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Lives are Changed as Christ is Proclaimed in Zambia

November 13, 2018 By LMW

Daniel Sitali serves as an intern pastoring a church plant in the small town of Monze, Zambia. Each week he prays as he begins his sermon and teaching preparation - and God leads him to The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible®, a necessary tool to help him understand the Bible and communicate its truths.

With God's help, Daniel has grown the small church from 10 to 43 members. He shared this message with us: "Thank you so much for your heart for us. . . Your giving comes out of the passion of your heart for God and to see that the gospel reaches out to everyone. We are really grateful for your help."

Will you partner with us to provide biblical resources to pastors like Daniel around the world? "Others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else."  2 Cor. 9:13

Thank you for your generosity.

Dave Worland
President/CEO, LMW (Leadership Ministries Worldwide)

One Kingdom, One Church

October 11, 2018 By LMW

“We don’t come together for just the good Word, but for the good Work.” Oliver Richmond of Kingdom Partners in Chattanooga, Tennessee is dedicated to seeing the body of Christ come together as One Kingdom – One Church.

Richmond’s vision is to work with churches throughout the community to help build relationships and strategic partnerships that will bridge the cultural divide through mutual acts of service. He has invited pastors from black, white, and Hispanic churches to build cross-cultural relationships and serve the community, bringing reconciliation as barriers are broken down and the Gospel is shared. “The community is suffering. The church needs to be helping the hurting. We have to find a way to touch people and they have to see the value in the relationship.”

Richmond’s desire to serve people in his community started when he had just graduated college and began working at Merrill Lynch in Indiana as a financial planner.  When he realized his own mother needed help with financial planning, he began to understand the deep need for the kind of help he could offer within urban communities.

His financial skills were a huge asset to his church in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where members were well-discipled and had a heart for missions. That urban church started several non-profits to serve the community including a low income credit union, a day care center, and a place for homeless veterans.

When he moved to Chattanooga, Richmond prayed, asking God what He had for him in this new city. He felt God leading him to start Kingdom Partners, but he knew he needed people and resources to come alongside him in this new endeavor. “I prayed for the Lord to give me people who loved the Lord, loved families, and had the ability to execute plans.” God has been gracious as Oliver seeks to serve Him.

Kingdom Partners mission is to “serve as the prime facilitator and capacity building training institute and improve access to resources for church and faith-based organizations.” They provide strategic planning, financial review, discipleship, leadership training and coaching, and stewardship assistance. “Most of the churches we serve have a part time pastor, a part time assistant, a part time musician, a part time janitor. The pastors need support so they can do what God has called them to – teaching, preaching, and leading.” Kingdom Partners comes alongside the Senior Pastor, working to establish a strategic plan to help make the church more effective in its mission and vision

He believes that it is critical for church members to awaken their Kingdom potential by understanding the importance of giving their time, talent, and resources. When a church has a clear mission and vision, the people understand what the church is doing, and discipled members recognize their part in that – becoming intentionally more involved in ministry.

Richmond spends much of his time building relationships throughout the Chattanooga area. He believes there is a great need to transform our urban communities to bring unity across denominational and racial divisions. “When the church is strengthened, the community is transformed. When the community is transformed the city is impacted. When the city is impacted lives are changed for the Kingdom.”

“I believe the Lord is bringing the church together to make the body of Christ work together. We make it really complicated, but it’s really not complicated. We are all part of one Kingdom, one Church.”

To learn more about Kingdom Partners, contact Oliver Richmond at [email protected].

Christ’s Sustaining Love

September 6, 2018 By LMW

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us  from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-38)

When you are facing an overwhelming problem or devastating crisis in your personal life or business, you might be tempted to think God does not love you. You might feel He has turned His back on your or has forsaken you. But during such times, you need to remember this wonderful truth: there is nothing – no circumstances, no crisis, no crushing situation – that can cause Christ to turn away from you. No matter how terrible or severe the situation, it cannot separate you from the love of Christ. Even if you were to go bankrupt and lose everything, or be terminated from your job, or suffer a great personal loss, the unfailing love of the Lord will carry you through. Christ’s love will sustain you through it all.

Always remember this critically important fact: difficult circumstances are not evidence that God does not love you. God did not put you in those circumstances. But God loves you no matter what circumstances you are in or how you arrived there. In fact, you are more than a conqueror through Christ who loves you.

One crisis after another can strike you in rapid succession (remember Job), but the Lord will never forsake you. He will strengthen and encourage you all along the way. No matter the severity of the situation, Christ loves you and is going to take care of you; therefore, you cannot lose. Christ will deliver you from the most extreme problems and the fiercest trials. Nothing in the universe can separate you from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. You can be fully persuaded of this encouraging fact.

If or when severe trouble strikes your business or employment, you need to trust the love of Christ. Just draw close to Him, seeking His presence, strength, and guidance. His love will assure and empower you to rise above whatever trial you are facing.

 

Excerpt from “What the Bible Says to the Business Leader.” To purchase What the Bible Says to the Business Leader, please visit lmw.org or call 800-987-8790. The book can also be found at amazon.com

 

How Faith Influences the President of Southern Champion Tray

August 21, 2018 By LMW

John Zeiser has served as President of Southern Champion Tray since 1993. One of the leading manufacturers of paperboard packaging, the company serves customers throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, Central America and Europe. They employ over 650 people with the aim to be “easy to love and hard to leave.” 

LMW had the opportunity to sit down with John to learn more about his history with Southern Champion Tray and how his faith impacts his leadership.

Zeiser_John pic

 1) Walk us through your vocational journey.

I graduated from Virginia Tech in 1982 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I had no desire to go to work for the family business, having worked there summers and Christmas breaks since I was 15.  I interviewed around the southeast, but I didn’t like the locations where jobs were offered.  As a result, and without a clear sense of what I wanted to do, I accepted the “consolation prize” offer of returning to Chattanooga to work for Southern Champion Tray.  In my mind, it felt like returning to a summer job.

Then, unexpectedly, several months before graduation, my dad called and asked, “how would you feel about moving to Ft. Worth, Texas?” I think I said yes before I heard the rest of the story.  I moved to Ft. Worth following graduation and joined the 7 person operation as Plant Manager.  I was fortunate to learn the business in the setting of a small plant where I had to do a little of everything.  I was mentored by a longtime executive from our Chattanooga office.  We grew slowly but steadily and two years later, we purchased a building in nearby Mansfield, TX and moved the operation there.

In 1989, I began grad school at SMU in the Executive MBA program. I graduated in 1991 a month after the first of our four children was born.  At that time I was given my next assignment as VP of Operations working at the corporate office in Chattanooga.  I’m not sure if the MBA was the real reason for the promotion or if my parents wanted their first grandchild close-by, but it was a good time for a change of role.  By the time we left Mansfield, I had seen the TX plant grow from an unprofitable 7 person operation to a profitable 75 person operation.  It was a wild ride at times, but I loved it.

In 1993, my dad made the decision to move me into the President role and my brother, Bruce, became VP shortly thereafter. I was 33 at the time.  Dad was 57 and in the prime of his career, so it was an unselfish decision on his part.  Bruce and I both benefitted from the opportunity to take on more responsibility while Dad was still available to answer our questions.  He did a great job of letting us lead, never once grabbing the reins, and he was a great encourager and advisor.  Now that I am the age my dad was then, I marvel at his willingness to trust us and to play more of a support role for our benefit.  He felt it was for our good, and the company continued to grow and prosper, probably to the surprise of Bruce and me and many of our associates.  All I can say is, God is good.  Dad was modeling unselfish leadership and a reliance on God to provide.

 

2) What was it like stepping into your role at Southern Champion Tray with the history of your family’s involvement?

Any time you go to work in a multi-generation family business, there’s an awareness that you are carrying the baton for a lap in a longer race and you don’t want to be the guy that drops it. There’s also a natural sense of family pride and desire to maintain the good name that my grandfather and father had built in the marketplace and in the local community.

I’m grateful that I was able to work at a distance from the headquarters and report to a non-family manager. That provided a great education and allowed me to experience some independence while still developing a love for the business.  Most family business experts suggest that children be required to first work outside the family business for a period of time, and I think there is wisdom in that, but for me, spending my first 9½  years with SCT in Texas provided a sense of independence and was a wonderful blessing.  It’s also where I met my wife, so I’m extra thankful for the time in Texas.

During those early years, my long-distance relationship with my Dad was great. He was my #1 encourager/advisor/sounding board, and I learned a lot from him.  Had I been reporting directly to him, I suspect my own pride would have prevented much of the transfer of wisdom that he was seeking.

 

3) How are ways you have seen the Lord work in your vocational journey?

Too many to count. I can summarize it in two words – God Provides.  Not always on my schedule, not always the way I expect or want, but always on time and better than I could have planned.  He has blessed my imperfect attempts to honor him in the business.  I’ve especially seen it in his provision of people to help with the business, whether as employees, managers, advisors, or counselors.  There have been lots of great “God-stories,”  I’ve seen God’s protection of the business through near circumstances that you really can’t explain except that it was God’s provision. As I look back over my 36 years with SCT, most of the growth in the business and the success we’ve had is hard for me to explain apart from God.

The great thing about a family business is the opportunity you have to impact people’s lives. On occasion that may be through a direct relationship, but primarily, I’ve seen it in giving gifted people the opportunity to serve our customers and each other by living out the values we have built the business around.  We have a high trust environment where people who have demonstrated an understanding of the desired culture are pretty free to act for the benefit of our customers and employees.  We’ve also been able to use the profits to support organizations whose work is in keeping with the mission and ministry of Jesus.

 

4) SCT seems to truly care about stewarding God’s creation with the innovative work you all do. Can you speak into why that is so important?

Stewardship is at the core of our approach to business. It’s more than stewarding creation, although I enjoy being part of a business that uses a sustainable, renewable raw material to make products that are recyclable, biodegradable, and provide a necessary function in the supply chain of our customers.  But the real sense of stewardship for me is in the understanding of ownership.  My brother (who serves as our Executive VP) and I were raised from early on to understand that God owns it all.  You can look at a business as an investment that you own, or as an asset that God owns and is allowing you to care for.  We have always understood our role as that of a steward of God’s assets.  We work hard, of course, but it’s comforting to understand that our job is to be faithful and do our best and trust Him for the results.  God is good whether the business prospers or not, but having that perspective has been helpful.  And SCT has prospered, growing from about 100 employees when I joined, to just shy of 700 today.

 

5) SCT’s values are biblically based, how has that been as a leader to faithfully follow and lead a company with Christian morals? Have difficulties ever come because of the values SCT strives to follow?

Our intent is to operate SCT following biblical principles of how to treat people. That applies to customers and employees, but also to suppliers and competitors.   We’ve been fortunate to have a team that embraces the values.

Chuck Zeiser (my father) made the decision in the late 1960’s that he wanted his faith to matter 7 days a week, including through the business. Many of the practices that he started have remained, including a weekly prayer gathering, the presence of a Christian Counselor on staff, and the practice of tithing the profits of the company.  We bring in outside speakers occasionally to address a topic of interest from a Christian perspective.  There has been very little pushback and most people have embraced the culture of SCT, regardless of their personal beliefs.

Every leader has values and every business reflects the values of the leadership. I think most people would rather work in a place where the values that Jesus taught form the basis of how you treat each other.  I guarantee you our suppliers appreciate the way we pay our bills.  The golden rule works in all relationships.  Biblical financial principles work.  Telling the truth is never a bad business decision.

I’m not suggesting that we get it right every time, but we are surrounded by an amazing group of people who have done their best to live out our values. You don’t have to be a believer to find value in doing things God’s way.  It works and it makes for a much healthier company culture. I’d even say that it creates a competitive advantage.  You wouldn’t believe how often customers and visitors comment on the difference in dealing with the people at SCT.  Bruce and I are very fortunate to get to work with the people who make up SCT.  It’s a remarkable team.

I’m thankful we have been spared from too many difficulties related to our values. On the contrary, after decades of simply trying to live them out, we put them in writing about 3 years ago and it was gratifying to see how people not only accepted them, but truly embraced them.  (You can see them on our website at https://www.sctray.com/about).

 

6) What does being a “Christian business leader” mean to you?

I think the question is really, “What does being a Christian mean?”. I don’t think it matters whether you are a CEO or a customer service rep or a nurse or a homemaker or a student or anything else.  If you’re a Christian, you have a relationship with your creator; there is purpose and meaning in everything you do that is done in a way that glorifies God.

 

7) Do we need to cultivate more Christian business leaders, and if so, how do we do that?

C.S. Lewis wrote on the subject of Christian books, “What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects – with their Christianity latent.” I think the same thing applies to Christians in business.  We don’t need more “Christian businesses” (I would argue there is no such thing as a Christian business anyway), but we need more Christians that are serious about representing Jesus and living out Biblical truths wherever they are. The business world is a particularly wonderful place to apply biblical principles.  They work!

How do we cultivate more? Through sharing the gospel, through discipleship, and through churches that teach the word of God from a perspective that God’s word applies in all cultures and all situations at all times.

 

8) If you could say one thing to other Christian business leaders, or the business community as a whole, what would it be?

Can I have two?

I’d say first, spend regular time in the Bible. Read it through annually if you can.  Ultimately, the only things that last are people and the word of God.  There are lots of great business books (I particularly love Good to Great by Jim Collins, and Business by the Book by Larry Burkett), but there is only one book that will change you and guide you through all the situations you encounter in life.  The Bible is the source of true wisdom, for life and business.  Time invested in that book will return better dividends than any business venture can.

Second, remember that all of us in leadership roles are stewards, not owners. God owns your business and He owns you too.  Even the abilities we have that allow us to lead a business are gifts that were given to us.  The issue is whether we acknowledge that and submit to that reality.  We were created to glorify Him. Business is a great platform to carry that out.

Walk Humbly With Christ

August 16, 2018 By LMW

lmw-letters

Walking Humbly with God in Business 

Have you ever referred to someone as “having a ‘Big Head’”? A country fellow might say, “he’s just too big for his britches.” Those are literal examples of how pride “puffs up”. The prideful person brags about his wealth, his position, his family – in everything he says, he makes himself sound bigger – as though those are the things that make a man great.

 

But what does the Lord require? “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:5 ESV)

 

You are called to walk humbly with the Lord. What does this mean? How can you walk humbly with God? The Hebrew word for humbly suggests modesty. As one of God’s followers, you are to walk modestly or meekly with Him, not proudly or arrogantly; you are not to exalt yourself over others, treating them as though they are of less worth than you. Instead, you are. . . .

 

  • To have a humble estimate of your own abilities and importance
  • To be free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, and pretension
  • To trust the Lord and acknowledge him as the source of your life as you walk through each day
  • To constantly seek His mercy and forgiveness

 

If you are walking humbly with God, you will not be proud or self-reliant, depending only on your own strength. Rather, you will continually seek strength from God, calling on Him to help you, guide you, and deliver you from temptation. Walking humbly with God means you will not seek honor for your own name but for God’s Name. All of this is because you know that it is God who has gifted and enabled you to achieve and succeed. Therefore, you want the honor and glory to be His. This is what it means to walk humbly with God.

 

Excerpt from “What the Bible Says to the Business Leader.” To purchase What the Bible Says to the Business Leader, please visit lmw.org or call 800-987-8790. The book can also be found at amazon.com

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Monday Through Friday Faith – Honoring God in the Workplace

June 21, 2018 By LMW

Business Ethics is a hot topic at business schools across the country.  But for Christians, the best guide to ethics in business is not a class – but The Book. LMW’s newest release, What the Bible Says to the Business Leader, uses God’s Word to advise and encourage people in the workplace to operate using biblical principles.

What the Bible Says to the Business Leader offers practical, scriptural values for conducting business in a 21st century world. It touches on every aspect of business and management, including finances, employees, ambition, integrity, being a faithful community member, and balancing business and family responsibilities. More than 100 topics are addressed using scripture as a guide for action. A topical index allows quick and easy access to biblical wisdom on every subject. Putting godly principles in place in the workplace allows Him to work in every business situation.

“Imagine listening in on the best coach you’ve ever heard. The coach is explaining how business – and more of life – should be managed to honor God in all ways. That’s how this book served me. It is a go-to reference book for any who desire to do life according to The Book.”

Robert C. Andringa, PhD., President Emeritus, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

What the Bible Says to the Business Leader is perfect for individuals, small group studies, or for planning a sermon series that speaks to topics that working people face every day.

LMW has spent 25+ years developing high quality biblical resources. Our signature work, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible® is a bestselling 44-volume commentary series which can be found in 176 countries and 20 languages. What the Bible Says to the Business Leader is the third book in a series that includes What the Bible Says to the Minister and What the Bible Says to the Believer. LMW’s mission is to equip leaders for gospel-centered ministry worldwide, and every volume sold allows us to distribute biblical resources free to pastors in developing countries.

To purchase What the Bible Says to the Business Leader, please visit lmw.org or call 800-987-8790. The book can also be found at amazon.com.

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