Creation Care: Stewardship in Missional Business
As a business owner, it may feel as though you have a million things to worry about. From staying profitable, to making sure your customers and employees are happy, to staying on top of admin and operations - and more.
So, where does environmental stewardship fit into all this?
According to researchers at BAM Global, creation care is a theme that runs through all aspects of life, including business. In the first chapters of Genesis, God institutes the principle of stewardship, commanding us to care for all living things with dignity and respect.
This means two things for business:
Every business owner is involved in creation care.
Every business should responsibly steward its resources.
Let’s unpack these points.
Whether you’re in commerce, agriculture, HR services, video production, or some other industry, you need resources.
A resource is anything that you require to operate your business. The laptop you’re reading this blog on, for example. Or the truck you use to transport your tools. Maybe its the textiles used to create your designs, or the office space where you and your coworkers strategize, collaborate, and drink way too many cups of coffee.
Electricity, fuel, sunlight and water - even these resources need resources.
No matter what specific work you do, your business is constantly interacting with creation.
As a business owner, you determine the relationship your business has with the environment.
You choose what kind of technology is used, and how. In the office, you decide how waste is sorted, energy is consumed, and set the overall workplace culture around creation care.
While these aspects may seem insignificant, they determine your business’ impact on the environment and speak to your perception of God’s mandate. How you interact with the wealth-building resources at your disposal IS creation care.
By this point you may be wondering, how do I steward creation as a business?
So glad you asked!
Anugraha Gaikwad, engineer by training and environmental researcher by trade has a few ways to get started:
Start a garden in your office
Harvest rainwater
Go paperless
Unplug equipment/devices that are not being used
Improve your waste management plan
These are a few practical ways you can begin thinking about creation care in your business, but the list doesn’t end here! Think about your specific context: how could your business be more intentional about caring for creation?
From a Biblical perspective, all of creation is labelled with an invisible “Handle with care” sign.
Not only does good environmental stewardship honour God, but it also enhances the quality of human life (BAM Global). Your stewardship of creation in business is a reflection of your faith in God and His care for all living beings.
CHALLENGE: Reflect on what faith in God means to you, then ask Him how this applies to your stewardship of His creation. The answer may go far deeper than you thought.
For more practical tips on creation care, watch our Round Table on “Environmental Stewardship in the Local Context” with Anugraha Gaikwad, and check out BAM Global’s resources for business leaders!
