Here's Why.
Five powerful reasons for missional entrepreneurship
It's in our DNA.
Uriah Smith patented a prosthetic leg.¹ Joshua Himes was the marketing genius behind the Millerite movement. J. H. Kellogg invented exercise equipment still used today and changed western breakfast with his peanut butter and cornflakes.² E. A. Sutherland & his team at Madison created 30 different products derived from soy.³ Ferdinand Stahl started a clinic and 46 missionary schools in Peru.⁴ Dr. Harry Miller established 20 hospitals throughout China.⁵ J. N. Andrews’ printing ministry evangelized Switzerland.⁶ This entrepreneurial spirit drove our pioneers and allowed the church to grow exponentially.
It's prophetic.
Visionary Ellen White had a remarkable dream about startups in San Francisco. In the 1900s it came to fruition. Adventists had dozens of ventures to help the people of San Francisco and share the Gospel with them. She called this network of self-supporting work a “beehive.”
It includes all talents.
It’s a lie from the adversary that the only way to work full-time for God is to become a pastor. But less than 5% of the world’s population are public speakers. God needs all talents — electricians, musicians, designers, engineers, accountants — missional entrepreneurship involves everyone.
It already worked.
One college attracted international press and disrupted entire industries. Graduates started hundreds of companies and ministries. It was Adventism’s first college of missional entrepreneurship.
It's most effective.
The world’s biggest fast food chain opens 9 new restaurants every week.¹ The largest soft drink manufacturer has already reached 98% of the world’s population.² Twitter’s founder recently said, “The most efficient means to spread an idea today is a corporate structure.” While secular businesses have been successfully preaching their idea of happiness, we are called to use business for noble ends.
Five reasons.
One story.
A few friends shared a dream of building on this heritage and seeing missional entrepreneurship flourish around the world. They dreamed of creating a new way of doing business that would advance God’s work in the most effective way. That is how Hyve was born: Adventism’s community of missional innovators.
Our mission.
We are a community of entrepreneurs & innovators, seeking to inspire and empower fellow Adventists to advance God’s work through missional entrepreneurship.
Our vision.
To establish a ’beehive’ network of missional ventures in every city of the world.
Footnotes
“It’s in our DNA”
- Uriah Smith had 8 patents. One of it was a significantly improved version of the prosthetic leg. To read more about Uriah Smith’s life, visit “Uriah Smith – A life of service” by Lineage Journey.
- ESDA: Kellogg, John Harvey (1852–1943), written by James L. Hayward, Ph.D.
- You can read more about Madison School in this article.
- ESDA: Stahl, Ferdinand Anthony (1874–1950) and Ana Christina (1870–1968), written by Gluder Quispe, Ph.D.
- The New York Times: “Dr. Harry W. Miller, ‘China Doctor,’ dies.” Article by George Dugan, January 9, 1977.
- ESDA: Andrews, John Nevins (1829–1883), written by Gilbert M. Valentine, Ph.D.
- As of 2021, McDonalds operated and franchised 40,031 restaurants. It was founded in 1940. That’s an average growth of approximatively 9.5 new restaurants every week.
- While this number is not taken from official company records, there are only two known countries where the Coca-Cola Company is not allowed to sell beverages. Depending on how we define a country, Coca Cola was able to penetrate between 95-99% of the world with their idea of “happiness.”