In this week’s episode, we’re talking to Henry’s long-time friend Peter Greer, President and CEO of Hope International, a leading provider of microfinancing for underserved communities around the globe. Peter helps us understand the multi-faceted aspects of poverty, that it’s about more than simply the lack of resources. He shares details around Hope International’s commitment to eradicate spiritual poverty, not just financial poverty as the two are inextricably linked. He gives frameworks for addressing all aspects of poverty and shares a bit on what seems to be a “secret weapon” for ensuring kingdom-impact: the power of partnership and collaboration. 

 We hope this week’s episode gives you new insight on how your organization can begin to address poverty in its many forms for kingdom impact. While your organization may not be a microfinance operation, every kingdom endeavor should seek to eradicate the works of the enemy and poverty is one of his chief tools. We’d love to hear how this week’s podcast has impacted your thinking on what’s available to you for the elimination of poverty in your sphere of influence. Drop us a line in the comment section below.

A few useful links to resources mentioned in this episode:

Video with Bishop Hannington

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

Resources by Peter Greer:

Rooting for Rivals Podcast

Rooting for Rivals Book

40 for 40

Mission Drift

Today, we’re going right to Scripture.

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV)

Enough said. Convicting. Encouraging. Gratitude Invoking.

I will note though that Deuteronomy 8 follows (of course) Deuteronomy 7, maybe my favorite chapter in all of the Old Testament… think “Rudy” “Win One for the Gipper” and all of the great underdog and motivational speech stories all rolled in to one.

We aren’t “Self Made”…..let’s go out today and work with gratitude in service of our Maker.

— HK

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[Special thanks to Ben White on Unsplash for the cover photo.]

We continue to count down the Top 100 Books for Faith Driven Entrepreneurs with …

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World

by General Stanley McChrystal

In this book, McChrystal shows not only how the military made that transition, but also how similar shifts are possible in all organizations, from large companies to startups to charities to governments. In a turbulent world, the best organizations think and act like a team of teams, embracing small groups that combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share what they’ve learned.

Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career, the private sector, and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASA’s space program, McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing today’s organizations, and presents a compelling, effective solution.

Click on the book cover to check out the Reviews and Purchase at Amazon

Please enjoy this article shared with us by our friends at Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization (ELO) Network which provides excellent opportunities to get connected with Christian marketplace and entrepreneurial leaders in cities around the world like, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg, Hong Kong or Singapore. And do check out their upcoming events on our Industry Events page!

[This is the second part of two blog posts. Part I was posted last Friday.]

— by ELO Network

A second example is John C. Maxwell, the bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 26 million books in fifty languages. In 2014, he was identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association® and the most influential leadership expert in the world by Business Insider and Inc. magazines. John Maxwell started off as a full-time pastor in a small church in Ohio. He had the vision, however, to bring his Christian worldview and leadership principles to a bigger audience. As he told me, he still enjoys preaching occasionally at his home church in Florida.  He has deployed entrepreneurial thinking to have influence far beyond his pastoral roots. He is the founder of The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP, and the John Maxwell Leadership Foundation. He has trained more than 6 million leaders. In 2015, he reached the milestone of having trained leaders from every country of the world. He has creatively pursued making a difference around the world.

A third example is Lord Robert Edmiston, a billionaire based in London, UK. He owns a number of companies in the property, motor and finance sectors with a combined turnover of approximately £500 million. He is using his entrepreneurial skills to have an impact in both Christian and non-Christian circles. Together with his wife Tracie in 1988 they founded CV, an international charity with offices in 22 countries working to support the Christian church in the areas of evangelism and discipleship in both the online and offline space. In the UK, Lord and Lady Edmiston have sponsored, and are Governors, of three schools, called Grace Academy with around 3,000 students aged between 11 and 18 years. Lord Edmiston has a keen interest in politics and in both business and social issues. Until 2010 he was the Chairman of the Midlands Industrial Council, a group of leading Midlands industrialists and businessmen who maintain a close dialogue with senior politicians of the day. On January 18, 2011 he was introduced into the House of Lords which he hopes will allow him to be a voice for good in the areas where he has a particular interest or skill. Lord Edmiston has explored various creative ways to extend his Christian influence.  

A fourth example is Bobby Gruenewald, founder, YouVersion Bible App, one of the leading voices in the US on innovation and the use of technology to reach people for Christ. His entrepreneurial endeavors began while he was studying Finance at Southern Nazarene University as he worked with several alumni to launch a web hosting company. He then started and sold two technology companies and consulted with startups and venture capital funds. Bobby has been leading LifeChurch.tv in shaping a missional approach to technology, seen in initiatives like Church Online, as well as the Bible App and the Bible App for Kids from YouVersion.  Just six years after its launch, the YouVersion Bible App has been downloaded and used on over 200 million devices on nearly every Smartphone and tablet in every single country on the earth. Interestingly, the YouVersion Bible App grew out of a failed website venture. Bobby explained to me how the risk he took to start the YouVersion Bible App has been rewarded countless times over with the global impact it has had. It all started with heeding the called to innovate and take a risk.

To conclude, an effective Christian leader can be most impactful by being entrepreneurial. These types of leaders—like Mark Burnett, John Maxwell, Lord Robert Edmiston and Bobby Gruenewald—have had an exponential impact through the fusion of entrepreneurial skill and leadership influence. What’s the take-away? Ask yourself how you can be more entrepreneurial in your present context. Ponder whether you can be more creative and take some careful risks to achieve greater impact. In short, whether in church or in business, how can you enlarge your territory?

…

Click here to read How To Be An Entrepreneurial Leader (Part I)

[Special thanks to Ethan Weil on Unsplash for the cover photo]

This blog post is shared with us by Missy Wallace whose church, Christ Presbyterian Church, often leads vocational prayers for its members and wider community in Nashville. However, the words of this prayer ring true for entrepreneurs everywhere.We are grateful to them for sharing it with FDE, and we hope it is encouraging to you as it was to us.

A Vocational Prayer for Entrepreneurs

Dear Lord,

As we come to you to honor vocations as a way our people serve you in the world, we are thankful for those who feel a calling to start new things – new businesses, new products, and new initiatives.  

Entrepreneurs are like artists  – and perhaps more than any other vocation have the opportunity to model what God did in Genesis, create something out of nothing, bring structure out of chaos, and hope to call it good. Lord, it is a great honor to create things and that creative gift comes from you.  We thank you for those with the wiring, the risk tolerance, and the willingness to create. We ask for your help with the incredible stress and isolation that can come from this calling as they dream about products and processes, adjust plans, seek funding, serve customers, create cultures, and find ways to sustainability.

Lord,  we know that like all, entrepreneurs are broken and they also work in broken systems.  We ask for forgiveness for the the particular areas of brokenness that can plague entrepreneurism –  such as confusing aspiration and reality, over-work, greed, excessive anxiety, and treating people transactionally.  Please protect these workers from these pitfalls and forgive them when they make their work their idol.

Lord – entrepreneurs have the incredible opportunity to bring redemption to the world in the way they love people, places and systems to life.  Whether it is the way they care for suppliers, customers, and place, choose policies that honor the integrity of employees, and find ways to seek a redemptive edge in all processes, we ask for your Spirit to infuse the process.  We ask that each entrepreneur see their undertaking as a way to love and worship you as they create.

Lord, we thank you for each and every entrepreneur in our city – because the best way to change culture is to create new culture.  And these people are creators. We ask you to use them as part of your story for [insert city] Nashville beyond. We ask that they know that you are their ultimate savior, not what they create. 

In your son’s name, Amen.

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[Special thanks to Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash for the cover photo]

In Part Two with David Morken, the team discusses more thoroughly about what it means to be mission ready both individually and corporately. David talks about the importance of obedience to God and avoiding the pitfalls of both willfulness and passivity and Henry leads the discussion into practical applications of how their company’s HR policies intentionally reflected kingdom values as they target the whole person for impact. This commitment led them to institute chaplaincy roles as a force multiplier to help them steward the whole person policies they wanted to instill. David shares further on a few other ways the company has and continues to innovate in the area of ensuring the whole team is mission ready.

 If you’re committed to growing healthy, impactful organizations that walk out the values of the kingdom, then this is the episode for you. If you are innovating in the areas of employee well being and engagement and are seeing the results directly impact your organization’s reach and bottom line, by all means share those wins with us at faithdrivenentrepreneur.org. Until next week!

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash