Sacred Space, Enterprise and Ethics: The Challenge of Doing Business In The Church

Churches around the world have begun to embrace the idea of ‘social enterprise,’ namely the generating of ‘earned-income’ for mission-driven programs and services. Church halls are being converted to office and retail spaces, sanctuaries are being hired out for yoga classes and church steeples are being rented to mobile phone companies for the installation of telephone masts. This recent rise in the level of receptivity to ‘marketplace methodologies’ has required many church leaders to reconsider the relationship between Christian faith and the world of business. This book seeks to highlight the ways in which ecclesiological understanding can function to address many of the common ethical issues arising during the explorative phase of faith-based social enterprise development. Kemi Ingram is founding principal of Ajayi Ingram & Associates, a global consulting firm supporting the development work of faith communities. She is a graduate of USC, Fuller Seminary and Oxford University, UK.