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External Perceptions
How does the business world see the church?
I think the place to start in answering this question is to ask another question. ‘How do people in the church want to be seen by people in the world of business?’ In that question the operative word is people. The church and business is made up of people, and people have views based on reality and perception.
Many Christians are, of course, involved in the world of business - and as such have got beyond other people’s perceptions, understanding how the church works. They are a part of something that has been around for more than 2000 years; and it could be argued that its sustainability strategies have been much more effective than those of the business world.
Professor Gillian Stamp has written, ‘ the secular world is stealing the church’s clothes’. One area she referred to is that most companies and indeed organisations now have a mission statement and a set of values. You can add to that , a recognition of the importance of teamwork, of creating community, and having a shared sense of purpose to provide organisational ‘glue’ for the benefit of their customers. More and more companies now provide information on their values, attitudes and politics, for the more astute customer and supplier, and for the public at large.
So it appears that business has seen that there has been something to learn from the church, and that experiences and perceptions have been positive… so far. However, in the book Leading, Managing and Ministering – Challenging questions for Church and Society, one contributor, Alan Harpham, suggest that the future could be different.
He warns ‘as fewer secular managers will have had the experience of church teaching and as schools are encouraged to reduce the amount of the curriculum they spend on these matters, a vacuum will be created for the development of values and ethics.’ Alan does suggest there is a glimmer of hope in that the major business schools are now beginning to include ethics in their curricula. He advocates that they will require the help of the churches and other religious groups to achieve this, but not exclusively. This then becomes the challenge for the church. To engage effectively the church has to discover how it can continue to add value to the business community and develop a great deal more empathy.
Alan Harpham when he introduces his thoughts on ‘Why would a businessman study theology?’ tells us: ‘I have been a Christian longer than I have been a businessman. However, in many Christian circles that I move in, one would be forgiven for thinking that anything to do with business was corrupt, evil, came from the devil, and [was] wholly un-Christian!’ This I have found difficult to take. – did I choose to enter an evil profession, despite being a Christian?
I guess that for me this also sums up my own personal experience. My background is that of a marketing professional and often I sense that some people feel that ‘marketing’ is ‘corrupt and evil’. Some is, but as Alan Harpham goes on to say ‘what these people fail to understand is that there is the potential for good and evil in all professions and forms of work’.
Alan Harpham identifies two areas of concern that I suggest would have to be overcome before the business community will take the church seriously. Firstly, the church too often seems to make a virtue out of being extremely amateur and turning its back on excellence and secondly, although the church has little difficulty in engaging with caring professions, it relates far less well to the worlds of business, industry and commerce. We need to set about developing the skills to put this right if we wish to ensure the business world has a positive perception of the church and we need to ‘walk the talk’.
I am very struck by this statement by Leonard Collinson another contributor of the same book:
‘Work or lack of it is by far the biggest defining factor in life for individuals and families. It governs where people live, the style and cost of living, the time patterns of families. It consumes personal energy, and holds out prospects of positive growth – personal, family and corporate. It moulds opinions, influences values and plays a part in perceptions of self worth. The church has to be where the work is done, embedded in the structures that organise the economic community. This is the pivotal place, responding to God and co-operating in his work of transformation. We have to be alongside the people in the process. The mission in this context is to find out what God is doing and do it with him’.
I finish by quoting Alan Harpham once again. In answering his own question he says this: ‘ All religions address the meaning and purpose of life and community life. Our job is to discern God’s meaning and purpose in their work and our place in it. I believe theology can help us achieve this aim. People who have meaning and purpose in their work are generally much happier in their work, more effective and productive – this must be a good enough reason for a businessperson to study theology!’
I commend to you the book Leading, Managing, Ministering which is a MODEM Handbook edited by John Nelson (ISBN 1-85311-238-0 £12.99). It has a wide range of contributors, many of them successful businesspeople. MODEM’s vision is that by drawing upon the insights from managers in secular organisations and those people in the church, values and disciplines may be influenced for the better.
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© St Peter's Church, Nottingham
Last revised 7th January 2007