A Man Under Authority

Jesus was truly amazed at the faith of the centurion in Luke 7.  The soldier did not allow Jesus to come under his gentile roof but was confident that the demons were under Jesus’ authority and would respond to his command, just as his own soldiers responded to his commands and as he responded to his superiors’ commands.  Nowhere else in Israel had Jesus encountered such faith and nowhere else do we read of Jesus marvelling at a man’s faith. 

The centurion’s faith was demonstrated in his acceptance of Jesus’ authority and his understanding of his own position as one under authority and one with authority over others.  Most of us balk at authority.  We wield it poorly, sometimes being heavy handed with our subordinates and sometimes being weak.  We submit to it even more poorly.  Particularly those of us who own businesses find ourselves pleased that we have no boss and need to take direction from no one.  It’s a dangerous position to take.

Learning to live under authority is a sign of strength and maturity.  All of us need it because none of us has complete, impartial knowledge.  If you run a transformational business outside your own country then accountability is especially significant. 

Accountability can take a lot of different forms, but the sincerity of the relationship and the quality of the oversight are the things that make the biggest difference.  I recommend small businesses establish boards that meet on a regular basis, say 3 times a year as a minimum.  The board should be made up of people with different skills and insights, all of whom are committed to the goals of your business and all of whom are praying for its success.  Choose a collection of national and foreign business people.  Include an accountant or lawyer if you can and try to get one or two with experience in other transformational (or BAM) type businesses. 

At the board meetings the manager should present current status and issues and the board should comment and give direction.  Strategic issues should be reviewed and debated with an eye toward guiding management in a clear direction.  The board should never micro-manage or try to make decisions in the manager’s purview – the board is for high level governance not day to day management.

The board’s review should include all aspects of the company’s purpose and vision, including the transformational or spiritual.  Marketing, finance, key personnel issues, discipleship, community relations and evangelistic opportunities are all appropriate board topics!

Most small businesses are owned by the manager/operator and in these cases the board doesn’t have legal authority over the business.  But the owner is always free to grant the board authority.  A real board with real authority that takes its job seriously can make an enormous difference in the performance of the company and in the life of the manager.

There are other forms of accountability that are important for a transformational entrepreneur – personal accountability relationships, mentors, coaches and “member care” folk.  But most of these focus on the manager as a person.  A board focuses primarily on the business itself while also recognizing its role in overseeing the manager.  That makes it particularly valuable.

It’s scary to become accountable to others and many of us fear what this will mean in practice.  My experience with a number of small transformational business boards is that they do not constrain, but rather encourage the manager and provide motivation and insights that can keep the company on track. 

Jesus marvelled at the man in authority who knew he was under authority.  The “independent” entrepreneur, the self-reliant man or woman answering to no one is not a model for success in either the commercial or spiritual sphere.  Success comes from utilizing the gifts and skills of others by encouraging them to speak directly and even forcefully into your life, to help you keep focus on what you set out to do.  Those in authority must be under authority.