BUSINESS EMPOWERMENT CIRCLE (BEC) 2023
DOING BUSINESS GOD’S WAY
Biblical Principles for the Marketplace
This module focuses on biblical principles for the marketplace and is a practical look at how Christian businesses should be managed, according to the Creator of all management rules: God. In the short run, you can violate these rules and continue to operate, but in the long run, profits will suffer as morale declines.
Decisions like business ethics, hiring, firing, paying, and promotions will all be discussed from the perspective of what God’s Word says. This isn’t a discussion series for the timid, Sunday-only Christians. God makes it clear that He wants Christians who are willing to follow the straight path, not those seeking the path of least resistance. If you’re willing to follow God’s Word, it lays out the straight and narrow.
Consider the following true account:
Early one morning, Will, the owner of a large manufacturing company, was greeted at his office door by his plant manager, John. Without comment, John was submitting his resignation, effective the following Friday. Will was devastated; for the past five years he had been grooming John to become the president of the company.
When he questioned John about his reasons for leaving, John refused to discuss it. Will could not even begin to understand why John was leaving. He was paid more than anyone else in the company, including Will. But it was obvious that nothing was going to change John’s mind. He had made the decision to leave.
Will asked John to stay long enough to hire and train a new plant manager, but he flatly refused and reacted angrily when Will asked. Since John had been such a good friend, Will held a company going-away party and gave John a substantial severance bonus.
Three months later, John’s reasons for leaving became apparent when he opened his own company and copied Will’s best-selling product. In time, John’s company grew, and it became one of Will’s leading competitors.
Nine years later Will heard that there was a design problem with one of John’s new products and that several lawsuits were being filed against John’s company. Will had forgiven John years before and regularly prayed for him.
He felt strongly that the Lord wanted him to reach out to John, so he bought one of John’s products, tested it, and discovered what the problem was. Will then put his engineers to work to correct the problem. After he made the necessary modifications and tested it, he called John and told him how to solve his problem.
Radical Christianity! That’s what some would say. Stupidity! That’s what others would say.
Only time will tell how John will respond to this act of unconditional Christ-like love. The results are not Will’s responsibility. His responsibility, like ours, is to do what the Lord tells him to do. Remember, God gave His Son to be crucified by the very people He had helped.
We are instructed, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). The purpose of this module is to help you, the business owner, to trust in the Lord in your business life.
Module Discussion Topics:
1. Basic Business Minimums
2. Business Bondage
3. Personal Lifestyle Goals
4. Biblical Business Goals
5. Critical Policy Decisions: Managing People
6. Borrowing & Lending Decisions
7. Partnerships
8. Exits: Retirement and Selling Out
9. Implementing God’s Plans
This module is designed for business owners who are serious about surrendering their lives and business to God and truly allowing Jesus to be the CEO of their business. The decisions that you take on a daily basis should be focused on the process (which is judged according to Kingdom standards) and not the outcome. You need to be able to entrust the results to God, whatever the outcome eventually is. Whilst this series is designed to empower business owners, to make the right decisions according to biblical principles, other marketplace believers will also benefit from learning Kingdom principles which may also be applicable to their workplace.
How to get the most out of this BEC series?
It is important that you prepare for each session by spending 20-30mins to read through each set of discussion note. Reflect on the biblical principles discussed and for each case study highlighted ask yourself ‘what would I have done if I were in a similar position?’ Be prepared to share your thoughts on this with your respective groups.
Remember – The case studies are very important. How much you get out of the sessions in the following months depends very much on what you put in in terms of your own preparation and participation.
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