Being in business brings ethical challenges that test our commitment to be a Christian witness in the business world.
Articles
Business articles are drawn from selected business seminar presentations and best articles by others that align with our business values. Titles include general business subjects like entrepreneurship, business leadership and management, and specific areas of business practice such as accounting and employee management, etc. Individual articles are only available online.
We partner with Christian Learning Resource to offer these articles to you. You may place orders from the selections below. Order fulfillment and payment is handled by CLR.
Business Articles
Some articles may be incorporated into booklets.
Subject: Biblical Principles of Business and Work
Often we are unsure how extensively our faith should impact our businesses.
We often think and strategize about how to make our business successful. But how much do we think about our personal response to success?
As Christians in business, we encounter the allure (sometimes subtle and other times quite overt) of money, stuff, and the power of influence.
How did we as Anabaptist people go from being persecuted refugees, and pilgrims and strangers on the earth, to being in the top 10% of the world’s most wealthy people? What does God, our Heavenly...
Subject: Business Leadership, Other
Are being good at business and being good at ethics mutually exclusive? We want our ethics to be part of our business values and practice.
Are being good at business and being good at ethics mutually exclusive? We want our ethics to be part of our business values and practice.
Subject: Business Leadership
All business owners face challenges, particularly the small business owner, who is of necessity more self-reliant, with fewer safety nets, and less support than might be present in a larger...
Life involves both gain and loss. Although much is risked in business, there are things you must purpose not to lose.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”. Humility is not bashful and shy. Instead, humble leaders reach out and invite feedback.
Good shepherds love their sheep and lead them to green pastures and clear water.
Strategic leaders start with what is known and strategically think through how things could unfold. They use well-rounded research, gather the facts and solicit feedback to build a plan.
Subject: Business Startup and Planning
An entrepreneur should consider carefully the many factors that will impact his business when choosing the best form of business ownership or structure.
When Jacob Nisley started JN Pallet, located in Conneautville, Pennsylvania, in 1985, he did so with the purpose of growing a family business that would provide not just a means of livelihood but...
Most men in our generation leave their children pretty much on their own to make their way in the world.
If you are among those who are striving to create a culture of entrepreneurship for your family, consider carefully how you shape that culture in order to nurture and encourage entrepreneurial...
The need for clear family‐business governance may seem a bit unnecessary. However, effective governance is essential to a healthy and enduring business.
God needs somebody with enough internal motivation to get up at dawn, spend time in prayer, unlock the plant, work all day in production, lock up the plant, eat supper, and then go to a school...
The best idea to pursue is to take a problem you know exists, experienced by a large customer set you know how to reach, solved in a way you know how to solve, delivered by means you know how to...
By using a methodical process of starting a business—and with God’s guidance—you will hopefully develop a high-quality business idea that can be pursued with confidence and enthusiasm.
Launch the best opportunity you’ve developed (from all of the ideas you’ve generated and evaluated) in the fastest, least-cost, and most creative manner possible.
It is now time to decide the method of launch, which includes starting up from scratch, buying into a franchise, or buying a business, which may not be as far out of reach as some assume.
There is hope for the less-capitalized entrepreneur: there are countless businesses that can be started with very little money. But there is a catch.
All investments have a degree of risk. Have you lost money to scams? A godly investor avoids all speculations and seeks to use his Master’s money with wisdom and diligence.
Young aspiring entrepreneurs should prepare themselves by creating their own roadmap to equip themselves for entrepreneurship.
In order to survive, every business needs to make a profit. What are good pricing methods? Is your pricing fair?
In addition to wealth generation and Kingdom impact, a family business can also reform the family economy and relationships.
This Workshop gives practical applications of Strategic Planning. Learn how to take your strategy, plans, and ideas and implement them with simplicity and consistency.
This topic explores the What, Why, and How of Strategic Planning.
Getting ready to start a business? Not quite there yet, but preparing? Want to? Wonder if business ownership is for you? Does small business fit your Anabaptist lifestyle?
Our foundation of entrepreneurship will be made of three core business elements: business leadership, market need, and business planning.
As men family leaders, we are constantly concerned about our ability to provide adequately.
Many of us work at and grow companies that function under less-than-ideal conditions. What is the ideal company?
Life as an entrepreneur is a wild ride, full of ups and downs, hills and valleys, and rife with the opportunity to be sanctified by God as he uses our business challenges to sharpen us, increase...
We resist change—sometimes even when we can see imminent danger—because finding a new approach or a new method is too much work, too hard on our pride, or too risky.
To everything there is a season, and business is no different. Business owners and managers must learn about those various seasons and the need for diligent preparation.
What determines the success of a business venture? Wade Myers suggests the following formula: Entrepreneur + Business Model + Resources + God’s Providence = Success.
Not sure what you want to do with your future? Wade Myers provides practical guidance for young men who want to learn how to become entrepreneurs.
Subject: Finance, Accounting, and Taxes
“Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds," says Proverbs 27:23.
Business taxation is complex, and many business owners choose to rely on tax professionals to prepare and file their business tax returns.
Audits are unpredictable. You don’t know if or when they are going to hit you. Some audits are by random selection, and you just happen to be the unlucky one.
Farmers are not exempt from Christ’s command to render unto Caesar the taxes owed him. Farmers have their own unique set of rules and advantages in the federal tax code. Jacob Dietz looks briefly...
Have you ever looked at your business’s financial statements and wondered if there is something you are missing as you scan the numbers?
Financial statements provide insight and financial data from which informed decisions, crucial to profitable financial activity, can be made by management. A thorough understanding of the balance...
Risk is inherent to life itself, and has the power to stress as well as to bless each one of us.
Ethics includes characteristics like empathy, understanding, consideration for others, and most importantly, complete integrity and moral values.
The balance sheet is an indicator of the long-term cumulative health of your business. It is also the best starting point for reviewing financial statements.
The purpose of a cash flow statement is to show changes over a period of time, including how paying bills, buying inventory, and other things changes your assets and liabilities and impacts your...
The income statement is a diagnosis of the current or short-term health of the business. Although the income statement is limited to a specific period of time, it offers many useful insights about...
Subject: Employee Management and Relations
You need engaged and happy employees if your business is going to be truly successful. Employees are a critical part of your business’s foundation.
Teamwork is a method of operation in which a group of individuals submit their opinions and interests to the unity and efficiency of the group.
Whether it is direct, indirect, or non-monetary, fair compensation and benefits are a key attraction that will keep your employees with your company for a long time.
What keeps people motivated to continue coming to work for you? Fair compensation and benefits are a key attraction that will keep your employees with your company for a long time.
The effects of our investment in employees go far beyond our businesses.
Developing employees can seem like a huge undertaking when you are already busy as the owner/manager of your business.
How many times has an employee been “cut down” when all he or she really needed was a little care to help them succeed?
“I just want my kids to be happy and to get along.” Parents try to make sure their children are happy and get along in the family business, only to discover that the second generation is unhappy...
Fully engaged employees look forward to the day and love their job. They come to work with a positive feeling. They enter a friendly and supportive workplace.
The complexities inherent to family businesses can lead either to creative energy and generations of profitability, or into a maelstrom of troubles and premature dissolution. Family businesses...
Training a new employee is an expensive and time-consuming process.
Compensation of family employees may create problems for family members in the business as well as those who are not. The journey of successful family business management and governance eventually...
A daily dose of preventive medicine can go a long way towards avoiding frequent employee conflicts.
To hire more strategically, site down and pla the key positions, list responsibilities for each, develop ideal profiles, create a proper compensation plan, and prioritize each position.
Telling and showing is not enough to prepare employees to master new skills. Training Within Industry is a sure and dependable way that works every time if it is simply applied.
Most conversation comes easily and spontaneously, but when we need to address a sensitive issue, conversation can be very difficult.
When you hire employees, you are subject to numerous labor laws and fair hiring practices. You also open the door to federal regulators into your business.
Employees are not machines with nuts and bolts holding them together. Working with your people will be much more enjoyable if you learn to love them.
Do you appreciate and value the people who come to work for you every day? How do you demonstrate that you appreciate and value that resource?
When you meet your partner, your employee, or your fellow worker on the other side, what story will you hear about how you changed their life?
We know that a fully-engaged workforce is the differentiator for organizational performance.
How do you know when to let an employee go? You should let an employee go if they lack either skill or will, and you are way past due on letting them go if they lack both.
Subject: For Employees
What does a key employee look like? How can I become a key employee? We have a duty to our God-given abilities to bless others and bring glory to God in our workplace.
What does the Bible say about communication? What are you communicating to the people around you? Communication is an important aspect of all relationships.
Your customers will not care how much you know until they feel how much you care. The Bible has a lot to say about meeting and caring for people.
Christ is glorified when men live out His commandments in their everyday working lives, and professing Christians who fail to do so bring swift reproach to Christ’s name.
Consider I Timothy 6:2, “And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them . . . but rather do them service . .
Subject: Business Governance and Transitions
The need for clear family‐business governance may seem a bit unnecessary. However, effective governance is essential to a healthy and enduring business.
Open, honest, and clear communication is essential when relating to each other, especially in a family business.
An interview with the four Zimmerman brothers from Paul B. Zimmerman, Inc.
A family business is not only a financial asset, but it is a collection of values, reputation and memories.
Avoid transition woes and family strife by early planning. Think realistically about your successor. Review considerations for a peaceful retirement. Smooth the difficult path for your family.
Transitioning a business within a family from one generation to another has its own challenges. But what about transitioning a business through sale to a third party?
Whether you plan for the next generation to take over when you retire, or you expect to sell your business to an outside person, Richard Shank recommends teaching someone who can successfully...
Subject: Business Operations
Innovation is continuously seeking a better way to reach the goal. It means willingness to change, willingness to think differently, openness to do things differently, and getting out of our...
Continuous Improvement is the way to deal with obstacles in your business, but where to begin? You must first determine if you are trying to solve a problem or simply improve a process or ...
Solving problems is a skill that leaders need to develop. Finding the root cause of a problem is key to finding a correct and sustainable solution.
Does God give guidance for believers trying to conduct business operations in our complex, modern economy? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”
For us Christians, operational success is good, but it isn’t our highest purpose. Our ultimate goal is not to achieve something, but to display something.
Subject: Sales and Marketing
Selling is not a set of manipulation techniques for personal gain; it is a servant mindset you carry throughout the entire process.
Everyone knows the classic American poem about a girl and her lamb, "Mary Had a Little Lamb." What can explain this poem's longevity and effectiveness?
Good copywriting is more than stringing words together into sentences and paragraphs. We use words to describe, inform, and educate customers, and ultimately to persuade them to make a purchase. ...
A customer’s attitude about your business will directly influence how much he is willing to pay you—and whether he will even pay you at all. You can influence how your customers feel by giving...
You know what a thriving business looks like on the outside. You even know how it looks on the inside. However, every successful business owner needs to learn the basics of marketing.
An effective salesperson is one of the key forces behind every successful business. Before a purchase is completed, your customers will speak to an employee—a salesperson.
Sometimes marketing materials just are not up to the job. They have not been equipped to successfully accomplish the mission we have sent them on.
For many of us, the title "salesman" conjures up an image of someone who is smooth-talking, calculating, and deceitful.
Did you know that most of your competitors will not take the time to thoroughly plan their marketing for the next year? Strong businesses don’t happen by accident; they happen by planning.
You cannot create customer service by opening up floor space and installing a desk with an employee behind it. Customer service is an attitude within the company, and it speaks for itself.
There is no clear-cut answer to the question of how much to budget for marketing. Business owners must make marketing budget decisions in connection with the overall business plan.
Do you know if your advertising dollars are paying off? Or like John Wanamaker said, do you know that half of your advertising dollars are wasted, but you don't know which half?
Marketing channels are a key component in business, especially when several local businesses are competing for the same market.
Getting an effective marketing program rolling can be bumpy, but Roy Herr demonstrates a well-rounded approach. When all three parts of the marketing wheel—branding, lead generation, and lead...
Market research is the process of collecting and analyzing information that will help you make better marketing decisions.
Marketing today is more complicated than simply putting out a sign and displaying fruit or vegetables on a table at the end of the lane or at a farmers’ market. As Christians, we find ourselves in...
Producing a good product is only part of the task of starting a business. No matter what field you are in, marketing the product is one of the major components to a successful business.
Our people have always been innovators: improving their tools, their techniques, and their situations.
We have a strong tendency to believe that the product is worth the same amount as the published price. Price is the single largest indicator of value.
Caring for your customers and letting them know that you appreciate their business is simply good manners.
Combining a strong unique selling proposition (USP) with a definition of your ideal customer brings a laser-sharp focus to your business and marketing efforts.
Your marketing people should have an organized, functional toolbox from which they can pull the appropriate tools they need to get the message to the marketplace.
God gave Adam and Eve the special charge of dressing and keeping the garden. Our gardens today are the businesses God has entrusted to us to dress and keep.
Clear messaging is the very heart and soul of effective marketing.
A unique selling proposition (USP) is a feature, quality, or service you provide that is different from what your competitors offer.
What is the key to engaging customers in a way that causes them to open their wallets to you instead of to your competitors? Customers are drawn toward businesses that emanate compassion and...
Subject: Other
Being a leader who is trustworthy, a leader who does what he or she says, has a measurable value for the company’s bottom line. If you choose to become the kind of leader who Tells The Truth, then...
Sometimes the same strengths that help build a thriving family business can also become its weakness. One of the best ways to make certain that a family’s strengths do not become the business’...
Too often organizations are over-managed and under-led. What characteristics do effective leaders possess? All leaders should work to develop the characteristics that make them more effective.
Claiming to be transparent is not the same as actually being transparent.
Few scriptural principles are clearer than that of keeping our vows—literally keeping our word both to God and to others.
Why does the gross profit percentage shown on my business Profit and Loss report change from year to year, if the profit markup I use remains constant?
Leaders are exposed to levels of hostile scrutiny and attack that most people know little or nothing about.
Building and maintaining a business driven by positive Anabaptist values is impossible without some support from like-minded men—men who have similar values and are on a similar path.
In our business, as in all areas of our lives, we want to be known as people who believe and practice kingdom principles.
Focusing so exclusively on the goal of profit is a terrible mistake that many businessmen are regularly making. Attention must be given to risks as well as rewards—and with just as much diligence...