There’s been a significant increase in small business support lately as more and more people try to “shop local” and support their neighborhood small businesses over the big box stores. USA Today recently wrote an article about how there’s never been a better time to own a small business. The question is: Does all this enthusiasm and support for small businesses include Christian-owned businesses?  Here’s why everyone should support Christian business owners.

A recent study conducted by the Gallup organization and the National Opinion Research Center revealed that when businesses provided spiritually-minded programs employees felt not only more calm and relaxed, but were, in fact, more productive. In addition, they were more committed to their workplace. How does that translate to the customer experience?  Doing business with a company that has happy, productive employees greatly enhances the customer experience. If you consider that happy, productive employees mean less turnover, that’s especially valuable to service-based businesses where customers look to interact with the same employee every time they frequent the business.

While many people see the value of doing business with such a company, the business landscape today is trending more towards convenience and price over good customer service. A good example of this is Amazon. An informal study shows that we buy the majority of our books from Amazon instead of the local Christian bookstore or one of the many online Christian retailers. We should go out of our way to support Christian-owned businesses, but instead opt for convenience and price. Of course, it’s smart for the average consumer to seek out the best price, but it would make sense to also consider the long-term impact of buying from a local Christian business over a huge online retailer or a big box store.

When you buy from a small business owner, you’re helping pay for their kid’s dance lessons, their dog’s vet bills, or simply putting food on the table. Unlike larger businesses that have expensive overhead, small business owners need customers to simply survive. Now take into consideration the Christian business owner, who goes out of their way to run their business ethically, fairly, and based on Christian principles. Some Christian business owners choose not to open their business on Sunday so that they can enjoy time with their family in church and at church-related activities. That’s a conscious choice to forgo revenue to serve God. In addition, many Christian business owners believe in tithing as illustrated in Malachi 3:10-11 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts”. Running a Christian-principled business comes at a cost, but the rewards are many. Supporting such businesses as fellow Christians will help lift them up and be successful.

Everyone should support Christian business owners based on their strong work ethic, morale compass and compassion towards their employees and customers. If you’re looking for Christian companies to do business with, we encourage you to check our Christian Business Directory to find businesses near you.