Unequally Yoked in Business Partnerships!

Posted February 12th, 2010 by admin

In 2 Cor. 6: 14 (NIV), Paul states: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” God wants Believers to be “equally yoked” and not “unequally yoked” with unbelievers.   Unfortunately, many Christians think this verse only pertains to finding a marriage partner and then form business partnerships with the world.

My name is Bill Murray, the founder of the Christian Angel Capital Network, and I’ve been in sales and sales management positions for over thirty years.  During that time, I’ve also been an investor and entrepreneur in a variety of businesses.  The Small Business Administration tells us that over 650,000 businesses are started in the US every year.  Of these new businesses, 80% will fail in their first three years and only 9% will make it beyond five years!  Although it’s impossible to tell, I have to believe that a “few” of these new businesses were started by Christians.

Why do Christians fail in business?

There are a number of answers to this question that will be addressed in coming posts, but the main one we’re addressing here is being “unequally yoked”.  As mentioned above, God wants His people to be “equally yoked” in ALL things, especially involving the stewardship of His resources.

I have watched fellow Christians enter into promising business partnerships with non-believers, only to suffer major loss at a later date.  I thought about these failures for many years and wondered why they had occurred.   As in many things we ponder over time, the answer suddenly “hit me” one day while studying His Word.  The answer was simple.  In each case, these Christians had been “unequally yoked”.  God had answered my question concerning business failures, but then gave me the inspiration to ask another question. “Isn’t it time for Christian investors and entrepreneurs to consciously seek each other out?”  The next question, of course, is how does one go about that?  Where?  With whom?  Fortunately, there is an answer on the way!

Christian Angel Capital Network

By way of introduction, we are a group of Christians committed to doing business God’s Way.  We have founded the Christian Angel Capital Network as an online platform where Christian angel investors can meet Christian entrepreneurs to form business partnerships.   All potential members will be required to attest to their beliefs via a “Statement of Faith” and other criteria.  Make no mistake, this will be a service for Christians, by Christians who are seeking to do business God’s Way to further His Kingdom.

Just as stated in Prov. 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron,…”, we believe that Christians helping Christians in the startup stages of a business can help lay a solid foundation resulting in Godly stewardship of all corporate assets.  This includes planning, capitalization, budgets, staffing, facilities, products and services development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, distribution, etc.

As Christian businesspeople, we are to obey Him by acknowledging the following:

1 Chron. 29:11 “…Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord”

We know that God will hold us accountable in the stewardship of all of the resources He has given us, large and small.  As in any major decision, especially involving finances, Christians should only proceed after following these steps:

• Prayer – Seek God’s guidance though daily prayer;
• Studying His Word – John 1:3 “…and the Word was God.”  Allow God to speak to you through His Word.
• Seeking wise counsel – Prov. 12:15 “…But a wise man is he who listens to counsel”.
• Asking a simple question – “Do I see God’s Hand in action?”  Is God opening doors, such as bringing His people into your life as potential partners or by overcoming potential obstacles?

This blog is the first step in the development of this website.  We are seeking God’s will at every stage by prayer, studying His Word, seeking wise counsel and watching His Hand at work opening doors.

Let us hear from you.  We are asking for your comments, ideas, requests, critique and most importantly, your prayers!  Thanks and God bless you!

Bill Murray

bill@christianangelinvestors.com

Tags: 2 Cor. 6:14, Capital, Christian businesspeople, Christian Entrepreneurs, iron sharpens iron, Newest Post, Prov. 27:17, seeking wise counsel, Unequally yoked