Tag Archives: Christian faith

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One Responsibility A Christian Leader Cannot Delegate!

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prayer

Recently, I read a powerful book (Essentialism by Greg McKeown) that taught me the need for better delegation. When we properly delegate, it allows us to focus our attention on those issues and tasks that require our skills and ability while offloading those tasks that do not (Acts 6:1-7). It also helps in the development of our team members so that their skills can increase. While there are many benefits to delegating, there is one responsibility that a Christian leader cannot delegate…that is prayer!

Delegating Prayer?

As Christian leaders of our organization, department, or team, we have several responsibilities. Among these responsibilities are casting the vision, setting priorities and goals, and holding the team accountable. In many cases, we can delegate parts of each of these areas to qualified team members. As I said above, there are many benefits to doing this.

But there is one responsibility that you simply cannot delegate to your team – not even to your inner circle. This responsibility is prayer.

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5 Steps To Dealing With Compromise In Business

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compromise

If you are a Christian in business, then you have been compelled to compromise your faith (or how you exercise it) at some point. It may have come in the form of a small decision. Maybe it came in the form of a big one. Whatever the case, there are many opportunities to compromise. We need to be aware of this and fight hard to stand firm.

Some Examples

It really does not matter if you are the business owner or if you work for someone else. Either way, people will come to you with decisions or directives that can impact the way you walk out your Christian faith at work. Let’s take a look at some examples.

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Why Does God Allow Poor Leadership?

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poor leadership

As followers of Jesus, we often look around at the culture in which we live and wonder how it has become this bad. We look at poor leadership at whatever level – whether in our businesses, community, or even in the nation overall – and we wish for better. We wonder what it would be like if our leaders also followed Jesus.

Why Allow Poor Leadership?

In my last post, I talked about how we should behave when working in an environment where the open sharing of our Christian faith is either limited or even prohibited altogether. We looked at the example of David in 1 Samuel 24:1-7 to see how he handled remaining under Saul’s authority as king, even though he had been anointed to follow Saul as king.

Today, I want us to think about the various reasons that God may have for leaving Saul in authority as long as He did. Have you ever thought about that?

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Working For A Non-Believer?

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If you have been reading this blog for long, you realize that the majority of what I write is directed at those people that are followers of Christ AND in a position of leadership in business. Unfortunately, some disciples of Jesus are working for a non-believer or are otherwise in a position where they feel they are limited in their ability to exercise their faith. What are you to do if in this position?

Not One Size Fits All

First, I want to make sure to tell you that the following ideas will not necessarily apply to every situation like this. In some cases, you may need to get out of your situation. In other cases, God may have you exactly where He wants you. It is these latter situations that I want to address today.

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Obedience From A Weak Position!

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If you have been in business long, you have likely found yourself in a weak position from time to time. Maybe key personnel left for other opportunities or a new competitor came onto the scene. Whatever the case, you knew your organization was vulnerable.

What if God asked you to do something right then that could potentially wreck your fragile situation? Would obedience be easy for you?

Fragile Situation

Years ago, I had a key, long-term member of our company’s executive leadership team come to me and resign. His reasons were valid and I supported his decision even though I did not want him to leave.

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Is Christian Business Against The Law?

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Not too long ago, I received a comment on one of my posts. I would like to address the issue more fully in this post. The comment (quoted in full below) said Christian business owners and leaders need to be careful to comply with “the separation of Church and State” issues placed on us by our government. Many others have asked “Is Christian business against the law?” Let’s take a look…

A Christian should run their business on Biblical principles…honesty, integrity, love, truth, etc. However, if you start requiring people partake of “COMMUNION”, or complying with Jesus’ command….to “go ye into all the world…” you will be hard-pressed to comply with “the separation of Church and State” issues placed upon us by our government.

Christian business against the law

First, I would like to address the big picture. After that, I will tell you how we address the overall issue in our business. Finally, I will give you some resources that will allow you to seek further information.

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5 Often-Overlooked Truths for Christian Business Leaders

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Christian business

The days get faster and faster.. Deadlines and headaches rush at us at a high rate of speed. We do well just to survive to fight another day, right? It is in this kind of environment that Christian business owners or leaders can get so busy and we forget some key truths about our ministry. Hopefully, this post will remind you of some ideas you need to revisit.

Christian Business Leader Truths

1. You must live by example and to a higher standard.

As the owner or leader of a Christian business, you are the example to follow, whether you like it or not. You are the head of the business and your employees are going to look to you for the example. What do they see?

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Are You Willing To Walk Away?

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I love movies. One of my favorites is the movie Heat, with Robert Deniro and Al Pacino. Likely my favorite scene in that movie is the coffee shop scene. During this scene, Deniro, a bank robber, is talking face to face with Pacino, a cop. During this conversation, Deniro shares advice he once received about being willing to walk away from anything.

walk away

Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

While Deniro is referring to “heat” in the sense of law enforcement catching up to him and his crime-filled lifestyle, I think we can apply this same advice to our own lives and even our businesses.

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Employee decisions: Rigorous or Ruthless?

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As Christian business owners and leaders, we are usually very involved in employee decisions on a consistent basis. In fact, that part of our job can absorb a majority of our time. Our ability to handle these employee decisions well can also be one of the biggest influences on the success of our company, as well as the ministry we desire.

employee decisions

Ruthless vs. Rigorous Employee Decisions

Assuming this is true, then it is clear that we must devote time to learning how to best handle these employee decisions. While we all agree that issues concerning people often account for the majority of the time and energy we spend in our jobs, many Christian business owners fail to spend much time thinking about their approach to this important subject.

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Do You Need A Quiet Time Fixer Upper?

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Have you come to a place where you have lost your passion for what you do? Maybe you are in a rut or just burned out. Maybe you are just not that “into” the purpose you once felt. It could even be that business going better than ever, but you just don’t “feel it” anymore. I have a couple of ideas that might just help you regain your passion for your God-given purpose!

quiet time

Forgetting Their First Love

In my last two posts, I have referred to a passage in Revelation where Jesus chastised the Christians at Ephesus for forgetting their first love. He praised them for some of their good works, but He called them out for their wrong motives. In drifting from their relationship with Jesus, they abandoned their first love.