5 Essentials for Christian Businesses - Part 2

Leading People In Christ

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” - 2 Timothy 2:2 (NKJV)

Leading people to Christ is probably a lot less intimidating than leading people in Christ. The reason I say this is due to various ways people view the Christian lifestyle.

Paul instructs Timothy to choose some leaders in the church and to instruct them. These leaders in turn would instruct others in what they had learned. Timothy was to train disciple-makers.

Sharing a Christian lifestyle with others is important for our growth. Paul called those who did not grow in their Christian lifestyle "babies". Okay, maybe not in those words, but to proclaim that people were still on infant milk is pretty close.

Christians have become too programmed into believing that discipleship can only take place at church. I personally do not see that. In fact, if you study the Bible enough you will see that a large portion of discipleship took place in homes and in the marketplaces.

By opening one’s business to Bible studies and fellowship groups, a person is opening their workplace to a whole new mission field.

Just imagine how many people in your workplace or whom you associate with through your workplace that would not darken the doors of a church but would feel less intimidated to join a Bible study at work!

That is the goal of a disciple-maker: to engage people where they are so that they can in turn engage others where they are. Large companies have a greater opportunity. An owner can disciple a smaller group who in turn can engage others.

Small businesses can be just as much effective; they just have to be a little creative. Creativity has its limits whether in a large business or small business.

Os Hillman suggests the following when considering using your business for discipleship purposes:

• Invite—Don’t Pressure. Solicitation of people to participate in your group may result in their feeling pressured, especially if you have a supervisory role. Some employees may feel that their jobs are in jeopardy if they don’t attend.
• Be Professional. Prayer before a business meeting, even in companies with roots in Christianity, may be viewed as unprofessional and may jeopardize any good feelings non-Christian coworkers might have toward Christianity. Be sure that open prayer is acceptable in that corporate culture and that all parties involved desire open prayer.
• Voluntary versus Mandatory. Some over-zealous managers have attached prayer sessions to mandatory meetings. This can easily backfire and make you legally liable.
• Avoid Christian Lingo— So often we forget what life was like before we were Christians. We often use terms like sanctification, born again, Spirit-filled, etc. The non-Christian will quickly get lost in that language. If you want to be understood by the non-Christians in your group, you must avoid religious jargon.
• Small Groups. Small group Bible studies held on company grounds make great places to invite non-believers or even new Christians. The key to having an effective small group is to facilitate instead of teach. Getting participants to share their observations and questions in the group setting is the key to an effective group.
  

The key point here is “do not pressure.” Invitations should be just as the word suggestion, something that is attractive – not mandatory.

What should I do?

Remember the goal is to not have a church but a business. Have a small group that is non-threatening and open. Disciple your people in the ethics of your company from a biblical perspective.

Consider what you can do best. There are a lot of ways to conduct a small group. To keep from overloading yourself, I suggest studying the material you choose on a weekly basis.

• Monthly studies are easy to abandon
• Daily studies can be taxing an you and your employees
  

The best way to study is to cover areas that are keys principles in your business. Speaking with your employees about money, respect, kindness to customers, integrity, or even leadership are all topics that will grow your employees and grow you.

If you have not written out Christian values you want for your business and included them into your business plan, then do so.

To be a leader in your business, you should know what your employees are thinking. You get that by creating a non-threatening environment. Let them be open in discussion about these topics. You may just learn something in the process.

• Be creative
• Study material from various materials before tackling a specific subject
• Use video
• Provide study material
• Invite a guest speaker: another known Christian businessman, a pastor, a local ministry leader
  

There are six areas that can be nurtured in any small group dynamics: fellowship, discipleship, worship, ministry, prayer, and evangelism.

• Fellowship - use ice-breakers or ways to create a welcoming environment
• Discipleship - Use the material you have collected or some of the material I will be suggesting over the next several days
  
• Prayer - Do not be afraid to ask someone for requests or a chance to pray for/with one of the group members. Use different prayer leaders. Prayer around the group if your group feels comfortable (have someone start and then as they stop another takes up praying aloud until everyone who wishes to pray has prayed)
• Worship - if you so desire, sing a song. You can’t imagine how this opens up some people
• Ministry - Use discussion questions as a way to get people to open up to each other and allow time to answer questions on the hearts of those around you. You could also create a project that your group can participate together in (I'll have a large list from Os Hillman in few days)
• Evangelism - New people may or may not know Christ as their Savior, so be sensitive to this opportunity. Maybe work on an outreach project as a group
  

Also remember that you do not have to cover all the material you selected in one sitting. Take time to ensure everyone is getting the information. Maybe you will feel the need to let others lead on different occasions to keep it fresh, especially to help develop future group leaders.

Be prepared and your group’s time together will be relevant and enjoyable. Encourage one another and even add a little role playing for effect. Be creative and listen to your group and each of you will develop together.

Bible Studies

There are numerous Bible studies, books, and more that would fit into a good business topic.

• The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day: Revitalize Your Spirit and Empower Your Leadership
  By John C. Maxwell
  

• The Purpose Driven Life Book & Six DVD Set
  By Rick Warren
  

• Crown Financial Ministries
• Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University

If you want, plan out your year. Many studies will last anywhere from eight to thirteen weeks. Plan your study calendar around your primary business values. If you have empty dates, you can leave them empty around big holidays.

Prayer Times

Opening everyday in prayer as a grouped is a great way to give the day to God. Maybe pray for specific needs in the lives of your employees or the life of your business.

So who do I target?

The idea is not to target but to disciple. Employees under your direct supervision are the first to consider.

If you have customers in the area who would like to participate, and you feel comfortable opening your business to them, then invite them.

You may consider creditors or suppliers. What about neighboring businesses?

Whomever you decide to invite, make sure you welcome them and make them feel a part of the group. The sky is the limit.