That’s a great question.  If God calls you to do something, how can you just “quit” when you get “older?”  Yes, you might cut back, but quit?

There was an article recently in The New York Times concerning a book entitled Working Longer: The Solution to the Retirement Income Challenge that makes the argument for people working longer.  The article brings up something relevant to Christian entrepreneurship:

“…the authors remind us that ‘employers in the past have not been eager to retain or hire older workers, and there is little indication that attitudes have significantly changed.’ After all, they say, employers are not in the business of providing retirement security.”

So you know what we you need to do?  Yes, no matter what your age, if you haven’t yet done so, you need to start your own business or ministry.  But first, you need to find your calling; then learn how to transform it into a business or a ministry.  First read my book, which will help you to find your calling and get you in the mentality for Christian entrepreneurship.

Remember what Caleb said when he was 85 years old!

I want to share some of these comments and my responses with all of you, as I feel it points out some confusion people have about what Christian entrepreneurship should be about, as I outline in my book.

“…entrepreneurship can be used in positive ways - but capitalism, especially as practiced in North America and Asia has shown that it is not necessarily a Christian ideal.”

I think you may be confusing entrepreneurship with capitalism.  The word “entrepreneurship” comes from the French word entrprendre, meaning “to undertake” something.  So starting a business, starting a social enterprise (a not-for-profit) or planting a church, for that matter - all involve entrepreneurship. 

John Bogle elaborates on this:

Let’s begin with Franklin’s entrepreneurship. It was not only remarkable for his era; it was remarkable for any era. While in today’s grandiose era of capitalism the word “entrepreneur” has come to be commonly associated with those who are motivated to create new enterprises largely by the desire for personal wealth or even greed, the fact is that entrepreneur simply means “one who undertakes an enterprise,” a person who founds and directs an organization.

But at its best, entrepreneurship entails something far more important than mere money. Please do not take my word for it. Heed the words of the great Joseph Schumpeter, the first economist to recognize entrepreneurship as the vital force that drives economic growth. In his Theory of Economic Development, written nearly a century ago, Schumpeter dismissed material and monetary gain as the prime mover of the entrepreneur, finding motivations like these to be far more powerful: (1) “The joy of creating, of getting things done, of simply exercising one’s energy and ingenuity,” and (2) “The will to conquer: the impulse to fight, . . . to succeed for the sake, not of the fruits of success, but of success itself.”

There is a difference, then, between an entrepreneur and a capitalist. Had Franklin possessed the soul of a true capitalist, “he would have devoted the time he saved from printing to making money somewhere else.” But he did not. For Franklin, the getting of money was always a means to an end, not an end in itself. The other enterprises he created, as well as his inventions, were designed for the public weal, not for his personal profit. Even today, Dr. Franklin’s idealistic 18th century version of entrepreneurship is inspirational. When he reminded us that “energy and persistence conquer all things,” Franklin was likely describing his own motivations to create and to succeed, using Schumpeter’s formulation, for the joy of creating, of exercising one’s energy and ingenuity, the will to conquer, and the joy of a good battle.

Sorry about the long quote, but hopefully this underscores my conceptualization of entrepreneurship.

“I don’t think that even many or even most Christians should start businesses.”

Why not? Should many or most Christians work for corporations and other organizations? Why?  Paul himself said:

“Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you–although if you can gain your freedom, do so.” - 1 Corinthians 7:21

The best way to gain freedom in the sense that the verse talks about above (read the context- he’s talking to believers who are already have “liberty through Christ”) is through entrepreneurship, is it not?

 “…the church isn’t a business…it is the church.”

I don’t think I ever said that the church is a business, but it is an entity that requires and employs entrepreneurship, as described above.  I can give you biblical citations for this too, if you require them.

“…our founding fathers weren’t all Christians, and citing their entrepreneurial spirits is not a strong case for Chriatian entrepreneurial-ship (sic).”

I don’t think I said they were all Christians, but a significant amount of them were, and I don’t think I said they were all entrepreneurs, though I named a few.  The point I was making is that our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and that there was a “spirit” of entrepreneurship and free enterprise that pervaded throughout the history of the founding of our country.

“I don’t particularly believe that Jesus was particularly interested at all in pioneering a new way for his followers to make money, live in comfort, or to even be safe.”

I certainly didn’t say these things either.  However, didn’t Jesus grow up in the house of a carpenter?  I think most of them back then didn’t work for large corporations…they were entrepreneurs!   I am surprised that you think that making money and being prosperous (financially and otherwise) means that you will be in comfort.  Check this out:

“And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” - Mark 10:29-30

So Jesus Himself said that we could be prosperous and have material posessions (i.e., houses and lands) in this time, but that it wouldn’t be in comfort, but with persecutions.

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Jesse said that it is not just important to have a dream; it’s important to have a plan. He pointed to Joseph, who not only had a dream, but a plan…and implemented it.  What Jesse didn’t point out on that broadcast, but that I just saw in this passage, is that God gave the plan in the dream! (Thank God for revelation! ) (Genesis 41:15-49) This doesn’t mean that the plan always comes with the dream, however.  Sometimes it’s left up to us,through Godly inspiration, to devise it:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” -Luke 14:28-30 (NIV- emphasis mine)

In any case, a plan has to be attached to the dream!

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My book, “Your Eden Work: Finding Your God-Given Entrepreneurial Purpose,”  picks up where I believe his book leaves off.  You need to begin to find out how God designed YOU and why you should participate in biblical entrepreneurship. This is the way to maximize the purpose-driven life: to do God’s purpose and be able to make a living from it, too.  Not for making a living, but as a by-product.  This book is available as an e-book here.

And even if you are “independent,” wouldn’t it be great to be sure of what God has called you to do?

These are some of the reasons I wrote “Your Eden Work: Finding Your God-Given Entrepreneurial Purpose.”  It’s not only a manifesto for Christian entrepreneurship; it’s a guide for getting you in the right direction for finding out how God has “equipped” you to do His purpose here on earth: His “assignment.” 

You should know this first before you start planning a business or ministry; otherwise how do you know what you’re about to do is in His will?

Rather than give you a long “sales pitch,” like one of those landing pages that goes on forever and ever and finally tells you some ridiculous price, let me just tell you that it’s only $14.99, and it’s an e-book so you can have it right away!  Just click here.

Once you’ve read it, drop me a comment or an e-mail and let me know your thoughts.

Most of us are tied down to jobs and bosses we don’t want, but we should ask ourselves, “What do we want?”

We here in America and in many other countries have the freedom to participate in free enterprise: the right to be entrepreneurs.

Many of America’s founding fathers were entrepreneurs, land speculators and securities speculators, including Benjamin Franklin and Robert Morris.

We also know that the majority of them, if not most, were Christians.  They probably got a lot of their inspiration about freedom from the Bible.

There are a lot of scripture verses that talk about liberty and freedom, but two of them inspire me particularly in these difficult economic times, and is why I believe most Christians should at least have or be in the process of starting a part-time business:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. - Galatians 5:1 (NIV-emphasis mine)

Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you–although if you can gain your freedom, do so. - 1 Cor. 7:21 (NIV-emphasis mine)

Ahh…Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…

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