Business as Mission and the Church: Unleashing the Power of the Congregation in the Marketplace

This report addresses the historical, theological, structural, and cultural barriers that often prevent the local church from fully engaging with and supporting "business as mission" (BAM). The document argues that for too long, a "sacred-secular divide" has artificially elevated traditional pastoral or missionary roles while treating the daily work of business professionals as inherently less spiritual or entirely secular. To counter this, the authors advocate for a robust theology of work rooted in the "creation mandate" of Genesis, positioning wealth creation—when guided by Christian ethics—as a holy calling and an essential component of God's redemptive plan for human flourishing. To bridge the gap between the "church gathered" (Sunday worship) and the "church scattered" (Monday-Saturday work life), the report outlines specific recommendations and case studies from around the world. It challenges church leadership to adopt a "pastoral equipping contract," where the primary role of the institutional church is to prepare, commission, and empower its members to act as everyday missionaries within their respective workplaces. Ultimately, the report serves as a call to action for the global church to recognize the unique capability of businesses to achieve a "quadruple bottom line" of economic, social, environmental, and spiritual transformation, especially among the world's most vulnerable populations.