At Taylor, we’re in the business of developing servant-leaders who will be ambassadors for Christ, and one of the places students are most interested in doing that is, in fact, business. Business is Taylor’s largest academic area, with over 500 students in the department.
When we think of careers focused on serving the Lord, our minds might jump first to ministry roles like pastoring, missionary work, or nonprofit organizations. However, in Colossians 3:23, we are told, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" (NIV). Through a Business as Mission (BAM) lens, Taylor students are learning that for-profit businesses can glorify God while enacting real, lasting change in the lives of people who need it most.
BAM is defined as the integration of excellent, for-profit enterprise with a mission to bring glory to God by spreading the gospel and advancing the common good. Taking this a step further, Dr. Mick Bates, the Executive Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Taylor, emphasized change in the lives of those in need as a key tenet of BAM.
"There’s a missional focus on spiritual transformation, and with BAM, you’re also bringing economic change and social change, so it’s a very holistic approach."
Taylor students of the Cornwall School of Business & Leadership are not only being equipped with a Christ-centered philosophy of business but also with the entrepreneurial spirit and practical skills to advance their vision for BAM and serve others.
Students will encounter BAM philosophies in entrepreneurship classes from the entry-level Exploring Innovation and Entrepreneurship to the senior year New Venture Planning course.
But BAM isn’t limited to the classroom. One of Taylor’s January term (J-Term) classes is Global Entrepreneurship and Business as Mission, which engages students in service-learning education in an international business context with a ministry component. Last January, students traveled to Paraguay and interned with a variety of companies, from the largest flour mill in Paraguay to real estate firms.
This hands-on learning is incredibly valuable because, Dr. Bates said, "Our heart for BAM has always been to let students see it, experience it, and plant a seed for later in their lives."
Blake Gilbert is a 2025 graduate who majored in Marketing and Management and participated in a Costa Rica J-Term experience and a business practicum in Central Asia. He established a BAM Endowment Fund that will enable future Taylor students to participate in J-Term trips and get the same hands-on experience that he did.
Together, Wade Frances ’25, Brayden Gilbert ’25, and Lextin Willis ’26, founded their business, Unseen Worldwide, which is empowering BAM companies by increasing their visibility to US shoppers, helping them grow their market and empower their transformational work.
Not every student will go into a BAM career, but every student has the opportunity to treat their workplace as a place of worship.
"We see business as the largest mission field out there," said Dr. Jody Hirschy, Hodson Dean of the Cornwall School of Business & Leadership. "So how then do we use the boardroom, the sales call, the training session, the consultation as a way to be the hands and feet of Christ?"
There are opportunities to join us on campus as we seek to answer that question.
"Business is one of the best ways to love on people," said Dr. Bates, "If you really want to be a servant-leader, you take your skills and use them in a way that makes change for people."
Wherever God is leading you to work, He is also calling you to live on mission for His glory and the good of others.
