Entrepreneurs in Your City as Unreached People

It started as a surprise. I was talking to a chamber of commerce director in a small Virginia town. She had a throw-away statement. She said, "We have 1600 microenterprises in our county." I heard that with a bit of shock - I had just driven past lots of cows and tractors, and didn't see much business anywhere around.

To confirm my skepticism, I looked it up. Sure enough, 1600 microenterprises in that small county. Then I looked at the community in which I live - shocker! 18,000 microenterprises within 20 miles, and I don't live in an urban area. 

Microenterprises are those with fewer than 5 employees,  or fewer than 10, depending on whose definition you use. And that just scratches the surface. All of the gig workers are actually functioning as small businesses, and the number of types of small business owners spans the range of start-ups, existing and expanding local businesses, those who are ecommerce only, and people who own or sell franchises.   They can be micro-enterprises all the way to small and medium-sized businesses. If you have a large business in your area, then there are dozens or even hundreds of small business vendors who support them.

Why does it matter? They largely fall into the category of the unchurched, the dechurched, or the unengaged.

And it matters to Gen Z and Millennials- because they look up to and want to become entrepreneurs. It's their frame of reference and their aspiration.

Should we view them as unreached?

Whether they've never had a Jesus experience, are marginally involved, or attend but do little more than sit in a chair and write a check, then their gifts and their passion are focused elsewhere. Even if they don't fall into the category of "never heard about Jesus," at the very least, they are undiscipled, and their faith activation is low. 

Why are they unengaged? 

Because they haven't seen the church as the entrepreneurial venture that Jesus started. They are wired for action, movement, but that's not what they associate with church. Plus, the opportunities for them to use their gifts are pretty limited, and if they raise an idea they are often shut down or pushed toward one of the official volunteer teams.

That's a shame because the whole history of the Gospel road on the rails of business, and it could happen in your city, too.

What church leaders are asking

• In what networks and community groups where a faith presence is missing,  are the business people in and around my church already connected?

• What kind of good works could be possible if business owners' faith became activated?

• What solutions for the challenges that the church faces are already just sitting inside the minds and hearts of entrepreneurs and business owners?
• How will your church capture the passion of the emerging generation who is focused on business ownership?
• What is the combined impact of your congregation when you add the employees and customers of business owners who are in the church or on your margins?

If you wonder whether you actually have any business owners in the mix already, just start asking. You'll be surprised.