406 The Power of our Vows by Kingdom Site Ministries

MODULE 406 THE POWER OF VOWS Contact Person Dr. Mario Denton Crown Financial Ministries Marketplace Programme Director for Africa Africa Director for FCCI (The Fellowship for Companies for Christ International) CEO STRONG MESSAGE BUSINESS CONSULTANT Let's keep the good marketplace vibes alive. Let's network. Tel (w) + 27(0) 82 88 29903. E-mail address: mario@crown.org.za Website: www.crown.org.za and click on marketplace E-mail address: marden@mweb.co.za website: www.strongmessage.co.za Skype: mario.denton

Table of Contents 1. Foundation 2. What is a promise or vow? 3. Expressed and implied promises 4. Effects of keeping/breaking our promises 5. Appendix

The Power of Vows What’s the power of our promises? In our business, when we say satisfaction, or your money back, is there power in that promise? When we promise a job will be completed by Friday is there power in that promise? When standing at the alter with the one we are going to marry, is there power in that promise? God says “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) and there is power in that promise. There is tremendous power in God’s promises because we know they are true! What is a promise or vow?

Webster’s: A solemn promise or assertion, one by which a person is bound Webster’s:

a legally binding declaration that gives the person to whom made a right to expect or to claim the performance …of a specified act

According to Webster’s, is keeping a promise is a requirement, not an a requirement In today’s business world, does keeping your word, your promises, your vows matter? There is power in your promises only to the extent that you keep your promises! What does the secular world say about being a person of your word? AOL/ Time Warner example: Richard Parsons named as successor CEO Time Warner. Wall Street Journal reported His “strength is across a lot of areas. His word is golden and he’s revered in Washington because of his integrity in a space where people are less than forthcoming” (WSJ 12/6/01) What does the Bible say about keeping our word? Moses wrote in the law, “If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to bind himself with a binding obligation, he shall not violate his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” (Numbers 30:2) Jesus said, “…let your statement be, Yes Yes, or No No (Matthew 5:37) King Solomon, manager extraordinaire, wrote, “It is better that you should not vow then that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastics 5:5) and It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later reconsider his words” (Proverbs 20:25 NIV)

In our business life, based on Scriptural principles, to whom are we to keep our word? Customers Employees Co-workers Our boss Everyone Generally, most intend to keep word but we may easily allow inadvertences, a poor memory or over commitments cause us to break our word. We make promises in two ways, expressed, and implied. Expressed promises include: Your construction project will be completed March 1st I’ll call you back today The price this month is $2.00 per pound I will review your work performance within 90 days I’ll have that report completed by Friday Implied promises include: This restaurant meal won’t make you sick When you pick up the phone you get a dial tone The plant you bought yesterday won’t wilt tomorrow Christian owned Business We stand behind our products and services Let’s look at several ways we may structure our business practices to insure we honor our word. 1. Counting the cost of each commitment, and insuring our promises will be promises kept

We need to develop the habit of thinking through all commitments. Customer wants deliver Monday- canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until Friday Jesus said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying this man began to build and was not able to finishâ&#x20AC;? (Luke 14:28-30) Need to develop counting the cost before commitments made. Failure to meet our commitments also sets up for ridicule. Validate that you have the needed resources, product, people, time to follow through before you commit. No shame in saying I need to check our schedule or stock, before I commit to meeting your delivery requirements. Question:

If we fail to meet a commitment, but have good intentions, will a customer, or God let us off the hook?

Check our motivation: Are we making a commitment based on knowledge of being able to follow through, or just to lock in the business? In our businesses we need to develop the habit of counting the cost before making commitments. 2. Develop a willingness to deal with tough or unpleasant issues

An employee asks for a raise, we commit to get back with them but don’t because we don’t want to give a raise, but fail to confront the issue. We know time will only make the inevitable discussion more difficult We are afraid to tell a customer we can’t deliver as requested We are afraid to tell our boss that the project won’t be competed on time My experience with not wanting to deal with difficult issues Glenn customer story Does a difficult conversation ever get easier over time? God says, “I have not given you a sprit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7) and “I can do al things through Him who strengthens me” 3. Insure we have good administrative habits to deliver on our promises We need to write commitments down and place on things to do list We need to tell others what was promised and their part Develop the habit of follow up to insure work was completed Sloppy system gives way to missing commitments In our business we need to insure staff also have good follow through habits – If s staff person fails to follow through a commitment- are we off the hook? Our God is a God of order 4. Ability to deliver on commitment is out of our power

Do you have the authority to deliver, or do I need approval? Staff raises Ordering equipment Do you have all the facts? Clarify as needed

Do I need to confirm that a product is in stock, or available before I promise delivery? Do I need to check with colleagues before a promise is made? Ever had the experience of having a promise made for you, without regard to your other commitments? 5. Following the sprit of an agreementWorld may say looking for loopholes is smart Sandwich shop example If you make a promise you wish you hadn’t, a bad deal ask to be released If Not we are bound Is there a cost to keeping our promises? What if we fall short and fail to honor our promises? “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13

Do you have more confidence in a businessperson that confesses mistakes, or one that has a great excuse? A bad result + a good explanation does not = a good result Make amends- don’t require customer to bear the consequences of your mistakes Need to develop a customer perspective Sport Coat problem Effects of keeping/ breaking promises

Customer relationships strengthened, or weakened

Repeat business will be generated or customers will be lost Employee trust gained, or lost- “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12) We will either honor our Lord, or not

Dig deeper and learn more (Optional) This section includes various support material for further inspiration and encouragement and relates to the material covered in this section -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Name

406 A 406 B 406 C 406 D 406 E

The poor in spirit Questions That Need Answers Positive attitude Communication Spiritual growth Alphabet of happiness

Date of completion

Progress Report James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-- he will be blessed in what he does.” (NIV) Name and Number of Module ________________________________________ Participant’s Name: ________________________________________ The Biblical Truths (Principles) I learned from this module: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I intend to apply this Truth (Principle) in my business by: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------________________________

_______________________

Participant

Date

Acknowledgement Steve Marr consults with business and organizations bringing a national and international perspective to achieve improved vision, focus, quality, and management effectiveness in today’s competitive environment. Effective practical assistance is provided to the business person or ministry leader. Steve’s radio feature “Business Proverbs is heard on worldwide, including armed Forces Service radio For more information visit www.stevemarr.org

Material adapted by Dr. Mario Denton . Mario is the International Field Continental Programme Director – Market-place for Crown Africa, the Africa Director for FCCI (The Fellowship for Companies for Christ International) and the CEO of Strong Message Business Consultancy. He is an international teacher and industrial psychologist and uses his strong academic and corporate background and his uniquely effective coaching to help people tap into their inner being; to utilise their strengths and expand their skills 10

to make a difference in the workplace. He and his wife, Mariene, are based in Cape Town, South Africa, and are blessed with three grown sons. Copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission. Regarding permission to reprint material from this material, please write to Dr Mario Denton: Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright ÂŠ 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Crown Companies Legacy Leaders Providing mature business leaders an opportunity to continue to use their skills productively for the Glory of God. Do you desire to pass on the baton to business leaders to transform their business? Legacy leaders are business leaders who have a desire to continue to use their skills productively to mentor and coach and train the other business leaders as well as training the next generation of business leaders for the glory of God

Crown Companies exists to equip and encourage business leaders to operate their business and conduct their personal lives according to Biblical principles Legacy leaders •

Are experienced in business

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Understand and are committed to the vision of CROWN Companies

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Have implemented biblical principles in his or her own personal life and business

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Are mature in the Christian faith and are of proven character

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Have a passion to see other business leaders succeed as determined by God’s standards

Legacy leaders may possess: •

The capability to be an encourager, coach, mentor and discipler.

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The ability to provide wise business counsel to other business leaders

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The time and or resources to come alongside other business leaders

Teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90: 1 Legacy leaders serve in a wide variety of capacities, including: •

Mentoring individual business leaders

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Working with groups of business leaders

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Serving as a ambassador for CROWN Companies your church and community

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Traveling abroad to assist in business leaders in other countries

Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others for eternity?

How can you serve the Lord as a legacy leader and begin sharing all that the Lord has entrusted to you? 1. Pray now where the Lord will use you in the lives of other business leaders to impact the Kingdom of God for His glory 2. Contact Crown Companies at mario@crown.org.za or the Crown companies office at 3. Visit our website at www.crown.org.za for more information, tools and resources and become a member to enjoy the support, counsel, fellowship of other members and extensive material that are available

Crown Companies: Reclaim the workplace for Christ Is the vision of your church also to bring the people of your community into a life -transforming encounter with the Kingdom of God? The workplace is a key battle ground for achieving the above vision. Mature and equipped believers should live their faith in the workplace. But many need help in understanding what that means as well as support in carrying it out If you want to live your faith in the workplace, we helping to make it more effective of God’s Kingdom on earth, then we at Crown Companies want to come alongside you with support and equipping you. Our mission and intention is to develop flexible training programmes and processes to assist you in this regard Imagine a workplace where ….. •

There were biblically-based, explicitly defined values

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Ethics and integrity are paramount

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Love and servant leadership governed relationships

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Pursuit of excellence was the norm

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Collaboration was sought but obedience and commitment to final decisions wee followed

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Selfish ambition was nonexistent

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Accountability was enforced – in a supportive manner

START WITH A WORKPLACE MINISTRY IN YOUR CHURCH Equip your workplace leaders to become ministers Helping them to become sensitive to the lost Help the workplace leaders of your church get a vision for joining God in the workplace ministry

Crown Companies: Become the business leaders God intended you to be Sometimes it is a matter of survival but you have to become the business leaders God intended you to be. The purpose of Crown Companies is to help business leaders: •

Draw closer to God

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Establish a committed and vibrant relationship with the Lord

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Develop deep, meaningful relationships with like-minded peers

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Learn what it means to run a company for Christ

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Help other workplace leaders to do the same

This is accomplished through •

Monthly leadership groups

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Workplace conference

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Materials and resources and Training on our website

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31 Search the untold riches of the Bible to find scriptural perspective for operating a company as a steward of Christ with like-minded peers and colleagues. Join a small group facilitated discussions relevant to •

Sales and marketing strategies

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Effective time management

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Cash flow and profit

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Planning goals and implementation

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Motivating people

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Problems solving

For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts Isaiah 55: 8-9 START WITH A SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION IN YOU AREA Do you need someone to pray with you – someone who understands the pressures of running a company, someone who cares? Do you desire to integrate your Christian faith into the daily operations of the business God has entrusted you? For more information on a small group in you area contact Dr Mario Denton at mario@crown.org.za 15

And I say unto you, “ Ask , and it shall be given to you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ‘. Luke 11: 9-10

Starting and sustaining a High Performance organisation requires time and money …

and a lot of it.

But … serving as the Leader of God’s business requires much more

We can help you through: • Educating your leaders. • Assisting with small groups in establishing direction for your organisation.

• Doing workshops on your purpose for being in business, ownership, avoiding financial bondage and integrity in the workplace. • Delivering seminars on improving performance and achieving higher levels of significance. • Biblical teaching and prayer support. Let's keep the good marketplace vibes alive. Let's network. Contact Dr Mario Denton today to become a member of the Crown Companies Marketplace Coaching TEAM.

Crown Companies: Every believer a minister in the workplace Common dilemmas in the workplace •

Isolation: Feeling the pressure of being responsible for many people

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Need encouragement but rarely received it

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Need people that they can honestly communicate

Equipping the workplace You have an opportunity to make a difference in the workplace God has called you. Meet monthly with other business leaders to receive instruction and training from other top business speakers on how to integrate your Christian life into your business

Form a small group of leaders who serve one another in a well-informed, support group where burning issues like the following can be discussed •

Develop a strategic plan tailored for each member’s business

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Developing an action plan for ministry

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Developing your company’s mission and vision

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Product and service excellence

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Giving back to the Lord

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Long term financial planning

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Building a high performance team

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Hiring smart

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Sharing your faith in the workplace

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Problem solving

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Customer service

START WITH A LIFE-CHAINGING SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION IN YOU AREA Do you desire to integrate your Christian faith into the daily operations of the business God has entrusted you? For more information on a small group in you area contact Dr Mario Denton at mario@crown.org.za

Needs analysis How to interpret and answer assessment questions. Assessment questions are designed to help you assess the "degree" to which you have addressed the subject of the question. You are given a range of 18

responses from which you should choose the response. The response ranges are: 4 Yes, Fully – I need definitely some training in this regard: 3 To a large degree - you have addressed the subject previously, but your approach is maybe incomplete and/or inconsistently applied and you need some further training 2 To a moderate degree - your approach addresses the subject, but results are unknown. Maybe you need some training at a later stage or can do some personal reading to catch up if necessary 1 No need for training - Your approach is in place and yielding some results and you can even train other people in this regard

Marketplace Training needs analysis Date: ……………………… Surname…………………………………………………………………………………. Name……………………………………………………………………………………. E-mail……………………………………………………………………………………

1 No need at all 2 To a moderate degree 3 To a great degree 4 Yes, Fully

1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36 37 38 39 40

CAREER DIRECT PERSONALITY ID BUSINESS BY THE BOOK CATALYTIC EVENT BUSINESS BY THE BOOK SMALL GROUP STUDY BUSINESS BY THE BOOK DVD SERIES GOD’S PRINCIPLES FOR OPERATING A BUSINESS – 11 CD’S Crown Companies Monthly Business Forums FORMING THE LEADERSHIP TEAM MEASURING WHAT IS IMPORTANT DEVELOPING BALANCED GOALS AND PLANS

CLARIFYING THE VISION AND MISSION OF THE ORGANISATION LEADING A COMPANY FOR CHRIST HALF TIME MANAGEMENT FOUNDATION OF A KINGDOM BUSINESS STEPS TO PROMOTION BIBLICAL BUSINESS INTEGRITY FOR SUCCESS TODAY ESTABLISHING LEADERSHIP LEADING AS A SERVANT LEADING A COMPANY WITH SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE BUILDING A KINGDOM BUSINESS FOCUS OF SAFETY AND HOUSEKEEPING CREATING A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION PRAYER THE FOUNDATION FOR LEADING A COMPANY FOR CHRIST THE ROLE OF ENCOURAGEMENT IN LEADERSHIP BUSINESS AS A MINISTRY

COMMITTING YOUR BUSINESS TO GOD UNDERSTANDING THE DNA OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM MANAGING YOUR STAFF EFFECTIVELY EXPANDING YOUR BUSINESS POTENTIAL STEWARDSHIP IN BUSINESS BUILDING YOUR TEAM GOD’S WAY TALENT REVIEW BY THE BOOK RECOVERING FROM BUSINESS DISASTER CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT SMALL GROUP TRAINING ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH STAFF SUSTAINABLE PLANNING IMPLEMENTING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FACILITATING CHANGE IN TURBULENT TIMES NEGATIVITY –HOPE IS ON ITS WAY

THE POWER OF OUR VOWS