The Benefits of Doing Business-as-Mission Wherever You Are

"I believe in vocational calling,” says Emily.* “It’s a deep conviction for me. It's a way to build the kingdom through the skills God's given us." She has spent the past 12 years of her life living in Southeast Asia running a coffee shop and training center for neurodiverse adults.  

Today, the coffee shop intentionally employs those who are frequently overlooked. The current staff includes two staff who are deaf, two from impoverished backgrounds, one with a physical disability, and three who are neurodiverse. “We connect with those on the margins who don’t get included and make a space for them to belong,” Emily says. "Then after that trust is built, God gives us opportunities to share WHY we do what we do.” 

For Emily, ministry looks less like a program and is found in small, everyday moments: learning someone’s story over coffee, celebrating a new skill mastered, or watching a once-isolated employee slowly begin to believe they have value and purpose. In a work culture that can often be harsh and shaming, she is intentional about cultivating a workplace where people are met with grace and a sense of purpose. 

Steve* is another of our workers who lives out business as mission, and he’s seen similar impact through his textile facility in Central Asia. “The holistic impact from laboring alongside nationals to create honest value within a corrupt ecosystem ripples out to affect their lives in so many ways,” he says. “It positions us as believers to visibly bring value to the community while helping our employees provide for their families within a motivating and meaningful vocational pursuit.” Along the way, influential conversations and discipleship opportunities naturally grow out of the relationships he builds with his employees. 

In both places, traditional missionaries aren’t allowed. Their businesses are what enables them to stay. “It’s a way for me to be present in the culture, and I never have to explain why I'm there,” Emily says. In some cases, the authorities might suspect that people like Emily and Steve are Christians sharing their faith, but they choose not to confront them because they can see how much good they’re doing in their communities. 

Imagine meeting a foreigner who moved into your neighborhood and seemed to have no real reason for being there except trying to tell people about their religion. Most people would naturally keep their distance. But when someone works alongside you, shows up consistently, serves others well, and genuinely cares about the community, walls begin to come down.  

“In the US, we have a highly developed category for ministry jobs, but in most other parts of the world, that is a more foreign concept,” Steve says. That’s part of why business-as-mission can be so powerful—not only overseas, but here at home too. “It’s good for people to see mature believers being intentional in the workplace, where the average person spends 50 hours,” Emily says.  

We’re deeply grateful for the way people like Emily and Steve are using their work to bring hope, dignity, and the love of Christ to the people around them. But as they would both quickly point out, this kind of calling isn’t limited to overseas workers. Whether you’re serving coffee, teaching students, managing a business, repairing cars, or working behind a desk, God can use ordinary work to open extraordinary doors. 

No matter where we are in the world, our workplaces are opportunities for people to feel seen, valued, and loved—and where Jesus's light quietly shines through us every day. 

Emily and Steve exemplify a rapidly growing current of believers around the world who hunger to see a greater dynamic of synergy and symbiosis between ministry and work.  Faith, worship, and mission are not just for Sunday, but also for Monday through Saturday. While the specific expression of our vocational roles may vary, we all share the calling to live integrated lives.  This perspective makes the workplace not just a means of financial provision, but one of our primary spheres for ministry. 

*Names changed for security