Let’s face it, “evangelism” is broken. There are a few reasons why I say this, but let’s start with the fact that we are treating evangelism as an afterthought, or at best a part time job. Sharing the good news about Jesus’ gift should be our primary focus, but instead we allow ourselves to be consumed by the cares of the world. Those who are successful may be donating to the church so others can witness for them… others may be living the life we were intended to live in the country but without many interactions to witness… while others may be placing evangelism first and struggling financially.
There has to be a solution to this.
“Methods to Be Improved—There must be no fixed rules; our work is a progressive work, and there must be room left for methods to be improved upon. But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, unity must and will be preserved.”
Review & Herald, July 23, 1895
This should be an exciting challenge for entrepreneurs, we have it in our DNA to solve problems with solutions. And that is what we at Advent Ventures have set out to do. Solve the unsustainability of full time evangelism.
“Some of the methods used in this work will be different from the methods used in the past, but let no one, because of this, block the way by criticism”
Testimonies for the Church (7T 25.1)
The answer can only be found if we rethink how we see evangelism and business.
“You have felt that business is business, religion is religion, but I tell you that these cannot be divorced… You are not to put asunder that which God has joined—business and religion.”
Manuscript Releases, vol. 19 (19MR 17.1)
“Religion and business are not two separate things; they are one.”
Christ's Object Lessons (COL 349.3)
We have been looking at it all wrong! We have been trying to think how we can run a business and have time for ministry when we should have understood that our business is our ministry.
What is Missional Entrepreneurship?
- Full-Time Ministry: It’s full-time, not just free-time.
- Professional: We follow best practices, no hodge podge.
- Collaborative: All talents. Besides pastors and foreign missionaries.
- Profitable: It must generate a profit in order to be scalable.
What is our intent for success in Business
We understand that the true purpose of entrepreneurship is to not just focus on profit, but to help and bless people sustainably & scalably and thus experience and share God’s character of unselfish love.
Advent Ventures is aligned in this mission and believes the primary focus for running a business should not be to acquire wealth, it should be to create an opportunity to interact with others in order to demonstrate the character of Christ. We should find methods of gaining access to people who may otherwise not be reached by the gospel in a meaningful way.
“Invent some way of becoming acquainted with the people...”
The Upward Look (UL 171.6)
“I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”
1 Corinthians 9:22-23
“As he worked at his trade, the apostle had access to a class of people that he could not otherwise have reached.”
The Acts of the Apostles (AA 351.3)
We can learn a lesson here. Find a group of people we want to reach, use our entrepreneurial lens to identify a problem they have and then through the leading of the Holy Spirit create a solution to not only solve that problem but also do it in a way where we earn trust and form genuine connections.
Business as a Demonstration of Faith
It is important to remember that we are not launching companies to get rich or even to put food on the table… God has shown us that He will provide for all of our needs when we put our faith in Him. We read the story of Elijah...
“So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.”
1 Kings 17:5-6
We cannot let the success of business remove our dependency on our Creator. May we also always have before us a sense of urgency for the times we are living in. We must not allow the trappings of business to remove us from our primary commitment.
“We have no time now to give our energies and talents to worldly enterprises. Shall we become absorbed in serving the world, serving ourselves, and lose eternal life and the everlasting bliss of heaven? Oh, we cannot afford to do this! Let every talent be employed in the work of God.”
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9 (9T 104.2)