Playing the Long Game in Africa: Why a relational model of investing builds and sustains hope for global entrepreneurship

It’s not networking for the sake of networking.

Discipleship and training in the faith-driven business world is much more than expanding followers and organizational reach. It’s recognizing the context, knowledge, skills, and similar mission that brings people together to advance the kingdom.

Touchpoints between investor and entrepreneur and customer and vendor are everything. And Faith Driven Entrepreneurs and Investors operating out of their love for God have opportunities to love others every day. In addition to common metrics on returns and sustainability, FDIs invest for kingdom outcomes like spiritual maturity and personal growth.

But relational metrics are anything but linear.

Hustle matters. Working hard and building a strong, diverse network is important. But relational, faith-driven networking leads to discipleship and training that impacts generations and transcends geographies.

Few people understand this better than Matthew Rohrs, CEO of Sinapis. He is stewarding global network for entrepreneurs in frontier markets dedicated to developing indigenous entrepreneurs through biblical training and community. He explained that hope for sustainable global entrepreneurship hinges on relational practices and a “long-game” mentality.

In the context of emerging economies in Africa, hope lies in a relational, global community of entrepreneurs and investors. If you are trying to play the long-game—to develop sustainable and significant models for the kingdom—then Rohrs will be the first to tell you: you have to invest in people.

Rohrs shared, “everything that’s really made a difference in my life is relational.” Relational training for entrepreneurs is transforming Africa. Roughly 4,500 local entrepreneurs have participated in Sinapis programs, which operate on a tri-focused, deeply relational model of training/coaching, discipleship/accountability, and access to resources for entrepreneurs via a global community.

Sinapis’ training and coaching programs work with local entrepreneurs who understand the context, problems, and feasibility of solutions in a given area. Rather than coming in like a savior and imposing practices on indigenous entrepreneurs, Sinapis works with them to partner in work already being done. Rohrs recognized that there is “always a story of God has been doing before we got there.” Sinapis pushes participants to ask how they can be change agents in their communities, countries, and continent by committing to a relational model that invests in communities, not simply ideas.

Discipleship and accountability are not terms you typically hear in investing and entrepreneurship—at least not much beyond accountability to shareholders. But Rohrs explained that the key question at the heart of the Sinapis model encourages participants to ask: what does the gospel mean for who we are and how we work?

Sinapis seeks long-game, inside-out change for individuals. This leads to a confident hope that such change will manifest in the businesses and organizations they run. Understanding that “everybody’s journey will exceed the length of any program,” Sinapis seeks to set participants up for lasting success and an ever-maturing journey, rooted in biblical principles and measurement.

Sinapis provides a framework and program—based on the Acton School of Business MBA curriculum—to assist and support, rather than command, work on the ground. It encourages measurement of important tangible and intangible metrics: growth in discipleship, job creation and sustainability, and growth in generosity. Participants have access to a global network of like-minded entrepreneurs and investors, many of whom are driven by their faith. Sinapis partners with entrepreneurs in several countries in frontier markets, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Liberia, Brazil, and most recently Egypt.

“Doing business God’s way is challenging.” Relational models like Sinapis provide support and resources to ease the burden for those in emerging economies. Their efforts to unite entrepreneurs and investors in a biblical model of relational business will continue the growth of local entrepreneurs and ventures worldwide.