The Ultimate Entrepreneur

I live in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  Our county is situated northwest of Pittsburgh.  It’s easy to find the town (Monaca) where I grew up on a map.  Just follow the Ohio River from where it forms in Pittsburgh and trace it as it flows north and west for several miles.  My hometown is right at the “bend in the river” where the Ohio turns and begins its long and meandering journey to the Mississippi.

This area of the country was booming a few decades ago.  The rivers provided excellent transportation for heavy industry and that industry grew and grew.  Steel, glass, zinc—those were the products that lifted our economy into the stratosphere.  In fact, at one time, Beaver Falls had the highest per capita income of any town in the state of Pennsylvania.  I left the area in 1973 right out of college.  Things were still bustling then.

Ah, but the bubble burst.  Foreign competition and a host of other dynamics closed most of the local mills.  Thousands of people lost their jobs.  Many had to leave our county to find gainful employment.  Thriving downtown areas became almost “ghost-town like” as store front after store front was boarded up. 

I returned to Beaver County in 2003.  So much of what I remembered about growing up here is still evident—the beautiful hills and peaceful rivers; the cordial and down-to-earth people, the faith of its churches, the ethnic diversity of its ancestry.  But there was something new I sensed upon my arrival—a malaise.  It reminded me of past flights into Los Angeles where I would gaze out the window and see this brown “yuk” hanging above the city.  People talked about the “good old days” when the mills were flourishing and the towns were booming.  Few seemed to talk about the future of the county—until recently.

There’s a Christian business group here called Leaders Serving Beaver County.   LSBC (www.ls-bc.org ) has recently launched a “Start with Faith” initiative.  The purpose of this initiative is “to cultivate and expand entrepreneurial spirit and passion within Beaver County.”  I am pleased to serve on the committee that is launching this initiative and I must say it is exciting to be around entrepreneurs—especially Christian entrepreneurs.

That’s a long introduction to this Weekly Insight which covers thoughts from the book Entrepreneurial Faith by Kirbyjon Caldwell and Walt Kallestad.  The authors claim that Jesus was, and is, the Ultimate Entrepreneur.  Their argument is that Jesus was the Ultimate Entrepreneur because He looked at the way things were and refused to allow them to remain that way.  He set the standard for entrepreneurship. 

The authors contend that an entrepreneur, in the best sense of the word, is one who is not satisfied with the way things are and who refuses to stand on the sidelines doing nothing about it.  “A true entrepreneur is not primarily about making money, but about using his or her skill and expertise and knowledge and passion to make life better for others.” 

I’d have to think about that definition for a bit.  Based on my involvement with entrepreneurs, you can’t ignore the money factor.  I’m not sure how it all fits, but it seems that Christian entrepreneurs want to make a real difference at the same time they are making money.  And, let’s face it, to make a difference requires monetary resources.   

I’ve always linked the word “risk taker” with entrepreneur.  The authors do so as well.  They believe entrepreneurship is about “seeing, sizing, and seizing opportunities”—taking on new challenges in a new way—acting boldly and taking risks while expecting new results that improves people’s lives.   

Entrepreneurial faith requires looking at your community in a completely new way.  It embraces opportunities to step out of the usual into the exciting and, yes, sometimes into the scary.  In fact, one of the men who serves on the LSBC Start with Faith Committee challenged me by saying, “If it doesn’t scare you, it’s not big enough.”  It’s living life on the edge and loving the view.   

The authors of Entrepreneurial Faith challenge us to leave the status quo and “become a person who is a change agent, adding value through creatively and passionately launching bold initiatives, all the while taking calculated risks for God.”  Aha, here is what may set the Christian entrepreneur from the typical business entrepreneur—the former works on earth but has a spiritual goal in mind.  The Christian entrepreneur does the work guided by God and produces eternal results.  The goal is nothing short of expanding God’s Kingdom on earth.   

Sounds challenging, doesn’t it?  The key to succeeding in this risky venture is enlisting and joining forces with a group of like-minded people who will work with you to meet human needs and minister in your community.   

And so here I am back in the county where I grew up sitting with a group of people with “entrepreneurial faith,” being challenged to think big.  How big?  How about revitalizing the economy of Beaver County?  Now that’s big.   

I must admit that I am much like the father in Mark chapter 9.  The man had a son who was greatly afflicted by a demon.  As a result, the boy could not speak and would convulse and foam at the mouth.  When Jesus saw this, he asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”  “From childhood,” he said.  “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  Then Jesus said to him, “If You can? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”  Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe!  Help my unbelief.” 

Seeing Christian entrepreneurs unite to revitalize the “can do” spirit in Beaver County is something I want to believe can happen, but Father, please help my unbelief.

How about you?  Has God shown you something recently—in your family, in your business, in your church, in your neighborhood, in your town—something that causes a sense of dissatisfaction to rise within you?  If so, ask our Heavenly Father to empower you, to make you courageous so that you won’t be satisfied just standing on the sidelines doing nothing about it.  Seize the opportunity to add value and bring glory to God through your entrepreneurial faith. 

Keith 

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