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God Is at Work: Transforming People and Nations Through Business

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My wife,Debby, and I were at an Alliance Defense Fund conference at Sedona, AZ, having breakfast with other ADF supporters. The conversation turned to poverty and I started giving ideas from a book I was reading by a popular economist who hangs out with Bono and predicted an end to world poverty in 20 years if we just give a bit more, and in a smarter way, to poor countries. The older gentleman sitting next to me said, "That's completely wrong!" and started to explain how much America has given with such poor results.

Of course, I'm not one to be put off, so I said (as the famous economist had said) that America hadn't really given nearly as much as was committed and as I started to explain, the gentleman more loudly said, "That's completely wrong!!" Then he spoke for about ten minutes, explaining how capitalism without a foundation of moral stability (such as the new Russia) almost always fails. I had to agree with that. Then he spoke about how just learning the rules of business isn't enough, how people who have their hearts changed by a relationship with Jesus do so much better in capitalism. I had to agree with that too.

Till he was done talking, I'd completely refuted everything I'd previously said and was agreeing with him wholeheartedly, knowing how dopey that made me look. As he wound down, he looked at me and said, "Sorry I got so enthusiastic there, I've just written a book on the subject and am pretty excited about it."

Debby and I laughed and laughed as we remembered the situation, as did the others at the table. Me just plodding along, trying to explain the situation to a world expert. Oh well, at least it's not boring being me.

As I read the book written by my breakfast companion, Ken Eldred, I was amazed by both his background and the fundamental shift in world missions he predicts. He examines the model of traditional missionaries, looking at the high cost, the number of countries where they are not welcome and how there are often hard feelings by locals about rich foreigners living in their area with no visible means of support. I've struggled with these problems regarding traditional missions as well. He also notes the sense of diminishing returns from traditional missions.

On the other hand, almost every country wants economic development. He postulates that businesses run by Christians can affect an incredible numbers of lives. These Kingdom businesses work toward a triple bottom line: profits and sustainability; local jobs and wealth creation; and advancing local church and building spiritual capital (honesty, service, excellence, respect, commitment, value, trust, loyalty and quality). These Kingdom businesses may be tiny one-person operations or huge companies, but this important trend could be one of the greatest mission endeavors ever. He outlines the many ways business people can be involved in this type of work. I'm excited about how I might join in this trend, in some capacity or another, and think anyone else thinking about these issues would benefit by reading this book.

This book offers a new platform for people who care about the future of the developing world. Ken Eldred spells out why business is the solution for many of the developing world's ailments. Not just business, but Godly and truly Christian business, which will help transform those cultural attitudes and values that represent both barriers to economic growth and chains to poverty.

Time-proven concepts like honesty, integrity, and fair dealings are vital to business success in a free market economy. There are cultures and attitudes-both in the developing world and in the West-that are real hindrances to economic success. The author makes the case for those business people with deeply-held values and "renewed minds" taking the initiative in changing those cultural beliefs-at the individual, company, and industry level. Eldred presents examples where Christian business people inspired by their personal faith are doing just that, even in some of the most underdeveloped parts of the world. He also reviews the history of business people pursuing spiritual and economic transformation around the globe.

I am a venture capitalist who's always looking for ways business can help change lives. Yes, as the author presents quite convincingly, business itself has redeeming value when it deals honestly and provides useful goods and services for one's fellow man. However, the concept of "Kingdom business" presented in this book goes a step further by considering the spiritual transformation that business people with a personal faith can promote. Eldred describes three different "Kingdom business" approaches ranging from developing microenterprises to establishing larger ventures, each most suitable for a different stage in an economy's development. After traveling and working with ministers and business people in more than 50 countries, I believe this book is a Godsend for those trying to make a difference. Very compelling and inspiring!

Every once in a while, an idea or an individual comes along that changes the playing field, the rules of the game, the expected outcomes, or a little of it all. God Is At Work has the potential for such an impact.

I read this book in tandem with "Why Globalization Works" by Martin Wolf. The "co-reading" had a unique effect. I felt like Wolf was doing the best job I had read yet of being realistic in his assessment of the free market's potential in emerging markets, given the various undeniable and constraining dynamics at work in those places --- be it infrastructure, tariffs, corruption, education, etc. Then I was opening up GIAW and reading very similar things yet in ways that coupled an understanding of how the spiritual world was relevant as well.

The immediate impression was that GIAW was obviously not written by surmising Christian business hacks. This book had serious weight and knew its stuff. To me this was very refreshing as I am an admitted skeptic of Christian culture trying to photocopy yet one more secular realm --- from self help, to Christian music, to Christian novels, to Christian movies, now to Christian business.

These were my key impressions...

1) Few people really address well the "corruption tax" of developing nations ... GIAW nailed it. De Soto quantifies it in "Mystery of Capital" (to some extent), but GIAW got to the heart with the concept of "spiritual capital" which I found to be absolutely profound.

2) Few people really address well the concept that for business to succeed in emerging markets there has to be reformation in every corner of society --- cultural, spiritual, political, and the underlying economics. Of the works I've read, most people hone in on the last two --- I think because there afraid to attempt the first and don't know where to begin on the second (because they probably honestly don't count it).

3) The clarification of differences between business as missions, business for missions, etc was terrific and much needed. I think things can get fuzzy in this corner and some of the practical application points might need further fleshing out, but in general, the value of business as a mission in and of it self desperately needed to be clarified among Christians. Again, GIAW nailed this.

4) My one hang-up was the terminology "kingdom business". It probably really boils down to semantics and my previously noted "resistance" to Christianity's persistent need to clarify its Christian intent. On the flip side, there is the need to distinguish the characteristics of the business model proposed by GIAW from that pursued by most "secular" business people, so a title or nomenclature is probably required.

I hope this will be a breakthrough for the thousands of Christian businesspeople who have longed to know how they can contribute and who have felt on the short end of the very real, yet very wrong spiritual totem pole. I hope the church embraces the thinking, and that in the long term the game changes in ways that will elevate the impact of this and future generations of believers.

This is easily the best book I have ever read on missions, marketplace ministries, and using business as a vehicle to extend the Kingdom of God. In the church business people are often treated as second class citizens whose calling in life is not really "spiritual." Eldred himself was tormented by guilt in his early Christian years for loving business. The teaching he listened to in church implied that if you were serious about God you would become a minister. After a great deal of study, church experience, incredible success in business and world travel, Eldred saw the value of business in extending the Kingdom of God and building the church. Unfortunately many church leaders persist in supporting an outdated method of missions that can cost thousands of dollars to produce a single convert, while ignoring the tremendous potential of the business people and business leaders sitting in their pews every Sunday. Eldred show how to unleash this vast reserve of unused energy in the church. God at Work is not a theoretical book. Eldred has started companies that are making a significant difference in their communities, and he chronicles the stories of others who are doing the same. This is a revolutionary book. Every pastor and business person should read it. In our church it is required reading for anyone who wants to serve in missions or on the missionary committee.

This is THE book for any Christian businessperson who wants more than fluff when it comes to the issue of resolving the connections between faith and work. This is also the book for any clergyman who is serious about serving his flock and advancing the Gospel through the single most signficant venue in the world: the workplace. Anchored to The Bible and illustrated by real experience, this book is all-meat. I have personally purchased many copies for colleagues and friends. I have spend 25 years studying this subject and serving in the global marketplace and I cannot recommend this book too highly. If you have not read this book, you are not read-in. [...]

"God is at Work: Transforming People and Nations Through Business" provides the reader with a comprehensive view into the social, economic, and ethical philosophy and theology of business practice as it relates to World Missions. Ken Eldred does the Christian community a service as he illustrates how God is at work in and through "Kingdom Business."

Eldred's writing is rich in foundational perspectives on incorporating successful business practices while in the pursuit of fulfilling the great commission. The narrative is filled with examples of business ventures advancing the church in developing nations around the world. He describes a concept of missions that calls for skilled business professionals to create jobs so that the peoples of developing nations can learn how to live their faith as well as work and witness in the workplace. He calls for meeting current trends and dynamics in missions with a strategy that models doing business and outreach by displaying Christian principles and value in personal character, relationships and performance.

Other important issues Eldred discusses are his analysis of the barriers of government to mission enterprise, the historical perspectives of missions, and some approaches and objectives for sustaining successes within the parameters of this paradigm shift in world missions. I found the topics, trends, vision, and practice explored by Eldred to be excellent tools for stimulating additional "thinking, research, and discussion."

Eldred is articulate in his presentation, comprehensive in his approach, and convincing in his conclusions. "God is at Work" is endorsed and highly recommended by creditable leaders in Christian missions as a "definitive work" which should be read by every, pastor, business man, and entrepreneur interested in the success of business impacting the world for the Kingdom of God.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.

Every significant movement can point to a book, paper, article or series of all of the above that communicates in one clear voice the vision of a movement...

God is at Work by Ken Eldred defines and gives examples for the movemement of Business as Mission with clear cut precision. Sharing from personal experience with 2 companies and acclaimed success Ken forecasts a movement of the Church and the Christian community to Business as Mission with speed similar to that of the response to the California gold rush.

Taking what appears to be some content from a previous book that he catered called On Kingdom Business: Transforming Missions Through entrepreneurial Strategies the book establishes the baseline definition for the movement. The books also goes on to dispel what is not really business as mission and nothing more than ways to gain access to countries by misrepresenting intentions or living in that gray area of "creative access".

The last chapters of the book clearly outline the key forms of business as mission and the role that each play. Everything from microenterprise development to overseas privately owned companies. One of the things that is most insightful about the book are the specific case studies of people that are living out the concepts in countries around the world. It is refreshing to see a book that it so intent on highlighting specific next steps rather than living in a world of theory.

One of the key areas of emphasis may be enlightening to some while fundamental to others. It addresses what to some perceive to be the white elephant in the room... Profits. For the non-profit driven para church ministry, or the church itself this can be a perceived evil... For the business community it is the lifeblood to fight the next day. This in itself may be the single most differentiating characteristic of what some might call tendencies and that which is a self sustaining business on mission to be successful in both business and making a spiritual impact in the community.

It's a great read, I was happy to post it on a blog about Business as Mission to recommend it to others. You can check it out here: http://businessasmission.blogspot.com/2006/05/god-is-at-work-by-ken-eldred.htmland

This book is well written. The understanding of business/global business was informative and applicable to my direction right now. Biblical principles work and this book is confirmation for me. I work at a company that employs workers from at least 40 different countries in one setting, with additional plants world wide. The book could not be more on point. I highly recommend reading this book. Be ready spiritually and seek wisdom for the future world business exchange.

Absolutely brilliant read.

We may be happy to acknowledge that God is at work, but is God at our work. For too long, God has been kept in the Church, but Ken Eldred is saying, look; you business women and men, you are not gifted in business just to make money, you are gifted in business, in the same way as a pastor is gifted to pastor or nurse is gifted to be a nurse. To be a witness for Jesus Christ.

Today 'the' word for business,is 'investors in people'. Well Christians in business should be doing that demonstrating the love of Christ in their employment ethic, both in the UK and overseas. People don't want to go to Church, but they want to go to work, so show them Jesus in how you treat your empoyees. Build business in developing countries and make a real difference by creating jobs, not giving hand outs, create a spirit of achievement, not a spirit of dependency. Show people Christ makes a difference in work and in the Church.

"God is at Work" is lucid, stimulating and inspiring.

Dr. Eldred's transformation framework, personal anecdotes, and discussion of combining "spiritual" and developmental objectives will help me do better work. I especially enjoyed the author's refreshingly biblical perspectives of wealth, poverty and capitalism.