Business in the Purposes of God

A few months ago, I was asked by some faculty at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary to write a chapter in their book, Your Call to Work and Mission, it was a real honor and was privileged to do so. The following is an excerpt from my chapter, Business in the Purposes of God.

​Jennifer, our Family Care Pastor, walks into my office to show me a message that “Aunt Jenny” from Aunt Jenny’s Cupcakes had called our church to ask about renting our kitchen to start her business.

“What?” I react in amusement.
  
Jennifer responds, “Well, everyone loves cupcakes".

“Whatever,” I reply, shaking my head and chuckling, “But don’t give Aunt Jenny an appointment unless she has a business plan.”
           
As Jennifer walks out of my office, she turns and says, “Well, you like business and putting deals together. Let’s see what this is all about."
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It’s true that I like business. Though I’ve been a lead pastor for ten years, a Gordon-Conwell  graduate, and also studied economic development at Rutgers, worked as a management consultant, and encouraged the development of small businesses through public-private partnerships. 

Why do Christians engage in business? The most obvious reason is to provide for their families and themselves (1 Tim. 5.8). Also, in Genesis 1-2 God reveals himself as one who engages in creative work. Created in his image, we find satisfaction in doing the same. Business is a form of work which organizes people’s energies and abilities, resources, and finances to provide needed and desirable products and services more effectively than individuals could do on their own. Besides the need to care for our families and personal fulfillment, in this chapter I will show how business serves seven other important purposes of God. In the process you will meet some business people whom I have pastored, with whom I’ve had association, or who partnered with me in my public affairs consultancy. These business leaders will show us how their businesses serve God’s purposes.

Many business leaders don’t think about the connection of faith to their business. Though Christians believe God is at work in the world, many fail to see how this could be happening through their business. Being a Christian in business should produce both positive economic, practical, and spiritual results. Practically and economically, how we manage people, negotiate a deal, or sell a product or service affect the lives of others.