5/22/2006 3:26:00 PM Is there a place for religion at the board room table?
By Kelly Westhoff
John Hogenson, organizer of the faith@work! program, says yes
Is there space for faith in the boardrooms of America? John Hogenson thinks so. As executive pastor at Plymouth’s St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church, Hogenson has been organizing a monthly breakfast club for business professionals where the focus of conversation is singular: How to carry Christian values into the work place.
Considering the nation’s current political climate, this may sound radical and right-wing to some.
When pressed, Hogenson quickly explained that the breakfast club is not about winning souls. “That’s not what this is about. That’s not the goal. What we’re trying to do is talk about how your Sunday morning impacts your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Does it? Should it? How does your faith guide your decision-making at work?”
Still in defense mode, Hogenson offered a list of hypothetical, yet realistic business dilemmas that would try anyone’s soul: A corporate buyout that would result in the loss of thousands of jobs; a stock options windfall for the highest management ring while the masses count no extra cash; the questionable citizenship status of a valuable and hard-working employee; plant closings; pension payouts; the list could go on and on.
Even though Hogenson himself doesn’t work in a corporate environment, he has become intensely interested in helping those who do find natural, real-life extensions for faith into the business week.
His interest began in the middle of church. “One Sunday,” he explained, “I looked out at the pews and I saw all these people who held key positions of leadership in the business world. And I thought, ‘Are we doing enough to help them connect their Sunday morning to the rest of their week?’”
Curious, Hogenson privately approached a few church members in high-ranking business positions and asked them if their faith had ever guided their corporate decision-making.
Yes, they answered, yet many shied from the topic. Hogenson sensed they were uncertain they should be discussing the intersection of business and faith.
However, Hogenson was convinced there was an intersection of business and faith; he was also convinced that church members would be interested in the topic.
He planned a “leadership breakfast” and invited a local businessman and church member to speak about how his faith had factored into difficult business decisions. That was five and half years ago. Today, the leadership breakfasts are called by a new name: faith@work!
“When we first started the breakfast club,” Hogenson said, “I had this naïve idea of what goes on in a business leader’s day. As a pastor, I don’t have to produce quarterly reports, but it made sense to me that if we could just get business professionals to see that their faith and values could inform them and help them make decisions, well, then that would be good for the bottom line.
“Leaders need the trust of their people,” he continued. “They can earn that trust in lots of ways, and one of those ways is to be just and fair in decision-making processes, to be ethical. If a leader can say, ‘Follow me and trust me,’ and the people do, then isn’t that good for business?”
Over the years, Hogenson has found many willing speakers, business leaders who could talk from experience about how their faith had guided them in their office decision-making.
He looked for role models and he found plenty. Tad Piper, former CEO of Piper Jaffrey, agreed to speak at one meeting; Joe Senser, a former Minnesota Viking, an entrepreneur, and a commentator for Minnesota Vikings Radio, headlined another.
Congressman Jim Ramstad spoke at an event, as did Phil Milne, CEO of Moneygram, and Mark Peterson, president of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota.
“Lots of the speakers have been real heavy hitters,” said Beth Ulrich, a St. Philip’s member, a regular faith@work! attendee, and a small business owner.
“You don’t have to be ruthless to be in the business world,” she said. “Lots of what is talked about can be applied daily, like treating people well and handling decisions with grace. These are ways that faith can influence business. You can set a good example at work without saying the word ‘Jesus.’”
She added, “I can’t count the number of business tips I get for free.”
Not only is Ulrich an enthusiastic member of faith@work!, in the past year, she has also become instrumental in helping it grow. Along with her husband Eddie, Ulrich owns a Minnetonka promotion and graphic design company, named Peacock Promotions and Fuzzy Duck, respectively.
Using her own business expertise, Ulrich helped brand faith@work! and promote upcoming speakers.
She isn’t the only one working to expand faith@work! This past year, faith@work! joined forces with Augsburg College, a Lutheran college in Minneapolis.
In 2001, Augsburg College was awarded a Lilly Endowment Grant to explore community connections between faith and work. Since that time, a sustainability grant has been awarded. St. Philip’s faith@work! breakfast club was a perfect fit with Augsburg’s grant mission.
Partnering with the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning, and the center’s Associate Director John Knight, faith@work! is reaching new audiences: Augsburg alumni and Augsburg students.
“Augsburg has over five thousand alums in the metro area,” explained Knight, “but our downtown location is difficult for many to reach. St. Philip’s west metro location is a nice option for many and faith@work! breakfasts are a great way for them to maintain a connection to their faith and a faith community.”
As for Augsburg students, senior year business students are required to take a course titled “Vocation and the Meaning of Success.” “The class goes beyond ethics,” said Knight, “and asks students how they are going to be involved in their communities, their families and their professions.”
Since pairing with faith@work! several St. Philip’s members have volunteered to speak to Augsburg business students enrolled in this class. Beth Ulrich and her husband, Eddie, volunteered. “It was a really neat opportunity,” she said. “The students asked a lot of great questions and in the end, really, our message was that work isn’t all about how much you earn and what you have. It’s about how you treat people. And that’s an outgrowth of your faith.”
***Sidebar***
Program to resume in fall
While the faith@work! leadership breakfasts are taking a break over the summer months, the fall schedule is already packed. Leadership breakfasts take place on the first Wednesday of every month and generally run an hour. Meetings are open to community business professionals; interested attendees do not need to be a member of St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church.
On average, 40-60 people attend each event. Some come dressed in suits, others in casual slacks. Newcomers will be greeted at the door, given a nametag, and pointed in the right direction.
A continental breakfast is served buffet style. There is no charge to attend.
Date: Sept. 6, 2006
Time: 7 a.m.
Location: St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
Speaker: Michael Good, president and CEO Sotheby’s International Realty
Date: Oct. 4, 2006
Time: 7 a.m.
Location: St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
Speaker: Dr. Paul Pribenow, president, Augsburg College
Date: Nov. 1, 2006
Time: 7 a.m.
Location: St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church
Speaker: Barbara Hensley, CEO Hope Chest for Breast Cancer
To add your name to the faith@work! mailing list, contact Pastor John Hogenson at 763-475-7136 or jhogenson@spdlc.org, or contact John Knight at 612-330-1351 or faith@augsburg.edu. For driving directions, visit www.spdlc.org/about/directions.htm.
