Civilizing Processincluding the consolidation of feudal economies into larger kingdoms and empires with central authority, trade and economic specialization.
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3) The Humanitarian Revolution17th and 18th century that marked the period that included the Age of Reason and the European Enlightenment 4) The Long Peacea result of a Kantian trifecta of 1) Democracy, 2) Trade and 3) International organizations 5) The New Peacearising out of a U.S. led post-cold war globalized world 6) The Rights Revolutionsexhibited a more finely filtered intolerance of violence on smaller scales that included violence against minorities, women, children, and animals. Within these historical themes we see five major historical forces that helped snuff out violence: 1) The Leviathanthis includes a Hobbesian social contract which grants to the state a full monopoly on the use of violence from within 2) Gentle Commerceclosely connected to #4 this force increases economic incentives for cooperation 3) Feminizationresults in a decline of authoritarian/patriarchal based societies and the empowerment of women as intellectual equals who tend to be more risk-averse and less violent 4) The Expanding Circlefrom a mixture of globalization, commerce, and increased access to information this purportedly increased sympathy and helped usher in the Rights revolution that even extended to animals 5) The Escalator of Reasonleading to higher levels of intelligence and emotional empathy in conjunction with more sophisticated foundations for managing moralized concerns in favor of the flourishing of all humanity The second part of the book is what really interests me: it seeks to elaborate the psychological factors that dictate our behavior depending on their interplay with our environment and circumstance. Here the statistical reasoning is a little more squishy and correlational residuals are not quite as well characterizedperhaps leading to creeping conformational bias. Put aside these minor critiques of this part of the book, and the writer shows great ability to marshal data from such varied fields of study as anthropology, economics
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(including game theory), social psychology and cognitive neuroscience, and to build it into a coherent and powerful explanation of the decline of violence. Factors that influence violence are broken down into two categories of human nature: demons that incite to violence and angels that slacken the thirst for blood. The demons include the primal urge to dominance, revenge, sadism including the banality of evil, and ideologically driven moralized violence. On the other side of the ledger are qualities such as empathy (or more importantly sympathy - Dr. Pinker distinguishes the two), self-control, our moral sense and reason. Here, the meat of the book can be found in the chapters on the moral sense. Stephen Pinker adapts from the ethics, moral foundations, and relational models of moral reasoning of other people like Shweder, Haidt, and Fiske. First, to understand the psychology of moral reasoning (as opposed to objective moral truth itself), we are to understand that moralized beliefsare more than just the avoidance of something distasteful, but are a distinctive mode of thinking about an action. Thus, moralized beliefs are universalized (should apply to everybody), actionable and punishable. These beliefs spring from relationships since, in Pinkers view, evolution acted upon the population and there is no such thing as a philosophically independent human being. Moralized norms generally include relationships, a context (at home, in the street, at church, at work, at the beach, etc.), and are centered around a resource (information or knowledge, food, money, land, sex, labor, etc.). These relationships upon which socioeconomic moral reasoning is based are divided into 4 categories: 1) Communal Sharingthe most basic tribal foundation for moral reasoning emphasizing in-group loyalty, also includes sacred or pure values that are shared within a group and reinforced through rituals and periodic but specific contextual references. 2) Authority Rankinge.g., military, paternalistic, totalitarian/fascist, divine right etc. 3) Equality Matchinggifts, tit-for-tat, first relational moralized norm to recognize individual autonomy, fairness, and reciprocal altruism 4) Market Pricing/Rational-legalmuch more complex rela-
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tional model of morality that incorporates universal ethical principles, a high level of individual rights, rule-of-law, social contract orientation,; it requires a high level of literacy and numeracy along with a grasp of information technology and access to data on price, costs, benefits, risks, alternatives, etc. As an explanation of the basis of moralized norms this seems quite well-developed and accurate. As I read through this chapter, the current debate over the allocation of scarce health care resources came to mind as a good illustration of this relational model of moral reasoning. The argument is usually centered on the diametric poles of the relational models between communal sharing of universalized health care to a rational-legal/market pricing model. Here again we see that moralized norms require more than facile affirmation of one or the other relational model since the specific contexts and resources are important. Which relational model should be employed in the state of emergency, or when the resource is a human organ in which a dead individual does not benefit, or when the allocation of the resource in the community, is considered a sacred good such as the right to life-sustaining medicine. Personally, I see a need for a hybrid system that protects sacred values of life, and the protection of the vulnerable (e.g. the elderly and children). This would include market-pricing and equalitymatching for preventative or non-emergent care, should the patient choose this,respecting the autonomy of the patient to make the most rational choice given the risks, costs, benefits, and alternatives. The difficulty with market-based health care is just like the difficulty of running a democracy that has a market-based/equality-matching system:it is only functional for the government of a citizenry that is based on the moral foundation of reciprocal altruism and a rationallegal system of checks and balances. Like a functioning democracy, a market-based health care system requires high literacy and numeracy rates as well as the dissemination of pricing/cost information (something that the AMA has consistently blocked by restricting access to ICT coding for purposes of pricing across hospitals, specialties and regions). This leads to corruption in which supposed medical principles (e.g., doctors and hospitals who have a fiduciary and moral duty to remain financially disinterested in patient deci-
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sions) have the ability to obfuscate their own cost and market prices. With these established cartels, it's not difficult to enrich oneself by choking off a few grains of sand at strategic locations in the billionsdollar health care economy. In this model, there is no difference between the orthopedic surgeon recommending back surgery (that evidence from the Dartmouth ATLAS study shows actually does more harm than good) and the Goldman Sachs executives who traded in collateralized debt obligations, in which they 1) controlled the price through financial cartels, and 2) were at the same time shorting (had proprietary knowledge that they were bad investments and thus were insuring at low cost against loss of these supposed AAA-rated investments). Some favor total universalization of health care based on moral norms. However, I simply think this ancient hunter-gatherer communal-based economy is insufficient for the maximization of public good by actually rationing health care resources away from those who by definition need them most (e.g., through price controls and misallocation of scarce resources). Other industrialized nations have atavistic central rationing of health care as a vestigial throwback to the devastation of the post-WWII days when virtually every single resource was rationed (e.g., labor, currency, food, shelter, etc.). However, this is not sufficient rationale for a complex and advanced economy like the U.S. to regress to the communal-sharing model of health care delivery. Finally, Stephen Pinker is an evolutionary psychologist and a progressive, and here his confirmation bias shines through quite strongly in my view. Much has been made of the Flynn effect that claimed that IQs are actually increasing as people today are evolving on an organic and biological level to be more intelligent than those of just a few decades ago. I and not quite persuaded by the data just yet. Furthermore, there is an assumption that modern western elites who exert social control are currently and likely to continue in the progressive beneficial model; this may be a bit too optimistic. The utility of some form of the Hobbesian social contract for the government monopoly of violence and justice is pretty clearly established by Dr. Pinker. However, caution is warranted in todays modern age when fewer and fewer of our best-and-
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brightest sociopolitical/cultural prophets can do increasingly greater damage. This is a view that Pinker seems to acknowledge; but he dismisses this line of thinking by citing historical data that the introduction of nuclear weapons or other WMD are uncorrelated residuals in the decline of violence. However historical data do not necessarily determine future relationships between the concentration of greater technical power into the increasingly fewer hands of elite social engineers and the decline of violence. With the exception of those minor critiques, I am sure this book will contribute greatly to our cultural understanding of the psychology of violence and, by extention, peace. The ideas found here will no doubt be debated everywhere from college bowl sessions up to the halls of congress. This can only be a good thing since the overriding theme of the book is a very well-qualified optimism for the flourishing of humanity.
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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 1 | February 2012

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 1 | February 2012

St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 1 | February 2012

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BUSINESS AS MISSION TASK FORCE REPORT FOR INTERSERVE1 1. Terms of Reference

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6. Analysis of the Current Situation

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