He grabbed me a coffee in the lobby and led me toward his office. But when we got there, I was unimpressed — cramped, an awkward door, storage stairs right outside, barely room for his desk, nowhere for me to sit. “Actually Nik, let’s go down the hall where we can have more space,” he said, and led me into another office — spacious, a bigger desk, a bookshelf, large windows, a seating area, and a professional vibe.
“Why isn’t this your office, Scott? You’re the owner!” I asked. He said, “I didn’t feel like that was right. We’re supposed to treat others the way we want to be treated. Nobody else wants that cramped office up front, so I took it.”
I asked him a catalogue of questions about how he runs his business, and he gave me answers I’d never heard before. He told me about their six core values, which they talk about incessantly; a partnership with Bethesda Mission, a homeless ministry in the area; the full-time chaplains on the payroll who do ride-alongs with his staff; and all the free services given away to churches and non-profits.
On one hand, I’ve never met a more driven business person — he introduced me to EOS, holds his leadership team to high standards, had just expanded into Maryland and New York, and had a crisp five-year plan to grow. On the other hand, I’ve never seen an owner make such poor “business” decisions — giving away free services like candy, pouring money into chaplains and ministry, giving away more for scholarships and missions the better the company did.
Scott’s employees love him and their job. Scott’s clients love him and his business.
Did I mention what his business does? He manages portable toilets — it’s his duty. His job is disposing of people’s urine and excrement. And despite a warehouse full of porta-potties and employees who carry poo for a living, I’ve never seen a man more excited about business, or employees and clients more excited to work with him.
What’s different about Scott? How has he taken a company built on human waste and made it such a fantastic place to work?
Here’s the answer: Scott is a fully devoted follower of Jesus. His faith shapes every aspect of his life, including his business. His employees and clients see Jesus when they look at him — he weaves his faith into everything that happens at this company.
A Christian Ethic of Business
James 4:13–17 (ESV) — Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit...” Instead you ought to say,“If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
Kurt Richardson considers this “one of the most important biblical sources for a Christian ethic of business.” (James, New American Commentary)
If you’re a manager, a director, a CO, or a business leader — you need to pay attention to this passage. It explains what makes Scott’s company different from other companies: We will versus if the Lord wills.
James isn’t telling us that traveling, making plans, or earning money is sinful. He’s telling us that cutting God out of the equation is sinful. And our commitment to Jesus Christ — Jesus’ sovereign ownership over our life — includes the work we do, the profits we bring in, the strategies we develop, and the overall scope or footprint our business has.
Jesus, the Businessman
Where do you think James developed this philosophy of business? Probably from his older brother, Jesus (yes, that Jesus).Jesus spent twenty years working as a builder. He’s called a “carpenter” in the Gospels, which in those days meant more than just a handyman; he was a builder who worked with stone, wood, and other materials (Mark 6:3). Most likely he was an independent contractor who worked with a small crew — probably including James.
Here’s what most people miss about Jesus’ years as a business person: he worked in the carpentry trade for six times longer than his time in vocational ministry.
That’s how Jesus so easily wove business examples into his teaching. Thirty-two of his thirty-seven parables mention business work. In the Parable of the Tower (Luke 14:28–30), Jesus — a builder himself — says a builder must do some basic math before he starts construction. In the parable of the Military Commander (Luke 14:31–33), Jesus says a wise commander will count the odds of winning before he sends his troops into battle. And in the Parable of the Two Builders (Matthew 7:24–27), one man builds his house on sand and the other on rock — Jesus’ point being that we need to plan for the future.
On the other side, there’s the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13–21), the picture of presumption: “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones… And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’”
James and Jesus are not opposed to planning, strategy, or goals — only presumption, which is assuming our plans will work whether we seek God’s counsel or not.
James invites us to include God in our business planning. That’s the difference between planning (good) and presumption (bad): “we will” versus “if the Lord wills.”
Spiritual Metrics
The worldly businessperson in verse 13 fully intends to travel “and trade and make a profit.” According to the New Testament, money isn’t the only kind of profit we can make (see Phil. 3:8; Mark 8:36). What kind of “profit” or “gain” are you measuring in your business?Businesses led by Jesus-followers think differently. They include God in their planning. In addition to economic metrics, they also have spiritual metrics. In addition to measuring productivity and profitability, they also measure faithfulness and fruitfulness. Instead of saying “we will,” they say “if the Lord wills.”
Most companies boast about three things: revenue, growth, and retention. What if you added a spiritual metric — an outreach metric, a giving metric? Most employees boast to their boss about two things: productivity and efficiency. What if you added a spiritual update to your next one-on-one meeting?
What is keeping you from having spiritual metrics in your strategic plan? You are free to create goals and objectives (whether private or publicly stated) to win three souls this quarter, or to invest one percent of revenue in church planting, or collect fifty toys from vendors to donate to Toys for Tots. The opportunities are endless.
Speaking of opportunity, what if I told you that your business could influence 5,000 people next year? What would you do with that power, that opportunity?
“The average small business in America influences over 5,000 people each year. Their reach extends to employees and employee families, to customers, vendors, suppliers, property managers, and industry peers… The average business owner in America, therefore, may have more access to unchurched people in any given year than even some megachurch pastors.”
Mike Sharrow, Rethinking Business & Ministry
Christian business people lead differently. Instead of thinking about today, they think about eternity. Instead of saying “I’m going to do this and that for the next year to build my business,” they say “I’m going to build the Kingdom of God that will long outlive me.”
Your time on earth is short. And your time at your company is even shorter. Most of us won’t be remembered in a hundred years. You’ll be forgotten at your company just a few years after you retire. They’ll throw a little retirement party for you, you’ll get a stack of cards you can take home and read, people will text you for a few weeks saying how much they miss you — and then it’s over.
What will you do with your short time at this company, this organization, this military base? Will you use it to build something that outlasts you?
A New Operating System
“Business is not only an economic engine to fund ministries but can be a ministry itself as new levels of flourishing and fruitfulness grow out of a holistic, faithful approach. When owners see every decision as an act of Biblical stewardship as they include spiritual metrics, the eternal return on investment is immeasurable… It’s an entirely new operating system based upon the idea of Business as a Ministry (BaaM).”
C12 Group, The Rise of Gospel-Shaped Businesses
Some of you are taking a step in the right direction, but you aren’t quite catching James’ vision for your company or workplace yet. He’s not saying, “Run your business as normal, like every other company out there, and do a couple of ministry things on the side.” Instead, he’s saying the whole purpose of your business can be for ministry — winning souls, human flourishing, community transformation — all accomplished from the platform of your organization.
I’ve seen this at play throughout all levels within an organization:
- Employees who lead weekly Bible studies
- Service workers who pray with clients
- Supervisors who give employees extra PTO for service projects in the community
- HR Departments who open up benevolence funds for employees and their families
- Building managers who offer free space for non-profits to work or host seminars
- Directors who organize marriage seminars for vendors
- Owners who initiate local and global mission trips
- Doctors who take a spiritual inventory along with the annual physical
Imagine the unlimited potential you can have in your own city, simply by moving from “we will” towards “if the Lord wills”. If a portable toilet company can make an impact on the Kingdom of God, your workplace can, too.