Is a Christian start-up right for me?

WWJD Entrepreneurial Edition

There may be many reasons behind why people start their own business, but people become entrepreneurs because of two driving forces: desire or fear. Most entrepreneurs start their own business because they desire something better. They may want more control, more money, more flexibility, or a better quality of life.

A few though, start a business out of fear. They may have lost their job for an extended period of time and see no other options, they may be afraid of how they will feel if someone else beats them to market with a similar idea, or even be fearful of being trapped in a dead-end job for the rest of their lives. Christians are not immune to these desires and fears, after all we are living in the same 21st century world, and are exposed to the same pulls and tugs of culture, the same difficult situations, and the constant consumer minded advertising driving us to want more than we have. That is why it is so important to seek the Lord’s will in these situations.

Image by fiveforefun via Flickr

We should never do something out of fear or greed, but out of love. When considering starting your own enterprise you must ask Him: “Lord is this what you want? Is this the outcome you would like for this situation, or are you trying to teach me something else?”.

For Christians there may be a different set of desires in starting up a business, and these desires should be driven by love. The Christian entrepreneur may want a workplace where they can feel free to be the person God desires them to be, including to express their Christian beliefs and to put God first in their lives and business (loving God). They may want to use a business model balanced more toward doing God’s work instead of focusing solely on profits (loving your customers), or to have a business that provides jobs and a functional, stable workplace for other Christians (loving your employees), or even to use their business as a mission to minister to people in areas that are hostile to Christians but welcome foreign business investment (loving the lost). Whatever our desires may be, the most important point here is to seek God’s will. He wants us to be a light to the world. "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light” Luke 8:16. Whether we shine our light at a job working for someone else, or in our own business doesn’t matter, just as long as we are where He wants us to be. In a previous post I talk about using a business as your ministry. In the post I talk about my own personal experience starting a Christian business based on a God-given mission, but one size does not fit all. God’s kingdom is full of endless variety, and there are many types of businesses that can be considered Christian. They can be tailored to the Christian marketplace, or not. They can state publicly that they are Christian, or they can keep these motives in the back office leaving customers to think to themselves “there’s something different about this company”. Different people have different preferences, and I hate to repeat myself but, foremost in this is going to be what the Lord desires to accomplish through your business. Whatever the format, or target market, a Christian business should be a light shining in the darkness; to the community, its customers, and employees. It should be run in a Christian way, based on biblical principles. In 1Timothy 6:9, Paul gives us a warning “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” So we should not be motivated by the love of money, but for the desire to be a faithful servant though our business. Many Christians run their own business but are not following biblical principles. They say things like: “business is business”, “business is war”, “all is fair in love and business”, and a myriad of other sayings aimed at separating their business lives from their spiritual lives, and making themselves feel better about the sins they are committing for the love of money. The Bible says: “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” James 3:10-12. So, as Christian businesspeople, we must strive to not be contradictory, but to do everything with one purpose in mind.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” Colossians 3:23-24.

Starting up and operating a Christian business is not the easiest thing to do, not only must you be profitable so that you can continue serving the needs of your customers, and providing a stable job for your employees, but you must put God first in everything you do.

There are constant tests, challenges, and temptations in this, especially when our competitors are not abiding by the same standards, but the reward is the great satisfaction in allowing God to work through your business and seeing the good that comes out of it. There is much peace in knowing that you are operating in God’s will. “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:30. If you think that you can walk along this narrow path then a Christian start up may be right for you.

March 1, 2009