A Vision for Church and Business

What will bless communities the most - a church or a business?  

We admit, it’s a deliberately provocative question. But for a long time, money-making has been seen as a second-class calling compared with serving the church by many Christians. We’ve asked Dave Richardson, the lead elder of Kingsgate Church in Bury St Edmunds and also the owner of a successful optometry business, to talk about his call to both.

Dave and Anna Richardson

Dave’s believing life began while training to be am optometrist, and his desire to serve the local church was present from the beginning. In fact, owning a business wasn’t even a consideration at the time.

“From my conversion at 21 I have loved the local church and felt a call to lead in and serve her. I had no desire to run my own business but the life led by the Spirit of God doesn’t always go how we expect. In 2009 I was offered the opportunity to open a franchise business. After prayer and council, and believing the Spirit to have led us to open, we started the business.”

Dave at his optometry practice

A rocky road

Despite feeling clearly led by God to pursue a career in business, this calling wasn’t seen as a Christian pursuit by some.

“I remember someone in the church saying I was becoming a capitalist. There is still a wariness around making money with some believers. However, I have found the business to be an incredible blessing and God has used it to teach me so many lessons about myself and others.

In the early days of the business, Dave faced other challenges too. Looking back, what advantages were there in persevering?

“It was very hard work for the first few years, but the blessings have far outweighed the difficulties. Almost everything I have learned about leading people has been in the business setting.”

In addition to the leadership insights he’s gained, God has financially blessed the business. Money can be an area of temptation for many, but at 25, Dave remembers receiving a prophetic word from a stranger who said that ‘he could be trusted with money.’  The success of his business enabled him to bless others, which gives him enormous joy.

A new calling?

Seven years after starting his business a new door opened, suggesting an end to his time in the business world and the beginning of a new season serving the church.

“In 2016, I was asked to lead the eldership team in my local church. The expectation for many was that I would stop leading the business to take this on. This seemed to me like when David was offered Saul’s armour in his battle with Goliath. Saul thought there was only one one way to fight the giant, but David, led by the Spirit, conquered the giant without Saul’s armour and God was glorified. 

“In my case there was no peace in my heart to stop leading the business. The desire to serve and lead in the church was still strong, but so was the desire to keep and lead the business. Giving up the ability to witness to my staff, learn life lessons, provide for my family and to be a patron of gospel ministry was not something I felt led by the Spirit to stop.”

Having leadership responsibility in two very different areas can be difficult to balance. But for Dave, when obeying the calling of God He makes the impossible fruitful.

“Since [becoming lead elder] the church has grown, the eldership team is strong and we have baptisms. The business is profitable, my staff are happy and they have opportunities to hear the Gospel; three of them attended at least some of an Alpha course this past summer, for example.”

Church or business?

Owning a business has enabled Dave to grow in leadership experience, as well as give to many financially. It has benefited the local community, but has also been a blessing to his employees, who may not encounter a Christian anywhere outside their workplace. There are still some who see the two roles as incompatible, but Dave’s story demonstrates just one of the ways in which God is bringing hope to the world in new and unexpected forms.

“I see no distinction between church life and business. There is one call on my life: to be a witness wherever He calls me.”

Business and church working together

Increasingly, our community of business leaders Business Link are seeing similar fruit as they follow God’s calling in the workplace. They use ‘money-making’ for the glory of God and have seen the fruit multiply to their local churches, communities, clients and employees.

We want to see this replicated in broken communities around the world, where Christians opening new businesses would bring huge benefit to broken communities, but for whom the start-up costs are a huge hurdle.

To learn how you can support Christian entrepreneurs set up businesses that benefit their communities? Learn about our Hope for Broken Communities appeal at www.relationalmission.org/appeal.