An organization is two or more people who have come together to accomplish a mission. In the process of fulfilling its mission, an organization must make decisions of all types. These decisions involve, for example, sales, marketing, product development, finance, personnel, operations, and so forth.
Some organizations seek to develop automated systems to make decisions. Clearly, many of these systems are very helpful. Notwithstanding the value of automation, however, decisions are the purview of people. People build the systems and even develop the logic behind the systems. People, therefore, are the key ingredient for solving problems and enabling organizations to fulfill their missions.
How then do people develop excellent problem-solving skills?
Given that God created the universe and therefore made all the rules for His universe, the key to solving problems in God’s universe is to understand His rules. The Bible is the best source of knowledge and wisdom about God’s rules. And the best source for understanding the Bible should be the church—that is, the universal church (the community of all Christians in all places and throughout all times).
As the above text states, the (universal) church of Jesus Christ is the pillar and ground of truth. Truth encompasses many elements, including the character and nature of God, as well as the rules for how to live in God’s universe. A key function of the church is to be a repository of truth, including the truth that we need to run excellent organizations.
Some would argue that the Bible does not address business and/or organizational matters. They contend that the Bible is the story of Christ and His work of redemption. And let there be no doubt about the truth of that statement! In addition to the story of redemption, however, the Bible is the best source of revelation we have about God—His character, nature, creation, and purpose. Since God created the universe, only God can tell us why He created it, what He wants us to do, and how He wants us to do it. The Bible, therefore, is our best source of revelation about living and working in God’s universe.
Here is your business tip: Adopt the Bible as your handbook for organizational truth and wisdom. The Bible, as your “instruction manual,” will enable you to fulfill the mission of your organization with excellence. If your local church does not offer teaching and training in God’s principles of business and organizational behavior, humbly challenge your leaders to provide this training. If your church leaders respond in fear, then respectfully encourage them to not be fearful, but to research relevant resources to teach Christians the entire counsel of God, including the rules of business and organizational behavior. Two Web sites that will be helpful are http://scsbusiness.org and http://StrategiesWork.com. Don’t allow your local church to ignore the critical biblical truth that is needed to enable organizations to solve problems and therefore to accomplish their missions well. Remember God is to be glorified (i.e., manifested) through everything that we do—including the workplace (1 Corinthians 10:31). |
