History
2002: Realizing a Need
In 2002, one of Access Partners’ founders explored the nexus of business and missions through a project in Central Asia.
On one hand, he needed to help a church planting team find legitimate means of accessing a city that limited Christian activity. The team wanted to bring the gospel in a new location by setting up a business there.
On the other, he sought to assist the locals in that community through selling fair trade handicrafts. Artisans in that city have a well-developed history of crafts that readily find local markets, but needed help in exploring other sales outlets.
“It was a great opportunity,” he says. “One of my thrills was waking up every day being able to use my skills and experience to do something I loved – and also know that I was helping establish a foundation for bringing the gospel to those who had never heard.”
During this experience, he started working with a technology consultant based in the US who would later become the other of Access Partners’ founders. Both of them helped launch the business and saw encouraging initial sales.
2004: Transforming Experience into an Idea
Throughout the development of this fair trade business, one theme resonated continually: the importance of business in church planting strategy. Through discussions with church planters, it became evident that business was increasingly the only way of bringing the gospel to those who had not heard: many humanitarian workers, teachers, and even students were being denied visas and the need was only going to become more acute.
Confronted with this reality, they decided to travel across the 10/40 window and interview over 20 church planters in five countries on their need for business consultation help. Almost unanimously, they concurred.
Back in the US and armed with this information, the two friends decided to start Access Partners.
2005: Establishing Access Partners
Access Partners (AP) began as a consulting partner for a sending organization in the 10/40 window, assisting some of their church planting teams set up kingdom-minded businesses on the field.
On its first year, Access Partners helped establish two businesses, supporting a total of 13 church planters.
In succeeding years, Access Partners was involved in several small business and technology consulting projects. Services included business planning, on-going coaching, process optimization, website/e-commerce development, and finding US resources to assist these projects overseas.
2008: Refining the Approach
As Acess Partners continued to work in the 10/40 window, it became apparent that comprehensive assistance—from coming up with the business concept to ensuring smooth ongoing operations—was needed by several teams. The majority of church planting teams do not have experienced personnel or the necessary resources to operate these businesses which are mostly located in countries with challenging economic settings.
To bridge this gap in expertise and implementation, Access Partners expanded its services from project-based consulting to a business incubator model. This approach is broken down into three main initiatives: 1) developing business models, 2) recruiting experienced professionals, and 3) funding viable startups.
2010: Expanding into Other Cities
In the last few years, Access Partners has primarily focused on developing businesses in Central Asia where the need is great. This year, Access Partners is exploring work in more places in the 10/40 window, beginning with South Asia.
Even with the refined approach and the expansion into new cities, Access Partners’ passion and philosophy for Business-as-Mission has not changed. Access Partners continues to build legitimate businesses to enable church planting among people least reached by the gospel.
“and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’” Romans 15:20-21