5 Ways to Increase Spiritual Impact In and Through Your Business

A defining characteristic of a BAM company is that it intentionally integrates business with missional purposes. Yet, sometimes it can be challenging to figure out how to do so practically. Here are 5 areas that business owners and leaders can increase spiritual impact in the companies they oversee:

1. Keep God First

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23-24).

• Establish spiritual principles and values and integrate them into the mission, vision, and objectives of the company. Review how well you are abiding by these principles during all stages of the company’s development.
• Create a Spiritual Impact Plan that has specific goals for how you run your company with spiritual objectives in mind.
• Invite accountability to maintain the purpose of your company. Appoint a person or group (often called an advisory board) with the responsibility to assess and evaluate how well various departments and projects are aligned with the stated mission, vision, and values within the company.

2. Pray in the Workplace

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Eph. 6:18).

• Set aside time to pray for the company. Many BAM leaders spend time on a regular basis praying for their company, their employees, and asking God for wisdom in decision-making. Those who do so often have a consistent rhythm, such as on a weekly basis before the workday starts.
• Pray with employees. When employees approach you with personal issues and struggles, take the need to the Lord with them, right there. All kinds of follow-up conversations can flow from prioritizing prayer.
• Establish a voluntary devotional and prayer time for employees. Make it clear that any devotional time is optional, and that their job security and your opinion of them is not dependent upon if they come or not.
• Recruit others to pray with you and for you. Just as missionaries and other ministry workers need a band of “prayer warriors,” so too does a Kingdom-minded business. Consider recruiting others who will stand with you in prayer on a consistent basis.

For more ideas from a variety of BAM workers about prayer in the workplace, see How Prayer Can Shape a Business and 7 Prayer Habits of Highly Effective People.

3. Keep your Godly Character a Priority

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (1 Tim. 6:11).

• Establish policies and practices informed by Scripture.
• Pay your taxes and pay bills on time.
• Follow through on your word.
• Forgive often, listen well, take time to explain your motivation for living out a Christ-like life.  Explaining the “why” behind how we treat people by referring to biblical stories demonstrates that your lifestyle is rooted in relationship with God, not just being a moral person.

4. Utilize Biblical Principles in Your HR Practices

“[Jesus] answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27).

• Integrate biblical values and principles into your employee training and explain where the principles come from.
• Treat employees with the generosity in insurance and vacation time.
• Offer Biblically-based teaching and training for your staff on a regular basis. This can happens during a lull in the workday, on breaks, or a formally set-aside time for the staff quarterly.

5. Meet Practical Needs in Your Community

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4).

• Initiate practical ways for your company to bless your community such as trash clean-ups, volunteering together with a non-profit, and giving a designated fund annually to local charities/ministries.
• Allow employees to take initiative in service projects. Invite collaboration and ideas from your employees; the more they are involved in the decision-making, the more they will be engaged and participate in making things happen.

Further Reading:

For more insights into how to establish your faith and values within your company culture, check out the following articles from the BAM Review blog:

1. 7 Markers for a Kingdom Business: A Framework for Entrepreneurs
2. How to Integrate Kingdom Culture in Company Culture
3. Life Encounters Life: The Integration of Business and Mission
4. 7 Creative Ways Practitioners Integrate Business and Mission

 

By Joyce Ahn

 

BAM Conference 2017

Dallas, TX | September 15-17, 2017

This year’s BAM Conference will bring together hundreds of business professionals and thought leaders from around the world who are eager to learn how to reconcile their faith and work.

With the theme “Bridging the Gap”, the three-day event will close the divide between where you are now and where you want to be, and equip you to use your God-given skills to make an impact through business.

Join us as we share insights, stories and tools that will fuel your business as mission journey.

Get your tickets here: bamconference.com.

 

 

 Joyce Ahn is a regular guest contributor for The BAM Review.