The face of God may be seen in all aspects of ones life, but should it also be a part of your business plan? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s good to stand for something, but when it comes to religion and business I prefer to keep them separate—and that may prove to be a good thing moving forward. In early October the Pew Forum released a new report showing that one-in-five Americans say they do not have any religious affiliation. In a growing trend, 33 percent of adults under 30 are also without religious affiliation.
About a decade ago when my co-founder, Gabriel Lefrancois, and I were developing the editorial voice for Hitched, our website about marriage, we ran into this question head on. Just about all the material we came across during our market research that helped married couples on an ongoing basis came from churches and other religious organizations. We were happy someone was doing it, but we wanted to make sure that we opened our arms to everyone without an agenda other than helping couples stay happily married. It seemed obvious to us when looking at parenting publications, women’s and men’s lifestyle publications, and other markets that they all had their own secular representation. Why not marriage? So, without argument, we agreed it was important for us to be secular.
Almost immediately we had a few people contact us stating how refreshing it was to get solid marriage advice without being preached to. In fact, we even had one of our early contributors say they had been approached by other religious organizations, but had turned them down because they didn’t want to be pigeon-holed.
With marriage and church so intertwined, it might seem like we’re in a unique situation, but anyone who read the news in recent months can attest that religion can be found in any market. Earlier this year, chicken sandwich proprietor, Chick-fil-A, was embroiled in controversy (which doesn’t need expanded upon here) for their stance on gay marriage. Their publicly voiced opinion can be directly connected to the religious culture baked into the roots of the company, as stated in their Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” Across the country, purchasing (or not) the Chick-fil-A sandwich became a social statement. Interestingly, market research firm, Sandelman & Associates says the company saw a 2.2 percent increase in visits from customers from July to September; so whether you think the controversy was good or bad, in the short term it seems not to have hurt them too severely as many feared (or cheered).
Of course, the president of Chick-fil-A made public statements in an interview that put their views on the map, which otherwise wouldn’t likely have been known based on their fair treatment of patrons. Other organizations honor their religious beliefs in more subtle ways. Clothing retailer, Forever 21, and fast food joint, In-N-Out Burger, both print John 3:16 on the bottom of their bags and cups (respectively). Norm Miller, chairman of Interstate Batteries, the automotive battery giant, openly talks about God’s love and has several pages on their corporate website dedicated to his beliefs. In fact, their mission statement begins, “To glorify God as we supply our customers worldwide with top quality…” Tyson foods is another organization that mentions God in their corporate values. Walking into a automotive or grocery store, however, you’d never know.
So what role should religion play in business? If you mention “honor God” within your corporate literature (e.g., Tyson) does that assume you expect all your employees to do the same? With a third of the upcoming workforce not declaring a religious affiliation (and 13 million Americans describing themselves as atheists or agnostics), is it a risk to make such information part of the company’s DNA? Many think it’s a good thing, others are turned off by it, while some just don’t care.
What I care about, just as if I were selling clothes, batteries, burgers or chicken sandwiches, are the people I serve. No matter your beliefs, from Muslim to Mormon, or Christian to atheist; I feel fortunate that my business is based on a common thread that we can all worship together: Love.
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