The Common DNA of Faith Driven Entrepreneurs
12 Marks of a
Faith Driven Entrepreneur
What is a Faith Driven Entrepreneur? It can mean different things to different people, and what follows is not meant to be a definitive list. Yet, in our experience, we have found some common attributes, or as we call them here, marks…
Think Different
Think Different
Called to Create
God is the original entrepreneur. If anyone knows what it’s like to create and build something completely new, it’s Him. And we can see that from the very beginning He has created us to share in His entrepreneurial process.
Think Different
Identity in Christ
Faith Driven Entrepreneurs have lives that have been transformed by the Gospel, that have accepted the gift of salvation, and now seek to bring God glory as their greatest and highest purpose.
Think Different
Steward vs. Own
We’re working with God’s goods. We’re the cooks in His kitchen. That’s the honest, humbling truth. Even, and perhaps especially, if you started your own business, you’re creating out of the ingredients God created first.
Build Different
Build Different
Joyfully Generous
We serve a God of abundance. We do not live in a world of scarcity. He has and continues to be generous to us. He doesn’t call us to a moment but a lifestyle of generosity that flows into our team members, customers, vendors and partners.
Build Different
In Partnership
One of the most unifying experiences in life is to go through a battle with another human being. And business is a battle. It’s hard. It’s challenging. Each day brings its own difficulties. But those trenches can create an unbreakable sense of unity that can be used to bring joy, purpose, and practical benefit to your life and your work.
Build Different
Don’t Worship Work
The temptation to worship work is obvious for entrepreneurs. We can take the responsibility God has given us (the call to create we talked about earlier) and run with it. We can use that as a permission slip to be a workaholic. Even worse, making work an idol that steals our affections from God.
Build Different
Excellence Matters
We believe that we were created in the image of God…..a God who worked 6 days and whose work was “good”. We also know that His work continues to this day. This understanding as God’s image bearer, together with the gratitude that comes from the gift of life, now and forever, provides us with a nuclear energy source that allows us to strive for, and achieve excellence.
Build Different
Faithful vs. Willful
Too often people slide into doing good things through their business without actually changing themselves. The life of a Faith Driven Entrepreneur has to start with heart transformation and complete devotion to the Gospel.
Build Different
Ministry in Word
We all want to appear like we have it all together. As entrepreneurs, we want our investors, employees, and customers to know that everything is under control. We can take care of everything. We can handle whatever comes our way.
Build Different
Ministry in Deed
Faith Driven Entrepreneurs believe that God has placed us in the marketplace to be salt and light through our actions. We look to love our employees and the broader communities in which we do business in a way that is exemplary and distinctive.
In Community
IN COMMUNITY
Active in the Local Church
At the end of the day, pastors and entrepreneurs aren’t that different. We’re doers, we’re builders, we’re leaders. We want the best for the people around us. But we also want to be the best. It’s not just strengths we share—our weaknesses match as well. We need each other.
IN COMMUNITY
Connected to the Global Church
Your business may not have any kind of international reach right now. Maybe you don’t have international aspirations. That’s fine. But hear this: God still wants to use your business for the Great Commission.