The Business as Mission Podcast

Hosted by BAM Global

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176

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Oct 2026

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About the show

Discover how faith and business come together through inspiring conversations on Business as Mission (BAM). Join João and Jono as they share practical insights to help you lead with purpose and make an eternal impact.

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60 recent

October 13, 202647 min

How Real Estate Transformed a Dark Town into a City on a Hill

What happens when you transition from full-time missions into real estate, only to discover that business itself is one of the most powerful platforms for marketplace ministry? In this episode of the BAM Podcast, host João and Jono sit down with Hannah Rico Fletcher (Regional Owner of RE/MAX Costa Rica & Co-Owner of RE/MAX Oceanside) to discuss her powerful journey of faith in business. From surviving dark seasons and team failures to leading a thriving corporate enterprise and global nonprofit ecosystem, Hannah shares how Business as Mission (BAM) creates lasting community transformation. Leaving full-time missions doesn't mean stepping away from God's calling. When Hannah shifted into real estate, her title changed, but her mission stayed identical. In this conversation, she breaks down how to overcome the sacred-secular divide, how to lead with boldness in corporate environments without alienating others, and how commercial ventures can directly fund job creation, human trafficking restoration, and church planting around the globe. Whether you are a young entrepreneur wondering how God can use your career or a seasoned professional seeking deeper purpose, this episode will challenge the way you view work, identity, and global discipleship. • Dismantling the Sacred-Secular Divide: Why transitioning from traditional missions into commercial business isn't a demotion, but a strategic expansion of your calling. • Transforming a City: How Hannah witnessed a Costa Rican town go from a dark "Sodom" to a thriving "city on a hill" through sustainable business and authentic community engagement. • Leading with Faith in Corporate Spaces: Practical advice on sharing your personal "why" with excellence while honoring and respecting diverse corporate cultures. • Global Ecosystem Impact: How digital agency skills and business operations are empowering church planters in Kenya and trafficking survivors in India with dignified employment. • Encouragement for the Next Generation: Hannah’s candid advice for young 20-somethings stepping into business, failing forward, and pursuing God's purpose without isolation. Connect with Us:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbampodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/Linktree: linktr.ee/officialbampodcast

September 29, 202651 min

Funding Missions Through Business: A Blueprint for Marketplace Ministry

Discover how integrated Business as Mission (BAM) models create sustainable, long-term impact where traditional NGO efforts fall short. Learn how faith-driven entrepreneurs are transforming global communities through real marketplace ministry and self-sustaining business strategies.In this episode, Costa Rican entrepreneur Armando Rodriguez shares his raw journey of moving from traditional ministry mindsets to building self-sustaining Kingdom businesses in East Africa and Latin America. You will discover how to navigate local regulatory challenges, fund high-impact initiatives without relying on donations, and steward capital under God's ownership. If you want to integrate your professional skills with God’s global calling, this conversation provides the practical blueprint for long-term marketplace ministry.Key Takeaways:• The NGO Limitation: Why traditional aid often fails to deliver permanent social transformation, and why local leaders ask for self-sustaining business investment instead.• Creative Capital Structuring: How Armando launched parallel revenue-generating businesses in Latin America to repay loans and fund ventures in restricted markets like Ethiopia.• Discerning God's Timing: The practical reality of waiting on God's green light—including a two-year season of praying without asking for funds—before scaling operations.• Passing the Baton: Why the next generation of faith-driven entrepreneurs needs room to make mistakes and build scalable local ecosystems. In this episode, we cover Business as Mission strategies, Kingdom business models, cross-cultural entrepreneurship, self-sustaining missions, market entry in East Africa, kingdom capital, faith and work integration, and empowering local leadership. Connect with Armando:coreconlatino.comhttps://www.instagram.com/corecon.cr/https://www.facebook.com/corecon.startups/ Connect with Us:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbampodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/

September 15, 202643 min

Rethinking Missions: How Business as Mission Is Changing the World

What if business isn't just a tool to support missions, but an intrinsic power to transform communities and advance global church planting? In this episode of the Business as Mission Podcast, BAM Global Executive Director João Mordomo shares how kingdom business unlocks spiritual, economic, social, and environmental transformation worldwide. Join hosts Mike, Jono Brake, and João Mordomo for a candid conversation about the evolution of the global missions movement. João breaks down how he transitioned from youth ministry to co-founding a global mission organization and eventually realizing that real business activities offer the most sustainable path to reaching unreached and marginalized people groups. You will discover how business integrated with gospel purpose creates dignified jobs, combats human trafficking, alleviates poverty, and empowers local leaders across the globe. Key Takeaways• Beyond Pragmatic Funding: Business as Mission (BAM) is not merely a financial vehicle to support traditional missionaries; business itself carries intrinsic, God-given power to reveal Christ and promote human flourishing.• The 4-Fold Impact Framework: A true BAM initiative aims for quadruple bottom-line transformation: spiritual, economic, social, and environmental impact tailored to marginalized and unreached communities.• Overcoming Mission Barriers: Traditional cross-cultural mission models often face entry and financial limitations, whereas legitimate business enterprises provide long-term credibility, access, and sustainable presence.• The Shift to the Global South: The dynamic center of global Christianity and missionary sending has shifted away from Western-only models toward a dynamic, "everywhere-to-everywhere" global movement.• Serving as a Movement Catalyst: BAM Global operates as a lean movement catalyst organization (MCO), bringing ecosystems together and serving the wider kingdom business movement without competing for control.Connect with Us:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbampodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

September 1, 2026Episode 340 min

Business as Mission Pioneer Reveals: Why It’s Time to Pass the Baton

Are you ready to multiply your kingdom impact by empowering the next generation? In this episode of The Business as Mission Podcast, pioneer Mike Baer shares crucial insights on passing the baton, breaking the sacred-secular divide, and stepping into intentional kingdom business leadership. Transitioning from active leadership to mentoring requires a fundamental shift in identity and purpose. In this candid conversation, hosts Jono Brake and João Mordomo chat with BAM veteran Mike Baer about his transition into a legacy role focused on multiplication and sage-level coaching. Discover how viewing business as mission transforms workplace ministry, dismantles the false sacred-secular split, and empowers leaders to fulfill the Great Commission among unreached peoples. Key Takeaways • Dismantling the Sacred vs. Secular Myth: Learn why business is not just a secondary funding mechanism, but a direct, primary platform for Great Commission disciple-making. • The Power of 2 Timothy 2:2 Multiplication: Discover why true kingdom leadership requires stepping out of the spotlight to coach and raise up the next generation of marketplace pioneers. •From Marketplace Skills to Kingdom Value: See how foundational pastoral communication and problem-solving skills translate directly into high-impact corporate consulting and lean business execution. • Reclaiming Identity Beyond What You Do: Unpack the crucial spiritual lesson of anchoring identity in being a friend of God rather than tying personal worth to corporate titles or active ministry roles. Connect with Us:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbampodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/

August 18, 2026Episode 237 min

What Does a Disciple-Making Business ACTUALLY Look Like?

What happens when business leaders rethink ministry and take business as mission beyond traditional church walls? Join Mike Bear, Joáo Mordomo and Jono Brake as they discuss the future of the podcast and what it really takes to build a marketplace church.In this transition episode, Mike Bear hands over official hosting duties to Jono Brake and Joáo Mordomo, marking an exciting new chapter for the podcast. Together, the trio explores how entrepreneurs, coaches, and executives can run a true disciple making business grounded in Christ rather than religious obligation. You will gain insights into the theology of work, relational ministry in corporate spaces, and how to reach unreached segments of society right where you operate.Key Takeaways• Podcast Leadership Handoff: Mike Bear officially transitions hosting responsibilities to Jono Brake and Joáo Mordomo while remaining connected to the BAM community.• Building a Marketplace Church: The team discusses how gathering and discipling believers outside Sunday services creates access to previously unreached business environments.• Living Out Business as Mission: True impact comes from leading out of your identity in Christ rather than performance-driven guilt or ethical legalism.• Relational Ministry in Action: Real stories demonstrate how executive coaching and workplace presence open doors to pastor people through personal crises. Connect with Us:Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@officialbampodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

August 4, 2026Episode 133 min

New Hosts, New Vision: What’s Next for the BAM Podcast?

The Business as Mission movement is entering a brand-new season! In this special transition episode, we sit down with outgoing host Mike Baer and the new faces taking over the podcast to discuss where the global BAM movement is heading next.Whether you are a seasoned entrepreneur or just discovering how to integrate your faith and work, this conversation uncovers what the next 25 years of kingdom business will look like. You will learn how the global ecosystem is shifting to empower younger generations, why practical business excellence is vital for spiritual impact, and how everyday marketplace ministry is reaching the unreached around the world.Key Takeaways:• The Next Chapter (BAM 2.0): Discover the insights gained from global leaders at the recent conference in the Philippines and what they mean for the future of the movement.• Passing the Baton: Outgoing host Mike explains his transition into an intentional multiplication role and why handing off leadership is healthy for a thriving movement.• Meet the New Hosts: Get to know João Mordomo (Executive Director of BAM Global) and Jonathan "Jono" Brake (Leadership Coach and marketplace pastor) as they share their backgrounds and heart for the podcast.• Focus on the Next Generation: Why the global community is prioritizing investing in emerging leaders, younger generations, and deeper generational coaching.• Practical Business Excellence: Learn why running a high-quality, excellent company is the ultimate lever for making disciples and transforming societies. Connect with Us:Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

July 21, 2026Episode 16253 min

The 60-Year Faith Legacy of Zor Engineering (Business as Mission Pioneer)

Discover how Dan and Ruth Bavington pioneered Business as Mission in the 1960s by launching Zor Engineering, the oldest known successful BAM company in Pakistan. Learn how they built a legacy of uncompromising biblical integrity that has survived over six decades and multiple generations.In this special episode, you will hear a powerful firsthand account of what it takes to plant and grow a kingdom business in a highly challenging environment. The founders share the incredible trials, divine interventions, and everyday steps of faith required to manage hundreds of workers and navigate systemic corruption. If you are looking for a real-world blueprint on how a company can remain deeply profitable and faithful to God for decades, this interview provides the ultimate map.Key Takeaways• The Blueprint of Faith Over Capital: How Zor Engineering was registered as a local entity with a broad engineering scope, relying on divine opportunities rather than upfront wealth.• The Cost of Uncompromising Integrity: Real stories of massive contracts lost due to refusing to pay bribes, balanced by a miraculous divine connection that saved the company from bankruptcy.• A Strategic Multi-Faith Workplace: How creating a platform for Christian and Muslim laborers to work alongside each other became a powerful, non-preachy lifestyle witness.• Filling the Business Marketplace Gap: Why local Christian communities shouldn't limit their professions strictly to medicine or education, but embrace commercial trade as a holy calling.Topics Covered in this EpisodeThis interview explores the foundational history of Zor Engineering and the early evolution of the global Business as Mission movement. We look at how Christian entrepreneurs operate in South Asia, the complexities of managing cross-cultural teams, handling systemic bribery in the international marketplace, and leaving a generational kingdom legacy through a strictly local corporate structure. Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

July 7, 2026Episode 16147 min

Don't Cling to the Position: Building a Culture of Continuity

How do you navigate a leadership transition in ministry or a faith-driven business without dropping the baton? In this episode, we dive into the painful yet crucial reality of succession planning for ministries and faith-based organizations to ensure your kingdom impact multiplies even after you step away. Every founder, pastor, and faith-driven business owner will eventually face a leadership transition, but few are truly prepared for the change. Whether you are navigating a pastoral change proactively or picking up the pieces after an unexpected exit, succession planning is fundamentally a discipleship plan . True kingdom business continuity isn't just about protecting your position—it's about learning how to handle the personal identity shifts, painful wrenchings, and surprising gifts that come with finding your next God-given assignment.Key Takeaways:• Succession is Discipleship: Why a healthily structured succession plan is actually a vital spiritual practice for mentoring the next generation of leaders.• The Identity Trap: How to separate your eternal identity in Christ from your temporary professional assignment or title.• Building Continuity: Why leadership teams should start discussing their last day on the job from their very first day.• Navigating the Pain of Change: Practical steps to transition staff members gracefully, avoiding toxic exits that damage your ministry's witness. Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

June 30, 2026Episode 16046 min

Spiritual Warfare in Business: The 13-Year Lie That Cost Me Everything

Discover how to recognize subtle spiritual warfare in business and protect your organization from deceptive leadership traps. Learn the critical warning signs of manipulation so you can stand firm against the enemy's attacks on your calling.In this powerful episode, Redemption Press founder Athena Dean Holtz shares her raw journey of losing a $3.5 million company to a deceptive, cult-like ministry group. You will discover how unprocessed trauma and church hurt can leave Christian business owners highly vulnerable to spiritual abuse and gaslighting. By understanding how guerrilla warfare tactics operate in the spiritual realm, you will gain the insight needed to guard your heart, forgive your attackers, and experience true redemption in your life and work.Key Takeaways• The Danger of Masking Trauma with Success: How using work and business achievements as a "medication" leaves you wide open to spiritual deception.• Spotting the Red Flags of Spiritual Abuse: Recognizing how manipulators misquote scripture out of context to advance their own financial agendas.• Guerrilla Warfare in the Spiritual Realm: Why you absolutely cannot resist an enemy tactic that you do not first recognize.• The Hidden Idolatry of Wounds: A deep dive into the Hebrew meaning of Psalm 147, revealing how holding onto past pain allows it to control you instead of God.Topics Covered in this VideoSpiritual warfare in business, Christian business coaching, recovering from church hurt, recognizing spiritual abuse, faith-based business leadership, Business as Mission (BAM), overcoming deception in ministry, marketplace ministry challenges, spiritual discernment for entrepreneurs, healing emotional trauma, Christian publishing industry secrets, biblical conflict resolution. #SpiritualWarfare #ChristianBusiness #BusinessAsMission Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling

June 16, 2026Episode 15935 min

Stop Stifling Creativity: Teaching Kids Business as Mission

Can we teach child entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo and build sustainable businesses? In this episode, we dive into how intentional entrepreneurial training for kids is sparking a cultural shift that empowers the next generation to lead right now. Most traditional systems inadvertently stifle the innate creativity of young minds before they ever get a chance to launch a venture. By introducing strategic business concepts and economic responsibility during the prime development window, we can foster a global generation of problem-solvers. Discover how a simple question from a four-year-old blossomed into a nationwide movement that is rewriting local legislation and equipping families to cultivate real-world leadership skills at home. Key Takeaways• The Golden Window: Why the ages of 8 to 12 represent the absolute best, most creative developmental stage for introducing young people to business ownership.• Legislation for Innovation: Understanding "Lemonade Stand Laws" and how current grassroots efforts are working to remove restrictive legal barriers for experimental childhood ventures.• Beyond Financial Literacy: How early entrepreneurial training actively builds lifelong resilience, confidence, community connection, and active citizenship.• Co-ops and Community: Practical strategies for testing and scaling youth business curriculums within local homeschool pods, parks departments, and community groups.Topics covered in this video:Society of Child Entrepreneurs, business as mission, youth entrepreneurship curriculum, teaching kids business, lemonade stand laws, SOCE, early childhood business training, faith and business, BAM global movement, homeschool business co-op, empowering young leaders, creative problem solving for kids. #BusinessAsMission #ChildEntrepreneurs #YouthEntrepreneurship Connect with Us:Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-as-mission-podcast-with-mike-baer/id1551867793Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Gp5SOOHFggJ67vPA5qxkDTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@officialbampodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialbampodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialbampodcast/#BusinessAsMission #BAM #MarketplaceCalling