Are You a Christian Entrepreneur?

As Christians we can have trouble developing the mindset to do the things we know the Lord called for us to do. Spending time on our prayer list, reading the Word and connecting with other Christians on a consistent basis is almost a mystery to solve. Well, what if we thought of ourselves as Christian entrepreneurs?

We generally think of an entrepreneur as being a businessman. The truth is, an entrepreneur is "also" a businessman. They may perform many tasks but more importantly, they are someone who is passionate about an idea. This passion is carried out through a variety of activities.

The Dictionary.com definition tells us that an entrepreneur is a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

The Many Hats of an Entrepreneur 

An entrepreneur wears many hats. Let's use the actions presented at the beginning of this article as an example. When we pray, read the Bible and connect with other Christians, we will be exhibiting several skills or "wearing many hats."

As we begin prayer and reading time, we are taking on a new mindset. We plan our time. We prepare a prayer list. That list requires a little scholarly research as we discover scriptures to inform our current condition and discover God's design for a desired future condition.

That sounds like taking inventory of our lives. It also sounds like forecasting.

We also see in the scriptures, we should be growing every day. We should have before us a vision, a mission and a purpose to move forward. All of these are entrepreneurial practices!

Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. - Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

When we connect with other Christians we are listening, empathizing, investing into their lives and allowing them to invest in ours. We exchange care, inspiration and wisdom. This is how professional businessmen carry themselves.

All of these things work together, building the fortitude to serve well. If we look closely we see that being an entrepreneur becomes an expression of love.

Summary of Characteristics

Here is a quick recap of the entrepreneurial mindset:

Passionate - Organized - Managing an Enterprise
Considerable Initiative - Taking Risks - Developing Skills
A New Mindset - Planning Our Time - Preparing
Scholarly Research - Designing - Taking Inventory
Forecasting - Growing - A Vision, Mission, Purpose
Moving Forward - Listening - Empathizing - Investing
Caring - Inspiration - Wisdom - Building Fortitude
Expressing Love

That actually may be "the short list" of entrepreneurial characteristics. There are more to grow into as the Holy Spirit leads.

The Mindset of an Entrepreneur

We said all of that to say... if we want to grow in the Lord we need to think differently. An entrepreneur knows that nobody is going to build his business for him/her.

This means that no one can grow your business (your relationship with the Lord) except for you! Own it and do it well.

In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But those who fail to develop in this way are short sighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. - 2 Peter 1:5-10 NLT

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Take Action!

How do I start being a Christian entrepreneur? 

See yourself as an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur knows that nobody is going to build their business for them. Take the initiative. No one can grow your business (your relationship with the Lord) except for you!

Any good businessman knows that they can reach out to other businessmen or business organizations for guidance in building their business. For us, that is our church and mature brothers and sisters in the Lord. Make time to go find a Christian entrepreneur that you trust and respect and connect with them on a regular basis.  

Get the "business" advice that you need. We know it as discipleship. If you want to get in the cool zone we recommend that when you find a brother or sister in the Lord, who will connect with you on a regular basis, that you should never let that person get away. 

You may already express the characteristics of an entrepreneur. Pick a couple that you are strong with and get stronger. What is it about the Lord that you are passionate about? Start there and grow into the others.

Let's not try to do everything at once. We need to grow into our relationship with the Lord. It can't be done in one strenuous effort in a week or two. Lock in for the long haul and start with the basics. Do your prayer list everyday. Read the scriptures everyday. Connect with other Christians regularly! 

As a Christian entrepreneur:

1. How do you see yourself exhibiting these qualities?
2. What do you need to grow in?
3. What do you need to add?

Here are few resources to help develop your strategy:

• I Don't Know What To Do For God 
• You Must Seize This One Reality
• Are You Disciplined?

For Fun: Can you find a scripture for all of the characteristics listed in the article?

Please, add your thoughts in the comment section.

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Concept: “See yourself as a Christian Entrepreneur.”