The Organization, Christian Business Leaders

A successful Christian business man may sound like an oxymoron, but that was R.G LeTourneau. He built big, powerful machinery that could do things that no other machine could do before, but he also believes that a Christian business man owes as much to God as a preacher does (LeTourneau, 1967). Mr. LeTourneau states, “God needs businessmen as partners as well as preachers” (1967). Imagine a man becoming a very successful Christian business man, the founder of LeTourneau University, and a leader of many missionary works. The proceeding essay will discuss the man, his faith, and my personal reflection of R.G. LeTourneau.

Even with diversity in various religious backgrounds these CEO continue to perform in a manner which demonstrates love and goodness. Again, Duby (2014) stated in his commentary that even if one works in a place where their religious views cannot be outwardly spoken one can still honor God in how they treat each other. Many CEOs today do not advertise what religious affiliation they adhere to, but they still show their efforts to operate as an image bearer of God in how they engage and honor their employees, stakeholders and customers. Servant leaders seek to invest in the lives of their people as demonstrated in the leader’s willingness to give of themselves to meet the needs of their people.

Chosen People Ministries is another non-profit organization whose purpose is to evangelize and disciple Jewish people around the world. The organization was founded in 1894 by Leopold Cohn, a Jewish immigrant who is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and his passion is to share that with other fellow Jewish people. Chosen People Ministries serves Jewish people in sixteen countries across the world. The main focus of the organization is to reach Jewish people for Christ through evangelism and discipleship, equipping believers to share the gospel with Jewish people, providing resources in print and on the web, and doing benevolence work.

The alumnus of St. Mary’s College of California and Hope International University has also taught courses in leadership, marketing and entrepreneurship at Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Long Beach.

Smashed in the backseat of my uncle’s van which was already overcrowded with kids from throughout the community of Uniontown, the first thing I noticed was the girl’s ungroomed hair and the boy’s flip flops. Despite being the beginning of winter in this rural town of Kansas, the kids seemed unfazed by their lack of grooming or clothing; their faces said it all. Pure contentment and excitement, the kind of a child who has just been told he is going to Disneyland, spread across their faces as they scampered toward this 2008 Honda Odyssey. Tonight was Bible Impact Ministries (BIM) night, where about 50 kids go each week to receive one on one adult attention, enjoy much needed food, and learn the word of the Lord. BIM is only offered in this community

Through these nine key concepts, Dr. Grudem illustrates how a variety of business techniques, when implemented in a Godly manner, allow those to pose certain characteristics of God. Grudem isn’t naïve, though. He does, after all, explain that in every aspect of business there are multiple layers of opportunities to give glory to God, as well as multiple temptations to sin (Grudem, 2003, p. 17). He is also aware about the easy ways these activities can be perverted and used as a means to sin ("Business for the," 2003). This book is tailored to echo God’s glory in relation to correlation with employees, co-workers, customers, and other businesses involved in the business unity. Furthermore, it does not only promote a positive impact within the business realm, but also in the personal realm of one’s life in business.

I never thought to be a Christian leader. As a matter of fact, I am a person who did not know about God for 26 years. I was the center of my life, and there was no room for God to enter. Even when I was attending church service, I was trying not to be exposed to other church people. In other words, I was the kind of person who was afraid to walk into a life of faith. However, in the past three years, God has changed me in many ways, and showed me so many miraculous things. And, finally here I am. Being a Christian leader seems the most challenging job in the world. I am working as the chairman of a youth ministry, and walking on the path to be a church leader. When God called me to work for the

Billy Graham was CEO of BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association). This is not someone most people think of as a CEO but yet he was, for more than fifty years. (Myra & Shelley, 2005, p. 11) Billy’s lifestyle and the way he leads his company are symbiotic. He was not incompetent or ignorant of technology and the benefits it could bring to his mission. He was invited to speak at the TED Conference (Technology, Information and Design) where he talked about technology, faith and human shortcomings. (Talbert, 2008) He posed the question, “What about human evil, death and suffering?” He went on to add that with all the great minds present, could anyone solve these problems with technology, and if not, what could? (Graham, 1998) Mr. Graham

My most imminent goal is to, through college at Cedarville, gain an education that is necessary for excellence in modern business. I plan to get a job utilizing a degree in either Computer Science or IT Management, so the work would be either in programming, or in a more businesslike environment. However, I believe that in either setting, God has given me the skills and tendencies necessary to become a leader in the group. Whether or not this manifests as a leadership position in the company, or as a dedicated employee who can encourage and assist his coworkers, I can't tell yet. However, I believe that, through Christ, I can make inroads into the lives of people in the work environment to make a positive impact on their lives.

The Christian worldview of leadership is distinctly different from most secular views on the subject. In the secular, leadership tends to be viewed primarily in terms of a company’s bottom line and how well the leader can urge employees to produce more and better work. That view is profit-centered rather than person-centered, and it does not give much attention to employees’ human needs and qualities nor on how developing excellent work relationships can promote productivity. In the Christian worldview, however, people are key, and their human needs are important. The leader in the Christian worldview understands how meeting employees’ needs promotes the kind of productivity desired and

Lubbock Christian University has had a vision set out for in since its founding by members of the Church of Christ in 1957. Those who took part in the founding of LCU based it on a hope that it would grow to be highly recognized in academics while it strived to put Christ above all. Today, LCU’s mission reads, “Lubbock Christian University is a Christ-centered academic community of learners, transforming the hearts, minds, and hands of students for lives of purpose and service”. LCU does a wonderful job of creating an atmosphere that is filled with an engaged community that aspires to build others up with the love of Christ, from both staff, professors, and students alike. It is in this environment

Countries disintegrate, place of worship and corporation fail, people become dysfunctional, descendants lose their direction, and mankind drift from God on behalf of one distracting reason; insufficiency of leadership. These disappointments are often for the reason that of the deficiency of instruction, appropriate leadership, and misperception on what Christian leadership subsists and exactly how that leadership is pertinent to every component of professional and personal life. From a Christian worldview perspective, Psalm 112:5 explains, “A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion” (NKJ). A Christian manager should always keep in mind that bounteousness and admiration for God, demonstrates that one has placed trust in Him, and not our material possessions.

Strong leadership is vital to the success of any business, institution, school, team, or even church. Leaders that are considered effective encompass a leadership style and qualities that work to influence and motivate their followers. Joel Osteen, an evangelical pastor from Houston, Texas is truly one of the 21st centuries most captivating leaders. So much so, that he as selected by Barbara Walters as one of her 10 Most Fascinating People of 2016 (ABC News, 2006). His appeal is a phenomenon that is unmatched by any other current leaders in his profession. Over the past 15 years he has built a church, where he ministers one of the largest and most diverse congregations in America (Romano, 2005). Aside from his 45,000 attendees at his weekly services, his sermon is broadcasted in every television market in the United States and in over 100 other nations around the world (“About Joel,” n.d.). Joel Osteen is a prime example of a compelling leader who practices an effective leadership style that resonates with people on a personal level.

An organization guided by Christian principles will build a structural solid foundation. As a follower of Christ, “communication” is [essentially] required to fulfill the responsibility of advocating Christianity. In a business setting the benefit of applying Christian values to provide guidance that will affirm the foundations of an organization. The philosophy of promoting growth and sustainability with any establishment is to follow the organization's vision and mission. Smith (2011) expresses the importance of fulfilling one’s purpose with God by building interpersonal relationships, “Indeed we can only hope to fulfill our vocations if we learn the grace and strength of working with others in

When he first began, he was told that he was a pastor and that he had no business experience; how could he possibly guide people in business? He has taken his leadership experiences from his church life and directly correlated them to many various fields. The book has many illustrations drawing parallels with sports and American history as well as corporate experts’ stories.