A constant discussion amongst Christians in business is when and how to inject our faith into our business. To me, faith is not a tactic, it is a foundation.
That we struggle with the concept of faith as a foundation to our business in this world is not surprising. The church has the opposite problem. Are we negating our faith if we use business and leadership principles in running the church?
Why Christians Believe Faith and Business Are Mutually Exclusive?
I have asked many people why they feel they can’t be both a strong Christian and a strong business person or leader. I received a variety of answers:
* Being a Christian means being nice. You can’t survive in business being too nice.
* It is against the law to show your faith in business.
* If I don’t fit in with my customers, they won’t buy from me.
* God doesn’t care about my business. I have to do that part on my own.
* Christians aren’t supposed to care about profits but I have mouths to feed.
All of these responses were heartfelt. The Christian businessmen and women making these claims were truly frustrated that they couldn’t effectively integrate their faith and their business.
The Bible Provides Clarity About Faith and Business
In studying the Bible in the areas of leadership, decision-making, accountability, teaching and many other topics, I found strength and clarity about Christian leadership and it’s application to business. If we are to follow Jesus, what I found in the Bible is that it is more important to:
* Follow God’s will regardless of whether it is popular or not.
* Hold people accountable to God’s ways which includes submitting to authority, doing everything in a way that glorifies God, being honest, watching our tongue, serving others, and much more.
* To seek wisdom and make wise decisions.
* To handle conflict head-on and directly with the person the conflict is with.
* To lead strongly and boldly.
Faith and Business Should Be Fully Integrated
All of my Scripture research reinforced that a Christian business person was a person of integrity, justice, wisdom, character, strength, consistency and love. In looking back at the two settings described at the beginning of this post, I am relieved to see such clarity in the Bible as to our roles. Here is what I have learned:
1. If we are following God, we are following Him in every aspect of our life. He cares about it all, even our business.
2. If we are truly acting in love, when we have to make the tough decisions or face conflict head-on, that love will many times bridge the gap where hurt, defensiveness, or denial may set in.
3. If we know something is God’s will (and He gives us a lot of direction for that in the bible) we should have even more confidence to step up and lead, rather than back down and wait.
4. Jesus led by example handling issues and communicating calmly (in most cases) yet directly.
It is not always clear exactly what God would have us do, but if we make it a way of life to always seek Him, study His word, and live a life that strives to emulate Christ, I believe strongly that we will have the answers we need and that we will see God’s divine guidance in all aspects of our life, which includes our business. I have seen it directly in mine!
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31
