Journey From Conman to Contributor

In the early 1980s, I was young and zealous. I was deeply committed to Jesus and the Great Commission. I had a Message that every person on earth needed to hear. I was filled with faith and ... naiveté.

My goal was to do evangelism, discipleship, and church planting with oppressed people who did not know Jesus. My wife, two toddlers, and I moved into a restricted access nation. The country was closed to traditional missionaries. I needed an identity that was acceptable to the repressive regime so they would give me a visa to live there.

I became a businessman and got a work permit. I had an impressive letterhead and business cards. I did not have a real business. I was a ‘tentfaker’. Contrary to the Apostle Paul who actually made tents (Acts 18:1-3), I was a pretender.

The charade was doomed to fail from the beginning. The discrepancy between what I told people I was doing (business) and what I was actually doing (ministry) began to burden me. The lack of authenticity and integrity weighed on my conscience. How could I teach Truth and expect others to live by it, when I was being untruthful about my identity and activities?

My duplicity also became apparent to the authorities. They asked us to leave the country. The crucible of reality forced me to rethink my theology and my practice.

We returned to the States and I re-tooled. I got an MBA in International Business. I also developed a more biblical theology of work. Within three years, we again moved overseas to a different closed country.

This time around, I was committed to live out a viable identity in the country. Our business ventures met a real need. We made an authentic contribution to our clients, their families, and their communities. The government loved us. Internally, I was at peace, knowing that I was working and ministering out of integrity and truthfulness. We were also having a positive spiritual impact.

By the grace of God, I helped to establish three separate financial institutions that are still operating today. Many of the people we ministered to in the context of those businesses are walking with God and ministering to others 25 years later.

I’m thankful that God had mercy on me and transformed me from being a deceiver, albeit well intentioned, to being a bona fide missional entrepreneur.

- GEN Desk Author

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GEN Desk Commentary –

This real-life story illustrates some of the basic principles within GEN:

• Congruence necessity between the messenger and message
• Integration of business and mission
• Spiritual transformation of Missional Entrepreneurs
• Triple Bottom Line balance

How do these principles resonate with you as you think about missional enterprise?