Cedarville Magazine, Summer 2014

24 | Cedarville Magazine The idea of biblical leadership in the marketplace sounds attractive. I am visualizing someone with the Midas touch who has the heart of Jesus, competitive and goal-oriented while caring deeply about others. Does that describe you? Sure it does — in my dreams. But I wake up every morning to the reality of my human frailty and to facing the competition of a free market economy where my competitors are generally unconcerned about leading biblically. Biblical leadership is not something I have all figured out. I regularly fail to live up to my own understanding of the biblical standard. My deepest desire, however, is to grow daily in living out my faith and trying to learn from my mistakes. Leading biblically comes out of living biblically— incorporating the truths of God’s Word into our daily activities in such a way that others are attracted to become followers of Christ themselves. How do you live out your faith at work? By being a James Christian in a Missouri world. What does that mean? Missouri is the “Show Me” state, and James was the “Show You” Christian. He wrote, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). My deepest desire is to show my faith by what I do and how I lead. People want to see reality. How we live and lead makes the difference. Faith not demonstrated by actions is a sham. What we do in business every day and howwe treat others in the marketplace is the primary measure of our faith. But isn’t the marketplace about making money and the survival of the fittest? It is. I want to survive and prosper. I am in business to make money. I make no apology for that. If you’re in the marketplace and not making money, you won’t survive. And you will fail those who depend on you. Making money is a market reality, which I believe is morally acceptable and biblically mandated. And it is also fraught with danger. The Apostle Paul writes, “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap” (1 Tim. 6:9). How do you succeed in a competitive marketplace while still maintaining Christian character? How do you live out your faith while keeping an eye on the “bottom line”? How do you motivate employees to succeed while letting them know you care? For Daryle Doden, CEO of Ambassador Enterprises, the answer lies in a commitment to living out God’s Word and a call to loving people. For biblical leaders, however, making money should be neither the sole emphasis nor the ultimate goal, lest they gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul (Matt. 16:26). How do you compete for money without losing your soul? Very carefully — with a clear calling, rock-solid values, and a greater purpose than making money. That purpose is what Jesus affirmed as the two greatest commandments: love God and love others (Mark 12:30–31). Living out what the Bible teaches is about increasingly knowing and loving God and relating better to others. As we integrate God’s ways into our daily walk and work, it should bring us closer to Him and result in loving others as ourselves. That’s our higher purpose. An interview with Daryle Doden by Steve Gardner Biblical Leadership in the Marketplace