Faith-based business owners believe in business growth
Ask any entrepreneur what drives them to succeed, and you might be surprised to learn that money isn't always the top motivator - their faith is.
In fact, many prominent companies both here in our community and beyond were founded on the idea that running a business is a spiritual calling - one that compels owners to provide for others by creating jobs, delivering essential services, and making money to fund charitable organizations such as overseas missions, church groups, and health care for the needy.
Entrepreneurs More Likely To Believe In A Personal God
According to a study by Baylor University, "American entrepreneurs pray more frequently, are more likely to see God as personal and are more likely to attend services...." (when compared to adults who do not own a business).
Baylor researchers also discovered that "entrepreneurs were 1.6 times more likely to attend congregations that encourage starting a business or making a profit in business" and that the "relationship between religion and economic growth is no longer the domain of one tradition".
Bringing Together Faith-Based Values and Business
How business owners combine their faith with enterprise varies widely depending on their beliefs, their community, and the role religion plays in their day-to-day operations.
For example, companies such as Chick-fil-A (founded by Truett Cathy, a devout Southern Baptist) are vocal about their support for religious values, including closing up shop on Sunday - also known among Christians as the 'Lord's Day'. The only exception the fast food chain has made to their strict Sunday closure policy has been in cases where their communities are in need, such as when tornadoes hit Texas in 2015.
Similarly, many Jewish-owned businesses also close on Shabbat (Saturday), the traditional Jewish day of rest, closing up at sundown each Friday and staying shuttered until sundown on Saturday - the beginning of the new week in Judaism.
Other ways that business owners integrate their faith with their business operations include printing bible passages on packaging, as both In-N-Out Burger and Forever 21 do; choosing suppliers that have values which align with their faith, and in the case of Tyson Foods, providing employees with access to non-denominational workplace Chaplains.
