Beautiful Enterprise: Renewing the Marketplace
Did you know that three out of four jobs in the UK are in the private sector? This includes your plumber, the checkout lady at Tesco, as well as all of those working in the local technology company or delivery warehouses. That’s a lot of people.
Did you also know that the majority of working Christians in the UK also work in the private sector? Yes - plumbers, sales assistants, drivers, entrepreneurs and accountants. There are millions of Christians working in the marketplace in one way or another in the UK, at all levels.
But we hardly ever talk about it.
I believe that if the Church is serious about renewal, growth and impact in the 21st Century it will need to get to grips with helping Christians take their faith to work and live as disciples in their normal daily lives. For most working Christians that means working out how to apply their faith in their work in the private sector.
The impact could be huge.
Millions of Christians changing the way that they behave, and changing how the private sector works in this country, could bring a wave of reform and renewal not seen since the likes of Rowntree and Cadbury in the 19th Century. Think of the witness too. Bringing hope, strengthening communities, addressing injustice, promoting environmental flourishing – it would be a pretty attractive and startling picture for our neighbours to see.
The good news is that this is already happening.
A growing number of Christians are already pioneering new businesses and new ways of working – leading purpose-driven businesses which deliver fair pay, dignified work, more equal rewards and higher environmental standards.
I have just spent four years leading Clean for Good, a social-purpose office cleaning business founded by a group of churches and Christian charities in London. Clean for Good promotes fair pay and dignified work in a sector dominated by low pay and poor working conditions – in just a few years it has proved that you can deliver a professional service, make a profit and also deliver a fair deal for the low paid. The business is ’good news’ for some of the UK’s lowest paid workers.
It is time to celebrate the work of Christians in business - and to add to it.
An agenda for change
At the Jubilee Centre (based in Cambridge but working across the UK) we have been promoting a Christian vision of national life for nearly 40 years. We are now focusing our mission to build a national movement of churches and Christians to promote good business, a fair economy and dignified work. We believe that purpose-driven businesses can be a force for good; it can be a beautiful thing. We also believe that it is time now for the Church to play a significant role in a 21st Century wave of renewal for our economy and society.
Enterprise is a God-given gift, to be used for good. It matters. If you work in the private sector, your work matters too. It is time for the Church to get to grips with supporting its members to find their vocation in the marketplace, and discover the impact they can have.
If this excites you, read our short new agenda on our website – Beautiful Enterprise. This is what we are going to be doing. We would love you to get involved.
We are excited too at the prospect of collaborating with Jubilee Plus (great name!) and complementing their work – together we can make a difference.
-----
Written by Tim Thorlby, Director of the Jubilee Centre
