Some willfully show-up and do the job. Some are faithful and embrace the joy in the calling.
Be wary of trainers who stand and watch a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Don’t be impressed with all their muscle; look for character.
Where they’re weak is in their lack of serious obedience to serve with passion for the greater purpose. When they lose clients and eventually their job they strut away saying, ‘My charm and skills had everyone talking.’ The gym manager will say, ‘All you did was use fitness to make yourself important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
The coaches who are faithful, patiently train up clients in all areas of life not just physical fitness. They build a strong foundation that no amount of discouragement can shake. When the competition is over there are tears of joy for the faithful trainer did exactly what was required.
– A fitness paraphrase of the Bible
THE FITNESS BIZ NEEDS FAITH DRIVEN ENTREPRENEURS
PUBLISHER’S PREFACE: As you look at the huge shifts taking place in culture today, it’s apparent that what has been our way of doing things is being disrupted by what is becoming the new reality. New non-conventional models that seemed unlikely are more quickly than we ever could have understood, challenging, replacing and often eclipsing the tried and true that we’ve built and taken for granted for so long.
In both the business of fitness and the fellowship communities we call church, the changes are profound. Those who can’t or refuse to prune and adapt at the very least diminish in effectiveness but quite often decline, close, exit the marketplace and cease having an impact.
It’s not a brutal worldly truth, it’s God’s plan for humanity. Change isn’t just inevitable – it is driven by God.
The Tyndale Momentum book Faith Dri>en Entrepreneur by Henry Kasestner, J.D. Greear, and Chip Ingram is required reading for every leader in the faith and fitness movement. In fact, I’ll go further and say that every faith and fitness enthusiast ought to build their worldview by thoroughly digesting the wisdom of this book. You should do it regardless of whether you self-identify as an entrepreneur or not.
For leaders in any of the many wellness related vocations who recognize that health isn’t just mental and physical but especially spiritual, look for the 5 qualities of a fitness ministry [highlighted here and then with drop down details in context in the book excerpt below] that we at Faith & Fitness Magazine use in recognizing Fitness Ministry Award recipients:
- [ALL-IN COMMITMENT]
- [CLARITY OF PURPOSE AND MISSION]
- [ATTENTIVE AND INNOVATIVE]
- [HUMILITY]
- [DELIVER BIG-AS-GOD RESULTS]
We invite you to consider that these qualities, that are really redefining how both fitness and faith are being done, aren’t an act of self-will but rather a fully alive embrace of faithfulness. Certainly the human will, (your knowledge and determination) can accomplish much. However, faith in God, accomplishes much AND much more. It’s the only way quite honestly to truly GO BIG. We challenge you to realize that many of the business successes, tremendous advances and human good that you see all around aren’t so much savvy strategies, hard work and capitalism, it is the physical manifestation – the tangible evidence of God’s Spirit enterprising the future – today! -Brad Bloom
An adaption from Faith Dri>en Entrepreneur by Henry Kasestner, J.D. Greear, and Chip Ingram, Copyright 2021 by Faith Driven Movements, LLC. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Tyndale Momentum.
I remember talking one day with a venture capitalist who had been overwhelmingly successful in Silicon Valley. We’re talking about someone who was in on the ground floor of companies such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
He was alongside the founders of these enterprises as they processed their dreams and visions, he joined their launches, and he helped facilitate the growth of their businesses. This led me to ask him one day, “What do you look for in an entrepreneur?”
He responded with a list of six or seven things, but three stood out to me:
a sense of urgency
a conviction that their idea will work
a bias for action
[ALL-IN COMMITMENT]
Exemplary fitness ministries grab hold of intangible skills to shape new realities. They invest to a level far beyond where others stop. Challenges quickly and consistently become their best tools for resilience. Their enthusiasm sets the pace for tremendous capacity building. For these ministries this all-in spirit leaves no room for reservations. Instead they become the conduit for God to release creative momentum and life giving hope.
Each of those makes total sense. Think about these character traits in terms of Christian entrepreneurs, and suddenly the stakes are even higher. Rather than “I need to make this happen,” it’s “I need to make this happen because God told me to.”
That’s where we find the tension between faithfulness and willfulness. Because God’s will being done through our urgency, our conviction, and our power isn’t God’s will at all.
Willfulness—the “I will make this happen no matter what” mentality—despite its sincerity, is not God’s way. It leaves many entrepreneurs discouraged, frustrated, tired, burned out, and disillusioned after seeking to build or start or grow a business for God’s glory.
As entrepreneurs, we can get so excited about the idea, the business, the growth, the impact—whatever it is—that we forget that God’s number-one priority is not the project. His number-one priority is growing our faith and making us more like his Son.
That’s God’s endgame. It’s not your growth, your business, your profit, your loss, your anything. It’s that all would trust in him. Faithfulness is following this mission—doing our part but leaving the results to God. Willfulness is making sure the mission gets accomplished in our way, on our timeline, through our efforts.
[CLARITY OF PURPOSE AND MISSION]
Attention and innovation leads to a clear focus to impact lives daily and also foster (often aggressively) forward-thinking plans well into the future. Their daily drive is contagious spiritual gumption fueled by a strong confidence in God. Fitness ministries need the ability to be unwavering in the convictions and demonstrate a high level of tenacity to reach for and grab hold of the ever increasing potential that God produces.
We must come to the point where God is our resource, where God is our provider. It’s God’s plan, and we will help accomplish his purpose—in his way, in his time, and through his methods.
I think we’ve all had those seasons when we meet with God in the morning just to check a box, then we go out and do whatever it is we think God has sent us to do on our own. In reality, what God wants is to work with us.
It’s the difference between working for God’s approval and working from God’s approval. We don’t go out to earn our way back into God’s good graces. We go out already in God’s good graces, working with him as he works through us.
In other words, every meeting, every decision, isn’t detached from a sectioned-off time we spend with God. It’s all infused with God’s presence because he’s always with us.
That’s faithfulness. It doesn’t mean we don’t work hard. We still get up early, still work hard, still innovate. We refuse to let barriers deter us. But it’s no longer us working for God. It’s us joining him and working with one eye on the project and one eye on the bigger priority of what he wants to do in us and in the people around us, first and foremost.
[ATTENTIVE AND INNOVATIVE]
Fitness ministries that make a difference in today’s culture pay attention to the unique (often local) needs of the people around them. These fitness businesses also pay close attention to God, getting direction that exceeds business strategies and profit motives. They drill down deeper and find opportunities to show God’s grace, compassion and strength to all but frequently those who are underserved by the majority of the fitness industry. They develop and introduce ideas and solutions that pioneer new standards and redefine how fitness can be done.
The challenge then lies not in our outward behavior but in our inward heart posture. Faithfulness and willfulness look a lot alike to anyone passing by. They both require energy, effort, passion, and innovation, and both entail setbacks and breakthroughs. But internally, they’re worlds apart.
Willfulness is about striving, performing, and achieving to prove our worth. By contrast, faithfulness is about contending, trusting, and pursuing obedience characterized by personal holiness in relational dependency to fulfill God’s purposes.
[HUMILITY]
Perhaps the greatest strength great fitness ministry have is their ability to have humility. They recognize that the most important place to stay is in a place of following God’s lead. They aren’t shy in what they do and how they do it, rather they subject their decisions, actions, business practices, public relations and logic to the divine guidance of God’s Spirit. Greater success for these businesses continually cultivates deeper spiritual obedience. The public impact is profound and compelling thus directing attention toward Christ.
We all want to be in that “Faithfulness” column. So, how do we do it? We follow the example God gave us.
Authentic Humility
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
John 13:15
Jesus said this to his disciples after he had taken the posture of a servant and washed their feet. Jesus modeled humility in every aspect of his ministry. He valued others above himself. He sought out those in need, and he met those needs.
Willful entrepreneurs create businesses that revolve around them—their talents, their drive, their energy, their vision. Faithful entrepreneurs understand that life isn’t about them, and neither is their business.
Eternal Perspective
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:3
Jesus’ ministry always had his death, resurrection, and return in mind. He moved toward the eternal mission God called him to. He healed and fed people along the way, but he never lost sight of what God had called him to do—bring eternal life to all who believe.
Willful entrepreneurs are constantly trying to pull an unpredictable future into the present, always trying to wrestle the unknown under their control. Faithful entrepreneurs already know the end of the story—that God wins and that they will one day live with him in eternity. They work hard with that in mind, knowing that the outcome has already been decided by God and that their role is to enjoy the process of achieving it alongside him.
Abiding Attitude
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:4
Jesus stayed connected to his Father at all times. We see him going away to be alone, to pray, to commune with his Father in heaven. If Jesus took the time and made the effort to abide in his Father, how much more do we need to focus on abiding in our Father?
Willful entrepreneurs can’t sit still long enough to be with God. They always have to be going, running, working, making things happen, striving to keep the mission and the business from falling apart. Faithful entrepreneurs work hard but know that working apart from a connection with God is pointless. They’re aware of what it means to abide, and they’re tuned in to knowing when they need to unplug from work and slow down in order to commune with God.
Realistic Expectations
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33
Willful entrepreneurs believe that the outcomes are under their control. Therefore, they do everything they can to manipulate things to their liking, hoping that they can create an end that fits with their desires. Faithful entrepreneurs know that the outcomes belong to God, so they don’t get distracted worrying about how things will end. They expect God to remain faithful to them and to never leave or forsake them, and that promise alone is enough to get them through any setback or difficulty.
I wish I could tell you there’s a switch you can flip to go from willful to faithful, but there isn’t. It’s an ongoing and intentional process and a lifelong journey. But you can know with absolute certainty that you matter more to Christ than anything you can accomplish or achieve. His desires for you are great, but his expectations are patient and reasonable. Seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness every day in every way, as Jesus commanded, and you will be greeted each and every morning by a God who looks at you and says, “You are my child, unconditionally loved, equipped to change the world as you work alongside me. Bring me your loaves and your fish, and let’s do this together.”
[DELIVER BIG-AS-GOD RESULTS]
These fitness ministries have a bottom line that ultimately defies the normal scope of high producing outcomes. They’ve ventured into a level of effectiveness that moves the human spirit to long for and find new definitions in high performance. Their faith-equity invested in the lives of others drives new standards in measurables. These organizations strengthen all of us with a greater ability to comprehend the greatness of God.
Adapted from Faith-Driven Entrepreneur: What It Takes to Step Into Your Purpose and Pursue Your God-Given Call to Create by Henry Kaestner, J. D. Greear, and Chip Ingram. Copyright ©2021. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.
