Faith in the Marketplace: Measuring the Impact of Church Based Entrepreneurial Approaches to Holistic Mission
Ebook
Overview
Contemporary missions often include evangelistic and socio-economic dimensions. For effective missions, some way of assessing what is being achieved is needed beyond just the common metrics touching on the spiritual and/or economic which neglects social transformation that ideally should also be occurring. This book seeks to identify key factors for holistic evaluation based on salient characteristics that emerged as three Entrepreneurial Church Planting sites were studied in San Francisco (Redeemer Community Church), Selma, Alabama (Blue Jean Church), and Lynch, Kentucky (Meridzo Ministries). What emerges from these case studies is the importance of relationality, general emphasis on growth and development, and a well-established focus on holistic transformation. The mechanisms for the operation of holistic transformation are spelled out to reflect the operation of the three actors of the Trinity in missions. The practical component of the book is the conceptual framework that reveals the operation of holistic transformation and ways to measure the dynamic relationships that occur.
“How should faith, work, and economics conspire together to
promote Christian missions? Dr. Samuel Lee’s Faith in the
Marketplace seeks to answer this question by studying three
sites of the Entrepreneurial Church Planting (ECP). What emerges
from this investigation is three foundational principles:
relationality, emphasis on growth and development, and a focus on
holistic transformation. While most other Christian missiologists
do not use the language and concepts of the ECP, they would do well
to read this book carefully as it has a lot to teach them about
what is central in Christian missions and how to bring God to the
public square.”
—Peter C. Phan, Georgetown University
“Change is all around us. We live in an increasingly post-Christian
world where Christianity is no longer the dominant force in our
culture. This new context has created one of the greatest
missionary moments in the history of the church. More than ever
before, we need new contextual churches for an increasingly
multicultural, secular, and global context. With thoughtful
research, Dr. Lee has written an accessible introduction to a fresh
new movement of entrepreneurial church planting in the marketplace.
If you want to know what God is doing through this movement and how
you can join in, Faith in the Marketplace is a
must-read.”
—Winfield Bevins, author of Marks of a Movement
“Samuel Lee’s wonderfully researched book opens the way for deeper
intellectual understanding of how entrepreneurs create synergies
between business startups and church planting initiatives. Lee
provides vivid case studies of how such initiatives can have
transformative results. He also introduces innovative spiritual
metrics to evaluate such initiatives. All of this makes the book a
must-read for those interested in church planting in the
twenty-first century.”
—Stephen Offutt, Asbury Theological Seminary
“This is a thoughtful study about how you measure the impact of
church-based entrepreneurial mission. Using case studies, Samuel
Lee opens up a sophisticated relational approach. The study
deserves careful reading by all those interested in the growing and
important field of missional entrepreneurship.”
—Michael Moynagh, author of Church in Life: Innovation, Mission
and Ecclesiology
“Faith in the Marketplace is a great book and Christian
leaders must read it. . . . Ministries of the church today have
experienced lots of changes in an effort to reach out the
ever-changing world. However, the way they measure the success and
effectiveness of their ministries has remained almost the same. It
has got to change. And now we have an effective alternative. Samuel
Lee’s new measurement is so contextual and practical. . . . It pays
attention to the details of the practical side of the church’s
ministries while remaining focused on God. Lee offers a measurement
with eternal perspective as well as present perspective.”
—Hansung Kim, Asian Center for Theological Studies and Mission,
South Korea
“Entrepreneurial church planting, an innovative tool in the global
mission toolbox, can become a sharper and more impactful tool when
Dr. Samuel Lee’s carefully developed insights are applied. He helps
us see how this tool can be used for wholistic transformation,
applying healthy accountability in the process. This is a must-read
for all who would aspire to be entrepreneurial church planting
advocates and practitioners.”
—Bob Fetherline, President, OMS
“For too long church leaders have focused their energies on making
disciples of Jesus Christ during the few hours each week that
everyday Christians engage in ‘church-related’ activities. Instead,
Samuel Lee provides a bold foundation for church leaders to
consider how we engage the time and energy that is dedicated to the
‘marketplace.’ This paradigm shift is a tremendous opportunity for
church leaders and Samuel Lee sets us on the right course.”
—Chris Backert, Fresh Expressions US National Director
- Title: Faith in the Marketplace: Measuring the Impact of Church Based Entrepreneurial Approaches to Holistic Mission
- Authors: Samuel Lee, W. Jay Moon
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781725285194, 9781725285170, 9781725285187, 1725285193, 1725285177, 1725285185
- Resource ID: LLS:9781725285194
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-01-07T04:05:56Z
Samuel Lee was awarded his PhD from Asbury Theological Seminary
in 2019 before going to Yangon, Myanmar, with his family, to serve
with Grace Family Mission. His research focuses on mission
models that combine viable businesses and effective church
planting. In several peer-reviewed scholarly journals, he has
published various articles on Business as Mission (BAM) and
innovative church planting in the marketplace.