What Christians Can Learn from Secular Business Thinking

…..that the central premiss is that businessmen have inadvertently stumbled on some of the character that Christ commands in us. Maybe we can purposefully do the same!

I’ve been thinking about writing an article on this subject.

After 30 some years in ministry I’m now working in a secular job at IKEA as well as serving as an elder in a church. While IKEA’s social culture is not Christian, much of their practice and philosophy could be utilized by churches and Christian schools.

Here are some things that I’ve experienced there that were often not prominent in some ministries.

- They believe that their employees are their most important asset. Their method of dealing with employees who have trouble “getting with the program” is a model for discipleship.

-When an employee leaves for any reason, they find out why and take the information they receive to heart.

-They have high expectations of their employees and are constantly evaluating and training people to grow. They’re more interested in what kind of employees they have than how many.

-There’s an atmosphere that makes employees believe that they are valued.

I can honestly say that they treat their people better than some churches have treated their pastors, staff, and members.