Business as Mission (BAM) training

Business as Mission Resources for Training

On August 21, 2017 the naval vessel USS John S. McClain collided with a merchant ship with several fatalities; this was the second of two similar events in two months. I found the comments by retired Navy captain and current defense analyst, Jerry Hendrix to be informative. He said the cause can be traced to two major shortfalls: leadership and training.1

While I know nothing about naval disasters, I did think those are certainly two key factors in the success of a BAM business abroad. While leadership factors can be somewhat difficult to analyze, training is pretty much straightforward for those planning to start a cross-cultural Kingdom business.There must be training in language and culture; in business start-up principles; in management; in the product or service designed to meet customer needs; and in at least elementary law and accounting – to name a few things. Thankfully more and more efforts are being made to provide training before a person leaves for a start-up effort in another country.I am familiar with all of the following programs either from attendance or from friendship with those who run them. I recommend each of them, though no two are alike as they are designed to meet different needs. Check them out – they range from a couple of intensive weekends to a summer internship to a fully accredited MBA program.

  • BAM Course: Mark and Jo Plummer of The BAM (Business As Mission) Resource Team have led this program for many years which includes course work and internships; located in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
  • Third Path: Mike Baer and Elijah Elkins have designed a 12-month on-line program which builds on the many years of experience of Mike and Elijah in the BAM world.
  • The Biblical Entrepreneurship Certificate Course: This comprehensive program led by Patrice Tsague of the Nehemiah Project provides a certificate in business training and discipleship; open to owners, entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs.
  • Nexus B4T Student Opportunities: Nexus, affiliated with the OPEN Network offers some internships for business students who want to experience Business for Transformation (B4T) first hand in the 10/40 window.
  • Living and Learning: Steve Rundle, professor, author and researcher at Biola University runs this quality program.
  • Bamedu.com: The facilitator of this course is a highly successful international entrepreneur who draws from his experience in the teaching others.
  • IBEC Ventures: IBEC partners with BAM Cross-Cultural which has produced several on-line training videos and provides personal feedback on subjects such as American values; transaction vs. relationship; Hofstede’s culture map and related themes.

1. Spate of mishaps, deadly accidents prompts Navy to examine training, leadership. Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, August 25, 2017.

Larry Sharp, Director of Training, IBEC Ventures
Larry.Sharp@ibecventures.com

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