Psalms One Business Owner

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Before reading this Appendix, please read and study Appendix F, Business As Mission, BAM.  You've heard of BAM, Business As Mission, now we are presenting FAM?  FAM is Farming As Mission!

While BAM is not primarily intended for the pastor or in-church ministers, FAM is targeted towards them.  Most pastors in developing nations do not have consistent income without holding down an outside job or business.  A majority of those in developing nations do not have the opportunities for an outside job or business.  Tithing often is not able to support the pastor.

You may be reading this book in another season of time, years after this is being written in 2008.  However, as for the present, I heard a news report in April 2008 that world food prices have increased 40% just in one year, and in some areas they have doubled.  That is compounded by the fact that the percentage of income used in the Third World for food is between 50% and 90%.  Compare that to America where the percentage is 9.5%.

While we are not on mission to solve the food shortage problem, FAM has many practical and spiritual facets.

 

1.  It proposes a small farm is sponsored and started by a pastor.

2.  The farm serves as "income" for the pastor, like tent making, by providing for his family's food.  That may be 50% or more of his income needs.  Typical businesses are not always appropriate for pastors due to time conflicts.

3.  The pastor "hires" church members to work for food.  Each member earns according to time worked.

4.  The farm has a supervisor.  The supervisor makes sure that he sells enough produce at the beginning of harvest to purchase next year's seed and fertilizer.  This supervisor serves as the "Farm Pastor" and oversees the business and the ministry activities.

5.  Whatever produce is not sold, and not used for workers and the pastor, and not used for other "escrow needs" is available for FAM ministry.  This includes feeding the poor in the neighborhood with both vegetables and spiritual manna.  We will attempt to draw people to the farm to pick up their vegetables and manna.

 

There can be many variations to the above outline which may be considered.

I personally, together with ISOB, was part of a project like this in Haiti in 2003.  We dug a well for an existing garden so that it would bear more produce.  The site turned out to be a "church," or a FAM.  Many of the poor and hungry in the neighborhood came by for food and water.  Many received Jesus for the first time, others were healed, and demons were cast out from others.

 

Look at this devotional article by Os Hillman, a Christian businessman.

Today God Is First by Os Hillman May 3^rd, 2008 [1]

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

There is a paradigm shift going on among a remnant of workplace believers today. That paradigm shift is a focus on using our business and work life as a platform for ministry versus a platform solely for material success. There is a remnant of workplace believers throughout the world today who understand their birthright in the workplace is to reflect Christ fully in and through their work. It is reflected by a commitment to use their resources and skills to provide a product of excellence with the overall motive to affect people for Jesus Christ. The difference is that these individuals have an overriding ministry objective to their work.

When the apostle Paul tells us to fully work unto the Lord, he does not mean we must be working as missionaries in "full-time Christian effort." He understands that all of life is holy and sacred to God. If our motive is to serve God where we are, then our labor "in the Lord is not in vain."

As you begin your work today, ask God if you are working with the primary motive of reflecting His life and character through your work on this day. Let nothing move you from this motive being central to your activity. The Lord will reflect

 

Sample FAM

Crop reaped                                                             50 units

Sold for next year's supplies           10 units

Pastor                                                                                 5 units

Workers from church                                20 units

Given to poor who come                     15 units

 

 

We are making available the educational methods used by SIFAT, Servants in Faith and Technology (Lineville Alabama).  These materials are from ECHO one of the world's foremost experts in Third World farming and other ministry technologies. With this material we hope to train the nationals to farm smart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farm As Mission Proposal

Table 1

Questions	Answers
1.      Proposed owner of Garden.
2.      Proposed Daily operations supervisor
3.      Location and size of Garden.  If stated in acres, please give the length and width of an acre in your country.  Give these dimensions in meters.
4.      How much is the annual or seasonal rent for the land?
A.     Can you obtain a lease on the land for an extended period?
5.      State how many people in your congregation will
A.     Work in the garden.
B.     Be fed from the garden
C.     Will there be some people in your congregation fed by the garden who are unable to work in it, like the elderly? How Many?
6.      How will tools and produce be protected from thieves?
7.      First Year Start-up costs
A.     Tools
B.     First seasons rent
C.     First seasons seed
D.     Tools storage
E.   First year food for laborers
F.   Transportation
G.     Other, explain
H.  Total Loan requirement (Sum A – G)

 

 

1.      What is the crop?
2.      How many acres or part of an acre do you plan to plant?
3.      What are the months for planting?
4.      What are the months for harvest?
5.      How will the crop be watered
6.      Is there more than one season per year for this crop? How many?
7.      Provide the seasonal estimates for this crop.	Quantity	Cost
A.     Land preparation and/or plowing in hours
B.     Seed.
C.     Fertilizer
D.     Insect control
E.     Weeding and harvesting in hours.
a.   Is this done by garden participants without pay? Give details.
F.      Food for laborers
G.     Transportation
H.     Miscellaneous
I.        Estimated yield for this crop each season.

Table 2 - Crop Details (Make a copy of this table for each crop)

 

 

Table 3 - Profit and Loss statement

	Quantity In crops	Value In dollars
1.  Gross Sales
2.   Expenses
A.            Escrow- How much of this crop:
a.   Seed
b.  Rent
c.  Transportation
d.  Food
e.  Other
B.              How much of this crop will be used for ministry?
C.      How much of this crop be used to pay back the loan?
D.  Total of all Expenses above
3.  Profit: How much of this crop will be used for paying the owner and workers?  Subtract total Expenses from Gross Sales.

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[1] Excerpted with permission from the book TGIF Today God Is First, by Os Hillman.  Copyright 2003.  Reprinted by permission.  For free daily email subscription to TGIF Today God Is First, visit www.TodayGodIsFirst.com or www.MarketplaceLeaders.org

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Add expense descriptions to rows e through i and add additional rows if needed. Take "Budgeted" column from table 6 part 4.

	Budgeted		Actual
	Conversion Rate		Conversion Rate
	Local Currency	Dollars	Local Currency	Dollars
a. Total months sales
b. Cost of goods sold
c. Gross Profit c=a-b
Operating expenses
d. Salaries
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j. Total operating expenses j=d+e+f+g+h+i
k. Pretax Income k=c-j
l. Profit Tax escrow
m. Other escrows
n. Net Income n=k-l-m
o. Loan Payment
p Fixed Monthly Support Fee
q.  Net Profit q=n-o-p
r. Cash on hand at the beginning of the month
s. Cash now on hand s=r+q

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The purpose of the International School of The Bible is to raise-up fruit bearing disciples through discipleship training.  Many are called to bear fruit for the kingdom of God within the church structure, i.e., planting a new church or serving in an existing one, or perhaps through a para-church organization, or evangelism.  We have observed a great of amount of success since 1997, way beyond what we could have ever imagined.  Of course, all the glory goes to God!

However, many are called by the Lord to take the Gospel into the world through their vocations, employment, or businesses.  We want to make sure that you do not confuse BAM, Business as Mission with "tentmaking."  Tentmaking is what church based Gospel workers sometimes do to support themselves.  The apostle Paul was a tentmaker.  That is something that we feel is very good and carries a high degree of integrity. Paul refused to accept money for himself from the churches he served.  However that is not Business As Mission.  Many Christians go into business to earn a living.  That is also very good.  However that is not Business As Mission.

Business As Mission is engaging in business for the primary purpose of spreading the Gospel, reaching the unreached, improving the culture and economy, extending the kingdom of God, and glorifying God.  The purpose of BAM is to focus on missions for the kingdom of God.  It is to take God's influence into the marketplace.

The by-product of Business As Mission is to make a good income for the business owner so that he/she may be self-sufficient, be able to support the church and ministries, and make an impact on the culture and society.

 

Personal testimony.

When the Lord saved me in 1979 I was operating a grocery story connected with gasoline pumps and an adjoining pizza restaurant.  God came into my life in such a radical way that I immediately proclaimed to all in my realm of influence what had taken place in my life.  That included making that proclamation in my businesses.  I cleared off an entire grocery shelf and gave away free Bibles and Gospel tracts.  I ran Bible contests and gave away prime cuts of beef as a prize.  I spoke to all my employees and customers about Jesus unashamedly.

One employee asked me, "Larry, don't you think it would be more beneficial to leave religion out of your business?"  I answered, "Jesus kept me from going to Hell! I cannot keep my mouth shut!"  The employee answered, "Well maybe He will save me from Hell also."  This person did get saved and is now in Heaven with Jesus.

A pastor came in and asked, "Are you not afraid that all of your Gospel publications and Bible studies will drive away business?"  I answered, "Well, if it does then I will find a job.  If I cannot find a job, then I will not be able to eat.  If I cannot eat I will die.  But then I will end up in Heaven with Jesus, so either way I win."  He just scratched his head and left.

I converted the pizza restaurant to a Jewish deli in order to serve the neighboring synagogue.  It was quite successful and the Jews did not seem to mind my strong Christian witness (surprisingly).  I know several Jews who found the Lord through this business, including two survivors of the Holocaust and one of their sons.  Those two are in Heaven now.

I did not know it then, but my business was Business As Mission.  It was a BAM!  Eventually God took me out of that business into another type of business.

The other business required a professional management company licensed for certain type of health care by the government and other authorities.  I had no day-to-day contact.  However, the Lord gave me a Word, a rhema, a promise that has made this business a BAM by remote control.  He spoke to me that if I ruled righteously, that His presence and influence would prevail, and it most certainly has.  Not only did the Lord bless the health care patients, He also blessed the financial part of the business abundantly!

The rhema He gave me was 2 Samuel 23:1-4 which says, “Now these are the last words of David.  Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:  The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’”

 

The following is a wonderful example and some BAM principles and testimonies quoted from an article written by Mats Tunehag [1].  Bringing the world, the unreached, into the church is a wonderful thing, and it works quite well.  However, many of the lost and unreached will not go near a church.  This example compares the church to a saltshaker and the world to meat.  Often we try to " put the meat into the salt shaker" and it works.  More often however, we need to take the saltshaker to the world.

 

There is supposedly another way of cooking, not often used. One could try to squeeze the meat through the small holes into the saltshaker and thus make the meat salty.

 

 

We as Christians are called to be salt – and light. But let’s focus on the salt bit. Let the saltshaker represent the church and the meat represent the world – which Christ sends us to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BAN or BAM?

BAM is real business, not Christian charity in a business disguise. But it is more than just business. One may use BAN and BAM as two acronyms to highlight a difference:

 

* BUSINESS AS NORMAL (BAN)

The business of business is business

 

* BUSINESS AS MISSION (BAM)

The business of Business as Mission is also business, BUT with a kingdom of God purpose and perspective.

Business as a calling with transformational impact.

God calls and equips people to do business. Business is a ministry in its own right. So if God has called you to business don’t lower yourself to become a pastor – or vice versa. BAM is to do business with excellence, professionalism and integrity. BAM is manifesting the Kingdom of God in the Market Place. BAM is people being transformed spiritually, economically and socially. The business of Business as Mission is to reveal Christ through business.  When this is done effectively, the outcome is transformational.

BAM is not “’tent making

The term tent making is linked to the apostle Paul who made tents – had a “secular” job and thus supported himself and at the same time worked in “the ministry”. (The terms, their use and implications, often reinforce the sacred – secular divide that is contrary to the Biblical holistic concept). In mission circles tent making often means someone taking up a job with a company in a foreign country, and that gives opportunities to share Christ with colleagues and others. It is a good and valid concept but is not to be confused with BAM, albeit some overlap exists and they may be complimentary.

BAM focuses on:

Job makers

Entrepreneurs; owners & operators of businesses

Business development

Personal & societal transformation through business

 

Tent making focuses on:

Job takers

All kinds of workers & professionals

Work in general

To witness and be a testimony at work and through work

 

Business as Mission is not Business for Mission.

We mustn’t look at business people as cash cows. BAM is not a fundraising strategy. It is not an alternative and new way to financially support traditional Christian ministries. We are all called to give and be generous, regardless of profession or level of income. But we are not teachers, surgeons, housewives, CEOs or farmers, just in order to be able to give money to a charitable cause. None of us would like to be operated on by a surgeon whose only ambition is to make money to give to the church! Instead we expect he has the right skills and drive to operate with excellence, doing his job with full professional integrity. We have all been given gifts and talents, we are all to be good stewards of these gifts, acting responsibly and care for others, whether family members, friends, employees, customers, poor and needy in other countries.

Business as Mission pursues...PROFIT.

Business must be financially sustainable, producing goods or services that people are willing to pay for. Sustainability implies that the activity is profitable. Profits are an essential element of all businesses, in all cultures.  Without profit the business cannot survive and fulfill its purpose.  Accordingly, Business as Mission businesses are real business that genuinely exist to generate wealth and profits. Business as mission does not view profits as inherently evil, bad or unbiblical. Quite the contrary, profits are good, desired and beneficial to God and His purposes, as long as they are not oppressive, or derived from gouging customers or selling products and service that do no honour Christ and His gospel.

A Definition of Business as Mission.

Business as Mission is about real, viable, sustainable and profitable businesses; with a Kingdom of God purpose, perspective and impact; leading to transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically and socially – to the greater glory of God.

Bottom line. The ultimate bottom line of Business as Mission is for the greater glory of God.

The Biblical mandate is clear: The whole Gospel to all peoples and nations, preaching and demonstrating God’s Kingdom; believing, praying and working towards spiritual, social and economical transformation of people and societies – to God’s glory. The whole world; all peoples and nations: what are some of the major needs? If we are to make a needs assessment, a market analysis – what do we find?

Four things correlate and stand out:

Most unreached peoples are found in the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist world. Most of them live in the so called 10/40-Window. These are areas and people groups where the name of Jesus is rarely heard, or if heard – seldom understood.

Here you will also find a large majority of the world’s poorest of poor.

These countries – where you’ll find most unreached people and many poor – also often have unemployment rates ranging from 30, 50 to 70 percent.

Often 50 percent or so of the population is young, under 15 – 20 years of age.

So several variables converge: Jesus not known, poverty, unemployment and hundreds of million of young people coming into the market place looking for jobs. How can the Gospel be relevant to these peoples? How can the Kingdom of God be both preached and manifested among them? One thing is certain: Jesus consistently and constantly met the needs of the people he encountered, was it physical, social or spiritual needs. If we want to be followers of Jesus we cannot – and must not – overlook the dire need for jobs among the poor and unreached. This challenge is huge and increasing: some estimates indicate that up to 2000 million (two billion) young people will start looking for jobs in the next 20 years. Most of them live in areas where the name of Jesus is rarely heard, poverty is common, and unemployment rates are very high even now.

Let’s look at two major Muslim countries. Iran has at least ten million unemployed and 20 + million young people are coming into the market place looking for jobs in the next 15 years. How can the Kingdom of God be demonstrated among these Iranian job seekers? Turkey also has about ten million unemployed today and another 20 – 30 million young people are getting ready to join the labor force soon. Or will they just become another percentage figure in the unemployment statistics?

It is not sufficient to thing just in terms of job creation. Nor is it sufficient to just think in terms of church planting. If church planting and growth is our sole definition of success, Rwanda was the ultimate success story in the 20th century. It went from 0 to 90 percent of population being members in various churches in 100 years. But in 1994 we witnessed genocide in this small central African country – one million people killed in a few weeks. Rwanda obviously had people in church, but not church in people; i.e. the Gospel had not truly transformed ethnic relations.

Business as Mission aims at transformation of people and societies – that is our mission given by God. Jesus said: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” This implies to the whole world and with a holistic Kingdom of God mission. It is thus necessary to understand the world that Christ sends us to. This world is full of people who have not heard about Jesus, are suffering physically and economically because of rampant and increasing unemployment. Traditional mission responses will not suffice. We need to be church and do missions in a renewed way; recognizing the gifts and callings of entrepreneurs and business people, seek to affirm and deploy them to do Business as Mission.

 

Examples.

Business as Mission, often abbreviated BAM, is a relatively new term but based on Biblical concepts. Its applications vary from country to country, from business to business. Here are two brief contemporary BAM stories:

1) A Christian in Central Asia tried to witness to his people, a Muslim community with very few believers. But he was seen as a “professional Christian”, not real to them and probably paid by Westerners to proselytize. He experienced open hostility and alienation. Later he started a small cattle business. His lifestyle became understandable and natural to them. Even though they knew he was still a follower of Isa/Jesus, he was now acceptable. He was one of them, perceived as dealing with real life issues and meeting real needs. He has since been invited to sit on the council of elders for his community.

2) An IT-company exists in India among a major unreached people with the intention to make Christ known among these people.  Through the many natural opportunities that business provides, the founder can share his faith in word and deed. The company’s strategic plan reads: “Our purpose is to serve:

Our Customers with creative, innovative, reliable, top-quality solutions;

Our Employees with meaningful and challenging work, stability, good salaries, development and a pleasant work-environment;

Our other Stakeholders by providing attractive returns on their investments;

The Country by creating knowledge and wealth and contributing to local concerns;

Society by showing that success and high moral standards can co-exist; and

Ultimately God by being faithful and good stewards.”

 

BAM & societal transformation.

Let’s briefly mention one example, from Norway 200 years ago. Hans Nielsen Hauge was born in the late 1700’s in a poor, underdeveloped agricultural society. There was no democracy and limited religious freedom. When Hauge was 25 years old he had an encounter with God. Hauge’s life motto became: Love God and fellow men. He travelled extensively throughout Norway and did - what we in modern day terminology would call - church planting and business as mission.

He started 30 businesses, including fishing industries, brickyard, spinning mills, shipping yards, salt & mineral mines, paper mills, and printing plants. He was an entrepreneur and a catalyst. Many others were inspired to read the Bible, to meet with other believers for prayer and fellowship, and various businesses were started and developed.

Even secular historians today acknowledge Hauge’s legacy and contribution to the development of modern Norway. He is sometimes called “the Father of democracy in Norway”. He facilitated equality between men & women, his work lead to a spiritual awakening and an entrepreneurship movement Hauge’s legacy is thus one of spiritual, economical and social transformation. He did not use the term business as mission, but his life and work illustrates some of the BAM goals, principles and outcomes.

 

Accountability - spiritual authority - preventing backsliding.

The BAM business person must always be on the alert to keep from backsliding.  People normally do not backslide on purpose, and it is usually a slow and gradual process that goes unrecognized until it is too late.  The BAM business person must have pastoral and church accountability.  He must recognize his pastor or some other designated group of advisors as his spiritual authority.  He must have an accountability group of people who will speak into his life and watch for his spiritual health.

 

Fellowship.

The BAM business person must stay in church fellowship.  Business can become addictive and demanding, however time for fellowship and worship must come first.

 

Word study and prayer and quiet time to continue to hear from God.

As a reminder, chapter 1 in this book says,

Each business owner must sustain his/her business according to Mark 4:1-20, and Psalms One.  Mark Chapter 4:1-20 contains the Parable of the Sower.  Mark 4:11 states that this Parable is the secret of the Kingdom of God.  We submit that Jesus is affirming here that His Word is the seed and your heart is the soil.  If your soil is good, you will bear fruit.  Your business will only succeed if you maintain your living relationship with Jesus and allow Him to bear His fruit through you.

Each business owner must continue to hear God speak, receiving new Words of Wisdom in his/her heart and continuing to bear fruit from the "new capital" that God invests in him/her.  At the same time, he/she must resist Satan's attempts to steal the Word

 

Certification and disclosure.

Prior to the engagement for training in this book, the LTM should certify which type of business is being proposed, tentmaking, normal business, or Business As Mission.

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[1] Business As Mission: http://www.businessasmission.com/pages/papers_articles.

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Objectives.

This appendix is intended to guide the in country leaders of this program in their responsibilities in the following areas:

 

Responsibilities to the LTM.

Responsibilities to candidates before the training starts.

Responsibilities to students during the training.

Responsibilities to business owners after their loans are paid in full.

 

Responsibilities to the LTM.

1.  Select the candidates for the program. You may be his/her pastor, or appointed by their spiritual authority to be their LTM.

 

2.  Certify that he/she is a Psalms One person. Each business candidate must be certified as a Psalms One person by his/her approved spiritual leader.  If the leader cannot certify the person, then the leader may recommend him/her for advanced discipleship.  The leader needs to discern if the candidate is living their life in this manner.  If not, it is recommended the candidate enroll in the discipleship program Grow or Die [1].  To make sure you understand what we mean by a Psalms One person you should study chapters 1 through 7 of the book.  You will be held accountable for this certification.  While you may not be correct every single time, you need to ask the Lord to help you in making this decision.

 

3. Determine if each student belongs in group A or B. The program allows for the LTM to divide the students into two types of students. The first type I will refer to as the “A” type. This type will be required to do all assignments in all chapters with your advice and council. Any student requiring $500 or more to start their business will be a type A. The second type I will refer to as the “B” type. The students that are B type want to start a business where their loan will be less than $500. The B students will go through chapters 1 through 7 just as the A students do. Then the B students will meet with you (LTM) and you will ask the students a series of questions that are based on the data needed to fill in the tables in chapters 8 through 13 for their business. You will then fill in the tables for the student, including all of the math.  Make sure each student understands which type they are and why.

 

4.  Review the entire program with each candidate. Obtain their agreement that they will follow the program from start to finish.  A key element here is to make sure they understand that they will be required to pay back the loan and support others that will follow them in the program.  They will be accountable to you and their spiritual leader throughout the entire program.

 

5.  Produce a progress report on each student, while they are taking the course.  This report should be at least monthly. It should be submitted to your delegated authority.  This report should include your comments on the student's progress.  This report should include, but not be limited to.

a.  Student's spiritual progress.

b.  Student's discipline to seriously study the course.

c.  Student's progress in business knowledge.

 

6.  Meet with the business owner after the business is started.  Produce a report on each meeting with each business owner.

Including the following:

a.  A brief status of where the business stands.

b.  List any problems that have been encountered.

c.  List any success stories.

d.  Report if the business owner following his/her plan.  If not, did you approve the changes?

e.  Report on the spiritual condition of the business owner.

f.  Financial status.  Verify that the monthly reports have been sent by the type A business owner to the USA office and/or their designated authority in their region, and if not forward them.  For the type B businesses the LTM is responsible for creating and sending the monthly status report while their loan has not been paid back. For "closed nations" there will be special reporting requirements as agreed to in advance.  See Monthly LTM Report, included in this Appendix D.

g.  Report on the spiritual growth of the business owner and others, and souls won to Christ, as a direct result of the business.

 

7. Check list for new students:

Please send a copy of the check list to GB when you enter a student into the program.

 

Activity	Check Done
Name of the Student __________________________________________________
A2. I certify that he/she is a Psalms One Person
A3. This student is an A ______ type or B ______ type student	Check one
A4. I have reviewed the entire program with this person

 

 

Responsibilities to candidate before he/she starts the program.

1.  Go over with each candidate what it means to be a Psalms One person as explained above.

2.  Review the process in going through the program with each candidate, making sure they understand how the process works and what is expected of them, during the course and afterwards.

3. Make sure each student understand whether they are classified as type A or B student.

 

The student will get the most out of this program by observing the following steps.

The student will be asked to answer many questions during this study.  This will take time to answer each question completely.  They should take as much time and space as needed to be comfortable that their answer completely answers the question.  In terms of managing the time that is spend on this training, they should first spend time with the Lord then spend time on this training.  Get their commitment to the program in writing.  Obtain a simple statement that they understand the program and commit to work through you and their spiritual leader while completing the material.

The Book you will be using is entitled “The Psalms One Business Owner.”  It can be provided in one of two forms.  It can be received as a Word document via email or in printed form.  In some regions of the world it is easier to provide the book by sending it via e-mail, while other regions can best be served through hard copy.  Explain to the student which method they will be using.  Explain to the student that he/she will be either filling out the document on a computer or completing the answers on separate sheets of paper and turning them in to you.

 

Responsibilities to students during the course of study and before funding.

1.  Be an encourager.  Help the students understand the questions being asked as they relate to their region of the country.  Make sure they do not loose sight of God’s plan for their life.

2.  Review all of the type A students work before it is turned in to GB and complete chapters 8 through 13 with the help of the type B students.

3.  Make sure that answers to questions are reasonable.  Some student will be too conservative while others will be way too aggressive.

4.  In some cases someone from the GB home office will meet with the students in person when the students business is funded.  The LTM must participate in this meeting 100% of the time.

There are two possible ways a student might go through the training.

For email students.

Ask the student to save the email lesson in a special mailbox at his/her email website.  Ask the student to print the entire chapter and take it home.  As the student studies the assignments and writes in the answers and comments, have the student return to the saved email and type in the comments and answers on the original email.  Then have the student copy and paste those comments and email them to you.  You will in turn e-mail the document to us when you feel it is ready.  This way the student does not need to finish the entire chapter before responding and getting some feedback from you.  He/she may respond to a few assignments each week or every day.

For book students.

Give the student a copy of the book.  Ask the student to bring you his/her assignments for a few pages at a time instead of finishing the entire chapter without making contact with you, the LTM.  After reviewing the students answers encourage him/her in the positive areas of response and provide positive correction/guidance in any areas that need clarification.  Contact GB if you are not sure of an answer or just want clarification.  When the student is finished with a chapter you will provide that information to GB in your monthly report.

Mark up the document with the student's comments, answers to assignments and questions.  Students should make arrangement to review their work with you periodically.  Student and/or you should deliver the document to the assigned person, either by email or in person by hard copy.

There will be special provisions agreed to in advance for "closed nations."

 

Responsibilities to the business owners after funding is approved.

1.  Parcel out the funds according to the detailed Business Plan developed during Chapter 15. In most cases the detailed business plan will call for funds to be spent over some time period, not all at once.  The leader will be responsible for holding the funds until the time comes to make the purchases.

2.  Meet weekly for the first three months and get the answer to the following questions. After three months if the plan is on projection or ahead of projection and the finances are on budget or above budget, these meetings can decrease to once every two or three weeks, or up to once a month.

 

Here are some sample questions you may ask the businessperson during these visits.

What is the best thing that has happened in the business since we last met?

What has gone wrong (not according to plan), since we last met?  This should NEVER be “nothing.”  There are always things going wrong in a business, the business owner needs to learn to expect then and learn how to acknowledge them and finally seek God’s help in handling them.

Ask the owner how you can help him/her.  If you need help send us an email and we will do what we can.  Is the business plan schedule on projection, ahead of projection or behind projection?  If it’s behind, what is the plan to fix the problem?  Is the financial plan on budget, above track or below budget?  If it is below, what can be done to correct the problem?

Be very careful to ask for the Loan payment, and other collectible fees when they are scheduled.  It is very important to be on a schedule so that the owner can expect and be prepared for these obligations.

3.  Cash flow reports.  You must make sure, and insist, that the type A business owner submits a Cash Flow Report in the general form of Appendix E.  You are responsible for completing and reviewing with the type B business owners their cash flow report. As we stated in Chapter 12, Assignment 12.4, this is a very important issue.  If an owner skips this discipline, he/she will not know the real status of the business.  We have seen businesses fail just for the failure to do these reports.

4.  Loan payback funds. As you or the designated person collects monthly loan payments, they should be deposited in a safe place.  These loan payback funds will stay in your region and will be used to fund new businesses.

5. Fixed Monthly Support Fee. This fee is to go directly to the LTM to help compensate him/her, in a small way, for their expenses and time spent mentoring the business owners.

6. Global Business expenses. The expenses in running the GB training and mentoring should be accounted for and expensed monthly. Where receipts are provided they should accompany the monthly expense report. These expenses are to be paid for out of the Fixed Monthly Support Fee.

7 Escrow savings Account. In order to help the new business owners develop good accounting practices, the LTM will collect each month the escrow money and put it in the bank along with the loan payment. A portion of the escrow savings will be withdrawn and given to the business owners when requested for an escrowed item that is coming due. The control of the escrow money can be turned over to the owner in the form of a personal savings account when their loan has been paid back in full.

 

Provide the lender, or designated person, a monthly summary report of all activity.  The report should include but is not limited to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monthly LTM Report.

Business Name	Date-Last Visit to business	Summarize the business' cash flow for this period.	Total funds held by leaders from loan repayments	Fees(F), loan payments(LP), Escrow(ESC) and Other(O) funds collected by leader for period of this report	Comments Are payments and fees up to date?  Is business operated at or above projection?
				F     - LP   - ESC-
				F     - LP   - ESC-
				F     - LP   - ESC-
				F     - LP   - ESC-

For businesses that are more than one year old, this report can be made quarterly.

Give the owner a copy of you last meeting's report that you sent to  the lender.

 

3.  Monthly Cash Flow Report. The business owner is required to submit a monthly Cash Flow Report to a delegated authority.  It should be in the form of Appendix E.  This is to be submitted every month, and no later than the 10^th day of the following month.  Do not settle for less!  You must be very diligent in demanding this discipline.  The purpose of this report is not only to inform the Lender and/or GB about the operation, but it is a discipline for the owner to face the truth of how his business is doing.  It is a discipline, that if not followed can lead to disaster!

Business Owners after their loan is paid in full.

Stay in touch – Although the pressure and hard work of getting a business started is over, there are many reasons to stay in touch with the business owner.  You may want them to be a mentor for a new student.  They may know of Psalms One people that could benefit from this program.

When loan is paid back in full, the business owner should get his loan agreement, that he signed, back marked “Paid In Full” and signed by the leader.

 

Fixed Monthly Support Fee.

In addition to paying back the loaned amount, the business owner will be asked to help support the costs of running this program in your region.  This includes printing, emailing, Internet expenses and in some cases expenses for the LTM.  The business owner will be asked to contribute a Fixed Monthly Support Fee.  The fee will be shown in the loan agreement. This fee will be set by the lender and may vary from loan to loan depending on circumstances. This expense can be used to support the micro-business program in your region.

 

Be positive and godly.  Treat your business owners and students with grace and dignity.

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[1] http://www.isob-bible.org/openlessons.htm