Coram Deo Consulting's first project was a strategy engagement for OMF, a missionary agency focusing on East Asia.  For the month of May 2001, the team lived in Singapore and worked with the Agency on the strategic issue of missionary mobilization.

 

Background: God's work in Asia

 

OMF has been serving in missions in East Asia for several generations. Founded in 1865 by British missionary Hudson Taylor as China Inland Mission, OMF was forced to leave China in 1949 during the Communist revolution.  Relocating its headquarters to Singapore, CIM changed its name to Overseas Missionary Fellowship and widened its focus to East Asia.  The Singapore National Office, housed in the same building as the OMF International Headquarters, was established to mobilize Singaporeans whom God calls to overseas missions and to provide member care to those missionaries.  

 

The Church in Singapore has witnessed tremendous growth during the past 20 years, the result of an active Christian student movement on campuses during the 1960s and 70s.  During the 1990's, the Singaporean Church began to increasingly focus its efforts and resources on overseas missions.  Despite this surge in interest in overseas missions, OMF Singapore did not experience an increase in its own mobilization of missionaries.  We were engaged by the new National Office Director to provide an overall understanding of mobilization for missions in the Church in Singapore today and to provide recommendations for OMF's own mobilization efforts.

 

 

Temple of 1000 Lights, Singapore

 

Engagement: Seeing God's work firsthand

 

The purpose of our project was to provide the Singapore National Office Director with an overall understanding of what the Church in Singapore is doing today in the area of missions.  How are churches mobilizing their members for missions?  What mobilization practices are missionary agencies finding successful?  How are Bible Colleges and Seminaries incorporating missions into their programs?  How did Singaporean missionaries - new recruits and experienced veterans - hear the call the missions and what influences played a part in their decisions to follow it?

 

Teaming up in pairs, we travelled throughout Singapore for three weeks, conducting over 50 interviews with individuals representing a cross section of organizations and roles, as well as individual missionaries, to answer the above questions.  In the evening, we got together as a group (usually over dinner), debriefed each other on our day's interviews.  We conducted interviews with 16 church leaders, 16 missionary agency leaders, five Bible college or seminary leaders; and 11 individual missionaries.   Through these interviews, we identified a spectrum of views on the subject of missions, practices and programs that are effective in mobilization, and trends.  We spent our last week putting together our findings in a 40 page report which was distributed to everyone who participated in our project, including all of the organizations and individuals we interviewed.  We also presented our findings to the executive management of OMF International and the Singapore National Office.

 

The feedback from our project was very positive, based on feedback we received from those who received our report.  OMF-Singapore is looking forward to our return in 2002.  A few comments...

 

"Thanks for the work and the report.  And most of all, I am very encouraged by what you have set out to do... a fine example for me to challenge my students and graduates to do!!" - an agency director

 

"Thank you so much for devoting time and energy, using the gifts that God has blessed you with..." - a pastor

 

"The information you have gathered is very helpful... and will serve as a good resource for our Missions Committees." - a pastor

 

The Team: Integrating work and faith

 

The Coram Deo Consulting team consisted of four University of Michigan Business School MBA students and John Terrill, National Director of MBA Ministries for Intervarsity.  John was able to join the team in Singapore for the first 10 days, then worked with the team remotely from the U.S. for the rest of the project.   The trip was an incredible opportunity to develop relationships with others seeking to live out their faith by serving in the world of business.

 

 

Matt, Stephen, and John

 

We spent almost every waking moment together - living in the same house, eating, working, and relaxing as a team.  In addition to our work with OMF, we also found time for fun.  We went to the renowned Singapore Zoo, the Botanic Gardens, and spent a Saturday at Sentosa Island.  Singapore has a well-deserved reputation as a food paradise.  Every day, we looked forward to the evening's dinner adventure, guided by Sze-Yunn, the Singaporean on the team.

 

 

The team, about to sample some Chili Crab at Boat Quay, a popular food strip

 

The  chance to meet with so many of the Church leaders in Singapore and hearing their stories of how they have seen God at work in Asia - changing lives and working through his Church - was an amazing experience.  Each of us is at a different place in our spiritual journey and God used the trip in different ways in all of us.   Following are brief bios of the team members and personal reflections on the trip. 

 

 

Mathew D. Cobbett (matt@coramdeoconsulting.com)– Mr. Cobbett was formerly a Senior Consultant with Deloitte & Touche prior to pursuing his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Michigan.  His experience leading consulting projects includes many engagements for non-profit clients.  Engagements for non-profit clients include writing a five-year strategic business plan, an organizational restructuring, and several business process reengineering projects.  He served for several years as president of the Board of a community symphony orchestra in Detroit, Michigan.  Mr. Cobbett is a Certified Public Accountant.

"It was amazing to me to see how God is at work in Asia.  The passion for overseas missions I saw in the pastors, mission agency directors, and Bible college leaders was encouraging to me.  We learned from our interviews that each church, mission agency, and Bible college approaches missions differently.  Yet, God is able to work through each one, bringing them together to accomplish his purposes.

 

The project was a great way to integrate my professional skills with my faith.  Ways in which we can integrate our faith with our work was the main theme of discussion in our regular fellowship meetings during the school year; so, for me, this project was a fulfilment of some of those discussions."

 

 

 

Margaret Lo (maggielo@umich.edu)- is focusing on marketing and strategy.  Prior to coming back to school she was a human resources generalist and manager for three years.  She was responsible for interviewing, hiring, and training.  Margaret is interested in pursuing a non-profit management career after graduation.  Her experience with non-profit organizations include being a leader in her home church, volunteering, and consulting with two local organizations to improve their marketing efforts

 

"I have always been greatly encouraged whenever God gives me the opportunity to see Him in action.  I am often caught up in my own little world and I forget that God is at work all over the world at all hours of the day.  However, during this trip He continually reminded me that He is a mighty God with a heart for the world.  I heard amazing testimonies of how God opened doors, prepared hearts, and orchestrated events perfectly.  I was reminded that God uses each one of us, with our different skills, to share His love and proclaim His Good News. "

 

 

Stephen K. Lo (sloz@umich.edu) -graduated from UMBS in 2001 with a focus on marketing and finance.  Prior to attending the University of Michigan Business School, he worked eight years in Tokyo and Hong Kong with computers, sportswear and sporting goods.  Stephen enjoys travel and sports, particularly swimming and basketball.

 

"This project gave me insight into how mobilization is crucial to missions, i.e., not only in raising up new missionaries but also in energizing congregation members to play a role.  It let me learn about how churches, missionary agencies and seminaries are being used by God in mobilization.  Also, it let me apply my business skills toward expanding the Kingdom." 

 

 

Sze-Yunn Pang (pangs@umich.edu) - Prior to business school, Sze-Yunn, a Singaporean, worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore.  In the diplomatic service, Sze-Yunn served for 3 years as First Secretary (Political and Economic) at the Singapore Embassy in Beijing, where her main duties were to analyse political and economic developments in China, network with Chinese leaders and policymakers, and provide policy recommendations to the Singapore Government.  She has also worked on regional security matters in Southeast Asia, Singapore's relations with the United States, and represented Singapore at the United Nations in New York.  At Michigan, Sze-Yunn is Co-Chair of Coram Deo (i.e. Christian business students at UMBS), Co-Chair of the Asian Business Conference (one of the largest student conferences at UMBS) and Associate Editor (Arts and Leisure) for the Monroe Street Journal (the UMBS newspaper).

 

"Though I am from Singapore, consulting for OMF Singapore made me more aware of what God was doing in Singapore. I was humbled and excited by the work that church and mission leaders were doing. Everyone was gracious and generous in giving us their time and sharing their experiences. I was struck by how each one of us has a place in God's plan for His glory, whatever our weaknesses. The Christian leaders we met were so grateful and thankful for our time and effort, that I realized what a difference we can make, through our example and our consulting work. I want to continue taking time out to use my business skills for Christian organizations. We definitely gained and learned more from the experience than we contributed."

 

John Terrill (jrterrill@earthlink.net) currently serves as USA National Director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's MBA Ministry.  Prior to serving in this role, John worked as a consultant with Hay Management Consultants, a worldwide human resources and compensation consulting firm.  Prior to the Hay Group, John worked with Bank of America as a workout lending officer.  John holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS from Indiana University.  He is presently a M.Div. candidate at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

 

"My trip to Singapore with Coram Deo is one I will not soon forget and is a real highlight of my time with InterVarsity.  We have dreamed for several years now of organizing mission experiences for MBA students that provide cross-cultural experiences, utilize acquired skills, and shape professional interests.  We think this is important because we want students to see how their work, life experiences, talents, and skills can meet the physical, emotional, spiritual and economic needs of people around the world.  This trip to Singapore accomplished this goal and has provided a benchmark for us in planning and evaluating future trips.

I am thankful to the Coram Deo Fellowship for their friendship, partnership, and willingness to 'step out' in mission.  Next year, they have a vision for two trips -- China and Singapore, and desire to invite other MBA alumni, student leaders, and faculty from around the country to join them.  Would you consider being a part of this experience?"

 

 

The team, from left to right - John Terrill, Margaret Lo, Matt Cobbett, Sze-Yunn Pang, Stephen Lo

 

Location: OMF International Headquarters in Singapore