— by David Park

In Counterfeit Gods, Tim Keller writes that an idol is “anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, and anything that you seek to give you what only God can give.” Few Christ followers set out to make something an idol, to find security and significance in something other than God. Yet we know, as Calvin said, that our hearts are idol making factories. For me, I had made idols of good things – a beautiful family, thriving friendships, and a growing company. But even good things make terrible gods. There was tremendous stress and pressure both at work and in my relationships with my extended family. Most days I could convince myself that everything was fine, but it never was. Despite everything I knew about where I should find my sense of identity and worth, I had found too much of it in something other than my relationship with God.

The reality of this finally became clear in early 2017. While putting our three boys to bed, they started complaining about something they hadn’t been able to do that day, seemingly forgetting about all the good things that had occurred. Our children, it seemed to me, were not just ungrateful for what they had received that day, but they were unaware of the privilege they lived in generally. Something in me snapped, and I got angry – a desperate, uncontrolled anger meant to scare my children into seeing the error of their ways. I will make sure they remember this. I yelled and screamed until they were huddled in the corner of the room, crying, with terror in their eyes.

Later that evening, I was stunned and heartbroken. I remembered being their age, trying to make sense of the anger in my household. My entire life, I had sworn I would never react the way I had that evening. I didn’t even know what had led me to be so afraid and angry that day, but I knew it wasn’t going to be a one-time event. The fear and anger had been there under the surface—it just came out at that moment of weakness.

Looking back, I could see the many signs God had placed in my path to try and wake me up. But it took a heartbreaking moment with my children for God to get my attention. He had been knocking on the door of my heart for years, and I had ignored Him with what I thought were reasonable excuses:

Nothing is wrong—look at how great everything is going!

I can’t deal with that issue . . . it would rock the boat too much.

What would people think if they knew I had this problem?

For the last three years, I have been on a journey of trying to understand how I got to that breaking point. It seemed like I had been doing and learning all the right things. But there was a disconnect between my head and my heart. Despite what I professed to believe, I had put tremendous value in the performance of my business and family over my relationships with God and others. There were things I believed deep in my heart that I needed to better understand. Hidden beneath the veneer of my shiny, put-together life was a fragile identity in Christ. 

God, in His grace, put me on a new path. I am still early on the journey, but I have discovered a freedom and security in abiding with Christ that I have never known before. After reflecting on the last three years, the following is a list of four areas that I have found to be critical in my journey of drawing closer to Christ. 

Part I – Practice spiritual disciplines (and learn new ones)

“You got to take theological truths, gospel truths and you got to pray them, sing them, counsel them, worship them, you have to meditate on them, you have to get them in your heart until they catch fire down there.” – Tim Keller

Formation through spiritual disciplines – these are the group of practices that are designed to teach Biblical truth, remind us of it, and have that truth penetrate into the deep parts of our minds and hearts. We need a steady diet of these practices. Until three years ago, however, the focus of my walk with God was almost exclusively on how well I was able to practice the spiritual disciplines I was aware of at the time. They became another way to measure my performance, and I was not connecting with God in my heart. In recent years, growth has come more from learning how to be with God and not perform for God. This has often been through the practice of silence and other disciplines that I was not familiar with from my church tradition. Still, I came to realize that there were other areas of the journey that needed attention as well.

Part II – Embrace limits

“Often we have larger fantasies and wishes for ourselves than our real lives can support. As a result, we work frantically trying to do more than God intended. We burn out thinking we can do more than we can.” – Pete Scazzero

Though Jesus himself rested and structured his ministry around time with the Father, it was often easier for me to do everything but rest or take a sabbath. This refusal to rest was indicative of other limits I didn’t want to accept, like the limits of my abilities, family, marriage, and spiritual understanding.

What’s so difficult, and necessary, about rest and slowing down is that when we rest, we become very aware of our limitations. Rest exposes our inability to fix or manage what’s inside, and we experience the discomfort that comes with not being able to resolve everything with our own power. This can make us feel vulnerable, but it also deepens our dependence on God. More than just accepting limits, embracing limits is a cornerstone of a healthy identity in Christ. He is God – we are not. Spiritual maturity requires that we recognize and embrace limits.

Part III – Let yourself be known

“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.” – Brene Brown

It is very difficult for me to ask for help, or to even acknowledge I need it. I would much rather bear with burdens on my own than share them with others. But I have found that a powerful and necessary way to strengthen my identity in Christ is to let myself be known to a number of trusted friends and advisors. I need a real support system, and that cannot be just one individual, even if that person is my wife. 

For many leaders, even those who are surrounded by people, there is too often an inner loneliness that comes with never truly being known by others. It is in this inner isolation that shame and insecurity can allow sin and deception to take root more quickly. No matter how confident or self-sufficient a person would like to be, there is always a need to address the reality of the brokenness within ourselves, our families, and our organizations. It is important to not go through that journey alone.

Part IV – Face your story

“As long as you keep secrets and suppress information, you are fundamentally at war with yourself…The critical issue is allowing yourself to know what you know. That takes an enormous amount of courage.” – Bessel A. van der Kolk

Now comes perhaps the hardest part. Much of what I thought was formative to me as an adult was only part of the story. In fact, my story began before I was born, with the patterns of thoughts and behavior that I inherited from my family of origin. No family is perfect, and that is ok. Our family origins are not our destiny, but ignoring them is fighting the good fight with one hand tied behind our backs. 

It is the same with the hardest parts of our childhoods and life stories. Andy Maurer says that trauma results in disconnection in four primary relationships: with ourselves (as we hide parts of who we are), with others, with God, and with our work (as we turn to work to find our meaning and purpose). These traumas do not need to define us, but they have shaped us in ways that need to be acknowledged and healed. Very often, the beliefs and behaviors we adopted to survive difficult experiences are the very beliefs and behaviors that are keeping us from truly growing in the security and significance that rests on the finished work of Jesus.

By working through family of origin patterns, practicing forgiveness, and healing from trauma, the soil in my heart became far more receptive to the truth that I was a beloved child of God. In conjunction with the other parts mentioned above, what had been mostly head knowledge became a reality much deeper in my heart. This deeper, more secure understanding of my identity has transformed my life, work, and relationships. 

If there is one thing I hope you remember from reading this post, it’s this: keeping your identity in Christ when the going gets tough is not primarily an intellectual endeavor nor a matter of willpower. The lengthy and growing list of leaders who have every intellectual understanding of right and wrong, and still choose the destructive path, will hopefully convince you of this truth.

So where to begin? I encourage you to take the first step of leaving your comfort zone and exploring any one of the parts above that is unfamiliar to you. This first step will naturally lead you to another. If one part of the journey is frustrating to you, take a break, try something else, and come back to the part that was hard. God will meet you on your way and provide everything you need to continue – His power is truly made perfect in our weakness. 

The journey will be difficult at times, and uncomfortable, but well worth the effort. This is the path to increasing freedom from besetting sins, toxic relationships, and deep insecurities. A stronger, more secure identity in Christ will not just benefit you in seasons of trial – it will change the trajectory of your life, your family, and your organization. 

—

Resources for the journey:

If you would like a fresh, thoughtful take on ancient spiritual disciplines reimagined for the marketplace leader, I would recommend Spiritual Disciplines for Your Work from the Denver Institute of Faith and Work: https://denverinstitute.org/spiritual-disciplines-for-your-work/. 

For a synthesis of a lifetime of exploring the connection between emotional health, spiritual maturity, and leadership, I recommend Pete Scazzero’s books and materials. Read the first chapter of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality and go from there.

To break through hardened soil in your heart, consider a retreat or intensive experience. Getting out of your daily routine and spending one or more days with other people who are going on this journey can move the needle in ways that an hour a week simply cannot. I recommend We Want More, Ransomed Heart, Onsite, and others like them.

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[ Photo by Arwan Sutanto on Unsplash ]

Where Will The Next Generation of Christian Leaders Come From – In Ministry and In The Marketplace

— by Greg Barnes

We are in an increasingly challenging culture, where great leaders are hard to find. McKinsey & Company coined the phrase “war for talent” in 1997. Now, more than 20 years later we know that talent chooses you as much as you choose talent. And if you’re searching for great leaders of Christian faith who have executive-level talent, your pool gets even smaller. As Baby Boomers retire and a new wave of leadership is needed, where will we find the next generation of leadership for our ministries, churches, and faith-aligned businesses? 

Christian leaders are urgently needed for faith-motivated leadership in the marketplace and in nonprofit ministry positions. There are nonprofits and Christian-led organizations seeking executive talent every day. But there is a disconnect. 

The other side of the coin is this: Executive leaders often speak a different language while trying to find roles that align with both their talents and passions, while Kingdom-impact companies struggle to find people of faith to serve in their top leadership roles.

Barriers to Permeability

During my career in executive search, and now focusing on faith-based ministries and faith-motivated companies, I have gotten to know countless individuals in a deeply personal way as they approached mid-life and/or career re-assessment. There is a pervading desire for more meaningful and eternally significant work. Many feel the calling to transition from a significant season in the marketplace to a new season in the nonprofit world, but they often don’t know how. The permeability of marketplace and ministry is still very complicated. It is difficult to move from one to the other and back again.

As if looking through a window to what’s outside, executives have dimly lit insight into what’s outside the corporate world. However, there are barriers that keep them from easily passing beyond. The most obvious barrier is typically having to compromise on income, which can be a hit to their family life. Beyond that, there can also be a fear that their talents and skills will not be adequately utilized outside of the marketplace. Also underlying a move from marketplace to ministry is the question, “Would I be able to move back into the for-profit world afterward?” 

On the other hand, ministry organizations are struggling to find high-quality talent willing to move into the nonprofit realm. They are searching for executives who can lead and run businesses, but they do not know where to reach for that kind of talent. For faith-based organizations, an added barrier is finding leaders who are aligned spiritually with their mission.

Yet, as many of us know well, ministry is not only found in the nonprofit sector. 

Another Side of the Same Coin

What about for-profit companies that have been founded or are run by Christian leaders? Many of these companies have built a culture and a mission that goes beyond the products and services they bring to the marketplace. The ethos of the organization has been heavily influenced by the faith and faith-in-action mindset of the leadership. What happens when these leaders retire or want to scale back and the organization needs a new wave of leadership? 

These leaders struggle tremendously to find executive-level talent (whether that is replacing founding leaders or adding to executive staff) that share the same alignment of values and beliefs. When you’ve built a successful for-profit company, infused with an ethos that is centered around servant-hearted leadership, Christian values, and kingdom impact, you want to preserve and enhance that culture. But how do you scrutinize for marketplace talent that shares those values without being accused of discrimination?

At the same time, there are seasoned leaders currently working in traditional marketplace roles who would love to join Business As Mission (BAM) leadership teams or lead a business founded by a faith-filled leader. Many believers employed in a corporate job would consider it an upgrade to do the same kind of work in a company that has a missional focus. How do they find such companies? In the marketplace, it is not as apparent from the outside which companies have such a focus – another barrier to permeability.

Creating a Pathway

When we founded FaithSearch Partners, our goal was to create a pathway between experienced business leaders and faith-based nonprofits that desperately need their talent but don’t know how to access it. We’ve built a network across both marketplace and ministry segments that makes more permeability possible.

Yet during our many years of working with nonprofits, we discovered something else: the same network that produces great marketplace leaders for the nonprofit ministry sector is also a reliable network that can produce faith-filled leaders for Business As Mission (BAM) companies in the for-profit sector. We recognized, however, that there may be a hesitancy – even in a company run by a Christian leader – to bring on a firm with such a faith-forward name as “FaithSearch”. Their boards might discourage the connection. Yet we knew we could solve a big need for these businesses with our network.

So, we decided to go out on a limb and try something new. We began a separate entity, FSP Leaders, a distinct brand run by our same team and network. At FSP Leaders, we serve for-profit businesses run by faith-aligned leaders. We help these businesses find executives that share their same faith-in-action values and leadership culture. 

FaithSearch Partners and FSP Leaders are serving two sides of the same coin. In both brands, we are helping faith-filled executives move through mid-career transitions in a way that is aligned with who they are and what brings them joy and purpose, and simultaneously helping organizations find top-tier talent aligned with their mission and culture.

Executive leaders are no longer sitting inside their context, unclear of how to reach a world beyond their barriers. We are acting as that screen that allows the breeze in. Our hope is that the permeability in marketplace and ministry for candidates (and organizations) will begin to increase and we’ll be able to make an impact in getting talented Christian leaders into positions that leverage their gifts and align with their callings.

Setting Up the Next Generation for Success

So, what has this looked like, practically speaking? One such organization that is working to continue Christian leadership in their next stage is Office Pride, a commercial maintenance services company with 135 franchises nationwide. FSP Leaders assisted in finding a faith-aligned CFO for this franchise company. Office Pride wants to ensure their core values and cultural DNA remain the same as they bring in new leadership. FSP Leaders was tasked with finding a marketplace leader of faith who can continue the legacy and vision the organization was founded upon. 

Morning Star Transformational Tours has found itself in a similar situation. Founded by two very strong leaders of faith, MSTT is a for-profit company that organizes tours and events for global nonprofit ministries, seminaries and churches. Having leadership grounded in a Christian perspective is vital as Morning Star’s founders transition. FSP Leaders is searching for new leadership for MSTT that matches the vision and faith of their founding principles and core Christian clientele. 

Both companies are looking toward their future. They have developed and thrived from their Christian-centered roots, and their leaders are taking proactive steps to prepare for their next phase of growth. Selecting executives who share their ethos equips the companies to continue on their legacy and sustain their ministries in the marketplace.

Ministry in the Workplace

Are you a marketplace leader looking to transition into a new role that uses your talents and passions to glorify God through your work but scared to take the plunge? 

Are you a Business As Mission (BAM) company struggling in your search for an executive who will continue the same faith-based DNA and culture of your organization? 

Or perhaps you’re a part of a Christian ministry or church desiring more marketplace expertise in your next leadership hire but feeling discouraged? 

Take heart. Know that the barriers between marketplace and ministry are being permeated, and God is using executives in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to advance His kingdom. 

No matter your path, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; Yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17). 

At FaithSearch Partners and FSP Leaders, we pray this over all who put their faith in the Lord— that He may guide us all to use our hands to do His great work.

This is one of the 2020 CEF Whitepapers. For more information on the Christian Economic Forum, please visit their website here.

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[ Photo by camila waz on Unsplash ]

— by Neal Anderson

Five years ago, I applied for a new job. I quickly rose to the top of the candidate pool and got that feeling– I’m going to land this job! After multiple interviews, each better than the last, I was told that it was just a matter of final details and one last interview. 

Finally, it was decision week. The phone rang. Words were exchanged. I don’t remember anything except for the feeling of my heart sinking in embarrassment. They went with someone else. I didn’t get the job. I walked home from work that day with a sense of failure I had never experienced.

I realized this was the first experience of significant rejection I had ever experienced. I used to be privately proud of my success in nearly everything. I got the jobs. I got promotions. It’s how it always happened. I was successful.

Well, it turns out there are two ways to look at a personal history of success and failure: the first, and my default perspective, is that past success is an indicator of achievement. I looked at my many successes and few failures and felt that I came out winning. But there’s a second way to look at my history of success and very few failures: as an indicator of how much risk and challenge I was taking (or not taking). 

If I ever thought I was Michael Phelps, it turns out I was just a guy who managed to swim in pools where I knew I could win. All quietly calculated success, small success.

Not getting that romanticized job was the best thing that ever happened to me. My perspective shifted, and risk became something to pursue, not manage. 

Fast forward to the summer of 2018. I had a growing burden/dream to start a business. With no MBA and no business experience, this dream felt more like wishful thinking than a possible reality. 

In December of 2019, I was having lunch with a new friend for the first time. It felt a little vulnerable, but I decided to take a small risk and share my dreams to start a business someday. New friend, Mark, had an MBA, after all. He could squarely look me in the eye and tell me I was crazy, putting my dream of a business launch out of its misery. 

He looked at me without skipping a beat and said, “I know exactly what your business should be.” Confused, I tilted my head. “What do you mean?” “You need to do this,” he said, as in exactly what we were doing over lunch. He described how in just a few interactions with me, he felt I was gifted at leadership coaching. 

Something clicked. That was it. I always dreamed of working in the leadership space but figured it was just for seasoned professionals, not 30-somethings. I never dreamed it might be a business. That moment, through the encouragement and affirmation of a friend, my dream took form. 

I officially launched CARTO Leadership in October of 2020. The risk still feels enormous. I’m leaning into the opportunities to grow, push my abilities, and see what opportunities arise. This whole thing is too new to have any success stories. No huge contracts, no scaling at warp speed, and the Today Show still hasn’t called to feature me. 

However, starting CARTO Leadership is the success. Thanks to the support of people who know me well, and a group I started called the First 50 (I convinced 50 friends to help me launch CARTO out of goodwill), I took the risk of failure and started a business to serve leaders. 

Without losing that job a couple of years back, I doubt if I would have had what it took to actually risk. Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps.” For far too long, my plans were small and self-serving. 

I wonder what you might accomplish or learn if you leaned into more risk, stepped out of your comfort zone, and pushed into territory where you fear failure. There’s one way to find out.

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[ Photo by Khachik Simonian on Unsplash ]

— by John Hawkins

Seething over her seat assignment, Sarah collapsed into center seat 20B.  No first-class upgrades, no aisle coach seats, and no approaching end to this exasperating day.  It would be after midnight before she would finally rest in a hotel room in Cleveland.

As the jet lumbered down the runway, she wondered about her life.  Her husband, Mike, and their teenagers, Matt and Amber, were the most precious parts of her life.  Were her career and salary really worth the time she spent away from them?  She always dreaded these monthly Chicago-Cleveland-Boston trips, but her boss had made it clear that they were non-negotiable.  Sarah also knew that her next promotion would involve even more travel.

Reaching for her laptop, she wondered how Mike’s day had gone.  Home Depot, Lowes and Wal-Mart constantly challenged the profitability of his small chain of garden supply stores.  The pressure seemed to be taking its toll.  In fact, Mike told her recently that he felt like part of him had been destroyed over the last year.  They both dreamed of taking a week or two vacation with just each other, but it didn’t look possible anytime soon.  Besides, how could they be gone that long from Matt and Amber?

Pushing through the clouds and the turbulence, the plane sailed onward.  Today was Matt’s quarterfinal soccer game.  Sarah was so proud of him, both on and off the soccer field.  His impish smile and quick rapport made him a “people magnet.”  He would only be at home two more years before leaving for college—possibly West Point.  Mike and Sarah both believed that significant parenting still needed to be done before Matt would be ready to transition out of their home.  And then there was Amber—precious, impressionable, over-achieving Amber.  Sarah was convinced that Amber desperately needed her to be home more.  In some ways, they were very much alike, but their interactions were often volatile.  Sarah sometimes wondered if she knew anything at all about raising a daughter.  She believed that parenting, preparing the next generation, was part of her “calling,” or highest aim in life.  How could she be so unprepared for the most important job she would ever have?

Sarah finished her pretzels and Diet Coke and absent-mindedly dusted off her hands.  She knew she should start entering her data into her computer, but she couldn’t shake her introspective mood.  Maybe she was eroding in the same way as Mike.  She was convinced that her influence in her family, church, and the community arts council was declining.  These three spheres of influence and her job were her only significant commitments.  In each area, she felt a sense of “calling,” as if contributions in these areas were part of her ultimate purpose in life.  They were all important, and she had to be successful in each!  “It’s all important and it all has to work,” she desperately whispered to herself.

As Sarah finally began keying in her sales data, she grimly compared her life to the spreadsheet.  Her life was made up of separate but interconnected little boxes or cells, too. She didn’t have enough resources to go around, and the data in the cells of life kept running together.

God is sovereign over all of life.  His call to Christian leaders is to live for Him in all of life.  Yet like Sarah, we often feel that our lives’ compartments are at war with each other.  Our commitments to marriage, family, career, community and church are all important and they all need to work.  Where do we begin in faithfully managing all our responsibilities?

A clear life vision that is God-centered and Biblically-based is essential.  Proverbs 29:18 states that where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.  In other words, without a vision, we spend our lives wandering around, often tyrannized by the urgent rather than consistently pursuing all the essential things to which God has called us.  The Leadership Edge Life Vision Statement is: By God’s grace, to step forward as God’s man/woman, in my spheres of influence, to serve His purposes, for His glory.  This vision statement is a clearly stated daily reminder of that to which God has called us.  It especially reminds us to live out daily faith and faithfulness in all of our spheres of influence – not just in the ones that are screaming the loudest or in the most profound crisis.  Finally, the vision statement reminds us that success is measured by was it done in faith and was it done for God’s glory?

With a clear God-centered, Biblically-based vision, we see that life compartments like public and private, career or family, and secular or spiritual are misguiding.  All life contexts are important, and all have to work.  God’s calling is for us to live a unified life with a consistent message in all of life.  This pushes us to prayerfully work toward faithfulness in all our spheres of influence through faithfully managing their competing demands.  Sarah’s need is the same as ours – living life as one reality and not living as victims, or willing accomplices, to the demands of one area over another.

For Sarah, and for us, growth in faithfulness to God and others in all of our spheres of influence requires three things:  1.) Honest and prayerful self-assessment, 2.) Counsel and feedback from trusted folks around us, and 3.) God’s wisdom, strength and grace to forge us into the leaders He has called us to be.  Like Sarah, all of our responsibilities are important, and we need to be faithful in all of them.  It is a great God-centered adventure to which we’re called.  May we pursue it, in faith, with everything we have.

 The original version of this article appeared in Leadership as a Lifestyle, John Hawkins, Executive Excellence Publishing.

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[ Photo by Some Tale on Unsplash ]

— by Reuben Coulter

What distinguishes a faith-driven entrepreneur from a secular entrepreneur? What types of enterprises create what impact?

We’ve identified these Marks of a Faith-Driven Entrepreneur which define our businesses. These are expressed differently depending on the type of company we run, industry we are in, or which part of the world we live. 

1. Called to Create – We believe God has created us to share in His entrepreneurial process.

2. Identity in Christ – We live lives that have been transformed by the Gospel, that have accepted the gift of salvation, and now seek to bring God glory as our highest purpose.

3. Steward versus Own – We understand that He has entrusted these resources to us to steward effectively according to His purposes rather than our own.

4. Don’t Worship Work – We don’t make work an idol that steals our affections from God and robs us of time for community, family, and fitness

5. Excellence Matters – We must follow the example of our Savior and seek excellence in every aspect of our daily job.

6. Faithful versus Willful – We seek to surrender our will to God’s will, rather than mistake our will for His will.

7. Ministry in Deed – We believe that God has placed us in the marketplace to be salt and light through our actions.

8. Ministry in Word – We believe in sharing our faith and being a winsome witness with gentleness and respect. 

All businesses have redemptive potential but different types of business can have varying spiritual, social, economic and environmental impact. We identify three fundamental archetypes of business and use animal metaphors to define them: Unicorns (high-growth ventures), Gazelles (Niche Ventures) and Oxen (Dynamic Enterprises). It is important to understand that each of these archetypes requires a different ecosystem to serve it—from expertise and capacity building to the type of investment they require to grow. 

Social and economic transformation occurs when households are economically empowered. Then, they can invest in housing, education, and healthcare, which in turn enables them to escape the poverty trap. Furthermore, provision of public goods and services becomes sustainable and no longer aid-dependent as individuals and communities pay, either directly or through income tax. Over time, tax-paying citizens are empowered to hold their governments to account and rule of law is upheld, a virtuous circle which enables nations to flourish. Spiritual transformation usually begins with the employees of the enterprise through integration of discipleship or chaplaincy. The culture of the organization can provide a witness to Kingdom values to employees and wider stakeholders. Products and services which have been developed through redemptive imagination may shape or influence culture.

Unicorns (High-growth ventures)

Unicorns are high-growth ventures which harness market-creating innovation. As their name suggests, these types of businesses are rare, comprising less than 10% of the entrepreneur ecosystem. They have the ability to scale and dominate their markets and are typically tech or asset-intensive product-based ventures. These high-risk, high-return businesses will play a significant role in long-term economic prosperity. As these enterprises scale, they create new markets and can engage and influence the culture and habits of millions of customers—they can become Redemptive Unicorns. 

Examples of this type of innovation include companies founded by faith-driven entrepreneurs like Microensure, Flutterwave, and Bridge International Academies. Microensure provides insurance to the poorest people in the world who are dramatically impacted by natural disasters. Previously, no-one thought poor people were a viable market, but to-date it has registered more than fifty-six million people worldwide. Flutterwave was founded by Nigerian entrepreneur Iyinoluwa Aboyeji who wanted to build a payments infrastructure to connect Africa to the global economy. In 2019, Flutterwave processed 107 million transactions worth $5.4 billion. Bridge International Academies founders realised that millions of children in Africa were either not in education or received sub-standard education. They set out to establish low-cost primary education utilising a standardised, online curriculum and tablet technology to compensate for the lack of skilled teachers. Over the past decade, Bridge has educated over 1 million children and expanded to 2000 schools in five countries.

Gazelles (Niche ventures)

Gazelles are niche ventures often found in the creative industries or which serve a particular target audience/ community. They tend to have a unique business model and may generate good returns. They can be very influential because they are rooted in a particular place or group, but they don’t usually scale, unless they are franchised. 

Examples of this type of company include companies like Craftwork or Little Tinkerer. Craftwork is a Texas-based specialty coffee and coworking operator that seeks to draw people out of isolation and into community by reimagining apartment amenity space. Little Tinkerer is a wonderful enterprise which aims to foster a healthy relationship between young children and technology through STEM toys and contents. Their toy products aim to restore what learning should be for young kids; not according to the anxieties of parents, or the popular manipulative marketing of consumerism, but according to their nature that God created in His own image—curious, creative, passionate, and engaged. 

Oxen (Dynamic enterprises)

Oxen are traditional businesses operating in core sectors (ie agriculture, manufacturing, services or retail) or multi-generational family businesses. They typically have a modest but steady growth trajectory and a long time horizon. These businesses comprise 90% of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and contribute to the majority of employment. Because of this, there is potentially enormous impact when the owners and leaders of these businesses embrace their God-given purpose.

Wonderful examples of Oxen are Hagar in Cambodia and Ten Senses in Kenya. Hagar Catering & Facilities Management is a leading food service provider in Cambodia. It grew out of a non-profit ministry and now provides training and jobs for hundreds of at-risk youths in a sustainable and profitable way. Ten Senses Africa (TSA) is the world’s first fair trade certified macadamia nut exporter. They connect 30,000 smallholder farmers to high-value export markets and represent 10% of the Kenyan market. Farmers have seen their livelihoods improve by up to 35% and the CEO Frank Omodi was able to build a church in the community in which many of his workers live.

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[ Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash ]

— by Matt Bird

As the pandemic continues, we need an outbreak of something more powerful than a virus: the spirit of enterprise. It is if time for new business enterprises that create value and jobs to replace the hundreds of thousands being lost. We need initiatives that can create social glue, capable of bringing the disparate parts of our lonely and isolated society together.

As a follower of Jesus, my go-to place for inspiration is the Bible, which says, “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Clearly, wealth creation is a gift of God, not a gift of capitalism.

The word ‘wealth’, which has come to mean financial abundance, derives from the old English word ‘weal’, meaning wellness and wellbeing. True wealth is not simply the sum of our cash and assets, but is also the relational capital that exists in our families, communities and society. This is the essence of the Hebrew word Shalom, which means peace, harmony, completeness, welfare and prosperity.

God’s gift of wealth creation can unleash untold levels of human flourishing and thriving. The “Faith Driven Entrepreneur” movement explains, “We believe that business has God-given power to transform nations by creating jobs, generating prosperity and catalysing human flourishing” – an entrepreneurship, not driven by motives of selfish ambition and greed but rather of compassion and a desire to benefit all.

Cinnamon Network International, the charity of which I am founder, has been busier than ever during the pandemic supporting social entrepreneurs to scale community impact. Our partners in the UK are opening community ‘listening ear’ centres; in South Africa thousands of face masks are being produced to protect key workers; and in Australia, they are training volunteers to reduce the tragic growth of domestic violence. Cinnamon is supporting these social entrepreneurs to replicate their approaches to save others having to reinvent the wheel.

In the UK the number of companies formed in the second half of 2020 soared compared to the same time the previous year. According to the Office for National Statistics there are more than 13,000 companies being formed every week compared to 11,000 during the same time the previous year.

Whilst high street spending is down, we are seeing the “at home” market grow. At home medical testing, sports equipment, education platforms, family entertainment, and food and wine experiences are rapidly growing. These market changes are not temporal so initiating a new enterprise now will build benefits for years to come.

As the old saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention”. Let’s innovate, launch and grow rather than pause, retreat and retrench. Maybe you have a creative, enterprising or innovative idea, an idea that could be deployed to create wealth and wellbeing in your community, across our country and around the world?

From my experience in coaching entrepreneurs, the greatest barriers are self-limiting beliefs. We might think that our idea, resources or experience are too small to come to much. God is in the habit of taking the little we offer him — such as the boy who offered Jesus five small loaves and two fish to help feed a crowd — and making a lot out of it. On that occasion the crowd of 5,000 people were fed and there was more to spare.

At other times the resistance to our idea may come from those we try and get on board in the early stages. It may be an angel investor, strategic partner or board member. Recently, a friend reached out to someone with a powerful idea. They were pushed away with the response that they weren’t taking on anything new until after the pandemic. I can’t help but think that it could be a slightly longer wait than they think.

It’s actually the spirit of innovation, creativity and enterprise that will help pull us through this pandemic. Let’s overcome our feelings of self-doubt and fear of rejection and failure and instead dig deep in our reservoirs of determination, hope and compassion.

Now is the perfect time to launch a new venture. There is no shortage of human need and opportunity or the people talent, technology and financial capital required. Let us unleash the spirit of enterprise to create livelihoods and well-being: true wealth and shalom.

This article first appeared in The Times newspaper on Saturday, January 23, 2021.

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