International Micro Enterprise Development

This week at our office we are hosting a group from IMED, or International Micro Enterprise Development.  It’s an organization that helps Christians in developing countries start businesses and run them.  We have some great men here who are doing great work for the kingdom.

On Monday they did some get to know you activities with the small business owners.  I didn’t partake in this but a friend here told me it was good and purposeful.  The second day their leader started with a great devotion out of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 11 and 12.  I got a lot from it and hope the participants did as well.

After the devotion it was down to business.  Tony and the other guys split into groups and basically interviewed the small business owners about their businesses, whether existing or with people who wanted to start a business.  This was basically learning about the businesses, what exactly they did.  Tony used a SIPOC model to probe for information.

SIPOC is shorthand for Suppliers, Inputs, Products, Outputs, Customers.  I found it interesting and seemed like a great tool to understand a business.  Tony was incredibly thorough which is good to help the small business owners think about exactly what their businesses are doing.

Tony’s group of students/small business owners are all working on getting clean water to their neighborhoods.  It was great to know that people are meeting the needs of their communities through businesses.  Two of the people have wells and one is basically a middle man.  Two of them are existing businesses and one of them wants to start a new clean water business.

Today, Wednesday, they’re going over the financials of their businesses.  Tony has said a couple of times that accounting was his least favorite class in getting his MBA.  I can see why.  I’ve never been one for details and knowing a company’s financials is all about details.  Phone calls are made to learn about different prices and costs for the business from one lady’s husband at the house presumably.

I’m not sure what tomorrow will hold but I do know this is great stuff.  It is part of the Business as Mission movement.  People are learning that providing people with jobs or providing them with the means to create their own jobs is kingdom work in itself.  You can preach the gospel but if you don’t help the person holistically than are you really preaching the whole gospel?

We are commanded to preach the gospel to all nations.  Part of that is helping people in material poverty work their way out.  Who are people more likely to listen to, someone who is preaching at them or someone who is providing a job for them?  Who are you more likely to listen to? 

Creating businesses offers a platform for witnessing in everyday interactions.  That is what leads to effective discipleship.  It is the day in and day out of working with one another.  It is very hard work but has way more fruit than “drive by” evangelism.