Background and History of the IBA
Business as Mission (BAM) is becoming increasingly important as a setting where the truth of the Gospel is holistically revealed through the incarnation into people’s lives, and where discipleship is taught through practical application in the field. Accordingly, the Lausanne Movement recruited experts in the field of BAM from around the world to conduct the BAM Global Think Tank from 2002 to 2004, and published the Lausanne BAM Report following the first BAM Consultation held in Pattaya, Thailand, in 2004.
Based on the Lausanne BAM Report, the Shanghai Korean United Church in China hosted the first BAM Forum in Shanghai in April 2007 under the name SKBF (Shanghai Korean Business Forum). From that first year through 2012, the BAM Forum was held annually in Shanghai, China.
Through the 2010 forum, the International BAM Alliance (hereinafter IBA) was formed, and in 2013, a board of approximately 40 members—comprising businesses, churches, and mission organizations—was established, and a forum was held in Seoul.
To this day, the IBA has continued to support BAMers of various ages and professions by providing a platform for their activities. Currently, approximately 40 companies, churches, and mission organizations are partnering with the IBA to create opportunities for business missions both domestically and internationally.
IBA's Vision
IBA is moving forward to fulfill the following visions.
[BAMer Movement]
IBA is raising up Christians from various industries and positions who recognize and live out their missional calling within the business world, helping them live as BAMers. It also assists local churches in becoming “missional churches” that fulfill their mission by sending out members to live as disciples in the world.
[Awakening]
Within the Korean church, the understanding of BAM and its missiology is still unfamiliar. Mission organizations, which have traditionally sent out missionaries, face many challenges in concretely implementing and supporting BAM. Local churches, too, are still unaccustomed to sending out their members as disciples of Jesus into a business-oriented world. IBA is creating the groundwork for the perspective and concepts of BAM to spread and for the BAM movement to grow naturally.
[BAM Support]
IBA actively encourages Christians seeking to start and operate BAM businesses in mission fields both domestically and internationally—where the influence of the Gospel is relatively low—facilitates networking among them, and provides tangible and intangible support for business startup and operations.
IBA's Core Values
[We Follow the Evangelical Tradition]
The IBA Movement follows the evangelical tradition based on the 1974 Lausanne Covenant.
- We are committed to proclaiming the Gospel.
- We believe the Bible is the Word of God and use it as the foundation for our faith and practice.
- We believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation and the Savior who will fulfill history.
[Operating as a Movement]
The identity of IBA does not lie in regular events, projects, or organizational structures, but in the movement to establish BAM businesses, equip BAMers, and spread BAM.
[Unity and Partnership]
It identifies itself as a platform for unity where diverse communities and individuals who share the same vision work together to achieve common goals. This partnership is not based on a permanent hierarchical relationship but is formed through temporary strategic alliances based on agreed-upon needs, objectives, and timeframes.
[Rooted in Purpose and Principles]
It is not driven by agreements among individuals or small groups but by a pre-established mission and core values.
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