Category: Blog

— by the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Team

Well-known business experts and global entrepreneurs regularly contribute to the Faith Driven Entrepreneur blog and podcast. As stewards of these archives, we’ve curated a number of voices to provide you with diverse perspectives on popular business topics. Our intent is that these fresh pieces of wisdom will guide you as you faithfully pursue your own business journey.

Since 2020, The Great Resignation has affected nearly every industry. As workers leave their employers in droves, executives have scrambled to figure out why people are quitting and how to make them stay. The front pages of every business magazine have been packed with think pieces and articles trying to answer this question. 

The turnover situation is dire: the economy has seen a 57% employee turnover rate over the past year. Companies facing serious labor shortages are willing to try almost any retention strategy. However, no one has found a sustainable solution.

Faith Driven Entrepreneurs may be able to provide a unique perspective on this issue. What if we could pair the best efficiency models and hiring practices with the virtues of self-sacrifice and love. As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbors (and employees). But what does that look like in practice? 

For those of you wondering how to reduce employee turnover, we’ve curated bits of wisdom from our faith driven contributors, CEOs in the field actively working to love their employees well. As it turns out, a faith driven approach to employee turnover can be wildly effective in reducing operational costs and boosting team morale.

Why Retaining Employees is an Important Goal for Businesses

Cost

The most obvious downside of employee turnover is cost. One HR report by SHRM says the average cost to replace an employee is $4,425. Ad space on Indeed, HR specialists on staff, and background checks all contribute to the price of making a new hire.

And that $4,425 is just the average cost across all employees. Want to hire a new executive? You may be looking at a $15,000 price tag.

Lost Production

Turnover affects company efficiency in two ways. First, when an employee leaves, you lose that employee’s highly-specialized knowledge. It takes time to hire someone with the required qualifications. It takes even more time to train them and introduce them to your teammates.  

Second, your team managers could be working on client projects, but instead, they’re sitting in a third-round interview. Entire teams lose momentum when they’re asked to participate in the hiring process. Any team chemistry must be rebuilt from the ground up.

Morale

Dissatisfaction is contagious. According to Denise Rousseau, a Carnegie Mellon professor, “When a worker of a similar skill level quits, another employee may see that as a sign that there’s plenty of job availability; when a manager leaves, their direct reports may feel less tied to their jobs or feel resistant to working under new leadership.” When employees leave your company, the remaining people naturally ask, “Why?” which may lead to more critical perspectives. 

Brand and Reputation

When people change jobs, they talk about it with friends and family. If enough employees leave your company, especially if your company hires hundreds or thousands of people, you may notice you’re not attracting the same quality of candidates you used to. That’s because they heard through the grapevine that your business isn’t worth working for. While people leave jobs for all kinds of reasons, it’s important to minimize turnover rooted in negative experiences.

Why Employees are Quitting Your Business

In order to fix a problem, you must understand the problem’s cause. Except in this case, the “problem” is people, who are complex, nuanced beings created in the image of God. If one-size-fits-all approaches worked (pay more money for instance), we would have seen an end to the Great Resignation articles and we might be seeing the end of steady competitive wage inflation.

To summarize our findings, the best course of action is to support employees’ “personhood” and not treat them like cogs in the machine. The following topics should explain more of what we mean. So, why are employees quitting their jobs?

Employees Don’t Feel Seen

One Inc. article reminds us that “77 percent of workers shared that loyalty to their company remains high when their recognition needs are fulfilled.” When people put in the effort and don’t receive any acknowledgment, they’re more likely to become burnt out and unhappy. This is especially true for remote workers who can fly under the recognition radar.

Employees See Failures in Leadership

A failure of leadership doesn’t always entail a deep moral failure. Yes, employees are likely to leave a company after a scandal, but we’re more talking about management failures. For example, Jon Christiansen writes for the Harvard Business Review that inconsistent expectations, too many process restraints, and leading with bias can decimate employee morale. 

Employees Experience Too Many Work-Life Boundaries

It’s always important to make sure employees feel as though they have the right to keep work separate from their personal lives. But that said, many people leave employers for reasons completely separate from work. One highly-qualified HR expert says, “The big realization is that it’s not just what happens at work—it’s what happens in someone’s personal life that determines when he or she decides to look for a new job.” Anniversaries, illness, tragedies – these may push someone to rethink their life and search for change in their life. 

Employee Retention Tips from Faith Driven Entrepreneurs

Here are five tactics to consider in order to reduce employee turnover. 

Be Disciplined in Encouraging Employees

A lack of recognition is a major contributor to the Great Resignation. A father can’t just sign a birthday card and think that’s all the recognition his child needs for the year. So why do we set the bar that low for managers, CEOs, and executives?

Megan McCoy Jones is the president and COO of McCoy’s Building Supply. It’s a family business, and some of her earliest memories were made in the office. But as she’s stepped into a larger and larger management role, she’s realized that loving her employees well takes discipline. Here’s what she shared on Episode 206 of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Podcast:

If my goals are loving people, then I need some discipline around that. So I’ll give you an example. Every morning, six days a week, either my dad or I leave a voicemail for the company. We talk about sales and performance and company anniversaries and little motivational things.

We also have a system where our team sends an email every day about company anniversaries and birthdays. Now, that sounds really simple, but it takes discipline to make it go. I’m going to get on the voicemail every morning and leave this message and encourage other people. Thank them for what they’ve contributed. And we are a complex organization. We have about 3000 employees, a little over a billion in sales. 

This isn’t small, it isn’t uncomplicated, and it takes a whole bunch of people working together. What I’ve learned about myself is, first of all, the discipline of lifting others up as a part of my everyday will not happen by accident. It will have to require some sort of system.

If we can learn anything about motivating and recognizing employees from Megan, it’s that we need to be disciplined about our encouragement.

Be a Leader People Want to Work For. Be Vulnerable.

Inviting an inflated ego into the C-suite is a fast track to employee turnover. Don’t try to pass yourself off as a perfect lower-case “g” god. Your teams will see straight through your hypocrisy and no one will relate to you. Instead, try being vulnerable. 

The Apostle Paul, one of the most effective leaders of the early church, describes himself as the chief of sinners. He wasn’t afraid to expose his own weaknesses if it meant lifting up the church. And what was the result? People were willing to listen to him and live gospel-led lives. 

President of the Faith Driven Movement, Justin Forman, says, “Nothing is more repulsive than the fake polish of a story that hides the truth. Nothing is more attractive than the soothing grace of the gospel piecing together our brokenness.”

Don’t Isolate Yourself. Ask for Feedback

Receive feedback from mentors and colleagues. If you don’t, your blindspots will erode any confidence your employees have in you. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs can be bad at seeking feedback, but that’s not an excuse. Isolation can be devastating.

Dan Owolabi works for Branches Worldwide and has interviewed numerous entrepreneurs. Isolation is a common theme in these conversations. According to Owolabi:

Isolation allows leaders to maintain an illusion of control. We can easily avoid uncomfortable conversations when employees rarely give unvarnished feedback on our leadership or when our boards are disengaged in our day-to-day performance. So, when we make decisions, set goals, and create systems apart from a community of high-capacity peers, we can easily avoid accountability, sidestep taking responsibility for poor choices, and stop challenging ourselves to be better.

Being a leader people want to work for and being a leader that asks for feedback go hand in hand.

Establish a “Why” for You and Your Company

Companies can’t afford to neglect mission and meaning. Young people entering the workforce prioritize workplaces that embrace more than simple bottom-line numbers or exceptional products. Employees want to “make a difference” and “work with purpose.”

Sometimes this language can sound fluffy and impractical, but Tom McGhee, co-executive director of the Halftime Institute, provides a helpful framework for honing in on your organization’s purpose:

We believe [companies fail to become movements] because they fail to recognize the totality in this type of shift—that this is not about adding a new product or service or about re-organizing or re-branding. This shift requires a fundamental change in the essence of an organization. It is about whole-scale cultural change—change that is both internal, how the organization behaves, and external, how the organization is perceived and the value it creates.

You must be willing to question not just how you do things but what you do and why you do it.

In his book, Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins references a concept he calls “The Hedgehog.” The hedgehog is the essence of who you are and what you do. For social sector organizations like Halftime, the hedgehog is at the intersection of three circles: What you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what best drives your resource (or economic) engine.

Find ways to clearly communicate these three areas to your people. What is the business deeply passionate about? What are you the best at? And what best drives your resource engine? Then flip the script and allow employees to verbalize these questions for themselves. The strongest businesses align individual purposes with a wider communal purpose.

Provide Support for the Whole Person Through Corporate Chaplaincy

At Faith Driven Entrepreneur, we’re strong advocates for corporate chaplaincy. A corporate chaplain is simply someone who can provide emotional and spiritual support to the broader organization. They’re able to talk to employees about real-life concerns without the awkwardness of opening up to a direct supervisor. 

Research shows that personal life events can make people feel as though they need to change jobs just to take a breath of fresh air. But if your business has a corporate chaplain, employees may see your business as a place of peace and stability, somewhere to turn for emotional support when their personal lives become hectic.

To learn more about corporate chaplaincy, watch this video.

Loving Employees is at the Heart of Reducing Employee Turnover

In the end, it’s not all that farfetched to say that reducing employee turnover is rooted in love. How can we as entrepreneurs love our employees in order to create a sense of belonging and serve customers through excellent products and services? 

This probably isn’t the first article you’ve read about The Great Resignation. We hope that this article provides new perspectives on employee retention. However, the challenge now is to get up and put these tips into practice. 

If you’re wondering where to start or if this challenge sounds overwhelming, join one of our Foundation Groups. Join a group of other business leaders and dive into rich content while developing relationships. You don’t have to do it alone. Click here to learn more.

Source link

The recent Gallup poll on church attendance is at a historic low, with no signs of slowing in the downward trend. Take a look at any mainline church, and you’ll notice that the vast majority of the membership is in the 71+ age bracket. Look at those same rosters, and you’ll see very little people 30 and under. 

I have heard more than once that this next revival is going to be birthed out of the business community…that’s us ladies and gentlemen. God has given us giftings for organization, capital formation, leadership, vision, and strong execution. I know many of you are doing amazing things in your communities, but I believe that God wants to unlock more of our talents and creativity for Him. Below are some ideas (not suggesting any are original); they are just some I believe can make an impact on others, as well as our reputation. 

The Church as Platform.

I have been thinking about this notion lately. Some of the most successful companies are platforms that have aggregated supply and demand in a more efficient and effective manner. How can the Church reinvent itself as an effective community platform? 

Connect the needs of the community with those that want to serve.

Want to win back the youth? Harness their heart and idealism for service to others. The Church needs to do a better job of aggregating the needs of the poor, the widows, the homeless, and those 

suffering, with those in their communities that want to help. We need to look beyond our walls for volunteers and bring the lost alongside us as we serve others. We need to be that trusted intermediary in the community. Service to others is at the core of our Christian tenets; we are to be “others orientated.” This to me is one of the bullseyes that we should be targeting. 

Communicating and learning in the digital age.

The days of people showing up for an hour, singing a few songs, and listening to three points and a poem in mass are probably behind us. We are experiencing a tectonic shift in how people work, communicate, and learn. We need to catch up to the vanguard and deploy technology to bring us and keep us together. How we learn has been changing, and in a world where the average person has an attention span of a fruit fly, we need better engagement and teaching through video, SMS, etc.…I am not talking about entertaining people, but there’s a science on engagement, and we should be utilizing best-in-class methodologies to reach people for Christ and to nurture their faith. An algorithm will never replace the Holy Spirit, but it can help organize us and keep people connected in this digital age. The Banana that leaves the bunch gets peeled! Let’s find better ways to stick together. 

Our brand should be LOVE.

No disrespect to The Beatles, but the New Testament 

established long before Paul, George, John, and Ringo that, “All we need is love.” This foundational element of our faith has been lost in the culture wars. Christians are not known for their love; yet Christians are some of the most, if not the most, generous people on the planet. Why doesn’t the average person on the street know this? That’s a problem for our brand. We need to start playing the long game and not sabotage ourselves with controversial talking points. I once heard a preacher say that we can’t save a turkey from Thanksgiving dinner—that it’s not our job to save anyone but to point people to Christ. We need to lift Him up, and wherever in the Bible Jesus was mentioned with sinners, you only saw grace and love flow from Him. Does God have standards? Yes. Should we live by those standards? The best we can. Should we beat sinners over the head with those standards? No. We should love them, share God’s love with them, and let the Holy Spirit and the power of His Word change them. 

In closing, I also believe we should launch a major PR initiative—where’s the Church’s “Greta”? We should utilize the best techniques of crisis management and storytelling to change the narratives in the media and, most importantly, in our communities. This will ultimately be accomplished through service, empathy, and love, on our part, and through the Holy Spirit and His Word—His Word, in action, through us.

Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of White Papers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s Global Event.

Source link

— by Aaron Cho

To the Church in [America]: 

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”[1] 

COVID-19’s impact on the church has made me reflect regularly on what the church is (hint: it’s not a building) and its purpose during these times (hint: it’s us as Christ-followers). With thousands of churches shutting its doors permanently (including my own local body where I served as an Elder) and projections that up to one in five churches could permanently close due to contribution declines, [2] I’ve continued to wonder what the lasting impacts will be on Christendom—will the church strengthen and grow or weaken and shrink? 

According to a Barna research survey conducted during the height of the pandemic (April-May 2020), approximately a third of practicing Christians stopped attending church altogether (in-person or online).[3] These statistics are concerning in and of themselves, but they’re even more concerning if the third who stopped attending church never had a shift from a Church mentality to a Kingdom mentality. Said another way—if for this group, there was no real difference between a church building and their personal faith in Christ, then attending church was the sole expression of their faith; thus, closing the church building took away that expression, potentially resulting in disengagement from their personal faith in Christ and with others in community. Could it be possible that God is cutting off lukewarm Christianity and pruning his Church to be even more fruitful during these times?[4] Have we, the Laodiceans…I mean American church become complacent in our ways— acquiring great wealth, investing in buildings, and possibly placing our trust and security in those buildings (and the institutions they support)? In other words, have we (tragically) built American Christianity on weak foundation[5] and not on Christ, our Chief Cornerstone?[6] 

Beyond the 4-Walls of the Church 

I grew up in a traditional (legalistic) church, not dissimilar to many Christians in the West. Church was a building, and being a good Christian meant attending church (a building) regularly and practicing the spiritual disciplines. Church and building were interchangeable in my mind, and without a building, I had no definition of church. It was only after I met my spiritual dad, Larry Titus, divinely on an airplane that I was exposed to a Kingdom perspective. I learned that the Church is who we are as Christ-followers—we are the ekklesia, the “called out ones,” and the Kingdom of God is what we do.[7] 

Larry Titus elaborates: 

“[Being plugged into a local church community is important]; corporate worship, fellowship, prayer, and teaching of the Word are critical to one’s spiritual health. [However, the purpose of the local church should be that of a] ‘refueling station’ rather than the final destination. 

When I read Matthew 28:18-19, it becomes clear to me that the Great Commission is a “go” gospel, not a “come” gospel. “Come to our church, come hear our preacher, come and be part of our worship experience, come see our children’s department, come and enjoy our Christmas pageant and Easter presentation, come to the altar for salvation and prayer.” 

I don’t disparage any of these programs. I believe they are important and may be necessary. However, it still begs the question, where is the church most effective, in the small enclave of the building or out in the real world? Where are the diseased, disenfranchised, destitute, demon possessed, and discouraged located? For the most part they are in the world, needing to hear the message of the kingdom.”[8] 

Is it possible that God used the COVID-19 pandemic to get us out of the church building to be the church body—for not only our own good, but for the good of others? Perhaps we are to take care of the poor, weak, and fatherless[9] and to visit orphans and widows[10]—to have an outward view of the world and others[11] and to go to them, rather than having an inward view of hoping they come to us (and our church buildings). 

So what could this look like in practice? For me personally, it required getting out of my comfort zone and venturing into 75215. 

South Dallas 

75215 is the zip code for South Boulevard-Park Row—statistically considered the most dangerous neighborhood in Dallas, TX (USA), which has a population of nearly 1.4 million. With total and violent crime rates higher than the national average by 284% and 777%, respectively, and income per capita 47% lower than the national average, it’s fair to say there is brokenness and poverty in this community.[12] Having lived in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex for nearly 10 years, I’d never stepped foot in this zip code. Why would I? I live in a nice, safe suburban community in the Dallas metro area (that once had the largest self-identified Christian population in the nation at 78%)[13]— you can call it my comfortable “Christian bubble.” There’s never been a reason to go anywhere near the inner cities, until recently…

The Bar Church 

If worship services were held at a bar, would that be considered a “church”? And, if that bar was located in the aforementioned South Boulevard-Park row neighborhood, would you attend a service? 

As mentioned earlier, the gathering of believers (the ekklesia), is the church. If that particular ekklesia decided to meet in a bar in South Dallas (or anywhere else for that matter—coffee shop, business, public park, etc.), that meeting place would simply be that, a place or location…nothing more, nothing less. And this is where I recently found myself (March 2021)—amongst a body of believers gathering and worshipping God at a bar. Seeking God in this environment moved me deeply as I sensed His pleasure and connected with His heart…for the unlovable, unwanted, and forgotten[14]—those created in His image. 

The story of the bar church begins with a young, recent Bible college graduate named Nate Smith who has a heart to serve the homeless, having spent time before college volunteering for a homeless ministry in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. He carries this burden for the poor from the Tenderloin to inner city Dallas where he begins making regular trips to hand out food and build relationships with the homeless and local residents. He uses all of his income from one of three part-time jobs to purchase the food, and to him, this is ministry with God, not simply for God. He partners with God, dreaming together about revitalizing this broken community. 

The homeless, prostitutes, and drug addicts on the streets call him “Pastor Nate,” as they see him enough to know he’s invested in the community (and in them). An elderly woman in her 70’s called Mrs. Kathy owns a bar in the neighborhood and regularly asks Nate to pray for her and her husband. With a shared heart for the community that she’s been a part of for nearly 25 years, she offers to host church services at her bar to not only meet the physical needs (through meal distribution), but also the spiritual needs of the community. The Bar Church is born.

Outside the Bar Church 

Source link

— by Mats Tunehag

Business as Mission (BAM) is part of a wider global movement that recognizes and responds to God’s call to the whole Church, taking the whole gospel to the whole person in the whole world. BAM is a relatively new term, but is based upon biblical concepts. The BAM concept is holistic in nature and content; it is built upon the truth that God has the power to transform people and communities spiritually, economically, socially, and environmentally.

BAM does not accept the unbiblical and pervasive paradigm of a dichotomy between sacred and secular, where “church” or “missionary” work is considered a spiritually superior “full-time ministry” and doing business is considered less “spiritual”—or worse. In the last fifteen years the BAM concept has spread across the world and the number of BAM initiatives has grown dramatically.

However, there are still major needs and gaps in the global BAM movement. This article will attempt to identify and briefly elaborate on a few of them. The following nine points can be used for prayer, discussion, planning, and action.

1. Vision Impartation

We have many reasons to rejoice and praise God for the growth of the global BAM movement. However, there is still a major need for further and wider vision-casting. Since BAM is a triangular drama which involves church, business, and missions, the BAM vision needs to be imparted among these three constituencies, especially targeting church and mission leaders and Christians in the marketplace.

2. Concept Clarification

In particular, through the global BAM Think Tank (which worked under the auspices of Lausanne), a widely-accepted definition has emerged and gained strength:

“Business as Mission is about real, viable, sustainable, and profitable businesses; with a Kingdom of God purpose, perspective, and impact; leading to transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically, socially, and environmentally—to the greater glory of God.”

In a limited business paradigm, the primary or sole focus is on maximizing profit for the owners. The growing corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement emphasizes accountability to society as a whole for the “triple bottom line” impact of social and environmental outcomes, as well as financial results. BAM affirms all of these, but also includes a fourth bottom line—intentionally revealing and honoring Christ and seeing him transform lives through business. BAM is CSR+, as it were. Unfortunately, there is sometimes a confusing misuse of the term BAM. Let’s be clear: BAM is not “Business for Mission,” a fundraising activity facilitated by the profits generated by business. Neither is BAM “Business as Platform” (i.e., an attempt to obtain visas to do “real ministry”). Rather, genuine BAM is the practice of business as a calling and ministry in its own right—a manifestation of the Kingdom of God. 

3. Education and Training

Respected academic institutions like Wheaton College and Biola University in the USA have embraced BAM. YWAM provides a highly professional 6-week BAM training course. There are others as well. However, the gap is significant: there is a definite need for BAM to be taught in Bible colleges, mission courses, theological seminaries, and liberal arts colleges. BAM needs to be taught and researched as it relates to economics, business, theology, and missiology. And why not consider the development of a BAM Alpha course?

4. Capital

One of the biggest hurdles for BAM businesses around the world, especially in and around the so-called “10/40 Window,” is securing investment capital. BAM is not built upon traditional models of charitable fundraising and donations, but upon a foundation of the disciplined allocation and return of capital.

One of the biggest challenges for the global BAM movement is the lack of BAM investment funds—capital managed with vision, professionalism, excellence, and integrity.

5. Mentors

Many BAM practitioners (BAMers) want and appreciate mentors—people with business experience and knowledge—who share the passion for the least, the lost, and the lowliest, and who are willing and able to serve and come alongside others. Because BAM companies strive for a holistic impact, the movement needs mentors with expertise and skills regarding all four BAM bottom lines.

6. Prayer

We must not underestimate the power of and the need for prayer, which is even more critical as we enter into the marketplace with a Kingdom of God invasion strategy. BAMers must have prayer partners who intercede for them, their businesses, their employees, their relationships, and their impact on people and communities. Furthermore, pastors should be encouraged to ask business people, “How can we pray for you and your business this week?”

7. BAM and Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is slavery. More people are bought and sold and held in captivity today than were shipped over the Atlantic Ocean during the slave trade era (eventually brought to an end by William Wilberforce and others). Report after report from the United Nations, the U.S. State department, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and others show that unemployment makes people vulnerable and creates high-risk areas for trafficking. Adequate prevention must include job creation through wholesome, intentional business development focused on these people and areas.

From the perspective of BAM, a summary of trafficking in terms of its partial cause and cure, and a calling to be a positive change agent, might be as follows:

Cause: unemployment and/or insufficient income, with no prospect of jobs at home.

Cure: real training and job creation through viable, sustainable, and profitable BAM businesses.

Calling: God calls and equips people to develop BAM businesses specifically to address this issue.

BAM faces the question, “Out of trafficking (most often for the sex industry)…into what?” It recognizes that without jobs in healthy environments, there can be no restoration and holistic transformation of individuals. BAM seeks to restore the human dignity of victims, uphold human rights, and make an effective contribution to combat human trafficking.

8. Case Studies

God’s people have been involved in business throughout history and all over the world. However, there are many untold stories, even in the history of the Church and the history of missions. We also need to document contemporary BAM initiatives. We owe that to ourselves and posterity—for qualitative development of BAM, as a basis for prayer, for vision impartation, and for training. Historical and contemporary case studies are part of a review process which will help the global BAM movement to learn, revise, regroup, and sharpen praxis.

9. Evaluative Tools

BAM pursues a positive impact and holistic transformation through all four bottom lines. We have many testimonies and case studies which indicate this. In addition, there is a need to develop instruments using agreed key indicators of personal and societal transformation which will help measure this quadruple bottom line impact. BAM requires more than Christians in business alone. Among others, we need academia to assist and be an integral part of the BAM movement as it wrestles with a wide range of issues.

Article originally appeared in 2009 as a Lausanne World Pulse Report written by Mats Tunehag. To see the original article click here. The Lausanne Movement connects influencers and ideas for global mission, with a vision of the gospel for every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders for every church and sector, and kingdom impact in every sphere of society. Learn about our beginnings, ongoing connections, and mission today.

Source link

Through the years, we’ve seen entrepreneurs and pastors wrangle over approaches to the following areas:

Vision, Strategy, Goal Setting and Execution

Metrics and Evaluation

Leadership Style

Efficiency and Productivity

Maximizing Opportunity and Impact

For-profit best practices and benchmarks in these areas make obvious sense in business. However, they are often defined very differently or viewed with suspicion in church contexts. For example, an entrepreneur’s training and experience guide her to decisively and unwaveringly make it happen every day. A pastor, whose leadership framework is defined by shepherding and serving, moves through the day reflectively and caringly, leaving no one behind. These two approaches are not mutually exclusive. But they are different perspectives and practices that tend to view progress and success differently.

If an entrepreneur truly wants to help his pastor, he must first win trust with him. Pastors can be an untrusting lot; it takes time to gain collaborative access. At the outset, this puts many entrepreneurs off because they tend not to have much time and want things to move quickly. It is also frustrating to them because the solutions seem so apparent. Pastors are often more accurate in understanding the complexity of change in the church but get lost in it or paralyzed by it. Entrepreneurs often want to charge into accomplishing the change without understanding the cultural or theological complexity into which they eventually collide.

When I (Todd) first started attending my current church after business school, I was one of these entrepreneurs put off by being asked to work on the parking team and changing diapers. I remember thinking, “don’t they know that I’m the CFO of a high-flying start-up?” God quickly replied, “Yes, and I can still use you in my church.” I may have possessed the skills necessary to bring about change in the church, but I didn’t possess the knowledge, character and vision required to shepherd God’s people through meaningful and lasting change. Through “long obedience in the same direction, ” entrepreneurs can grow into trusted partners for their pastors.

Here are a few practical suggestions on how to win your pastor’s trust and gain collaborative access with him:

Prayer

Both for your pastor and with your pastor. Prayers not just for the change you see is needed but also for his overall well-being and concerns.

Humility

As exemplified by speaking freely of your own challenges and daily need for God’s grace.

Accepting Him and Your Differences with Him

Not trying to recast your pastor into your image or leadership style. You have to appreciate that you are different parts of the body of Christ. You may be an elbow and he may be a knee. These are different and essential.

Proving Yourself to Be A Team Player

Supporting and giving energy and resources to things that are your pastor’s priorities, even if they are not your priorities. Serving faithfully on the “parking lot team” can lead to greater access and influence. And even if it doesn’t, it honors God to serve humbly.

Finding Places for Collaboration

This involves learning from your pastor ways that you can work with him or other leaders in moving some aspect of the church forward.  

Getting Over “Stewardship of Your Gifts”

Christians often play the “stewarding my gifts” card to insist that they can only serve in certain places and at certain levels within the organization. This isn’t the mindset of a Christian servant. Asking “how may I help” means accepting a role that may not be your preferred way of helping.

Submission and Focus

Hebrews 13:17 tells us that Christians are to obey and submit to their pastors in a way that gives the pastors joy. Like other Bible passages that urge us to submit, we tend to either ignore this passage or focus on what it can’t mean. God calls us to live out what it does mean.

Over my 68 years, I’ve been a member of six churches (John). I’ve also been an entrepreneur. In all six of the churches, there have been plenty of opportunities for humble service. In two of them, over time, while building trust, there have been opportunities to work with the pastors to accomplish significant change. 

My story (Todd) is different than John’s due to being younger and a member of fewer churches. And yet I’ve also found that there is always a great need for humble service in the church and that, over time, humble service can build trust that leads to significant collaboration with pastors.

In our minds, when we’re thinking clearly, we see all of these involvements as unmerited gifts to us from God. We’re simply glad to be on the team and do our bit in God’s work through our churches. All by His grace. All for His glory and honor. How about you?

Source link

Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of White Papers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s Global Event.

— by Michelle Nipp

It was February 26, 2020. I was preparing to return home after four weeks in Israel with our executive team working through our strategic plan. Reports of a potentially deadly virus were rapidly increasing. News was circulating. People were speculating. I was thinking, “How bad can this really be?” But, as I entered the airport, I was met with a strange scene: people in masks, all flights from China cancelled. Who could have predicted what would follow? 

Just weeks earlier, as the world welcomed the new year, every prophet, preacher, blogger, thought leader, and motivational speaker was capitalizing on “20/20 Vision.” In less than two months, that “20/20 vision” was completely obliterated. Those brilliant messages lost their luster as the world plunged into a global pandemic. 

Vision: a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination, a manifestation to the senses of something immaterial; the act or power of imagination.[1] 

Vision is a remarkable thing. It is one of those defining characteristics that makes us uniquely, wondrously human. Our ability to “see” is evidence of the Imago Dei, God’s image, in us. 

Entrepreneurs typically exhibit vision in spades. We don’t just see what is; we see what could be. We live and breathe by capturing and cultivating vision. Whether we’re talking start-up or strategy, we are marked by our vision. 

Yet if there’s anything that 2020 taught us, it’s that vision isn’t enough. 

Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hurries toward the goal and it will 

not fail.[2] 

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained… [3] 

The word translated ‘vision’ is ון ֺחז) ָchazown). A better rendering, however, would be 

“revelation.” This word is not just about the ability to envision something in a future state; it speaks of revelatory vision. It entails spiritual understanding and perception. It is a divine revelation from God. 

Revelation: something revealed or disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, as of something not before realized.[4] 

[5] 

In theology, it designates God’s self-disclosure or manifestation of Himself. This is special revelation. From Genesis to Revelation, the claim of the Bible is that God has spoken. “And God said” is a repeated refrain that reveals how He created the universe and requires His creation Revelation is vital. A brief look at I Samuel 3:1 illustrates this: “Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions [7] 

(chazown) were infrequent.” Times were hard. God rarely spoke. Eli’s sons were corrupt. Everyone did what was right in his/her own eyes. In short, the people of God didn’t lack vision; they possessed plenty of ambition and foresight for their selfish gains. What they severely lacked was revelation. 

Our situation today is not much different. People do not have a vision problem. We have a revelation problem. 

___ 

To illustrate this further, let’s examine two builders: Moses and David. Moses constructed the Tabernacle. David dreamed of a temple. One illustrates divine revelation, the other earthly vision. 

Moses & the Tabernacle 

Yahweh called the Israelites out of Egypt, a land of temples and palaces. Like many of their ancient neighbors, the Egyptians held the view that humankind and the deities once 

cohabitated the earth. At some point, the divine withdrew to the sky, and deities no longer engaged in everyday life. 

Temples, therefore, played a crucial role in worship. A god did not “dwell on earth;” he resided in his temple. These temples were closed to the public, and only during a festival procession did the inaccessible and secret deity make his tangible presence known. The gods remained in their temples in seclusion, absent from the people and residing in heaven beyond human reach. 

Understanding the nature of the ‘deity in absentia’ is critical to understanding Yahweh’s unique intervention in Israel’s history. Unlike the Egyptian gods, Yahweh concretely expressed the promise of His manifest presence and delineated Himself from the pantheon of other gods. 

Beginning in Exodus 19, Yahweh establishes a formal relationship between Himself—the Supreme Liberator—and His people. Specifically outlined are the details for a modest, portable tent shrine, which we know as the Tabernacle. 

Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it. [8]

The word for tabernacle is כּן ָשׁ ְמ) ִmishkan), and it is used almost exclusively to refer to the Tabernacle of God. It derives from כן ַשׁ) ָshakan), which means “to dwell, to inhabit.” It denotes a sense of closeness and nearness. In stark contrast to the Egyptian gods, Yahweh would not be hidden and distant. His manifest presence would reside in the midst of His people. 

In Exodus 19-31, God meticulously details the plans for the Tabernacle, including the materials to use, how it should be built, its articles, and the duties of the priests who were to serve in it. The idea originates with God, and He communicates the pattern to Moses. “And God said…” appears seven times in these chapters outlining the Tabernacle’s design. 

Interestingly, the Tabernacle stood as a rather remarkable humble abode compared to its ancient temple counterparts. It was not built of stone or marble but acacia wood overlaid with precious metals. The curtains were made of linen. The covering made of fabric and porpoise skins. 

The Tabernacle was also relatively small compared to other structures. Around 10,900 square feet, it was approximately one-fifth the size of a football field. But it served multiple purposes. One, it was portable. God promised He would lead His people. As He led, the people could dismantle and reassemble the Tabernacle as they were guided through the wilderness. 

The Tabernacle also engaged all the people. God tells Moses to call all the sons of Israel to contribute to the Tabernacle: “Let them construct a sanctuary for me….”[9] All would benefit, so all could participate. It was a picture of unity. Just as all the different elements came together to form a unified structure, God’s people came together to build His dwelling. 

The idea that God should dwell on earth was profoundly unique in the ancient near east. But, from the outset, Yahweh revealed His divine plan to establish His presence in the midst of His people. It was His initiative, His purpose, and His design. He provided the plans, appointed the craftsmen, and prepared the provision. It was all God’s. And through it, He beautifully and definitively revealed Himself to His people. In this way, the Tabernacle is the visible reminder of His promise to always be with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This had profound implications for both the Israelites as they journeyed through the desert to the Promised Land and for prophetic history as it culminated in the coming of the Messiah. It was a revelation of the restored relationship between God and man. 

David & the Temple 

Centuries later, David, now established as king of Israel and settled in his palace, is contemplating Yahweh’s dwelling, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is undercurtains. “The vision for a temple is born.” [10] 

At first, Nathan, the prophet, encourages David’s dream. But God soon interrupts. Nathan later returns to David with a rebuke and Messianic message: 

“You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, [11] saying, ‘Why have you not built for Me a house of cedar?’ 

Following this, Yahweh (through Nathan) declares how He will build a house—an everlasting Kingdom and a throne that will last forever. 

“According to all these words and according to all this revelation (chazown), so Nathan spoke to David. [12]

What is remarkable about this encounter is that David remains undeterred. Either he completely misinterprets the message or is so determined to build the temple that he proceeds uninterrupted. David begins “extensive” preparations: he drafts the plans, he appoints the stone masons and artisans, and he provides all the materials. He orders all the leaders to help Solomon. Finally, he charges Solomon to build the temple of the Lord.[13] (For an interesting comparison, note how many times the Chronicler states, “And David did/said…”) From start to finish, David is the originator and executor of the so-called divine plan—this[14]

house that “shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands.” Solomon completes the Temple and dedicates it the Lord. God, like He has before,[15] 

condescends to human initiative. He concedes to the vision and fills the temple with His glory. For over 400 years, the Temple stands as the Jewish symbol of faith. 

But, like all earthly visions, it doesn’t last. Solomon’s Temple is destroyed around 586 BCE by the Babylonians. Some seventy years later, the second temple is built by a band of Jewish exiles who returned to Jerusalem. In the first century, Herod the Great, visionary 

extraordinaire, significantly modified the temple, expanding and enlarging the existing complex. The gleaming marble and gold monument was a sight to behold—but it would not last. The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans. 

Despite God’s presence, the Temple became a real problem for the nation of Israel. Its splendor became a stumbling block. Unlike the Tabernacle, God no longer ‘dwelt among’ His people; He was relegated to a house of stone. The people traveled to God instead of with God. Worship became a destination, not a journey. Religion replaced relationship. 

Most tragically, the people cared more for what the building represented—its wonder, magnificence, and wealth—more than what it contained—the Divine Presence of God. This glorified God-box ultimately separated God from His people. 

God asked for a tabernacle, a place to dwell with His people. The people put God in a box, cutting Him off. 

Why is this important? And what does it have to do with Entrepreneurship? 

First, typology in scripture is important. God always carefully and meticulously communicates His plans. His pictures always convey significant redemptive meaning. The Tabernacle is a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah—Emmanuel, God with us. In John, we read, “The word became flesh and made His dwelling (pitched his tent) among us.”[16] God was never content to remain separated from His creation. Redemption requires incarnation. Yeshua was God incarnate—the Divine among us. 

Secondly, as Kingdom Entrepreneurs, we must be able to discern between God’s revelation and our own vision. Problem-solvers by nature, we are bent towards finding creative solutions to today’s challenges. Our challenge is not our proclivity towards vision; it’s the temptation to employ vision without revelation. If we are truly to “bring heaven to earth,” we must seek God’s solutions, not our own. 

This is not to disparage vision or deny its necessity. We are created to “see!” But as we encounter a world of increasing challenges, we must “see” differently. The answer to these problems will not be found in the natural but in the supernatural. 

At Israel Firstfruits, we seek to advance the Kingdom of God through the marketplace in Israel. As the world shut down in 2020, we utilized the season of forced stillness as a time to reflect, refine our mission and vision, define our purpose, and craft our strategy. Those are all good, necessary steps for properly stewarding the call God had given us. But, as a team, we all recognized that these alone are not enough. 

We also implemented “Inquiry Prayer,” a time set aside each month for our team to actively seek God through prayer for His will and purpose. We may come with our list of items, but the goal of this dedicated time is to hear from God. What will He show us? How will He direct us? We bring our work before Him and let Him speak to every aspect. 

This is not always easy, especially for the more goal-oriented members of the team such as myself. Like King David, I can craft and execute a plan that produces noteworthy results. Listening to the Lord, however, often means laying down those visions and letting the Lord guide, even if it is unusual and contrary to conventional wisdom. I must let God out of the box. I need His revelation more than my vision. 

The results of this inquiry time are undeniable. In what was one of the most difficult and challenging years the global community had ever faced, we experienced unanticipated growth. We took unusual paths and, despite loss and pain, found ourselves in a better, healthier, and more fruitful place than we could have imagined. We “let go and let God”—and the results speak for themselves. 

As the world seeks to “get back to normal,” we are challenging ourselves to not return to the status quo. Like the Tabernacle, we may not be impressive by the world’s standards on the outside. But our prayer is that what is inside is nothing less than the personified Spirit of God. 

We must let God out of the box. To truly impact culture and provide redemptive solutions, we must move from vision to revelation. God must dwell in the midst of us—and not in name only. As we trust and allow Him to guide and direct us, we will witness His manifest presence and [17] 

supernatural solutions. Let us not labor in vain, but let us actively seek and obey the One and Only Kingdom Architect. 

Source link

— by TJ Neathery

How to Replace Passive Willfulness with Faithfulness and Find True Joy in Your Calling

If you’re anything like me, you started your business because you have big dreams, a vision for your life that looks nothing like it did when you started. Many of us start businesses to provide for our families, escape generational poverty, or leave a legacy. Some of us simply love the sense of achievement that comes from overcoming obstacles and creating value for customers and employees.

As Christians, we’re also driven by a sense of calling. Deep down, we know that God has a specific plan for our lives that we just can’t realize through a traditional nine-to-five corporate job. God nudges us toward entrepreneurship in order to fill unmet needs in the marketplace – in other words, to love others and contribute to His kingdom. 

In my case, I started my content marketing business because God has called me to write. As I spend time in prayer, I often hear a single word: “Write.” 

As I considered shifting careers four years ago, I thought, “What better way to step into this calling than to start a content writing business and pursue creative projects on the side?” All I needed was a laptop and a WIFI connection, and I’d have the flexibility and financial freedom to pursue this dream. And so, in 2019, I left my nonprofit job and struck out as a content marketer with a brand new LLC.  

Big dreams, however, can be easily derailed by willfulness. And that’s what happened to me. 

When I hear the term “willfulness,” I think of a brash and stubborn person who charges ahead into risky situations despite warnings. Think of Saul who ran into battle even though he was told to wait for Samuel. Or think of homebuyers in 2007 who bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford only to see their equity vanish once the housing market crashed. This is called active willfulness.

But willfulness can also look like paralysis. In my case, I dug in my heels and refused to give God full control of my life. I disobeyed through inaction. This is passive willfulness, and passive willfulness eventually undermined my business and made it feel like a prison, not a calling.

Moses Was a Willful Man, Too

I see a bit of myself when I read the story of Moses and the burning bush found in Exodus 4. The Sunday school version likes to focus on the miraculous bush and the holy ground. While awe at God’s majesty is an appropriate response to the story, it’s easy to pass over just how stubborn Moses is. 

Five times Moses questions God’s command to set the Israelites free. At first, Moses’ responses seem innocent enough. Why not ask clarifying questions about such a large undertaking. But we eventually see that deep down, Moses is struggling with faithlessness. 

Moses begins by asking God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He also asks, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” By the end of the conversation, Moses folds and asks God to send someone else.

At each turn, God patiently replies with miraculous signs, detailed plans, and affirmations of His power. Moses, however, ignores these miracles and God’s calling until the LORD’s anger burns against Moses, and He decides to provide Aaron as support. Did God show mercy to Moses and answer his requests? Yes, He did. But it’s unwise to arouse God’s anger and choose your own way. We know what happened when Abraham and Jonah disobeyed.

Like Moses, I kept asking God to meet certain conditions before I embraced my calling as a writer. I asked things like:

God, give me a big break and send me overnight success

Connect me with the right mentor who can lead me down the path of success

Multiply my 401K 10 fold so that I can work in complete financial freedom

In short, I wanted God to ensure my vision success before I was willing to step out in faith.

Faithfulness Requires Our Full Commitment

Listen to enough business podcasts, and you’ll hear about a hundred and one “rock-bottom” moments. It seems like every entrepreneur, at some point, finds themselves in a place where the money is gone, the new clients aren’t calling, and the marriage is strained. While there’s no one reason for why these low points happen, God often brings us to these rock bottom moments in order to rescue us from the grip of an idol. 

Fear, money, status are all common idols for entrepreneurs.

Security was the idol that kept me from fully committing to God’s call for my life. Messages I received from my family (many of them lawyers and financial planners) told me that responsible adults climbed the corporate ladder, bought nice houses, and contributed regularly to their 401ks. This middle-class stability carried a moral weight. Good people held steady jobs and prioritized their income. I felt shame when I wasn’t able to save for a new car or afford nice clothes. I suffocated under the fear of not living up to expectations. 

God asked me to use my business to write. I wanted that, too, but I also wanted to use my business to gain financial stability and control. I wanted a rainy day fund for my rainy day fund so I couldn’t be surprised by life. However, my stubborn refusal to give up control hurt my business, my marriage, and my calling as a writer. 

In an act of half faith, I decided that I wouldn’t take on more work just to take on more work. I would only take on work that supported my calling. That was fine, but the lower income kept me in a state of perpetual panic that whittled away my free time. Then I’d come home and complain to my wife that what I was doing wasn’t fulfilling because I was just trying to make ends meet but I refused to take on work because I needed to make room for God’s calling. I was a mess! I couldn’t live in this lukewarm limbo for long.

The key to getting myself out of that mess was to put my faith in God’s provision. He is faithful and provides, and my proper response is to respond in faith. Otherwise, passive willfullness will take control and paralyze my business.

Where are you being passively willful in your business? Some common willful strongholds include:

Refusing to provide adequate benefits to employees because you fear an economic downturn.

Not giving up leadership control to competent VPs and other C-suite executives

Wasting time on low-income tasks that should be delegated to an assistant

Refusing to pivot your product line because you believe you’re smarter than the market.

Sometimes executives think that willfullness is just “sticking to their guts,” which is a valuable trait when starting a business. One way to determine if you’re being willful or confident, however, is to ask yourself if you feel God’s peace. If you’re constantly struggling with fear or anxiety, you might have some willfulness to weed out.

What is Success in God’s Eyes?

As I mentioned before, I challenged God to provide success before I put my faith in Him. This led to depression and confusion. What I needed was a new understanding of success and where it comes from.

In the Faith Driven Entrepreneur video “Faithfulness vs. Willfulness,” JD says, “Success is faithfulness in all the roles God has given to us.”

This definition of success goes against the world’s definition of success. The world tells us that it’s our responsibility to find our purpose. Chart your own path! Actualize your full potential! This is what we hear from blog posts and influencers. But in reality, it’s God who lays out our roles. Success isn’t earned by squeezing value from an indifferent universe; it’s received by faithfully living out the roles that God provides us.

And rarely does God give us just one role that determines our success. Our God is more creative and bountiful than that. First and foremost, we are Christ-followers who are privileged to have a relationship with the living God, Jesus. After that, we are family members, community members, and then entrepreneurs. Jesus was a carpenter, but history doesn’t judge Him by the quality of his chairs. The measure of his unfathomable success rested far beyond his vocation. The same goes for you, too.

In all areas of life, our identities are found in who God says we are. Moses doubted himself, but God knew his true potential. Success means being faithful in all the roles God has given to us. This week, consider your calling and ask yourself if there’s an area where you’re being passively willful. Where are you refusing to give your full faithfulness? 

You may just find God is ready to remove that roadblock you’ve been struggling with as soon as you release your fears and trust Him to guide you.  

Source link

— by Chris Evans

As a lifelong entrepreneur, I’ve found there are many ways that entrepreneurship is a profoundly spiritual experience.  Today I’d like to talk about the relationship between entrepreneurship and faith. First, let’s define faith. Faith is one of those words that shows up often in spiritual conversations, but it can seem hard to pin down. Hebrews 11.1 is a good place to start: 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

So, faith is both assurance and conviction.  Whenever you have to trust something you can’t see, you’re exercising faith.  You don’t just exercise faith in spiritual matters.  If my wife is out of the house picking up supplies to make dinner, I can’t see her.  If someone asked me if she’ll be coming home, I would say yes, because I know her well and she’s always come back before.  If someone tried to introduce doubt by saying “maybe she’s decided to run away and won’t come home”, I can’t prove that they are wrong because I can’t see her, but I can remind myself of her character and love for me and quickly conclude that it would be ridiculous to worry about such a thing.  My faith in my wife gave me conviction of something I couldn’t see and assurance of what I’m hoping for – in this case, one of her terrific dinners. 

Before I was a believer, I thought of faith as naïve wishing – that a Christian’s faith was just them wanting to believe there was a God looking out for them as a crutch to get through life.  Now I see that faith is more about reminding myself what I know. In the process of becoming a believer, I spent months investigating the claims of the faith. I had experienced venture capitalists going through a “due-diligence” process in my company where they looked at all kinds of documents before deciding our claims were trustworthy enough to warrant an investment. I did something similar and read many books and articles to prove to myself that Jesus is a real, historically-documented person who told us salvation comes to those who trust in him and serve him and who then proved his authority through his miracles and resurrection.  In that light, it’s completely rational to trust his words and Gospel. That was some time ago.  Now, sometimes it’s easy to believe in him – he feels so close I can almost feel his breath.  Other times, he feels distant, and my old self starts to wonder if he was just in my imagination.  It’s then that I can remind myself why I believe and confirm that my convictions are well-grounded and that my hope in him is based on trustworthy assurances so that I can live like he is real until eventually, I feel that he’s real again. *

Now let’s see how that applies to Entrepreneurship.  An entrepreneur is someone who painstaking works at something only they can see in the hope that someday everyone will be able to see it.  When they have an idea for a product or company, it’s just that – an idea.  Nobody can see or touch it.  As they think through and develop the idea it becomes more detailed and refined. They can talk to friends about it so their friends can also see their idea.  When investors agree to put money into the idea or customers buy it or people come to work at the company it becomes more real.  Eventually, it may become a business that everyone knows about, and then it’s real to the whole world.  At every step though, there are new people deciding whether to believe in the idea.  

Throughout the journey, I’ve found it common to have doubts.  Often when I was about to meet with investors or make an important sales call, I had this fear that the other person would reject my idea and tell me I’m a fool – some people call this The Imposter Syndrome.  Some doubt in my head would ask “what if they’re right?” “What if you’re just chasing a foolish dream?” This is where faith kicks in.  I have good reasons for the conviction I have about my business.  I’ve put in the time, asked hard questions, proven it works, and won over skeptics.  Someone may find a flaw, but I’ve been able to address flaws before and bounced back. While I can’t be certain I’ll succeed and this next skeptic will be won over; I can know that my assurance is based on reasonable convictions and that my hope for a good meeting is based on well-grounded assurances.  The same faith muscle that I use to believe in God is the one I use to confront doubts about my business.  

Doubts are not unique to Christians.  All entrepreneurs second-guess themselves.  All salesmen project confidence while worrying about rejection.  Everyone at one time or another worries they will be exposed as an imposter at their job. It is a Christians’ advantage that this feeling isn’t strange to them because they’ve gone through it in their walk with God.  A Christian is also better equipped to deal with it because they have had practice in the past beating back irrational doubts. 

The one difference between practicing faith in your work and practicing faith as an entrepreneur is that while the Gospel is perfect, it is likely there are flaws in your ideas you will need to address.  While groundless doubts can do you no good, there will be times when you will need to hear the truth in criticism and adjust your plans accordingly.  That is where the Christian virtue of humility is important – but that will have to be covered in a different article. 

So should you find your faith in Christ and the Gospel weakening, see it as an opportunity to build and grow your muscle of faith. Ask yourself how you came to believe and revisit what you know until you feel your faith growing strong again. Take note of how it feels and how you succeeded.  Now when you find yourself doubting your venture or plans, apply the same process of going back to what you know – being careful to honestly consider whether significant facts have changed in your business – and use your muscle of faith to empower you to decide and act even when you’re feeling less confident.  The faith God is growing in you as you walk with him will serve you well as you learn to extend it to other facets of your life. 

I’ll end by noting that as you learn how your spiritual faith can equip you to have faith in your business; your success practicing faith in business could actually feed back into your spiritual walk.  It takes faith to talk to others about Christ and the Gospel.  Inner doubts that you don’t know enough or the other person will reject you are common and often shut us down when we feel the Holy Spirit urging us to share our faith.  When you learn to use faith the trust yourself and your story telling others about your business,  you may find that you also trust yourself more to share about your spiritual life.  When pitching your business, you may realize that you need to spend time getting better answers to particular questions or practicing what you’re going to say; this is also true about conversations about your relationship with God.  Your first try will probably not be perfect, but you can learn from it and improve using the same skills and discipline that has brought you success in business.

Many people can feel that they live a bifurcated life where they can alternate between being a business person and a person of faith but rarely feel that are both at the same time.  By embracing how your faith can help you in both roles, you will be taking an important step towards being a united person who’s spiritual side is always an active part of you.  

* In fact, I’m even more sure Jesus has saved me than I am that my wife is coming home.  After all my wife doesn’t have complete control over her journey – there could be a traffic jam – but Jesus has all power and authority to do what he says he will.

Source link

Article originally hosted and shared with permission by The Christian Economic Forum, a global network of leaders who join together to collaborate and introduce strategic ideas for the spread of God’s economic principles and the goodness of Jesus Christ. This article was from a collection of White Papers compiled for attendees of the CEF’s Global Event.

— by Aimee Minnich

Recently, I experienced an existential crisis caused by, of all things, baseball and Coca Cola. I watched leaders of these organizations openly oppose a new Georgia voting law; Major League Baseball even went so far as to incur huge expense to move the All-Star Game and 2021 draft out of Atlanta.[1] I wondered when we’d get back to the good old days where we could buy a soda and watch a game without being confronted by politics. 

It seemed to me these companies weren’t responding to the law. Instead, they were feeding on massive criticism—some might say bullying—from opponents of the law who expected these companies and others based in Georgia to speak out against it. While I haven’t taken the time to form an opinion about the law itself, I was deeply troubled by the ways these companies acted. If 2020 was the year of Covid-related shutdowns, then 2021 may well go on record as the year of political corporations. 

David Seminara writing in the WSJ OpEd explains it well: “[In 2020], I lamented the rise of the woke corporation, documenting how many of my favorite companies embrace values antithetical to my own. But it’s increasingly clear that the sharp increase in corporate virtue signaling…wasn’t a passing trend but a sea change.”[2] Companies from Patagonia to Harry’s Razors are increasingly using their influence to advocate for a progressive worldview and are suggesting that anyone who disagrees with their positions is “racist,” “homophobic,” “transphobic,” etc. The rhetoric has become so divisive as to preclude actual debate. 

What bothers me most about this trend isn’t just the actions of these companies but also the questions it raises for me as a professional who has devoted her life to investing in companies that seek to make a positive difference in the world. I co-founded Impact Foundation to help families put charitable capital to work in for-profit businesses that create jobs and share the Gospel. I serve on the board of a family of ESG and impact investing mutual funds. The essence of this work is to engage companies and encourage them to act for the benefit of their employees, vendors, and communities. 

The events in Georgia caused me to wrestle with some difficult questions: How is my life’s work different from the outcry that led to the responses from Delta, Coca Cola, and MLB? Am I bothered by their actions simply because I disagree with them politically? Is there something fundamentally off in the way these events played out? Or am I part of the problem in advocating for companies to act for positive social change? 

Answering these questions required me to examine the appropriate role of business, generally, and a company, particularly. 

Milton Friedman Wasn’t Totally Wrong 

I’ve always heard that Milton Friedman said the only role of business is generating profit for shareholders. Not surprisingly, this characterization misses a lot of what the famous economist actually said. In his 1970 paper The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits, Freidman says: 

“In a free-enterprise, private-property system, a corporate executive is an employee of the owners of the business. He has direct responsibility to his employers. That responsibility is to conduct the business in accordance with their desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible while conforming to their basic rules of the society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in ethical custom.” (emphasis mine) 

He further explains that companies should make money for shareholders who can then put their profits to charitable purposes as they see fit. 

Capitalism, according to Friedman, contains its own inherent constraint on exploitations. The free market “forces people to be responsible for their own actions and makes it difficult for them to ‘exploit’ other people for either selfish or unselfish purposes.” Companies act in the interests of the employees and communities because that is good for business and, therefore, good for shareholders in the long run. 

Making money for shareholders over the long term will actually mean acting in the interests of employees, vendors, and the community. Otherwise, the executive will not be able to retain top talent, could lose support of the community in which he/she operates, or may even encounter fines for bad behavior. 

Understanding Freidman’s historical context makes his words even more timely for a reader in 2021. Talking about the corporate reformers of his own day, Friedman says, “In fact they are— or would be if they or anyone else took them seriously—preaching pure and unadulterated socialism.” He says that “corporate social responsibility” would necessarily lead to socialism because it’s anybody’s guess what “social responsibility means.” Freidman warned that this would eventually lead to the “politicization of everything.” That sounds familiar in 2021. 

This exposes one of the biggest issues that I have with the current culture of corporate social activism. It’s inconsistent/arbitrary. My daughter’s favorite brand of hair care products wants us to know the “PANTENE Family is #BEAUTIFULGBTQ—Proud to Support Transgender Visibility.”[3] But are they also excited to bring visibility to the issue of modern-day slavery in the supply chain? 

The goals these companies are advocating change with the winds of popular sentiment, exposing the flawed worldview they are built upon. There’s no way to defend them because there’s no definition of right and wrong. Right is what most of us—or the loudest among us— say is right. Thus, there’s very little opportunity to have a genuine debate of issues. 

This leads to my second major issue with the social activism dominating 2021. 

It’s dehumanizing. In the Georgia issue, there has been seemingly little to no attempt at dialogue with lawmakers—only a series of Twitter denouncements and name-calling on the Sunday news shows. 

In short, I disagree with both the end and the means of these companies. 

The Business Roundtable: Socialism Repackaged? 

The leaders of Coca Cola, Delta, and MLB are following a trend expressed by the Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs of the world’s largest corporations. They met in the summer of 2018 and issued a statement “redefining the role of business.” In truth, it was not a redefinition so much as a restatement of the ideas that Friedman was responding to in his original 1970 article. In short, businesses should now be run for the benefit of 5 stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, communities (including environment), and shareholders.[4] According to the Business Roundtable website, this includes taking actions such as: 

Increasing minimum wages and adjusting starting-wage scales upward to increase employees’ economic security from the start; 

Investing in opportunities for employees to gain new skills, grow personally and professionally and contribute to a more innovative future for their companies; Increasing accessibility and affordability of health care before, during and after trying times; or Offering educational benefits, such as student loan repayment programs or scholarships for children of employees.[5] 

These are great benefits to offer employees. I have no issues with them. But the idea of stakeholder capitalism, as a whole, seems to have a few inconsistencies. Namely, what happens when there’s a conflict between priorities for each of the five stakeholder groups? What if there is not enough money for all the programs that each stakeholder group needs? 

Friedman recognized this tension and said that the obligation to shareholders needs to win out because they’re free to use their profits, even if ill-gotten, to give to charities to fix the issues created by their corporations.[6] 

That seems inefficient, though. Thankfully, these are not our only two options for answering my existential questions. 

What does Scripture Have to Say About the Role of Business? 

Friedman’s notion that business should make money for shareholders to give away to charities fixing the ills of society sounds painfully familiar. How many businesspeople have felt like second-class citizens in God’s Kingdom because they aren’t the pastor or missionary, as if their most important role is to make lots of money to give away to those doing “God’s work”? 

To set the record straight and understand the role of business, we need to go back to the beginning and understand the world God established. What is the story He is writing? 

N.T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope, explains this story beautifully. We live in the “now but not yet” of the kingdom of God. He is actively working to make all things new again: the New Heavens and New Earth as described in Revelation. As Jesus says, “The Kingdom of God is among you,”[7] yet He also makes it clear that He is coming back to make things complete.[8] Before He ascended, Jesus charged His disciples (including you and me) with preaching, teaching, baptizing, and discipling as we go about our lives. We know the Great Commission, but do we really know what it means for work and business? 

Tim Keller explains: “The Christian faith gives us a new conception of work as the means by which God loves and cares for his world through us. Look at the places in the Bible that say that God gives every person their food. How does God do that? It is through human work— from the simplest farm girl milking the cows to the truck driver bringing produce to market to the local grocer. God could feed us directly but he chooses to do it through work.” 

Work was part of God’s original design—one of His gifts to us in the garden—before sin entered. And after the fall, our work is the means by which we partner with God in His work of renewing all things. 

Business is simply a collection of people working together to produce goods or services for customers. Extending the theology of work, we see that business plays a critical role, not just in creating financial value but also in adding to human flourishing. 

In short, Scripture paints the ultimate picture of the purpose of business…to partner with God in bringing about His purposes for the world. So, we have to ask, what are His purposes? What is the world that He has in mind for us? 

No more sin or evil-doing[9] 

A healed earth and a beautiful city of God[10] 

An end to suffering and the joy of unbroken fellowship with God[11] 

Broad access to meaningful work[12] 

Scripture gives us a better definition of the role of business than Milton Friedman or the Business Roundtable. It also paints a picture of the way the work is to be carried out: Business is meant to work with God (the means) to bring about His purposes in the world (the end). Sounds simple, but what does it mean for me as an investor or business leader? First, it means I don’t have to quit my job and go back to serving coffee. Phew! 

Some Practical Ideas for Moving Forward 

It’s great that Scripture gives us a blueprint for the role of business, but it probably wouldn’t work if I walked into the board room of a public company and suggested it should be their corporate vision. 

It is much easier to live this mandate as a small, family-owned company. And yet, I don’t think that means my husband and I should abandon our public stock positions or step down from the board of the mutual funds. Maybe the following framework can provide practical guidance for how to engage: 

Do no harm. This principle is a good place to start in large, multi-national businesses with diverse ownership and leadership. Instead of trying to convince a group of secular-humanists of the correctness of our biblical worldview, we could start with issues on which most can agree. Let’s work to promote training for workers from under-served communities. We can also work to end child labor; slavery in the supply chain; unsanitary/unsafe working conditions; profiting from pornography and traffcking; etc. 

Don’t be mean. This is similar to the first idea, but it relates more to the way in which one should advocate for change. I think it speaks for itself, but my mother also explained it well: “Treat others as you want to be treated.”[13] Rather than Twitter bullying, let’s seek to engage in productive dialogue where we treat each other with respect even when we disagree. 

Encourage redemptive enterprises. In the context of startup investing or working with private equity and venture funds, we find more common ground for advancing Scripture’s view of what business should work to accomplish…bringing about the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. Impact Foundation has over 200 examples of companies like this in our portfolio, and I love telling their stories. 

Here are a few examples: 

Clara Brown Commons: A safe and caring community where residents can stabilize their lives, expand their economic capacity, and deepen spiritual connectedness. 

Hayden Harper Holdings: A for-profit portfolio of operating companies with a focus on Impacting and Enriching the lives of our clients, employees, and community while operating our businesses with Excellent Stewardship in Freedom. HH owns businesses in different industries all focused on generating positive long-term earnings while applying Biblical Principles to how we live our lives and run our businesses. 

Pallet: A social purpose company on a mission to build equal opportunity access to housing and employment. For the more than half a million people facing homelessness across the United States, our durable, portable, and affordable shelters are a steppingstone out of personal crisis and into a life of stability—because a shelter changes everything. 

Mediae Group: A small social enterprise that’s committed to addressing the informational needs of East Africans through sustainable and research-based media productions. 

Source link

Editors’ note: This article was adapted from the Faith Driven Entrepreneur Video Series done in partnership with Faith & Co. All rights reserved.

— by John & Ashely Marsh

John Marsh: Within just a year or two after having our son Nelson Ash and our three days from divorce. Going through fighting for custody of our son. I was a drug addict and our lives were upside down where a million and a half dollars in debt, $99,000 overdrawn, and our whole life was falling apart. So the pressure of that was just building and building. And I kept hearing in the back of my mind, this life you have is not worth living. You ought to you ought to kill yourself. We had this old historic house, and I went up in the attic of it. It was a junky old house. It kind of represented our junky old life, just broken and needing of everything, and went in the attic of that house and moved the attic fan out of the way, had set up a rope and I decided I was just going to hang myself that that if I would take my own life, it would be the very best thing that could happen. And during that time, something just. Just moved me to cry out to a god I never knew. And I thought, Oh, my gosh. He was there all along and I kept hearing kill myself and he was going dotty yourself. And it sounded so similar. When I went down those stairs, I met Ash just right after that. And we have been, of course. Fighting through this divorce. I said I got saved. And she said, You’re a liar. 

Ashley Marsh: I didn’t believe him when he came downstairs and tried to tell me that he was different. I just thought it was one more thing that he was trying to do to manipulate me, to stay or to do something that would cause me to lose Nelson. But by October or early November of that same year, I found out I was pregnant, but I was still having this affair with this other gentleman. Mainly because I was scared to be left alone. I had someone on the side that would accept me and laugh with me and who I thought loved me. And I didn’t want to let go of that just in case John was playing me. And so anyhow, yeah, I sat there pregnant not knowing whose child I had, and it was just… it was terrifying. That’s when those little seeds of “Maybe. But what if this is real? What if he really is that person that has changed? What if that means you can change what that means? There’s something greater in you.” I was about right at eight weeks pregnant and knew something was just wrong. You know. 

So I went to the doctor and he confirmed that I had lost the child. And so I just… I just literally cuddled on the floor. In a heap and just cried the hardest I think I’ve ever cried. And I just sat there. It was like, “Oh, dear God, you’ve got to help me get me away from me, you know?” And I had the most wonderful experience from there. I stood up and I was so different and I had not done anything. I had not done anything at all besides surrender. 

John Marsh: Three years of counseling and lots of slowly by slowly decisions. We found one another. And began to build a life that was amazing. 

Ashley Marsh: So for seven years, literally seven years, every week we went to counseling. We ended up being like the poster child for failed marriages. But for people that just wanted a glimpse of hope. 

John Marsh: We just attracted  broken people. Because they were attracted to our story and that there’s hope for people who are broken… and that there’s beauty in broken things. That was not just what happened to us, but that’s what God wanted to do through us. 

So we started our construction company with $1,000. Ash would teach our son during the day and I’d go out and do riot repair on houses, working for just a little bit of money and one paycheck at a time. God was working on our skill set. You know, God doesn’t waste time. He’s always taking what you’re doing and weaving it into where you’re going. We began to put our heart and all of our resources, our time, energy and our dreams into this little small town, Opelika–it’s kind of like “hope-you-like-a”. 

Ashley Marsh: We decided that we wanted to be right where we had our first child. We believe that hyperfocus in any area can change it. And so we just decided to stay here. We have a real estate company that has over 100 pieces of property, primarily all located within ten blocks radius. From that developed our construction company because we actually couldn’t afford to hire other contractors. 

John Marsh: Now we’re a historic renovation business. 

Ashley Marsh: Out of that came our architectural salvage business. 

John Marsh: We also have a restaurant group with multiple restaurants. We have a consulting company too. That is my primary focus… helping people restore cities. We call ourselves Marsh Collective now, because I’ve tried to find a way to bring together multiple companies, multiple entities, multiple ownerships into a singular way to communicate. 

Ashley Marsh: What I believe we’re trying to accomplish is community in the truest sense. Literally, your neighbors are leaning up against the fence, talking to each other. Like trusting each other, having hard conversations, the understanding that as hard conversations don’t bring differences, they bring understanding. 

John Marsh: We’re going in and helping people in towns from 800 all the way to 80,000 people turn their towns around and make them amazing places. 

What we realized is that when it comes to saving communities, the capital it takes to do that is  three fold. It’s patient capital. It’s properly aligned capital. And then it’s also productive capital. And so when we say patient capital, they have to understand it’s 3 to 5 years, 7 years sometimes, for it to really begin to be the kind of investment that investors are used to oftentimes. 

As for properly aligned… People have to have vision and values. The vision means they want it to be saved. The values are that they want to make a generational difference. And then last the productive part. We think cities should have a return of your capital and then return on your capital. Because what happens is, we’ve seen cities where people try to build them only through benevolence, and what we found out is that’s not a sustainable model. But we knew if we could build things that were sustainable, profitable and thoughtful, that they could have a very long life. And so we dream 50, 75 and 100 years for our city and then we help others during that for theirs. 

Ashley Marsh: The priority goal for us is to find out who this loving God is. Seems pretty cool that he would meet us in the place that he did because it it and where we were told we had to be to meet Him. It wasn’t in a church and it wasn’t in this special moment of a certain song being played or someone praying with us, you know? It was just us… Raw, dirty, jacked up us. 

John Marsh: There is hope. You know, God loves idiots. God still takes broken things and does beautiful things. There is an amazing God that still does amazing things. And what we do is we try to translate hope into every environment. There is hope. 

To learn more about integrating your faith and work and what it means to pursue your God-giving call to create, please consider joining one of our Faith Driven Entrepreneur groups. There’s no cost to join and no catch. You can meet in person or online with other like-minded entrepreneurs to discuss what it means to embrace your call to create and fulfill God’s purpose for your life and work. Don’t journey alone. Find your community here.

Source link