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8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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While in the Harvard Business School program
six years ago, several classmates read my bio
in a class packet and sought me out: Talk
to us about this, they said. How is it that
youve run a successul company or many years and have a
masters degree in theology? We dont see the connection.
I couldnt blame my colleagues or not seeing a relationship
between aith and business. I, too, had many times struggled
to ind connections between what I was hearing rom the
pulpit on Sunday and my work as a business person.
Religious leaders speak inadequately about business, writes
proessor Richard J. Goossen o
Trinity Western University, more
so than almost anything else they
preach on. Their proessional
vocabulary, or the most part, so
misses the point that it is painulto listen to them. The alarming
state o the churchs ability to be a
relevant orce inluencing business
can be summed up in a simple
observation: we already see many
signs o Christian businesspeople
rom every denomination
rejecting religion, and religion overwhelmingly rejecting
businesspeople.
In the book, Church on Sunday, Work on Monday, Dr. Laura
Nash o Harvard Business School and Scotty McLennan,
dean o religious lie at Stanord University, suggest that
business is not as simple as religious leaders tend to think
it is. Capitalism is requently reduced to a monolithic
concept labeled as The Market, that inevitably exploits all
participants except the most powerul. In my own experience,
misconceptions about the marketplace create hurtul
and inaccurate stereotypes that portray even Christian
businesspeople as uncaring, unthinking, exploitative, and
unengaged. What is needed is a richer and more accurate
view o business one comprising numerous relati
and actions, ull o nuances and complexities.
This is not to say that the business world is beyond crit
or the events leading up to the current economic crisis
underscore the need or serious refection and correcti
among those o us in business. Indeed, many companiebusiness schools are vigorously discussing these ailings
some political reorms and restrictions on business pra
have already been implemented. The act remains, how
that all too oten, the business world does not look to s
biblical principles to inorm business practices. In truth
Christian businesspeople have ound it easier to go alo
the status quo in their orga
and not rock the boat with
own set o ethical principle
complicate matters, the Ch
businesspersons set o valu
be ounded on the latest pobook instead o Biblical wis
part because they have not
made a connection betwee
aith and their work.
While I serve in various ro
at PLNU connecting busin
economics, and students as the executive director o th
Fermanian and Business Economic Institute (FBEI), I
an entrepreneur, perhaps one o the most misundersto
o businessperson. I did not necessarily seek the entrep
path; my undergraduate education is in communicatio
once thought I would become an educator. Instead, I d
the research shows holds true or most entrepreneurs
upon my career almost entirely by accident. Since join
PLNU in the all o 2005, much o my academic resea
personal writings have sought connections between the
and the entrepreneur. And what I have observed is a tr
opportunity or connections, but what I have experienc
signicant misunderstanding and mischaracterization.
EtEpEEu:uEtk MEth BuE
we already see many signsof Crisian bsinesseole
from eery denominaionrejecing religion, and religion
oerwelmingly rejecing
bsinesseole.
8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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E thE EtEpEEuPerhaps part o the misunderstanding stems rom the lack o
clarity around what an entrepreneur really is. The dominant
media images o entrepreneurs are visionary inventors such as
Bill Gates or Steve Jobs who start transormational businesses
in a garage and ultimately achieve staggering riches, power,
and infuence. This no more accurately represents the realities
o entrepreneurship than do televangelists represent the rural
pastor o a small congregation or the U.S. presidency compare
to the local civil servant. In the eld o entrepreneurship, this
mistaken typology is called the entrepreneurial myth.
In sharp contrast, 17th century European economist, Richard
Cantillon, oered the French term entrepreneur meaning one
who undertakes. Considered the rst denition o the term,
it distinguished the undertaker rom landowners and hired
labor because the undertakers had to adjust to risks and live
with uncertainty. There was no distinction in class or status orthe entrepreneur, but simply the recognition that a third actor
was emerging between the arm worker and landowner, one
who sought additional opportunity,
reedom, and fexibility.
With no direct translation or the
French word, it was very early
rendered in English as master,
speculator, and projector all
inadequate to convey Cantillons
work. This inaccurate representation
likely contributed to theentrepreneurial myth and grew out o
the publicity and attention given to a
small number o entrepreneurs who
achieved great success. Throughout
the rise o the industrial revolution and beyond, headline-
grabbing inventors, nanciers, and capitalists who achieved
incredible success while taking great risks became the archetype
or the entrepreneur. Ironically, while the specic motivations
that drive entrepreneurs are complex, success is not typically the
entrepreneurs driving motivation.
Proessor Scott Shane o Case-Western University has wr
that The real reason most people start businesses, howe
nothing to do with wanting to make money, to become
to better their own communities, to seek adventure, or ev
improve the world. Most people start businesses
simply because they just dont like working or someone
else. While Shanes research is insightul, it has a comm
limitation: rst, it does not ully appreciate the moveme
o contemporary entrepreneurship ar beyond the traditi
boundaries o or-prot business ventures, and second, th
impact and infuence o personal religious aith upon th
entrepreneurial processes.
The Kaumann Foundation, a highly infuential voice a
research group in entrepreneurship, released in 2008 a
comprehensive study that described entrepreneurship asprocess o undamental transormation: rom innovative
enterprise and rom enterprise to value As a distinct m
thought and action, it deriv
business but can operate in
realm o human endeavor.
Research and experience sh
that embedded in most Ch
entrepreneurs are strong m
communal, and aith-driven
principles which make them
natural allies or congregatiseeking new insights and so
When we consider the Kau
denition, we begin to see h
the entrepreneurial persona
might be helpul in three areas where the church is curr
engaged: critiquing the dominant culture, serving the po
doing justice, and building relationships with people and
outside the church.
embedded in mos Crisian
enrereners are srong
missional, commnal, and
fai-drien rinciles wic
mae em naral allies for
congregaions seeing newinsigs and solions
8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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Ctqu thE MtCutuE
Artists, poets, and activists are some o the strongest voices
calling or renewal in the Christian community. These voices
are requently at the oreront o re-imagining the church, or
they speak out against the dominant cultures infuence on the
church. In many cases, however, these artists, poets, and activists
appear to be overly academic, radicalized, or impractical, using
language and imagery that draws rom sources unamiliar to
the typical churchgoer, rendering their
valuable message irrelevant.
Yet, to the ears and minds o the
entrepreneur, some o this activist
language resonates deeply. Why?
Because the entrepreneur is, in many
ways, the voice o renewal withinthe business community, constantly
challenging the dominant culture o
business and propelling it orward
through innovation, fexibility, and
a dynamic nature. The entrepreneur
waits rom the ringes, impatient
and desiring to engage in ways o doing business that are not
yet imagined. This is not a reckless personality but rather an
observing character. And rom this observation come new
products, rms, and services. These entrepreneurs are people
sitting in our local pews each Sunday. They are the oten
overlooked small business people the armer, restaurant
owner, nancial proessional, building contractor who must
go beyond the poetic imagery portrayed in the pulpit and
ace the realities o meeting their payroll in the coming week,
dealing with an emerging competitor, or resolving disputes
among employees.
In light o the current economic crisis, renewal and chan
on many peoples minds. It appears that a proound econ
reset o some sort is underway, its exact scope and impnot yet ully dened. A signicant number o us are mak
economic and liestyle choices that are turning away rom
excessive consumerism o recent decades. Economic rea
collided with our own personal lives.
Entrepreneurship has the p
to respond and then transo
society. It is, in act, the pri
driver o economic activity
U.S. and worldwide, ar mo
eective than governmenta
or corporate expansion. Ne70 percent o U.S. econom
growth can be attributed to
entrepreneurial activity. Ov
past 20 years, two-thirds o
within industrialized count
be attributed to entreprene
Conversations between church leadership and entrepren
would be groundbreaking, or there are ew others with t
kind o practical experience and appreciation or the val
o time, talent, and treasure as the entrepreneur. The
typical entrepreneur exists largely without the governme
protections that generally avor publicly held corporation
public employee unions, and other organized groups. Th
no bailouts or the small business or aspiring entreprene
the entrepreneur compensates or this lack o ormalized
by being dynamic, imaginative, and fexible, thereby sha
numerous characteristics with the artist and the activist.
too, can envision new possibilities and are uniquely posi
to act on them.
early 70 ercen of u..
economic grow can be
aribed o enrerenerial
aciiy. er e as 20 years,
wo-irds of all jobs wiin
indsrialized conries can be
aribed o enrerenersi.
8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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The past decade o entrepreneurial research has done
well in chronicling the rise o social entrepreneurship and
micronance, both o which contribute to global economic
justice. While social entrepreneurship and micronance arenot a distinctly Christian notion, there is certainly a ripe
opportunity or the church to support and nurture the
entrepreneurs who stand to align their goals o justice and
mercy with those o the church.
Social entrepreneurs look at the intractable problems acing
society and eel great rustration at the lack o progress towards
solving them. Bill Drayton, widely regarded as the ounder
o the modern social entrepreneur movement, has written,
The core psychology o a social entrepreneur is someone
who cannot come to rest, in a very deep sense, until he or she
has changed the pattern in an area o social concern all across
society. Famine, clean water, housing, education, and the
administration o justice are just a ew example areas o great
importance to these contemporary entrepreneurs.
Mike Mellace, ounder o Mama Mellaces, is in the snack
business nuts to be exact. His products can be ound in
retail stores throughout the U.S. Mellace has been a riend
to the Fermanian School o Business and FBEI or several
years, and his company employs several PLNU alumni.
manuacturing plant in Carlsbad, numerous ministry ev
including a churchs primary sanctuary, co-exist with sna
production. Mellace and his partner, Mike Runion, are impressive example o traditional entrepreneurs, taking a
business idea and shaping it around serving the world in
name o Jesus.
Besides providing wholesome snacks with natural ingred
a positive mission in itsel, Mellaces non-prot oundati
also developed a product that could help end world hun
Using surplus nuts, Mellace created a peanut-based past
ortied with minerals and vitamins that World Vision p
to use to ght malnutrition globally. Statistics have show
that a child who eats three packs a day or 30 days has a
percent survival rate compared to the 5-10 percent surviv
without the product. Mellace and his partners are using
proessional talents and passion, combined with a creati
solutions-oriented entrepreneurial spirit, to ght hunger
What Mellace and his company and oundation do is ce
bold and dramatic, but it is not an aberration. There are
elements o justice, grace, and service in many entrepren
a wide variety o industries i we just take the time to loo
Ev thE p utCE
8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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Business Matters
PLNU students and alumni are connecting
prot with passion. The following three
businesses are about more than just yield;
theyre about making a difference. All three
are creating new capital and opportunities for
those in need. And theyre their products and
services are high quality and innovative.
Brothers Shea Parton (07), Stenn Parton
(08), and Raan Parton (04), along with Shea
Foley (07) are connecting what they produce
with what they care about. They founded
Apolis Activism in 2004, a for-prot company
thats connecting quality design with social
activism. When someone purchases a shirt,
bag, or canvas grocery bag from Apolis,
some of that money is directly impacting
various causes in countries like Bangladesh,
Nepal, and Uganda. Apolis partners with
non-prots in order to maximize the good
that their prot can do.
But their business is not just creating funds that
they can give away. Their products themselves
are being sustainably produced in order to
create jobs. For example, their highly popular
Philanthropist Briefcase not only turns a prot,
but it employs three Ugandan farmers who can
now utilize a years worth of their cotton harvest.
Micronance is another model that is creating
socially responsible businesses.
Micronance may be non-prot, but theyre
giving loans to for-prot businesses all over
the community providing them with access
to nancial capital that they can then turn
around and use to support their businesses,said Dr. Rob Gailey, associate professor
of business and director of the Center for
International Development.
Blake Armstrong (07), director of operations
at EduLeap, is using micronance to make a
difference. He co-founded EduLeap with Chris
Crane, and they are making private education
possible for young people in the developing
world. They provide loan capital and
business training to those edupreneurs, as
EduLeap calls them, wanting to start private
schools abroad. When EduLeap invests in
an edupreneur and their school, they are
creating a business while also investing in the
next generation.
EduLeap itself is a non-prot, said Gailey.
But the work theyre doing is supporting social
entrepreneurs in various countries.
Micronance is also happening locally.
Vaughn (08) helped found the Micron
Club at PLNU, and he is now working w
CDC Small Business Finance, a non-p
organization that partners with comme
lenders to provide loans to developing
businesses in San Diego. Their comm
loan program targets women, minoritieveterans who face difculty securing c
Breaking out of traditional lending by
coming up with unique capital solution
and strategizing with clients to set up t
most tting nancial plan, CDC makes
businesses development possible, wh
less-than-stellar credit may otherwise
a no on developing innovative busine
In his book Creating a Worth Without P
Muhammad Yunus, founder of the cele
Grameen Bank, calls ventures like the
social businesses they are not non-
because theyre making money. But th
also not for-prots where they are max
shareholder wealth. Rather than seek
amass the highest possible level of n
prot to be enjoyed by the investors, th
business seeks to achieve a social obj
At PLNU, Dr. Rob Gailey, director
o PLNUs Center or International
Development (CID), is helping
students make connections thatwill enable them to make this same
kind o impact. The CID, based in
the Fermanian School o Business,
provides opportunities or aspiring social entrepreneurs to
learn rom those already in the eld. There is groundbreaking
collaboration between key micronance and social
entrepreneurial practitioners, university aculty, and students
rom throughout San Diego. This collaboration, the San Diego
Micronance Alliance (SDMFA), is no theoretical platorm
students are shaping and being shaped by practitioners who
are directly involved in serving the poor not only in San Diego,
but globally.
The most signicant impact
probably the infuence these
activities have on students. F
students, these activities provtheir rst exposure to the ide
that poverty alleviation and s
business practices can go tog
They discover that they can use a PLNU degree to pursue
careers in the non-prot and social innovation sectors. Th
transormational moments in a students lie.
My hope is that as more and more students aim to ulll Je
call in Matthew 25 to serve the least o these by combini
viable business solutions with a conscientious and compas
mindset, we will nd more and more connecting points be
church and business connections that will help us, toget
navigate the challenges o global poverty.
or many sdens, ese
aciiies roide eir rs
exosre o e idea a oery
alleiaion and sond bsiness
racices can go ogeer.
8/8/2019 Entrepreneurs - More Than an Undertaking
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pt CECtThe use o entrepreneurship to point people to Jesus is near
to my heart. In my own lie, business interactions and peoples
interest in entrepreneurship have led to spiritual conversations
and relationships in many dierent settings and countries. These
opportunities to share my aith would never have been achievedthrough traditional evangelistic methods.
Our Personal ImpactBusiness is an opportunity to show people the impact o our
aith. When we have strong character, conduct business honestly
and airly, show transparency and generosity, and care about the
needs around us, we open up opportunities or relationship. Our
conduct gives us a voice.
Much o my work at PLNU occurs in an o-campus role, where
I meet with business leaders rom throughout the region to
discuss issues o common interest.
Since San Diego is undamentally a
small business and entrepreneurial
community, I have been able to
connect with people in diverse
settings, including aculty colleagues
at great regional public universities,
business people in companies o all
sizes, and leaders o local churches
and ministries. These initial connections oten deepen into
signicant opportunities or spiritual conversations.
I recall a meeting two years ago with a group o leaders rom avery prominent San Diego organization at a local restaurant.
Lunch was served, and the senior executive present rom the
organization asked i I would pray or the meal. What was
originally intended as a business lunch turned into a time
o ellowship, and my relationship with the organization has
blossomed on all levels.
Global OpportunitiesThese surprising points o connection have developed in other
areas as well. For the past ve years, I have been working with
ministry riends in France and Portugal on how entrepreneurship
can become a common meeting ground when traditional tools
or language ails. In October 2009, I was asked by the non-prot
organization Coherence, created by Parisians Stephen and Joy
Johnston, to speak to a group o business people in France on the
topic o entrepreneurship. Coherence partners with Greenhouse,
a traditional evangelical ministry operating or over 20 years in
the heart o Paris. Coherence has a complementary purpose it
connects local business people who are interested in supporting
sustainable development projects in the French-speakin
such as Arica and Haiti, with experts in their eld.
The ability to talk to secularized Parisians those who l
think that Christians are mentally decient is an excit
breakthrough, leading to unprecedented open doors in
Too oten we approach people outside the church with
attitude that says, we know something you dont, and th
implicit message we convey is were better than you, s
Stephen Johnston. Joy Johnston added, We also orget
all share the same deep longing or something meaning
way a lot o people outside the church express this long
through altruism. When we remember that true religion
help orphans and widows in their distress (James 1: 26-2
o a sudden this altruism becomes a place where secula
intersect with the heart o Jesus, and thats a meaningu
or us to connect with people outside the church.
This is whats happening th
Coherence. Parisians rom
and outside the church are
at that intersection. Togeth
make donations that encou
social entrepreneurs serving
poorest o the poor in Fren
speaking countries around
world. And they make thes
donations while attending events where they dialogue w
experts in various elds. This makes or a lot o meanin
interaction, and a lot o conversations that Jesus can ent
In an increasingly secular and hostile world, entreprene
is a platorm with broad potential application, allowing
connect with communities that have generally turned a
the traditional voice and vision o the church.
CCuMeaningul connections abound. At the intersection o
and entrepreneurship, we can, together, seek out ways t
salt and light in proound ways. We can envision new wengaging and transorming our culture, we can love the
through compassion and solid business ideas, and we ca
relationships with those who might not otherwise ever e
the doors o a traditional church. This is an opportunity
with possibility.
Bsiness is an oorniy
o sow eole e imac
of or fai.
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