The purpose of new business

Duncan McFadzean, Co-Founder of Creo

By Duncan McFadzean | 4 mins

Have you ever wrestled with the purpose of your work? I grew up taught that how I worked mattered (“don’t steal the pencils”) and also that it mattered if I worked. But how might I find eternal significance in the work of my hands, and was there any? Whether you work in a hedge fund, an airline or a food manufacturing facility, do you believe that God cares about the work of your hands?

One helpful framework to think of our work is the three great biblical mandates - the Cultural Mandate, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

• The Cultural Mandate, given in the garden, tells us to steward the earth and fill it, and to cultivate and care for the garden. As a worker I can take creation and form it into something that is good for society. As a worker I can steward the resources in my hands, and use them to bring about good.

• The Great Commandment tells us to love our neighbour – which leads us into management, workplace culture, values and care for widows and orphans and stakeholders.

• The Great Commission tells us to go and make disciples, and so we might be witnesses to Jesus as Lord and Jesus as Saviour, but we might also work to form our work relationships to reflect more of the way Christ would have us live.

To bring about change in the world of business we can either seek to change existing businesses, or we can create new ones that live out a different example. The latter is not easy, but it is easier than the former I would argue. We need Christian entrepreneurs to create and grow businesses that advance the common good, which can be thought of as the most good for all people, or as a combination of the Cultural Mandate, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We want to see people follow Jesus, the poor and the sick and the hungry loved, and to see great workplace cultures and the creation and distribution of products and services that advance human flourishing. It is almost always easier to bring about change when you create a new thing, than change the old thing. Anyone who has burnt their toast knows that!

Imagine if we can find and shape leaders that get this. Leaders that understand the why of what they do. Leaders that can contextualise these three commandments. Leaders who can create new businesses that have a love of neighbour, leaders who personally live out the Great Commission and businesses that create and bring products and services into the world that are good. And as they do this, being rooted and committed to God and to the local church.

I believe that business is one strand of society that can be used for God’s glory and for the love of our neighbours. Whether we are workers, managers or owners is irrelevant; we all can have a part to play in seeing the work of our hands (and our mouth, body language, words and actions) create and cultivate the good, love our neighbours and make disciples.

There is hope for business yet?

Duncan McFadzean is an Investment Banker to the Scotch whisky industry and co-founder of Creo, which exists to connect, train and resource Christian entrepreneurs to advance the common good. Creo runs training programmes, has an active community of Christian entrepreneurs and provides advice, mentoring and connections for the long term. You can read more on their website and join their community here.