Discerning Your Marketing with Christian Business Ethics
Published March 27, 2024
In Christianity, it's important for business ethics and Christian ethics to align in building a business that promotes human dignity, faith, justice, and honesty. You want your organization to be a leader in the community.
But how do we take the theory of business as found in the Bible and theology and apply it to our unique skills and situation?
"How do I live my life?" is the big question for all Christians, and in this blog, we'll sort through a few basic steps to take to review how your business culture lives out the Gospel.
The first foundation found in St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises reminds us that the ultimate goal for all is to praise and love God. The end. Everything else -- everything -- we are to be indifferent to except that it helps us to serve God (and thereby reach Heaven).
It is a simple statement, but the difficulty is to obey and follow that when we get distracted by the world.
So let's keep that as our guiding compass as we review a few more definite steps.
But how do we take the theory of business as found in the Bible and theology and apply it to our unique skills and situation?
"How do I live my life?" is the big question for all Christians, and in this blog, we'll sort through a few basic steps to take to review how your business culture lives out the Gospel.
The first foundation found in St. Ignatius of Loyola's Spiritual Exercises reminds us that the ultimate goal for all is to praise and love God. The end. Everything else -- everything -- we are to be indifferent to except that it helps us to serve God (and thereby reach Heaven).
It is a simple statement, but the difficulty is to obey and follow that when we get distracted by the world.
So let's keep that as our guiding compass as we review a few more definite steps.
Christian Business Ethics Lead to Ordering Creation
Fr. Michael Gaitley wrote that the Christian business owner has a duty to "order creation for the good of humanity." (The One Thing Is Three)
This is a beautiful concept to keep in mind when we begin to evaluate our business goals and what marketing we should use to that end.
Am I designing my business in a way that promotes a worldview worthy of Christianity? Is it ordered correctly -- using things as well as my skills to their proper ends to help people?
Does my marketing also respect the dignity of human beings? Does it prey upon bad behavior, or does it reach people in a positive way?
This is a beautiful concept to keep in mind when we begin to evaluate our business goals and what marketing we should use to that end.
Am I designing my business in a way that promotes a worldview worthy of Christianity? Is it ordered correctly -- using things as well as my skills to their proper ends to help people?
Does my marketing also respect the dignity of human beings? Does it prey upon bad behavior, or does it reach people in a positive way?
Putting God before Self
Business mindsets can put profit and the Board above all. But temporal management pales in comparison with divine law.
At the end of the day, as you build up your organization and use your gift, those are good. But the intention in our hearts also matters. Integrity is about doing something because it is the right thing to do -- honoring God -- and not because it builds our reputation.
So when evaluating our business and marketing ethos, we also have to work on our purity of intention.
We are ordering creation and trying to reach others in a just way so that others can see the glory of God -- we have to maintain a certain humility about our efforts. Praise feels very good, that's perfectly normal, but we have to have the courage to keep our motivation elsewhere.
This concept can be difficult in our digital age that encourages viral videos and social media likes. But the decisions of Christian leadership need a firmer foundation.
What are the best marketing practices for your business' -- and God's -- success, not your ego's?
At the end of the day, as you build up your organization and use your gift, those are good. But the intention in our hearts also matters. Integrity is about doing something because it is the right thing to do -- honoring God -- and not because it builds our reputation.
So when evaluating our business and marketing ethos, we also have to work on our purity of intention.
We are ordering creation and trying to reach others in a just way so that others can see the glory of God -- we have to maintain a certain humility about our efforts. Praise feels very good, that's perfectly normal, but we have to have the courage to keep our motivation elsewhere.
This concept can be difficult in our digital age that encourages viral videos and social media likes. But the decisions of Christian leadership need a firmer foundation.
What are the best marketing practices for your business' -- and God's -- success, not your ego's?
The Fruits of your Business
If you have a purity of intention and your business is rightly ordered, that doesn't mean it's easy to discern what the best marketing strategy is.
Businesses can be ethical and find success through a variety of channels.
The best channel depends upon your ideal consumer, cold hard data, as well as the fruits of your labor.
When trying to discern whether your company is fulfilling God's will, one path is to look for the fruits. How are people being affected? Do you see a growth of virtue or learning?
If this were easy, there wouldn't need to be Christian business coaches or spiritual directors.
Most of us try to see and follow the Will of God, but will never have a true understanding of how well we've managed it until the Final Judgment. The fruits of our labor may arise after we've gone.
Nevertheless, it's a vital question to take to prayer for your business growth plan. What paths should I pursue now, and what should I put on hold?
Businesses can be ethical and find success through a variety of channels.
The best channel depends upon your ideal consumer, cold hard data, as well as the fruits of your labor.
When trying to discern whether your company is fulfilling God's will, one path is to look for the fruits. How are people being affected? Do you see a growth of virtue or learning?
If this were easy, there wouldn't need to be Christian business coaches or spiritual directors.
Most of us try to see and follow the Will of God, but will never have a true understanding of how well we've managed it until the Final Judgment. The fruits of our labor may arise after we've gone.
Nevertheless, it's a vital question to take to prayer for your business growth plan. What paths should I pursue now, and what should I put on hold?
Engage in Regular Discernment
The process of integrating Christian ethics into our business is never finished. But if we want to have credibility -- instead of simply throwing out terms like servant leadership and slapping Jesus' name on our work -- we will continually nurture our spirituality with education about our faith as well as the philosophy of entrepreneurship.
A Christian worldview has a lot to offer business leaders. By keeping in mind the right order of creation, God, and trust in the fruits of our labor, we will grow in the virtue of discernment to make just decisions about how we run our business and how we promote our services.
It is a lifelong journey to put the stewardship of our talents above a desire for praise, money, or other worldly priorities. And many of our entrepreneur contemporaries may not understand Christian wisdom.
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)
A Christian worldview has a lot to offer business leaders. By keeping in mind the right order of creation, God, and trust in the fruits of our labor, we will grow in the virtue of discernment to make just decisions about how we run our business and how we promote our services.
It is a lifelong journey to put the stewardship of our talents above a desire for praise, money, or other worldly priorities. And many of our entrepreneur contemporaries may not understand Christian wisdom.
But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)
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