Entrepreneurs- God's Gift to the Church

Edwin Friesen

Sometimes business entrepreneurs get a bad rap in our churches. Far too frequently they are stereotyped as caring only about the bottom line with little regard for the welfare of their employees, the environment, and tax rules. On the other hand, the business people may feel that the church sees them primarily as an ATM machine with little regard for them as individuals or for the wisdom and skills they can bring to the church.

To be sure, there are business people deserving of such negative stereotyping just like there are in other profession; but there are many entrepreneurs that deserve better, much better. In my years with MFC I have met many entrepreneurs who believe that business is what God has called them to and within that calling, they seek to provide a good product, be fair to their employees (and their families), make a margin, and be generous with their profits. Many of them go the second mile for their employees, helping them over a rough spot in their personal lives even when their productivity lags.

Jesus seemed drawn to business people. He mixed easily with the tax collectors (Matt 9:9-13) joining them for an evening of conversation and dinner hosted by Matthew; a brand new follower of Jesus. On another occasion, he invited himself to the home of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9), another wealthy tax-collector who turned on a dime, made restitution for fraud, and heard Jesus pronounce a blessing on his home. Jesus and his entourage were supported in their itinerant ministry by a group of women who, as Luke is careful to note (Luke 8:1-3), did so out of their own income, in all likelihood, self-employed income.

Many of Jesus stories and parables have an entrepreneurial flavour. In one story Matt 25:14-30, an entrepreneur gave various amounts of money to three individuals and sometime later called them to account. Two had doubled their money and were highly commended. The third had kept the money safe but was soundly condemned for not having ventured. The first two saw opportunities and pursued them and the third waited for a cloudless sky which never came.

Business people are God’s gift to the church just like janitors, musicians, teachers, ushers, food coordinators, and youth sponsors. Often they have skills in planning, management, human resources, big picture thinking, and problem solving that can add depth to the ministry of any church.

The next time you find yourself negatively stereotyping entrepreneurs in your church, ask yourself some questions. How many people in your church including yourself would have a job if there were no entrepreneurs? What personal skills do the entrepreneurs in your church have that could enhance the work of your church? Don’t short-change your church by marginalizing the entrepreneurs in your church. After all, they are God’s gift to the church.

And when you take an entrepreneur out for lunch, pick up the tab (that will really surprise them) and leave a generous tip. That will surprise them even more.