Stewarding Your Team Well: Biblical Leadership in Christian Business
Stewarding Your Team Well: Biblical Leadership in Christian Business
The beauty of network marketing isn't just about building a business, it's about building people. And for those of us navigating this space as believers, it's an incredible opportunity to live out our faith daily, pointing others to Christ through both our content and our conversations.
What It Means to Be a Steward
Let's start with the basics: what does it actually mean to steward something? Simply put, a steward is a manager. If we're stewards of our money, we're acknowledging that God owns it all and we're just managing what He's entrusted to us. Think of it like this: if you owned an estate and needed to leave for a while, you'd hire someone to run things in your absence. That person would be your “steward.”
The same principle applies to our children. We don't own them; they've been given to us for a time. God is their Creator, they belong to Him, and we're the managers of what He's blessed us with.
God gives us all kinds of resources to steward - some tangible (like money), others intangible (like time, relationships, and even our minds). And if you're a leader in network marketing (or aspire to be one!!), your team is absolutely something the Lord has entrusted you to steward well.
The Heart Behind Christian Leadership
I've always viewed my team through this lens: the Lord has brought these people into my life. They have goals, aspirations, dreams, and vision – desires for their lives and families. They're trusting me with their journey, and ultimately, the Lord is entrusting them to my leadership.
My job is to do everything I can, to the best of my ability, to help them succeed at whatever dream or goal the Lord has placed in their hearts.
Here's where we have to be careful as leaders though: Don't view your team as people who will help you get what you want. (And listen, I'm human - I have to internally wrestle with my motives too.) But as Christians, it's crucial we view people and relationships rightly. If you want to be a leader people trust - someone they'll be vulnerable with, someone whom they trust genuinely has their best interests at heart - you need to steward them well.
Two Essential Questions for Handling Team Challenges
When you're coaching your team, issues will pop up. We're dealing with humans who, despite our best intentions to abide in Christ and walk by the Spirit, can slip into the flesh. (Myself included - grace all around.)
These issues can range from jealousy and comparison to fear, shame, or guilt. All common. All very human. Especially when working with women.
So here are the two questions every Christian leader should ask when addressing any team issue:
1. What would God think about this situation?
Before offering wisdom or guidance, get clarity on what God would say. This isn't always easy to discern, and honestly, tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful here. I literally ask it for a biblical perspective - specifically from a reformed theological standpoint - on topics like jealousy, comparison, or shame.
(Pro tip: I've actually trained my ChatGPT to always answer me biblically. You can do this in the settings of the app by giving it specific instructions. Game changer.)
But here's the thing: You need to be drawing near to Christ yourself first. Daily habits of ordinary means of grace - Bible reading and prayer. Weekly habits - honoring the Sabbath, taking one day to worship, rest, and not produce anything. Just joyfully receive everything God's given you and respond in worship.
That communicates: Lord, I trust You. It's not all up to me.
These habits are foundational to how effective you'll be as a Christian leader who desires fruitfulness in her life. These are the habits that bear fruit in your life, and they'll help you to help others bear fruit in theirs.
2. If Jesus were standing face-to-face with this team member right now, what would He say?
Based on what God would say about the issue, consider how Jesus would handle it. This takes discernment and wisdom. Study the life of Christ, the words of Christ, and the heart of Christ revealed in Scripture.
You'll notice Jesus often responded with compassion, mercy, and love. Other times, He confronted sin directly. Context matters.
Again, ChatGPT can help here. Give it context - your team member's personality (Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, DISC), your personality, the situation. The more context, the more helpful the perspective. I'm an Enneagram 3w4 and an INFJ on the Myers-Briggs, and I tell ChatGPT that all the time. It helps me think through how to approach situations with more clarity.
I don't regurgitate everything it says, but it often gives me direction, a tip or two, or just one clarifying sentence that brings things into focus.
Prioritizing Fruit Over Efficiency
Here's something important to remember: producing fruit isn't always efficient. If your sole priority is making money, sure - efficiency makes sense. But as Christian leaders, our top priority should be bearing fruit for the kingdom of God through this opportunity.
That's how I want to lead. I don’t do it perfectly - far from it. But it's my aim. My goal.
Building Trust Through Biblical Stewardship
When you lead with these questions and priorities at the forefront, your team will sense it. They'll trust that you're not manipulating them for your benefit. They'll know you actually have their best interests at heart.
And isn't that what Proverbs 31 leadership looks like? A woman who serves her household well, who works with eager hands, who opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. A woman whose works bring her praise, whose worth is far above rubies.
That's the kind of leader worth following. That's the kind of steward who honors the Lord.
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