[From the Editor]
Entrepreneurs are change agents. They invent or introduce new products and services, new business models, and even whole new industries. Their ideas influence people’s thinking and their companies provide opportunities for personal growth and economic prosperity.
In this issue, we focus on kingdom entrepreneurship as an engine of transformation. That is, entrepreneurs who are followers of Christ seeking to transform themselves and those around them through their businesses.
In the first article, Mulford and Eldred present an overview of what it means for kingdom entrepreneurs to transform nations. They contrast a kingdom worldview with principled and man-made world views, arguing that a kingdom view is essential for godly transformation to occur.
In the second article, Buck Jacobs, founder of The C12 Group, talks about how entrepreneurs can be transformed and then transform others through their companies. He provides concrete examples from C12 companies that have generated such transformation.
The third article looks at the role of the organized church in transformative entrepreneurship. The authors represent two sides of the church coin. Eric Bahme, a pastor, talks about how the church itself can be entrepreneurial, owning a business that provides both funding for the church and a ministry outlet for church members. Patrice Tsague, developer of a course called Biblical Entrepreneurship (BE), talks about how the church can offer hope to it members and neighbors through BE training.
The last article looks at the most economically challenged continent—Africa—and asks what difference entrepreneurship can make. Decades of poor economic performance in spite of billions of dollars of aid could make one pessimistic about Africa; however, encouraging signs are emerging from numerous efforts to encourage entrepreneurs.