While many people we meet might have a general understanding of the Christian faith and a familiarity with business, few fully understand what it means when we combine the two. In fact, there are many myths that rise out of this lack of understanding what we mean by Christian business.
Common Christian Business Myths
In my last post, we looked at two of the five most common myths about Christian business. We discussed how a Christian business owner should not hire just anyone that applies for the job(s) they are offering. We also talked about the fact that we will simply have to say “No” to some requests.
Today, I want to look at the final three myths and how we should dispel them. If you have any input on these or other myths you have encountered, I would love to hear from you in the comment section at the bottom!
Myth #3 – Christian Businesses Should Never Terminate Anyone!
To some, this may sound crazy, but I have actually had it said directly to me more than once. I guess people believe that since Christians are supposed to turn the other cheek and forgive 70 X 7 times, they should never fire anyone. Unfortunately, this is poor logic.
Folks, employees are not always going to do what they are supposed to do. Sometimes they will make a poor decision and steal or cheat the business for various reasons. Sometimes they will make too many mistakes because they are preoccupied or not taking their job seriously.
Other times their behavior is due to poor fit for the job (bad hire) or lack of training. Regardless of the reasons, there comes a time when their continued employment is bad for them or the company or both. Therefore their employment needs to end. This is a must if your business is going to remain healthy, providing opportunities for those that do fit.
Myth #4 – Christian Businesses Should Give Away Products or Services!
I think the fact that people associate Christians with giving to charity, they leap to the idea that Christian businesses can and should do the same…with everything! Now before you laugh, this is no joke! I have had people tell me that I am responsible to give them (fill in the blank) because we are a Christian business.
If pressed, they may not think we should do it for everyone, but they clearly believe it should be true for them. As business owners, we know this is crazy, but we still struggle with our pricing, margins, and good will decisions. Sometimes we buy into this myth without realizing it.
The bottom line is that we have to make a healthy profit if we want to continue to be in business. We cannot “give away” our products and services as a habit. Sure, we can (and should) designate a portion of our proceeds to help out those in need around us. However, this charity should not work its way into our everyday transactions. We cannot afford it!
Myth #5 – Christian Businesses Are Complacent!
I am not sure if this is more prevalent among people outside the business or inside it. Too many Christian business owners have allowed themselves to think they should not have to work as hard or drive for excellence because they are doing their work for God. Hopefully, this sounds backwards to you, but many actually think this way!
Folks, we are to work harder and drive for greater excellence for the very reason that we answer to the Lord as the true owner of our business. We should never become complacent, thinking He will understand or that He should just be glad we are doing all of this for Him. That is very dangerous thinking!
We owe Him our everything! We are commanded to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We cannot do this and be complacent at the same time. These two ideas are polar opposites!
Seek God’s Help!
Hopefully, you recognize these 5 ideas as myths and have not fallen victim to this kind of thinking. However, if you struggle with any of them, I encourage you to seek God in prayer about them. I think you will come to realize the truth and see them for the myths they are!
Have you struggled with any of these myths?
What other myths have you encountered?
How do you combat these myths?
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