IBAM- International Business As Mission Biblical Entrepreneurship

What if you do not have to leave business to enter ministry? In this episode of the Kingdom Impact Summit, Steve Adams sits down with Jim and Martha Brangenberg of I Work for Him for a candid conversation about faith, work, entrepreneurship, marriage, and purpose. Jim and Martha both committed their lives to full-time ministry as teenagers. For years, they believed that calling would eventually le...

What if the local church is one of the most efficient engines for real community transformation—but often lacks the data, infrastructure, and grant readiness to access larger resources? In this episode, Steve sits down with Dave and Scott for a practical, faith-filled conversation about the role of churches in solving serious community needs. They discuss why local churches are relationally connec...

In this IBAM Kingdom Impact Summit conversation, Steve Adams interviews Dave Pavlin and Scott Wead from City Serve about the powerful role local churches can play in meeting community needs. Dave shares his journey from the business world, where he and his family built one of the largest durable medical equipment companies for hospice patients in the United States, to helping launch City Serve aft...

In this episode, Steve Adams sits down with Brad for a rich conversation about faith, work, Scripture, discipleship, and what it means to follow Jesus in the everyday places God has already placed us. Brad shares how he and his wife entered the real estate world through Keller Williams after becoming empty nesters. What began as a possible investment path became a way to create freedom for ministr...

In this Kingdom Impact Summit conversation, Steve welcomes Brad for an honest and deeply personal discussion about faith, business, discipleship, accountability, and the way God uses both success and failure to shape a life. Brad begins by sharing how his journey with Christ started in the summer of 1981, when he heard the gospel for the first time and surrendered his life to Christ. The very next...

What if the work you do every day is not separate from your faith, but one of the places God has already called you to serve? In this episode, Steve Adams and Jim Anthony explore the sacred/secular divide and why so many believers have felt that serving God only “counts” if they become a pastor, missionary, or go overseas. From Genesis 1:26–28 to everyday business leadership, the conversation refr...

In this conversation, Steve Adams sits down with Jim Batten to talk about faith, work, family, and the kind of leadership that gets tested in real life. Jim brings a deep business background, including leadership at O’Reilly Automotive, board service in banking, and years of experience carrying high-level responsibility. But the heart of this episode is not simply business success. It is about how...

In this episode, Cary Summers shares the remarkable journey that led from operating major theme park organizations to helping create the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. The conversation explores how a call from Bill Bright helped shape the vision behind the Nehemiah Group — building experiences designed to reach people who might never step foot inside a church. Cary walks through the early...

In this episode, the conversation explores the intersection of faith, leadership, and timeless business principles through decades of real-world experience. From helping expand Abercrombie & Fitch and Bass Pro Shops to studying the Book of Nehemiah for over 40 years, this discussion uncovers how biblical principles continue to shape effective leadership and sustainable growth. One of the centr...

What does it take to lead a business that truly matters—both now and for eternity? In this episode, we continue unpacking key biblical leadership principles modeled by Jesus—principles that challenge leaders to think beyond short-term success and build something that lasts. From the law of sowing and reaping to believing in the impossible, this conversation calls leaders to examine the seeds they...

What does it really mean to run a business that reflects God’s Kingdom? In this episode, we explore foundational biblical business principles that guide how leaders think, decide, and operate in both business and life. These principles are drawn from the teachings of Jesus—through His proclamations, parables, and practices—and are designed to shape every area of leadership. You’ll hear why busines...

In this episode, Steve Adams shares a powerful true story that captures the heart of business as mission. You’ll hear the journey of “R”, a former senior intelligence officer in Assad’s army who came to faith in Christ—and immediately faced life-altering consequences. Forced to flee his country, separated from his family, and dropped into Ukraine without language or direction, he found himself in...

What does it really look like to integrate faith into business? In this episode, we go beyond surface-level ideas and explore the deeper transformation that happens when Christian entrepreneurs begin to align not just their why, but their how with God. Many leaders start with the desire to glorify God through their business. But as discussed here, the real challenge begins when that conviction mee...

What if the way you’ve been viewing your work… is incomplete? In this episode, Steve sits down with Sean Yates to explore a powerful shift in perspective around faith and work. For many, faith has been something added onto work—through prayer, Bible studies, or intentional “ministry moments.” But as Sean shares, that was only part of the picture. Over time, his understanding evolved from a task-ba...

What if the way you think about work is incomplete? In this episode, Steve Adams begins a two-part series unpacking the idea of the First Commission and why it matters deeply for entrepreneurs and believers in the marketplace. Many Christians unknowingly operate with a “sacred vs. secular” mindset—believing that ministry work matters to God, but everyday jobs do not. But as Steve explains, this is...

What if your work is more than just work? In this episode, Steve Adams sits down with Michael to unpack the real story behind Business as Mission—and how it led to the creation of IBAM. It started with a mission trip in Thailand. A businessman handing out medication, wondering where he fit in. Then came a book, a training, and a realization: business wasn’t separate from mission—it was central to...

What if your work is more than a career — what if it’s a calling? In this episode from the Kingdom Impact Summit, Steve Adams sits down with Michael Baer, widely recognized as a pioneer in the modern Business as Mission movement. Mike shares the story of how his journey began with a group of college students meeting to read the Bible and pray at the University of Tennessee. What started as four yo...

In this episode of the IBAM Biblical Entrepreneurship Podcast, Steve Adams shares the story of a young entrepreneur from Indonesia named Suryan and how his small business is becoming a powerful platform for Kingdom impact. Indonesia is a vast nation made up of thousands of islands and nearly 300 million people, with a predominantly Muslim culture. During a recent visit, Steve and the IBAM team met...

What threatens the long-term growth of disciple-making movements? In this episode, Steve Adams unpacks a critical challenge facing global ministry efforts: sustainability . Across regions like Indonesia, Africa, and Central Asia, leaders are faithfully planting churches, discipling believers, and seeing multi-generational growth. But when new believers lose jobs, face social and family ostracism,...

What kind of businesses can really be started with just $1,000? In this episode, Steve Adams answers one of the most common questions IBAM receives: What types of businesses are you actually launching around the world? You’ll hear real examples of Christian entrepreneurs in Central Asia, Indonesia, Zambia, and Africa who started or expanded service-based businesses with loans capped at $1,000. Fro...

What happens 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 a loan is approved is often more important than the approval itself.⁣ ⁣ In this episode, Steve walks through the practical realities of 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, drawing from years of experience working with loan funds. This is not an exhaustive training, but a clear overview of the systems, habits, and accountability required to protect both the borrowe...

00:00 Introduction 00:54 Loan Committee Fundamentals 03:00 Presentation Process 06:25 Underwriting Focus 12:17 Ensuring Success 13:31 Outcomes and Encouragement 14:32 Conclusion In this episode, Steve walks through Loan Committee Basics —a foundational process for every IBAM partner, trainer, and loan fund administrator. For many partners, loan committee is new and can feel intimidating. Steve dra...

Preparing a student for loan committee is not about speed—it’s about diligence, wisdom, and responsibility. In this episode, Steve Adams walks through the full process master trainers should follow to prepare students before they ever present a loan request to committee. The goal is simple: only send deals forward when they are truly ready to be approved. Steve explains why Phase One training must...

▶️ Watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/VziCSeUMrGg 🌍 Join the mission: https://www.ibam.org In this episode, IBAM Founder Steve Adams walks listeners through the core principles behind IBAM’s loan fund model—a system shaped by more than four decades of banking, lending, and international microcredit experience. This conversation is part of a four-video training series created to help IBAM...

👉 Watch the full episode to hear how it all began. ⁠ https://youtu.be/SF164pTXqx4 ⁠ 👉 Join the mission at ⁠ www.ibam.org ⁠ In this episode of the IBAM Biblical Podcast, Steve Adams shares the story of his very first IBAM trip—the journey that quietly set the foundation for everything IBAM would later become. In June of 2007, Steve traveled on his first-ever business-focused mission trip, heading...