Five Tips For Starting a Business as Mission

Christine Elizabeth • Mar 06, 2017

We came to the Philippines wide-eyed and idealistic.

Let’s start a coffee shop : make money for missions and make good coffee. How hard can it be?

Nineteen months later, what started as a vision for a large coffee shop with meeting rooms has turned into a small pour-over bar in a 10 square meter entryway within a co-working space. What started as a desire to make money for missions turned into a vision to mobilize and equip other entrepreneurs to use their business to serve God and people — here and abroad.

What began as a small dream that “might work” has become a reality, a joy and one of our biggest challenges.

Through our change in size, refinement of vision and many sleepless nights, we’ve embarked on a journey of learning the importance of serving God with what we have, what we love and what we do. We’re learning that life and community change happen when we’re engaged in all areas of society — business, education, politics, arts — not only in ministry at church.

For the past two years, we’ve received an abundance of help and advice from those who have gone before us in business, in ministry and in coffee. In honor of all we’ve learned, I want to pass on five of the biggest things that have helped us shape our missional business.

See the business as a part of your ministry.


business as mission narrative coffee manila

Don’t separate “business” and “mission.” How you conduct your business every day is ministry, not just a means to it.


So often, we can think of business as being the vehicle for missions or the “necessary evil” for connecting to people and serving the community. Tasks like legal paperwork, business plans and market research can seem like activities that hold you back from doing “the real work.”

But God calls us to do all things for His glory — even if they look like paperwork and seem like isolating activities.

So what if instead of seeing these tasks as projects to complete, we see them as a part of what God will use to teach us and use us? See the market research as a way to learn more about the needs of your community. Engage your creativity when preparing your business plan, and use all of it as a connecting point to the people around you. Ask questions. Get help. Redeem the everyday tasks.

We first realized the need for this when a friend and mentor asked us this very simple question: “Do you see the act of serving coffee as ministry?” My husband answered honestly, “No.” The ministry is the relationships, right?

Our friend reminded us that Jesus taught that giving cold water to the least of His followers marked you as His disciple. A cup of cold water — a tangible expression of service. If we make delicious coffee to the very best of our ability and serve it with love, this is service to Him who has given us these gifts.

Learn the laws in your host country.


business as mission narrative coffee company

Navigating the legal systems in your host country will set up your business for long-term success.


When we move into a new culture, we take time to study the language and learn the culture. Part of loving our host culture is learning the laws that govern it. While this is generally important when moving to a new place, it’s especially imperative when opening a business.

What are the legal implications of registering your new business? Can you, as a foreigner, even own a business? What do taxes look like? What certifications do you need (safety, fire, cleanliness, etc.)? Will you be a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization? Do you need a board? Trustees?

For some countries, there’s a difference between what the law says and what people usually do. Learn these differences, and know who to trust when you ask for advice.

This is one area that God used to challenge us as well as direct us in terms of how we would establish our business. It’s easy to obey the law when the laws make sense and everyone obeys them. But what about the times when it’s normal to work around the laws?

When looking to incorporate the business, there are laws about what foreigners and cannot own. We explored the implications of opening as a non-profit and as a for-profit. With each new conversation and each new step in understanding, we asked God, “ What do you want this business to be?

Currently, we are still in the process of making these decisions, and we see how the law is helping us discern the best path.

Be intentional about your suppliers.


business as mission narrative coffee company

It’s not just about building relationships with customers. You have the opportunity to build meaningful, long-term partnerships with your suppliers, too.


For us, it started with the coffee. Our industry prides itself on knowing — really knowing — the supply chain. We want to know the family who labored over this coffee — who picked the beans, how they were processed and where they come from. We want to know who roasted them, and we want those people’s story to be a part of ours.

Not only does it make it more fun to get to tell that story when we serve their product, but we also know exactly where the money we spend is going. We know it’s going to feed families and help friends fuel their businesses. We love having our business help other’s businesses.

Be intentional, build relationships, spend your money not just on the product but on the story and potential behind it. You can honor God by sourcing quality products rather than just getting what’s cheapest and easiest. Be wise with where your money goes, and know that sometimes that means spending money on relationships and quality.

We realized that we could do this with more than just the coffee: We paid a friend to build our bar, we visited the small chocolate factory that makes the chocolate we sell, and we sat down with the artists who made our aprons. This is one area of business that God can use to build relationships and connections to what you’re doing outside your own community.

Find a mentor (or two).


You are guaranteed to encounter obstacles in your business that you don’t know how to overcome. Ask for help often.


When we came here to Manila, we didn’t really know coffee. We liked it. We loved learning about it and talking about it and drinking it. But we needed to learn.

Similarly with business, we didn’t really know business. We had some ideas and big dreams but we didn’t know the ins and outs of how to start a business. For both of these things, we sought out people to mentor us.

As our needs and experiences changed, so did our mentors. We did not stick with the same person the whole time, but God brought in and out men and women who He used to teach us what we needed to know in that season.

Find people to teach you. Ask for help. Be a learner of your industry and of business in general. Even if you’ve worked in this field before, learn the field in the culture you’re in. Seek wisdom from other expats who have started a business internationally and from locals who know how to work in business in their own culture.

And know that one person may not walk with you through the whole process. Each season of starting a business can look a little different and require different help. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22, ESV).

Let it take unexpected turns.


Your business likely will not look like you planned. But each change gives you a chance to rely on God.


If I could show you what our business looked like in my imagination as we were preparing, it would look different every few months or so. Then to compare it to what it is now — it has changed so much! But it’s better than what we could have planned on our own.

There was a season when each new conversation drastically changed what we wanted our business to be. We allowed these conversations to do so because we wanted to be sure we were walking forward with open hands, allowing God to make it be what He wanted it to be.

Our friend and fellow business owner, Isiah, puts it this way, “I may be the business owner, but I’m still really the employee. God is the owner of my business.” Even setbacks may be God’s way of changing your direction, of using His business to give Him more glory.

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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