Written by Dynamis Ministries | September 29, 2022
David Green, the CEO of Hobby Lobby, is an inspiring business leader for more reasons than one. Apart from building a profitable business, he is a faithful servant of God and has been integrating his faith into his business for decades. One way this is on full display is if you ever drive past a Hobby Lobby on a Sunday, you will notice an empty parking lot. In Green’s desire to honor God through his business, he decided to close his stores on Sundays as a way to honor the Sabbath and also to allow his employees to spend time with their families. Through these things and more, David Green is an example of a growing trend in the kingdom of God where Christian business leaders are doing “business as ministry.”
Business as ministry is model that Christian business leaders adopt when deciding to build a good business that serves an even greater purpose. At its core, business as ministry is about stewardship. It’s about recognizing that even businesses belong to God and that leaders are entrusted to care for them in a way that honors him. This can be expressed in several ways such as using their business as a place of discipleship, where a leader not only cares about supporting their employees to be great at their job but also cares to support them in life and faith. It is also expressed in setting limits on the financial profit that a business gains and directing some of that back towards the community so they can do more good in the world.
Mark Larocca, a participant in the Dynamis network who is the C12 Chair for Northwest Indiana (a Christian ministry that coaches business executives), says this about business as ministry:
“It’s the complete opposite of how the traditional business model in our culture operates. In business as ministry, a business is not about me and what I can get out of it; more money, a bigger house, new cars, etc., Rather, it’s about what I can give through it. How can I use my business to take care of my employees, vendors, customers and community?”
For Larocca his business as ministry approach is guided by three elements: mission, vision and values. To carry out his business as a ministry philosophy, these elements must reflect the character and values of God and be used to minister to employees and even people outside of the business.
Business as ministry is a great way to live out a spirit of generosity. Business leaders across the globe are adapting this into their practices, and this inevitably leads to greater generosity from a profit and people perspective. If you too are a business leader, challenge yourself and pray on taking the steps to this approach in your own business practice. If you are not in business, maybe you can use this approach in whatever platform God has given you. Whether it’s for yourself, your business or other places of your influence, what are the mission, vision and values that guide you in bringing glory to God?
Photo Credit: Austin Wehrwein
