Training America’s future business leaders from a Kingdom perspective
Our culture, for the most part, has looked at teens in one of two ways: either they are made to believe they are the center of the universe and given everything they want, or they are made to feel like aliens, criticized for their bizarre behavior and left to their own devices because they’re too hard to understand. The first scenario produces a self-centered, entitlement mentality, the other produces a self-deprecating, abandonment mentality. Many teens come out of high school ill-prepared to face the world and all its challenges.
One of my core values is to help people discover who they were created to be. This project will help teens make that discovery, thereby helping to reduce some of serious problems plaguing them today. Let’s look at some of the statistics:
- 10 to 15% of teens experience depression at one time or another. Depression increases the risk of suicide by 12 times.(1)
- 17% percent of high school students drink, smoke and use drugs during the school day.(2)
- 25% of 12th graders have engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks. (3)
- Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. In grades 7-12, the daily average attempted suicide in the U.S. is 4800 students. (1)
Experts in suicide, drug abuse and addiction prevention say teens that possess resiliency skills are better able to handle the pressures of the teen years without becoming a statistic. The number one resiliency skill is FINDING YOUR PURPOSE.
There are many factors that have stripped young people of their identity and I firmly believe this is one thing we must restore to our future generations. We must help them find the dream that God put in them from before the foundation of the world. When that passion is unlocked, they will discover their purpose.
The Kingdom Entrepreneur is one tool that will be used to help young people find their purpose and gain an understanding of their role in the context of God’s Kingdom. The principles to be taught in this curriculum are foundational to every human being because we all have the same basic needs. My vision for The Kingdom Entrepreneur is to have both a Christian and non-Christian version so that it can be used in both public and private Christian schools as well as homeschoolers. Christian teens are only slightly better off than their non-Christian counterparts, since we find that only 20% of Christian students remain in the faith after entering college.(3) Clearly, the old ways of doing things are not getting the job done. Sunday schools and youth groups aren’t enough to produce strong, faith-filled young people that know what they believe and why. The Kingdom Entrepreneur is one of many new tools and strategies the Lord is going to release to defeat the enemy’s schemes to steal our children’s identity and calling.
In addition to building a strong foundation in understanding the Kingdom of God and their identity, The Kingdom Entrepreneur will also give the student the basic building blocks for starting their own business. In other words, they will learn how to take their dream and begin to make it a reality. The topics for each of the nine-week sessions are listed below.
This work is a collaborative effort with representatives from YWAM Austin, local business leaders, and spiritual moms and dads. One of the outcomes we hope to offer to students that have a viable business idea, upon completion of this course, is the opportunity for internships with local businesses or ministries and access to financial help to start their business.
Kingdom Identity Section 1 Business Identity
| The Big Picture | The Big Picture |
| King of the Kingdom | Shaping My Brand |
| Co-Heirs with Christ | Shaping My Brand |
| Seven Mountain Mandate | Shaping My Brand |
| Business as a Mission | Financial and Legal Entities |
| Advancing the Kingdom | Legal and Tax Consequences |
| A Prosperous Life | Obtaining Financing |
| The Business Plan | |
| Wrap-up, Test, Evaluations | The Business Plan |
Kingdom Relationships Section 2 Management & Marketing
| Covenant-Keeping God | Time Management |
| Covenant Relationships | Human Resource Management |
| Culture of Honor | Human Resource Management |
| Jesus Leadership Model | Inventory Management |
| Being a Disciple | Knowing Your Market |
| Making Disciples of the Nations | Customer, Company, Context, Collaborators and Competitors |
| The Power of Reconciliation | Segmenting, Targeting, Positioning |
| The Necessity of Prayer | Product, Price, Place, Promotion |
| Rich Relationships | Customer Satisfaction and Service |
| Wrap-up, Test, Evaluations | Business Plan Review |
Kingdom Economy Section 3 Pricing & Money Management
| What is Wealth? | Pricing & Cost Analysis |
| Creation & Distribution of Wealth | Break Even Point and Target Profit |
| Socialism vs. Capitalism | Intro to Recordkeeping |
| The Poverty Cure | Accounting Equations |
| God’s Cycle of Blessing | Cash and Non-Cash Transactions |
| Blessed to be a Blessing | Income Statements & Balance Sheets |
| Kingdom Multiplication | Wrapping up the Business Plan |
| Presentation of Business Plans | |
| Wrap-up, Test, Evaluations | Presentation of Business Plans |
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Jason Foundation, “Youth Suicide Statistics.” Online article: http://jasonfoundation.com/prp/facts/youth-suicide-statistics/
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Huffington Post, “School Drug Use: Survey Finds 17 Percent Of High School Students Drink, Smoke, Use Drugs During The School Day”. Online article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/annual-survey-finds-17-pe_n_1824966.html
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Newport Academy, “Teen Addiction Treatment Facts and Statistics.” Online article: https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/treatment/statistics-facts/
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George Barna, “Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years.” Online article: http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/16-teensnext-gen/147-most-twentysomethings-put-christianity-on-the-shelf-following-spiritually-active-teen-years.