Great Commission Companies: The Emerging Role of Business in Missions - Paperback

by Steven Rundle (Author), Tom A. Steffen (Author)

In recent decades global missions have been revolutionized by such movements as microenterprise development efforts and tentmaking professionals working in restricted access countries.But little has yet been said about the new missions opportunities created by today's globalized economy. Nor has much been documented about the role that corporations and businesses can have in the missionary enterprise.Economist Steve Rundle and missiologist Tom Steffen offer a new paradigm for the convergenceof business and missions--the Great Commission Company. These companies intentionally create businesses in strategic locations, pursuing profits while remaining unabashedly Christian in their purpose. By establishing authentic businesses that employlocal workers among the least-reached peoples of the world, they contribute to the economic health of the immediate community and also provide avenues for both physical and spiritual ministry.Based on a five-year study of groundbreaking enterprises like Pura Vida Coffee, this book offers keen analysis of the principles and practices of these companies. In an era where multinational corporations have global influence and impact, the Great Commission Company opens up new possibilities for missions-minded entrepreneurs and businesspeople who want to change the world to the glory of God.

Author Biography

Tom Steffen is professor of intercultural studies at Biola University in La Mirada, California, where he directs the Doctor of Missiology program. He was a missionary to the Philippines for fifteen years, and he is the author of a number of bookson missions and crosscultural ministry.

Steve Rundle is associate professor of economics and business as mission at Biola University in La Mirada, California. His teaching and research interests are focused on the intersection between international economics and faith-based business. Heis also the editor of Economic Justice in a Flat World: Christian Perspectives on Globalization.