Binistry or Businestry

My friend, Jeff Rogers of One Accord Partners, coined a new term today (for me anyway) at his marvelous presentation at a Kiros breakfast. The term was "binistry." I immediately latched onto it and it triggered several thoughts.

You see, one of my primary mentors has been Michael Novak, a Catholic philosopher, author, and winner of a Templeton Prize for Religion. In both his writings (such as the Spirit of Democratic Capitalism), and the privilege that I had to be with him personally in my time living in Washington, DC, he has made serious and significant deposits into my life.

One of those was the splendid little book, Business as Calling. In the book, Dr. Novak suggests that the three cardinal virtues of business are creativity, community, and realism.

As Regent College's Ward Gasque points out, all three of these virtues can be found in the first three chapters of Genesis, the story of the creation and the fall. (So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them', Gen 1:26).

We are to represent God in the world, to do His work, and to demonstrate is character 'in community'. We are called to stewardship and cooperation.

God is the great Artist. He made the world and saw that it was good. And He has called us to be co-creators with Him, in keeping with the special gifts He has given each one of us. That is why I love working in partnering and collaboration! I get to help people discover how their gifts (and the gifts their organizations have) fit together and make more impact.

God is also the great Companion. He created us for fellowship, for walking and talking in the Garden in the cool of the day. We are called, therefore, to community, to cooperation, to friendship.

Some of the most successful business people I have known have also been among the most creative people I have known. Several have also become great friends. Creativity is essential to entrepreneurship, and friendship is essential to doing good business.

The story of the fall in Genesis, 3 lays the foundations for the third fundamental to the business enterprise, namely, realism. The world is fallen and thus we learn to deal with that world as it is, even though we may be guided by the values of a new world that is coming.

Jeff's presentation this morning (walking through his journey on these questions) challenged those there -- primarily business leaders -- to the idea that what they do is full time ministry. Shockingly obvious. Yet, my observation (shared by many) is that few Christian people in business have a strong sense of their calling to the world of business. They feel they are there more by default. Yet, business is the calling of the majority of Christians. Of Americans employed today, roughly 70% work in the for-profit business sector. Some 22 percent work for the government, and about 8 percent work in the non-profit sector (including the church).

We have ceremonies that celebrate the calling of men and women to be ordained into ministry, to mission work, and to other church ministries. Where are the ceremonies that celebrate the calling of men and women to ministry in the world of business? That honor those who are serving Christ in and through business. Few churches I am aware of practice that.

Finally, what is the purpose of business? Some would say, "To make a profit!"

Not really. Profit is merely the score of how you're doing and whether you'll be able to stay in business. If you do not create a surplus, you will not be able to sustain the enterprise and it will fold. But the purpose is not profit.

I like the idea that the real purpose of business is service -- which, by the way, is really just a synonym for ministry. The business of business is people!

In business, the calling is to serve society (by offering a useful product or service); to serve workers and employees (by providing employment and significance); and to serve God (by fulfilling His creation mandate). We serve God and our fellow men by joining hands with one another in the enterprise of business, and the result is we also serve ourselves, our families, and our world.

So, thanks, Jeff for binistry (or should it be businestry?). The idea that believers involved in business are also involved in ministry (at least that's how I am choosing to use the word). That "full time ministry" really just means full time walking with God where ever we are and whatever we do.