Biblical Entrepreneurship

I sure do appreciate the work Doug Phillips at Vision Forum Ministries has been doing in recent years. A few weeks ago he hosted an Entrepreneurial Bootcamp Conference. Here are some quotes from Doug about the conference...

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“Many men find themselves caught in a corporate culture at odds with biblical values. They are looking for a fresh start to provide for their loved ones in a way that builds up, not breaks down, their family. We are seeking to communicate hope to such men and their families by offering practical teaching that explores various business models in light of God’s Word.”

“Our goal with the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp is to inspire Christians to apply biblical principles of family life to the twenty-first century work environment,”

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This conference and the subject of Biblical entrepreneurship dovetails perfectly with much of what I was saying in my previous post about reestablishing the family economy. I was thrilled to see that a Christian agrarian (Joel Salatin) was one of the featured speakers at the conference. I wish I could have been there but I sure don’t have the time and resources to go to Texas. The good news, though, is that I have decided to purchase the complete 26-CD unedited collection of recordings from the conference.

I’m looking forward to hearing ....

A Biblical Model for Successful Agrarian Entrepreneurship by Joel Salatin

Family Business and the Two Hundred Year Plan by Geoff Botkin

How to Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Spirit with Your Children by Arnold Pent

How to Work with Your Kids So That They Will Want to Work with You by Joel Salatin

The History of Technology by Isaac Botkin

Getting the Big Picture for Entrepreneurship and the Christian Family by Doug Phillips

The Rebirth of Family-Friendly Christian Entrepreneurship by Nick Logan

Fathers and Sons Working Together by Scott Brown

An Entrepreneurial Family-Based Multi-Generational Business by Joel Salatin

That’s just a sampling of what’s on the CDs. Unfortunately, they are expensive ($125), but I’ve justified the expense by determining that I will review portions of the tape series here and share with you some choice tidbits.

You can find out more about the conference collection by clicking here

In closing, I offer you Doug’s excellent definition of Biblical entrepreneurship:

“Biblical entrepreneurship involves the moral obligation to be economically creative and productive. The principle of entrepreneurship is rooted in the dominion mandate and the biblical doctrines of work, stewardship, and fruitfulness. Biblical entrepreneurship incorporates principles of biblical patriarchy with its emphasis on multigenerational faithfulness, freedom in Christ, inheritance, jurisdiction, and the household as a vibrant, economically productive, God-ordained unit for cultural transformation. It is impossible to have a full-orbed vision of entrepreneurship without careful consideration for the scriptural doctrine of the family. Any approach to entrepreneurship which is divorced of these considerations inevitably leads to the idolatries of materialism, individualism, and the love of money.”

3 comments:

  1. I am familiar with Doug's set of tapes- but the cost kept me from purchasing them.

    I look forward to hearing your review and letting us in on any insights you find as you listen and study them. :-)

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  2. We managed to find the funds to attend this conference with some of our extended family.

    Even though we attended there were several sessions we could not attend since I could not figure out how to be in two places at the same time. I too am looking forward to listening to those that I missed.

    One thing I would say is that I wish there was more involving how to integrate your family into a business, but I realize it can not be all things to all people. There were many discussions of patent ideas or selling businesses, but unfortantely I can't figure out a way to involve two year olds in buying the royalty rights to patents and such. That said, it was refreshing to hear a biblical discussion of this topic and continue to refine our thinking on it as well.

    Joel Salatin covered this topic in most of his talks, and I'm reading his 'Family Friendly Farming' now. I can say that I highly recommend it, and it continues to whet our appetite for integrating our family and our businesses. We've also ordered the garlic books from you, and our family is anxious to see how this can fit into our family business plans.

    One of the highlights of the conference was the church service that was held on Sunday morning. What a delight.

    I'm looking forward to reading your impressions of the conference.

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  3. You might be interested in what Stephen Beck has to say about Family Entrepeneurship. He used to be a builder for a corporate company, and left to start a homeschooling curriculum store in his hometown, with the help of his family. He's now in seminary at Greyfriars and we're hoping he comes back to town to pastor a church. While doing seminary, he's been putting on conferences and talks on Family Entrepeneurship countrywide if I'm not mistaken. He's got some pretty good material.

    His website www.familyebiz.com.

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