Growing New Entrepreneurs for God’s Kingdom

I’ll offer several ideas here on what a local church ministry could do to be intentional about growing new stewards who own for-profit businesses. Being a Christian business owner is a much a calling as being a missionary to a foreign land.

The macro point is not about the money. It is about God’s call on their lives to serve him in the marketplace. All ministry is indeed funded ultimately through profitable business. But my focus here is on the call of a steward and her response to the Lord. We should care much less if those stewards run businesses grossing $50K/year or $500M/year. What is important is their faithfulness to God.

First, you will need the support of your pastors and elders. Most ministries in local churches need this support. They will become your first group of stakeholders.

Second, spell out the purpose and audience for this ministry. Simple is best. Do not create a long mission statement. Those are usually worthless and unfocused. Be brief, to the point, and highly focused.

For example:

• The purpose of this ministry is to grow business owners into mature stewards for Jesus Christ.
• This ministry will focus on for-profit businesses.

Third, devising a plan of action that outlines the milestones and measurements will be helpful to gaining their support. To this end, I will suggest you do a learn, do, deliver, resource matrix that will give everyone a path to follow and evaluate progress as the ministry is developed.

Map out what you would need to learn in the first ninety days, which activities you would engage in, and what you’ll deliver (your measurements for success). Transparency with your elder board is essential to success. Also estimate the resources you’ll need, from meeting rooms to marketing help to funding. Write them all down as best you can.

Then estimate this again for the time between ninety and 180 days (first three to six months), then estimate again for the time period between 180 days and 360 days (months seven through twelve), and so forth.

At the end of each period, adjust your forecast, keeping the original forecast notes in place, and discuss changes with your stakeholders. Again, transparency is your friend.

The column definitions mean:

• Learn. What will you need to learn in that time? It could be as simple as “who else will form the governing body for this ministry?” to “who are the possible speakers?” to “how do we funnel money from donations into this ministry?” You will have all sorts of things that you will need to learn—jot them down for each period.

• Do. What will you be doing? Don’t put down a detailed task list, and don’t write a detailed process, but do write down the major tasks that will need to be accomplished.
• Deliver. These are your measurements for accountability. Write down where you think the ministry should be in terms of measurable metrics. For example: for 360 days, one of your deliverables could be “ministry is fully funded by its members verified by a ministry budget and positive cash flow.”
• Resources. Write down the resources you’ll need at each stage of the ministry development. Frankly, a ministry like this should be self-funded, given who will be involved. If business owners cannot or will not step up to support this kind of ministry, then it seems to me that you have larger problems than funding a stewardship ministry.

Fourth, find two to five like-minded business owners and/or leaders who are mature in the Lord and who would like to be involved in a ministry that grows new stewards in the marketplace. This group will need to be the first group to go through the educational process of becoming mature stewards. And they will be your first group of mentors who will be mentoring the others in your ministry. If you want to talk through how to do this, just contact me at bill@bibleandbusiness.com. I’ll be happy to work with you.

Fifth, you’ll need teaching materials. You can use this book or other materials you can obtain at bibleandbusiness.com. There are also materials from other ministries, such as C12, that are available—just look around. But have a set of materials that supports your efforts at growing new stewards.

Sixth, your ministry will need a “conflicts of interest” document to which all parties sign and adhere. If some members form a business, there are real opportunities for the entire ministry to be negatively effected. I’m thinking about the ways Satan can create divisions in the ministry. There are some real dangers. What happens if:

• A business deal between two members goes sideways?
• A social “clique” develops as a business deal starts to earn more than a nominal amount money?
• Other members who would have invested in a business deal and were not given the chance to do so feel as if they are “on the outside” and not really a “full member” of the ministry?
• Several members start a new business and then one of them feels another member is being unethical. How does this affect the ministry, and how will your ministry respond?
• One member contracts with another member for services—services that are delivered in a quality way—and then payment for those services isn’t made on time. How will this affect your ministry? What if the services were performed poorly?

The reality is that “outside” relationships of your members will affect your ministry. Dual roles rarely work out in any profession, especially when ministry and business are combined. This is why some professions, such as psychologists, have strict rules around dual relationships. Hence, consider starting your ministry by prohibiting dual relationships and business deals between members.

It’s an obvious point, but when business owners get together, they attract consultants, financial planners, accountants, lawyers, IT professionals, insurance agents—anyone who has services to sell them. Their association will attract other professionals like bees to honey. This attraction should be fully discussed within your ministry leadership. Remember, the ministry’s purpose is to grow mature stewards in the marketplace, not create a networking venue inside your church for those in business.

With appropriate relationship controls and good teaching, the fellowship in the ministry will grow and you’ll see the effects of growing entrepreneurs for Christ. God will also guide you and show you what elements should or should not be included in your ministry plan and conflicts of interest rules.

If you start such a ministry, please let me know how you get along. bill@bibleandbusiness.com.

Bill English, Publisher
Bible and Business