Category Archives: Reasons

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What Is A Christian Business?

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Christian businessRecently, I have had multiple opportunities to answer the question, “What is a Christian business?” In fact, in a couple of days I will have my very first opportunity to teach an conference of business owners and professionals about taking their faith to their workplace.

Do you want to know the cool thing about this opportunity? The audience will be in India and we will be communicating via Skype!

Christian Business Defined?

In preparation for this conference, I have been working on my definition of a Christian business. While I am not an expert, I have spent the past eight years trying to answer the question and live it out. I have read what the Bible has to say about it, as well as many books that reference the Bible. I have learned from others that are living their faith through their businesses. I have also learned from my own mistakes and disappointments.

Rather than try to relay everything I have learned about defining Christian business (and taking the next several hours of your time!), I will try to give you the basics. I do not pretend that this is an exhaustive definition. Nor do I claim that I am the authority and cannot be questioned. I am simply a disciple that is learning as I go. This is what I have so far:

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6 Characteristics of a Christian Business

1. God owns the earth and everything in it.

    This includes all animals, all plants, and even all businesses. In my opinion, the first step of a Christian business is to acknowledge this fact and submit the leadership of the business to God’s direction.

2. God’s economy operates from an eternal perspective.

    God’s economy does not operate from a 30 day picture (or quarterly or annual either). Therefore, a Christian business operates from an eternal perspective – choosing eternal impact over financial results. Obviously, no business can exist by ignoring financial results, but by operating on God’s principles first, both can be achieved.

3. Christian business does not guarantee prosperity.

    Despite TV preachers telling you otherwise, dedicating your business to God will not guarantee you financial success. Though God promises to honor our efforts if we dedicate them to Him (Psalm 37:5-6), He does not say when this will happen. His time frame is not ours. We may expect our reward while we are honoring Him, but He may not bring it to life for 100 years. We honor Him for who He is, not for what it will bring us.

4. The mission of the Christian business lines up with Scripture.

    The Greatest Commandment (Matt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) are commands, not suggestions. Therefore, I believe the Christian business should have a mission that reflects these commands.

5. A Christian business exists and operates in the “world.”

    It employs believers and non-believers alike. It ministers to both, as well as customers and the community, in the normal course of doing business. This ministry takes on a variety of looks!

6. A Christian business will fulfill us.

    Quite simply, we are designed to be fulfilled through our relationship with God. Period. If we try to separate our work from that relationship in the hopes that we will get a different, material fulfillment, then we are sadly mistaken. Read Ecclesiastes for more on this. On the other hand, even the most menial work, if done unto God, will bring fulfillment we cannot imagine.

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To me, these are basic characteristics of a “Christian” business. I believe this can be done in a tasteful and practical way, without using a bullhorn (consider Chick-Fil-A). Of course, there are going to be pitfalls along the way. But in the end, I believe the fruit that is produced by this kind of business will survive the fire (1 Cor. 3:11-15).

What are your thoughts about these characteristics?

What would you add? What would you eliminate? Why?

How close is your business to exhibiting these characteristics?

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Reason #5 (of 5) for Running Your Business According to Your Christian Faith

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This is the final post in a series of five posts on why we should run our businesses according to our Christian faith.  Like the others, this reason comes straight from the Bible.

King Solomon was an amazing man for many reasons.  He was able to achieve incredible wealth and success.  He built houses, vineyards, gardens, and parks.  He surpassed all who had come before him. From the outside, it looked like he had it all!  What did he have to say about it?

When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.
– Ecclesiastes 2:11

Does this sound like someone who “had it all” like Solomon?  What do you think were his reasons for feeling this way?  Fortunately, he gives us more information a couple of verses later.

I hated all my work at which I labored under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
– Ecclesiastes 2:18-19

The Problem

Solomon realized that his work would not last beyond this life.  As soon as he was gone, someone else would get it and do whatever they wanted with it.  He saw extreme emptiness in his work after he had accomplished it.

I think a key thought to consider here is that these thoughts of Solomon’s came later in his life, AFTER he had accomplished so much.  You see, while the accomplishing is getting done, the emptiness is hidden.  Everything looks so important and so urgent that we most often fail to see that it is, in fact, futile.

The Solution

What if you could reverse this principle?  Consider the idea of completely turning your business over to God and allowing Him to direct how it is built.  What if you began approaching your business as a tool in God’s hand to be used to impact others (employees, customers, community) for eternity?

Forget, for a moment, trying to imagine exactly what the business would look like. Instead, imagine what your thoughts would be at the end.

The “Stats”

Rather than counting the number of business branches or locations, employees, or zero’s in your bank account balance, imagine you are able to count the number of people who chose to accept Jesus due, in part, to the influence of your business.  Imagine counting the number of children fed or clothed as a result of the efforts of your employees.  Imagine counting the number of people you influenced through the business that went on to teach others that did the same thing (and on and on…)!

Where is the futility or emptiness in this?  I cannot imagine either being present – and I cannot wait to get to this point!

What about you?  What are you building?

What will the “stats” feel like when the counting is being done?

Regardless of what you have built in the past, will you change the future?

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Reason #4 (of 5) to Run Your Business According to Your Christian Faith

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Christian faith and business

This is the fourth in a series of five posts on why we should run our businesses according to our Christian faith.  In each post, we have looked at what light Scripture may shed on this question.
One of my favorite verses, which also happens to be one of the core verses in the Impact Discipleship series, is the following:

Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.  –
1 John 2:6

Let’s consider what Jesus did while He was here on earth.  During his roughly three years of ministry leading up to the crucifixion, Jesus poured into a small group of twelve of His closest followers.  He taught them all they would need to know to be His witnesses after He had ascended.

Early Church Strategy

These disciples, in turn, did the same thing with their preaching and teaching in the early church.  In his letter to Timothy, one of his own students, Paul wrote the following:

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.  -2 Timothy 2:2

Paul urges Timothy to teach and disciple other men that would in turn be able to teach others.  In this way, Timothy would be leaving a legacy of disciples.  I, for one, am glad the early disciples did this!  If not for them and their commitment to spreading the Gospel, where would we be today?

We know this was Jesus’ strategy.  We also know Paul used the same strategy with Timothy. And we know Paul encouraged Timothy to use the same strategy with others…who would then do the same thing!

Our Strategy?

So what does that mean for us as Christians?  What does that mean for those of us leading businesses?  Are we exempt from this?

Some of you may be saying that you do some of this outside of work.  No problem!  Keep it up!  You should be doing that.

However, while we can certainly disciple others outside of our businesses, why would we ignore the 40-60+ hours per week we spend inside our business?  Why would we not find some way to make that time count as well?  Whether through a chaplain program, lunch-and-learn Bible studies, or just simple messages in a company newsletter, there are many ways to maximize our available disciple-making time.

Once we can get past the mental block that we have to keep faith and work separate, all sorts of opportunities to live out our faith in business can present themselves.  Our first step is simply to make the decision to give God our businesses and let Him direct our paths.  He is faithful to take care of the rest!

Do you agree or disagree with this logic?

What is your biggest obstacle to move in this direction?

How are you seeking God’s perspective on living out your Christian faith?

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Reason #3 (of 5) to Run Your Business According to Your Christian Faith

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This is the third post in a series of five that looks at reasons to run our business according to our Christian faith.  In the last post, we looked at the Greatest Commandment and how it applies to our business.  Let’s turn to one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and see how it applies.


“If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each one’s work will become obvious, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, it will be lost, but he will be saved; yet it will be like an escape through fire.”

– 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

What Will Survive the Fire?

Here, Paul talks about our “work” in building our lives on the foundation of Christ. Whatever we build during our lives that survives the fire on the Day will bring us reward. Whatever is consumed by the fire is lost.  What would you say will survive the fire?  Will our homes, regardless of size, survive the fire?  What about our cars?  Our stocks or other investments?  If you are like me, you see that none of this will survive the fire.

If that is true, then I am assuming our businesses will not survive either.  So what will survive the fire?  What about lives we have impacted for eternity?  What about our words, deeds, and relationships that have pointed others toward God?

Where Is Our Focus?

If this is the case, then what reasons could we have for dedicating so much of our time, treasure, and talents to the sole purpose of building our businesses?  Of course, we could say we do it to provide for our families and to enjoy the finer things of life.  Or we could say that we do it because we are wired to do it.  We may even feel we have no other choice but to do it.

Regardless of your reasons to this point, you need to ask yourself if your reason aligns with Scripture.  Are you running your business to produce results that will survive the fire or be consumed in the fire?  If it is the latter, then what are your choices?

What Are the Options?

You could sell the business and go into full-time ministry or even become a missionary. Certainly either of these choices could produce results that would survive the fire, right?  I see nothing at all wrong with these choices.  However, I see another choice you need to consider.

Turn your business over to God.  Let Him show you how He wants to use it. Turn your business into an eternity-impacting machine!  We will talk more later about what that looks like and how to do it.  For now, just consider it.

Let me know your thoughts.  

Do you agree with this perspective?

If not, on what are you basing your perspective?

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Reason #2 (of 5) to Run Your Business According to Your Christian Faith

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This is the second in a series of five posts that look at reasons to run your business according to your Christian faith.  In the last post, we looked at how the Great Commission is a great opportunity for us to make disciples through our businesses.

The Greatest Commandment(s)
Now we are going to look at what is often called the Greatest Commandment, and how it should affect the way we run our business.

When Jesus was asked which command in the law was the greatest, He responded:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. – Matthew 22:37-40

All of Our Heart…
We are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The key word here is ALL.  We cannot obey this command by loving Him with most of our heart or mind.  We cannot obey by loving him on Sundays, but not on Mondays.  Nor can we be obedient by loving him at church and home, but not at work.

Read it again…do you see any way to obey this commandment other than loving Him ALL of the time, with ALL of ourselves, in ALL areas of our lives?

What About Work?
How can we do this if we are spending 30, 40, or even 50 percent of our week focused only on work? There is absolutely nothing wrong with work.  We are designed for it.

But for us to work for purposes other than acting out our love for God as commanded above – this goes against God’s word! We must find a way to live out these two commandments through our work.

Let’s look at one more verse that is closely related to the idea we are discussing.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – Colossians 3:17

I submit that our work is included in “whatever you do”.  If this is true, then I only see one decision confronting each of us – Will I align my life, which includes my work, with this Scripture?  Regardless of where this path will lead, am I willing to commit to it?

Where are you in this decision process?

Have you prayed for God to guide you in this decision?

What are you hearing?

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Reason #1 (of 5) to Run Your Business According to Your Christian Faith

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Have you ever tried to reconcile your Christian faith with the way you run your business? Have you always been taught to keep faith and business separate? Are you trying to determine God’s purpose for your life?

If you can say yes to any of these questions, then this series is for you!

This post is the first of five posts in a series that will show you why you should run your business according to your Christian faith.

Anytime we want to determine the heart of God, the first place to start is with His Word.  If He has already said it, then we are in no position to question it.

The Great Commission
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, He appeared to the disciples.  Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave them their marching orders through what is called the Great Commission below.  I believe these are our marching orders as well.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.  And I will be with you always, even to the end of the earth. – Matthew 28:19-20

We are all, as Christians, commanded to go to the nations and make disciples.  This is not a suggestion or a request.  It is a command.  This does not mean that we are all to sell our possessions and move overseas to be missionaries.  There are plenty of opportunities to make disciples right here where we are.  We just have to look around.

Barna Research
According to a recent survey by George Barna and his research group, almost 40% of American adults are classified as “unchurched,” meaning they have not attended a conventional church more than once in the past year.  Even worse, only 15% of adults surveyed considered their faith in God as their top priority in life!  It appears the field is ripe for making disciples right where we are!

For typical business leaders, most of our time is allocated to our work.  We carve out some for family and leave a little left over for church on Sunday.  While some business leaders may buck this trend, they are in the minority.  That being the case, does it not make sense to fulfill the Great Commission exactly where we spend most of our time – in our business?

What better way for us as business leaders to reach those people (customers and employees) than through our business?  If we exercise and example our love for God through the way we run our business, maybe we can connect with them in a way (and in an environment) they have not found in a church.

Have you considered your responsibility to make disciples?

Do you see opportunity in your business to impact others in this way?

What are your obstacles to doing this?