Entrepreneurship Same Calling as Minister

“Wherever true Christianity spreads, it must cause diligence and frugality, which, in the natural course of things, must beget riches! And riches naturally beget pride, love of the world, and every temper that is destructive of Christianity. Now, if there be no way to prevent this, Christianity is inconsistent with itself and, of consequence, cannot stand, cannot continue long among any people; since, wherever it generally prevails, it saps its own foundation”

—John Wesley, 1789 (Hamilton.)

It certainly is true that many Christians, such as John Wesley, believe that being an entrepreneur and the accumulation of wealth is sinful. However, the truth is that being an entrepreneur can be a selfless calling, in the same vein as a calling to become a minister. Along this line of reasoning, maximizing shareholder value should not be the number one objective of the firm, which is contrary to what students are taught in business school. The more important objectives for a Christian entrepreneur should be that of stewardship, service, principles, and economic sustainability, which are the real underpinnings of the firm.

Christians believe that God is active in the process of beckoning people to the work of ministry, guiding and shaping people in their choices to become ministers or priests. While it is true that people choose the ministry, it is also true that they are chosen for the ministry by God. In other words, God calls people to the ministry (Explore Ministry, Recognizing a Calling.) It appears that most people fail to associate Christian entrepreneurs and their firms as ministries. Purpose, stewardship, service, principles, economic sustainability, and philanthropy are over-lapping values carried by individuals called for Christian ministry and Christian entrepreneurship.

Christian entrepreneurs strive for a higher purpose other than maximizing their firms shareholder value by aiming to make their work count for more than a successful business venture. Some companies’ top management are open about their faith—take developer Lippo Group's proclamation of “Thanks be to God” as an example, when 100 percent of the units of its Newton One development was sold (Living Out Their Values.)

When Omar Malik started his software company, he wasn’t thinking about social responsibility—let alone changing society. He wanted to make a bundle in Pakistan’s exploding service sector, he readily admits. But now, eight years later, he’s seen what a difference his company makes in the lives of his 35 employees, most of them educated at local universities. For Mr. Malik, a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, business has an underlying social mission (Montero, 6.) Providing jobs is an important result of successful enterprises.

Gifts and aptitudes bestowed upon individuals by God can lead to a calling in life, once the individual realizes their abilities, and their responsibility for proper stewardship of God’s gifts to them. As is true with any job, ministry requires certain skills and abilities, and one sign of a call to ministry is that one possesses the gifts and aptitudes for doing the work of ministry. Again, no one formula works for everyone, but most ministers, for example, enjoy working with people, have compassion for human suffering, cultivate the life of the mind, and have good communication skills (Explore Ministry, Recognizing a Calling.) The same holds true to entrepreneurs who must possess certain skills and abilities, all of which are gifts from God.

Over the past 10 years, Senen Bacani, Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines in 2006, as well as founder and president of La Frutera, has demonstrated how a successful business model can be created in a conflict-ridden area. The existence and success of La Frutera, Inc. are proof that landscapes can change and paradigms can shift. In a place where hope for peace and progress used to be just a dream, the La Frutera experience is up for replication. Mr. Bacani believes that providing jobs, especially in rural areas, is the direct and sustainable way of alleviating poverty. “Once people are employed, they stop rebelling and making trouble,” he shares (The Entrepreneur As Peacemaker.) “It’s important that everyone benefits. That’s your best security,” Mr. Bacani says. Service to all people and communities is mutually beneficial but when an entrepreneur is self-serving, no one wins in the long run.

When one’s decisions are guided by higher principles, good things happen. What you sow is what you will reap, as mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastes— which is why a company’s aim is to connect and �sow’ into the young, spending time helping and reaching out to build good, purposeful youths. “Because