BUSINESS WITH A MISSION PRACTICE IN YWAM
STATEMENT AND GUIDANCE
Business With A Mission (BWAM) is a network of the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) family who are committed to know God and make Him know through business.
Business as mission (BAM) is a growing mission strategy in the world today that seeks to bring positive spiritual, economic, social and environmental transformation to the least, the last and the lost. BWAM simply means YWAMers that are doing BAM.
BWAMers live out their missionary service in YWAM through business; the business is their ministry. They fully participate in the YWAM movement and are led by the 18 YWAM Values and 7 BWAM Values.
Business With A Mission is just one avenue that God is using in YWAM to accelerate the completion of the Great Commission and to demonstrate the Greatest Commandment. BWAM goes beyond conducting business in a godly or ethical way, or even doing business to generate finances to fund other kinds of ministry, although these are commendable. Rather, BWAM is intentional about integrating our mission with our business. While profitability and excellent business standards should be foundations of any sustainable business – and will be an outcome of BWAM – they are not our end goal. Our primary motivation is to start and build businesses that have clear missional goals. A BWAM business is a sustainable business with a missional focus.
Our missional goals will include:
Evangelism and Frontier Missions – businesses that enable us to share the gospel in word and deed, creating the context to build relationships and establish credible and sustainable roles in a community.
Mercy Ministries – businesses that create jobs with dignity, that fight poverty and injustice, and enable communities to flourish.
Training – businesses, training courses and business incubators that model and teach how to be disciples of Jesus in the business sphere.
GUIDANCE FOR THOSE DOING BWAM:
- BWAMers are led by the 18 YWAM Values and 7 BWAM Values.
- BWAMers pursue good relationship, connection and accountability with YWAM Circles and the BWAM Circle.
- BWAMers take time to establish an understanding about how their business ministry will work alongside existing YWAM entities in their location (using the Memo of Understanding (MOU) as a recommended tool).
- BWAMers are encouraged to connect and learn from others in the BWAM Circle, through BWAM Summits, BWAM Fruitful Practices, and BWAM Resource Hubs, and additional BWAM teaching resources and case studies available online.
