Recently, Gospel Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, interviewed two Chinese pastors to learn about their work as both Christian entrepreneurs. They shared four tips for businesspersons to be the light and salt in society.
The first priority is to operate the enterprise with integrity.
Rev. Liu from Shandong Province is engaged in the health industry, strictly controlling the quality of medicinal materials. At a reasonable price, ordinary people can afford to buy the medicine in his shop.
In the same industry, Rev. Zhang from Anhui Province mentioned that his shop would deliver 10,000-20,000 yuan in subsidies per month to provide poor people free medicine.
The second tip is to carry out charity work.
Liu has carried out many kinds of local charity work. For example, he would donate cooking oil, rice, and noodles to poor households in nearby villages and towns during the Chinese New Year every year, regardless of whether they are Christians or not. He also organizes Christians with professional skills to serve community residents, such as giving free haircuts and health care consultations. In the summer, he would send free mineral water to the police on duty. Furthermore, he has organized members of the church to donate blood since 2014, with hundreds of donors and hundreds of thousands of milliliters of blood.
Zhang, also involved in a number of local charitable ministries, contacted local Christian businesspersons to set up a charity station together, helping the elderly, the disabled, and children, and providing charity meals, dishes and water. Take the charity meal as an example. Twice a month, the charity station invites the local low-income households to have a free meal of seven dishes and one soup. Elderly people in the neighborhood are only charged 7-10 yuan for a dinner. As they provide guaranteed quality products, the local government is also their customer. Their mineral water is sold in many communities, but it is free for life for low-income households in the community.
The third way is to unite churches and Christian businesses in various places.
Liu not only does charity himself but also gives advice to churches in other places. For example, he proposed a "365 scheme" to a church to have each Christian donating one yuan per day, which is earmarked to help the disadvantaged group. At one time, more than 1.6 million yuan was raised in a church gathering to help hundreds of out-of-school children.
When Liu walked around different places, he found that the city-based churches could unite with the rural churches, so that healthy food such as vegetables and eggs from the rural Christians could be supplied to the ones from the urban churches. And the rural believers would have income while urban believers could eat healthy food. In Rev. Liu's city, the church has built a supermarket, through which these foods can be transferred, which not only meets the needs of believers in both city and rural churches but also provides jobs for young believers in the church. Such a supermarket can serve not only the urban congregation but also the community residents.
Liu mentioned that in traditional fermentation methods some Christian entrepreneurs produced soy sauce, whose raw materials were soybeans planted by rural Christians, which are non-genetically modified, pollution-free, and organic.
The fourth point is to pay close attention to national policies.
In recent years, the state has made great efforts to help farmers to eradicate poverty. Responding to the call, Liu went to Yunnan and joined forces with local churches to conduct precision poverty alleviation through further investigation and visits. At first, he just bought them cooking oil, rice and noodles, then he bought them sheep and cattle, helping them invest in honey bee breeding. After harvesting, he would buy honey from them to help sell it, which has become a long-term project.
Liu shared, "We are not different, not just reciting scriptures, or talking about God every day. Just as the Pharaoh regarded Joseph, they can see God's spirit on us with intelligence and wisdom. We are all transparent so that they believe that we are the blessing of our time, our country and people, not just a group of religious people."
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
近日笔者采访了山东的刘牧师和安徽的张牧师，了解了他们所作的工作和参与的侍奉，他们都是基督徒企业家。
一、诚信经营企业
刘牧师从事健康行业。他的店，一方面严格把控药材的质量，一方面给予合理的定价，打造让老百姓都能吃得起的有效药材。
张牧师和刘牧师同属一个行业，张牧师提到在店里拿药的人，如果非常贫困，每个月都有一两万块的名额，资助这些人免费拿药。
二、开展慈善事工
刘牧师在当地开展过多种慈善事工。比如，每年过年的时候给附近乡镇的贫困户发油、米、面，信的不信的都可以来。组织有职业技能的基督徒侍奉社区居民，像免费理发、问诊。夏天的时候给路上执勤的民警送免费的矿泉水。从2014年开始，组织教会的弟兄姐妹献血，每次都有几百个人，一次能献几十万毫升。
张牧师也在当地参与多项慈善事工。他联络当地的基督徒商家，一起做做公益站，助老、助残、助童，提供公益餐、公益菜、公益水。拿公益餐来说，公益站每半个月请当地的低保户过来免费吃饭，提供七菜一汤。附近的老人来吃饭，只收七到十块钱。因为他们的产品质量有保障，当地政府也购买他们的产品。比如他们的矿物质水，很多小区都用他们的水，这些水对社区的低保户终生免费。
三、联合各地教会、主内商家
刘牧师除了自己做慈善，也给其他地方的教会“出谋划策”。比如他给了某地教会“三六五”的建议，就是三百六十五天，一个基督徒拿出一块钱，专款专用，帮助社会的弱者。当时各个教会一次聚会筹集了一百六十多万，帮助了几百个失学儿童。
刘牧师在各地走动的时候发现，城市教会可以和农村教会联合，农村弟兄姐妹养殖种植的蔬菜、鸡蛋这些健康食品可以供给城市教会的弟兄姐妹，这样一来，农村的信徒有了收入，城市的信徒吃上了健康的食品。刘牧师当地的城市教会就做了一个超市，通过超市来中转这些食品，不仅对接了双方教会信徒的需要，还为教会的年轻弟兄姐妹提供了工作岗位。这样的超市不仅可以侍奉城市教会的信徒，也可以侍奉社区居民。
刘牧师提到生产酱油的基督徒企业家，他们的原材料是对接弟兄姐妹种植的大豆，非转基因、无公害、上有机肥的，用传统的发酵方式生产酱油。
四、关心国家政策
近些年国家大力扶贫，帮助农民脱贫，刘牧师积极响应国家号召，去云南和当地教会联合，通过考察、走访，精准扶贫。一开始只是给他们买油、米、面，后来是给他们买羊，买牛，帮助他们投资养殖蜂蜜。采蜜之后也从他们那里收购，帮助销售，成了一个可以长期进行的项目。
刘牧师分享，“我们不是另类，不是只是念经，也不是每天神神叨叨的，他们看到在我们身上是有聪明、有智慧，就像法老看约瑟一样啊，看见神的灵在我们身上，有聪明、有智慧......我们都是透明的，让人们看到我们是这个时代人的祝福，是国家、人民的祝福，而不是一群所谓搞宗教的人。”
http://www.fuyinshibao.cn/article/index/id/61791
谈基督徒企业家如何在社会上为主做光做盐？
Recently, Gospel Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, interviewed two Chinese pastors to learn about their work as both Christian entrepreneurs. They shared four tips for businesspersons to be the light and salt in society.
The first priority is to operate the enterprise with integrity.
Rev. Liu from Shandong Province is engaged in the health industry, strictly controlling the quality of medicinal materials. At a reasonable price, ordinary people can afford to buy the medicine in his shop.
In the same industry, Rev. Zhang from Anhui Province mentioned that his shop would deliver 10,000-20,000 yuan in subsidies per month to provide poor people free medicine.
The second tip is to carry out charity work.
Liu has carried out many kinds of local charity work. For example, he would donate cooking oil, rice, and noodles to poor households in nearby villages and towns during the Chinese New Year every year, regardless of whether they are Christians or not. He also organizes Christians with professional skills to serve community residents, such as giving free haircuts and health care consultations. In the summer, he would send free mineral water to the police on duty. Furthermore, he has organized members of the church to donate blood since 2014, with hundreds of donors and hundreds of thousands of milliliters of blood.
Zhang, also involved in a number of local charitable ministries, contacted local Christian businesspersons to set up a charity station together, helping the elderly, the disabled, and children, and providing charity meals, dishes and water. Take the charity meal as an example. Twice a month, the charity station invites the local low-income households to have a free meal of seven dishes and one soup. Elderly people in the neighborhood are only charged 7-10 yuan for a dinner. As they provide guaranteed quality products, the local government is also their customer. Their mineral water is sold in many communities, but it is free for life for low-income households in the community.
The third way is to unite churches and Christian businesses in various places.
Liu not only does charity himself but also gives advice to churches in other places. For example, he proposed a "365 scheme" to a church to have each Christian donating one yuan per day, which is earmarked to help the disadvantaged group. At one time, more than 1.6 million yuan was raised in a church gathering to help hundreds of out-of-school children.
When Liu walked around different places, he found that the city-based churches could unite with the rural churches, so that healthy food such as vegetables and eggs from the rural Christians could be supplied to the ones from the urban churches. And the rural believers would have income while urban believers could eat healthy food. In Rev. Liu's city, the church has built a supermarket, through which these foods can be transferred, which not only meets the needs of believers in both city and rural churches but also provides jobs for young believers in the church. Such a supermarket can serve not only the urban congregation but also the community residents.
Liu mentioned that in traditional fermentation methods some Christian entrepreneurs produced soy sauce, whose raw materials were soybeans planted by rural Christians, which are non-genetically modified, pollution-free, and organic.
The fourth point is to pay close attention to national policies.
In recent years, the state has made great efforts to help farmers to eradicate poverty. Responding to the call, Liu went to Yunnan and joined forces with local churches to conduct precision poverty alleviation through further investigation and visits. At first, he just bought them cooking oil, rice and noodles, then he bought them sheep and cattle, helping them invest in honey bee breeding. After harvesting, he would buy honey from them to help sell it, which has become a long-term project.
Liu shared, "We are not different, not just reciting scriptures, or talking about God every day. Just as the Pharaoh regarded Joseph, they can see God's spirit on us with intelligence and wisdom. We are all transparent so that they believe that we are the blessing of our time, our country and people, not just a group of religious people."
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
How Can Christian Entrepreneurs Be Light, Salt of the World?
