Blog | Mergon - Business With Purpose

The role of generational purpose in building a prosperous Africa

‘Our grandfathers dreamed of a free Africa, our fathers dreamed of respect for human rights. What will our generation be known for?’ asks Kenyan lawyer Nelson Ashitiva in this interview with Ziwani’s Sibs Sibanda. Nelson believes that every generation has its own contribution to make, while being connected to a God-given multi-generational purpose. Read how Africa is poised to flourish through generational faith.

May 19, 2022 No Comments

Building healthy donor relationships

Most ministry leaders note that they feel asking for funding shouldn’t be so hard, yet it is often the hardest part of their job. According to David Denmark, executive director of the Maclellan Foundation, what makes it so hard is the collision of personal and business in a context of a radical perceived power imbalance. In this Elevate episode we explore the complexities of financial giving, from both a beneficiary and donor perspective.

May 12, 2022 No Comments

Stewarding wealth

In a world where celebrity appears to be the highest calling, where everyone wants to be a leader or an owner, management is often seen as a second-rate calling. Stewardship, however, is closer to the idea of management than leadership, and a critically important theme in scripture. In this African Philanthropy Forum article, Neil Hart shares how true philanthropy is based on stewardship and outlines some key principles and paradigms to keep in mind when stewarding wealth for greater purposes than ourselves.

April 28, 2022 No Comments

Raising up and releasing leaders

‘Good leadership is about empowering others to go beyond where you have gone,’ says founder of the International Sports Movement, Eddie Waxer. In this article from our Elevate podcast, Eddie shares on the core values of humility and trust when raising up and releasing a generation of new leaders. So long as leaders want to prioritise the mission over themselves, Eddie says that leaders need to ‘lead from the back’ in order to empower those who are leading the movement on the ground.

April 21, 2022 No Comments

A season of rebuilding

In this article Mergon Chairman Dick van der Walt provides wise insight from Zechariah 4 on how to successfully navigate transitions and ‘move with resilience and authentic hope from disorientation to inspiration’. What is key to this process, he suggests, is leading with a mindset of abundance. It’s a mindset that is often counter-cultural but foundational to the Biblical perspective, rooted in the confidence of God’s all-sufficiency, and one that will serve as a compass when building businesses with purpose.

March 30, 2022 No Comments

Mertech Marine: a circular economy solution

Business can be a powerful catalyst for social good. That’s why our investment portfolio is structured to scale and grow our Kingdom impact in society. Mergon investee company, Mertech Marine, is an innovative model of submarine cable recovery and recycling that offers an environmentally sustainable solution. In today’s world of ever-increasing demands on the environment, Mertech Marine is playing its part in the circular economy.

March 24, 2022 No Comments

When worldviews collide – and how the Gospel reconciles

Our worldview shapes how we do things and what we value most in this world. But what happens when differing worldviews collide? How can the Gospel help us navigate these differences and build bridges of understanding? In Ziwani’s first online ‘At the Lake’ discussion, we explored this question, drawing from the insight of 4 seasoned panelists who effectively create ‘safe, brave spaces’ for cross-cultural understanding to emerge.

March 18, 2022 No Comments

Unlocking the power of partnerships in world missions

When organisations, ministries, churches and missionaries start working together and join their networks to accomplish a shared vision, the possibilities for Kingdom impact exceed any and all expectations. In this Elevate Leadership podcast entitled ‘Unlocking the power of partnerships in world missions’, Kärin Butler Primuth of visionSynergy shares about the work they do as an organisation to champion the power of collaboration and multi-organisational networks.

March 10, 2022 No Comments

8 Characteristics of Excellent Leaders

Drawing on decades of experience in high profile positions, Martin Kuscus highlights 8 characteristics of excellent leaders. He encourages those who desire leadership to start with the critical question: why? What motivates my ambitions to lead – and do these ambitions serve a higher purpose than my own career goals? Martin offers practical advice which, if applied over time, can help pave the way to a meaningful and impactful leadership career.

March 2, 2022 No Comments

Building an organisational culture of prayer

God moves in extraordinary ways when ordinary people pray. So how can we grow a culture of prayer in the organisations we serve or lead? Brian Heasley of the 24-7 Prayer Movement recommends four practical ways: model it, teach it, institutionalise and celebrate the victories that come through persevering prayer. This is an encouraging read, filled with practical handles on cultivating a lifestyle of prayer in your organisation and home.

February 24, 2022 No Comments

Becoming a healthy spiritual leader

Behind every healthy organisation is a healthy leadership team. But how do you know if your leadership is actually healthy and cultivating organisational vitality? For over 20 years, Dr Johan Beukes has been helping leaders to answer this question – enabling them to bounce back from burnout and thrive through diversity and change. In this podcast Johan explores the mindsets and habits that both hinder and harness our spiritual and leadership formation.

February 18, 2022 No Comments

Finding light in the chaos – why SA’s future is bright

In his opening address of last year’s Nation Builder In Good Company conference, 702 Money Show and Cape Talk host Bruce Whitfield gave us compelling reasons to see South Africa’s future as optimistic and filled with possibilities. In an era of disinformation, crisis and confusion, Bruce encourages us, like all great South African business leaders have done, to ‘navigate the noise’ and find opportunity amidst the chaos.

January 26, 2022 No Comments

Growing your cultural intelligence

Understanding culture is hugely helpful, especially when it comes to leading cross-cultural teams. Having to lead across cultural lines no doubt adds a level of complexity to the way in which we lead. Leaders who choose to step outside their paradigms and try to see the world through a different cultural lens, often lead with greater insight, empathy and wisdom. Here’s why growing your cultural intelligence is important.

January 20, 2022 No Comments

5 Prayers to Pray Over Your Business

Looking to the year ahead, prayer is a habit we can cultivate and grow with confidence in 2022. In this article Neil Hart of the Mergon Foundation shares from his own personal experience how focused prayer for his work and colleagues unlocked provision, strategic vision, and deep joy in the workplace. Here are 5 prayers to pray over your business this year that will help your team grow, stay the course and move into the unimaginable together.

January 13, 2022 No Comments

Hope in the midst of turmoil

One could easily assume that this is the most hopeless season in the recent history of the MENA region, but there is another narrative… one of new opportunities and breakthroughs for the gospel to transform lives and bring hope in the midst of darkness and despair. Recent trips to Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan confirmed that this is indeed a season of great harvest.

December 6, 2021 No Comments

Stewarding our joy

Lately I have been thinking about our role in Mergon as stewards – not only of God’s entrusted capital but of every aspect of our lives, including our joy. I believe the more we grow in and live from the understanding that ‘God owns it all’, the more effective we will be in stewarding our joy and energy levels in any season.

November 25, 2021 2 Comments

A Christian perspective of philanthropy – more than just charity

As a Christian faith-based organisation, some might say we have a unique view on giving and generosity. There is such joy in the act of giving when it is done with pure motives and it often promotes our own peace.

November 18, 2021 No Comments

How to get unstuck: unlocking the power of systems thinking

In this article, Samuel Njenga, director of strategy & training at Systems Thinking Africa and a trusted partner to the Nation Builder community, invites us to look at old problems through new lenses and elevate our thinking through a systems approach to problem solving.

November 11, 2021 No Comments

Ziwani – highlights and looking ahead

Since the June launch, so much has been taking place across the Ziwani landscape. New partnerships are forming, communities are growing, conversations are on the go – there’s a real sense of being propelled into the plans and purposes that God has intended for Ziwani.

November 2, 2021 No Comments

Evaluation: the missing piece in our strategy – building sustainable organisations

Evaluation can be complex but it can also be a simple, intuitive process that keeps us ‘on the ground’ long enough to ask all the right questions and process that information regularly to ensure that our work bears fruit.

October 21, 2021 No Comments

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