Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503130013
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM DeSIMONE ORLANDO SENTINEL
DATELINE: ORLANDO, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
The hard work and sweat are quite a departure from his former day job.
Fletcher took a leave of absence last year from a prestigious law firm for an opportunity to fulfill a long-held dream.
He bought a stake in Florida Potting Soils Inc. and now spends much of his time in the field. His aim: to learn how he can better serve as a Christian.
``I am approaching my business as a Christian ministry,'' he said.
That means visiting with employees and their families, modeling his religious faith by serving their needs, he said.
Businesspeople who consciously bring their religion into the workplace often struggle to reconcile the two sometimes-conflicting worlds.
But executives such as Fletcher say they cannot simply leave their faith at the office door.
``Even when they fail, in some sense, they are closer to holiness for trying,'' said Kyle Henderson, executive director of communications at Ligonier Ministries, a Christian education organization in Lake Mary, Fla.
The ways people incorporate their faith into business are as varied as the religions they represent.
``If you practice a mystical religion, you have no problem,'' said Laura Nash, author of "Believers in Business" and a senior research associate at Boston University's Institute for the Study of Economic Culture. ``You just withdraw your faith from the world. But most religions in this country call for you to re-enter your community with your faith.''
For many Jews, faith in business often means adhering to biblical concepts of justice, said Rabbi Merrill Shapiro of Congregation Beth Am in Longwood, Fla.
``We find particularly interesting that Christians stress ``love your neighbor,''' he said. ``Yes, love is important. But much more important is justice. There are some people you can't love. But you must treat those people justly, morally and ethically.''
Business and religion don't necessarily make strange bedfellows.
``Win-win'' business theories - which hold that the best deals benefit all parties - are similar to the Bible's call for followers to do unto others as they would have them do unto them, Nash said.
As well, workplace theories often tie employee satisfaction to productivity - a concept similar to the rabbinical covenant that the employer will provide workers meaningful work at reasonable pay in return for the employee's hard work and loyalty.
Such theories make good business sense, regardless of religious belief, said Joe Cleveland, executive vice president and general manager of internal information systems at Martin Marietta Corp.
``I get more done by telegraphing that I respect the people I deal with,'' said Cleveland, who is Baptist. ``It's a style in 1995 that people expect.''
Religion is not always compatible with the business environment, said Lyle Nelsen, a former executive with The Travelers Insurance Group Inc. and now an industrial real estate associate in Maitland, Fla.
``In corporate life, I felt isolated because I didn't do some of the things that were expected,'' he said.
Nelsen, a nondenominational Protestant, said he refused offers to party and socialize with other Travelers executives, preferring instead to spend time with his family and at church gatherings. He felt he suffered the consequences, he said, when promotions were doled out.
Religious businesspeople can appear to co-workers much like the New England Puritans of early American history, Nash said. The religious and social movement stressed personal austerity, self-denial and soberness.
Those qualities often are unappreciated in modern corporate culture. As American satirist H.L. Mencken put it, puritanism is the suspicion that somewhere, someone is having fun.
Religious teachings are ambivalent about the role of material possessions, Nash said. Although the Bible states that it may be difficult for the rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, it also promises a land of milk and honey, she said.
But executives also throw their money into charitable causes.
Cleveland of Martin Marietta said he believes he should share his wealth, so he gives 10 percent of his salary to charity.
``I could have been a missionary,'' he said. ``But I think there has to be some of all kinds.''
by CNB