Healing the Fracture

Before leaving for West Africa on my BAM adventure, a wise friend and leader asked me a question: “When you are in Africa and neck-deep in making the business successful, how are you going to find the time for ministry?”

My answer was, “I can't.” Please understand that this question did not come from someone who is a BAM skeptic. In fact, he is a successful businessman who has a heart for global missions and is actively promoting BAM in his local church. He knows how consuming business can be and how much focus and dedication is required in missions. So, just as his question wasn't naive, my answer wasn't trite. I expanded my answer by explaining that I will neither have the time nor the luxury of separating business and missions. The two must be fully integrated.

The fact is, Western society does a great job of promoting segmentation. The average American Christian juggles a myriad of segments: a church segment, a friends segment, a work segment, a charity segment, a family segment—the list goes on.

Amazingly, many of these segment have no “crossover” relationships. One of the loneliest times of my life was when I moved my family to Kansas City. After being there one year, I realized that none of my segments crossed over. My church, my job and my neighborhood had no (relationship) connection to one another. Each relationship was its own island.

In his excellent book, Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Cultures, Darrow L. Miller describes the influence that worldview has on societal development. In depicting today's predominate worldview in the West, Miller states that Christians are living in a sacred/secular dichotomy.

Thus many Christians today suffer from “split personalities.” Their lives are divided into compartments: the “religious,” what they do when attending church or Bible study; and the “secular,” their jobs, recreation, and education. Millions of believers operate from this worldview, which I call evangelical Gnosticism (see graphic below). Never hearing the challenge to be consciously Christian in their daily lives, they are conformed to the pattern of this world and have secular minds.

The fact is, we were not designed to live segmented lives. I find nothing in Scripture that supports segmented lives, and I can guarantee you that Paul wasn't tight lipped about living the gospel while he was making tents.

As I write this, the word “fractured” comes to mind. To think of it, “fractured” may be an even better description of the Western church, and even some parts of the global church (such as my host country). When we divide our lives and give God only a portion, we are broken... indeed fractured. When we intend to keep a portion for ourselves, we are trying to take what belongs to God... that is sin.

So what are some practical ways that we can heal the fracture?

All I can tell you is what I am attempting to do.

I am finding time for business and ministry by ministering in business. In my company, we begin each day with a voluntary 20-40 minute exegetical study of a section of scripture. Often times, the discussion exceeds the time we have allotted, so I encourage my employees to continue the discussion during their daily tasks.  We conclude the study time with prayer for each other.  I try to be intentional about later asking my employees if our prayers for them are being answered and how God answers them.  My BAM business is a construction services company, so before leaving on a day job, we pray for the employee's safety, the equipment's reliability and the hearts of our customers. My employees know that our work and words are our testimony and should always bring God glory.  Throughout every day, I have the opportunity to grasp “teachable moments” that I can use to point back to scripture. Questions from “Why not bribe? It's the only way to get things done!” to “Why do you want to take taxes from my money and give it to a corrupt government?” to “When I have an African sickness, is it wrong with going to my tribal healer?” are asked every day. These are not questions that will be satisfied with a quick “Christianese” answer. Every day I try to have my heart and mind available for discipleship (and many days, that is easier said than done).

But, let's be honest, isn't that what Jesus asks of us? To follow him every hour of every day? To intentionally make ourselves obedient to His commands and teachings in every part of out lives? To continually strive to be a better reflection of the essence of Christ? That's no easy task. Nonetheless, that is our calling.