It’s been about 10 years since the vision for MDE began to emerge. There were many wonderful missions sending organizations. Some had been around for 100 or more years. Yet the missions climate was changing rapidly – in both the sending and the receiving countries. It was clear that marketplace ministry and Business and Mission (BAM) would need to play a leading role in the next 100 years of gospel-sharing among unreached communities. Our founders identified a crucial gap in services needed to empower and sustain the next generation of kingdom workers. MDE was then launched in 2015 to provide the business and missional services needed to close that gap.
Our Board of Directors met last month In Indianapolis. It was a time of reflection, celebration, and gratitude for our inaugural decade. The Lord has helped us assemble a remarkable team of individuals—BAMers, volunteers, and staff members alike—who are dedicated to bringing and embodying the good news of Jesus Christ in unreached communities in over 15 countries. While thankful for our history and ministry, it became equally compelling to the board that our call today is to build out our next iteration – what we began calling MDE 2.0.
The global good-news-gap is growing, countries are even less open to traditional missions, and global business is now the unreached world’s lingua franca. Surging needs and unprecedented opportunities. The faithful stewardship of MDE demands our diligence in planning and preparing for the next 10 years. What might this look like?
Leadership, during any period of change or growth, is essential. The board and staff are preparing the organization now for the next generation of leaders that the Lord will call. Serving a growing cadre of BAMers and marketplace workers will require us to scale in new ways, and leverage emerging technologies to maintain deeper engagement with our members and volunteers. Increasing information security needs must be met. Language and culture preparation. Ready-to-go business models. Cross-border support for commerce and export. And we’re refining and repackaging our service offerings to partner with other sending organizations – even becoming their BAM support solution.
We’re excited about what God has next for all of us. Making money and making disciples – more than ever – paves the road to authentic witness in unreached and even hostile communities. Thank you for your prayers, your volunteer service, and your financial support.