Do you ever feel like you’re racing on a treadmill—working harder and harder, yet not getting anywhere? Your days are filled with busyness, noise, and chaos, but despite all the effort, you’re left feeling exhausted and frustrated. What’s worse, neither you nor your business seems to be making meaningful progress for God.

If this resonates with you, the Soul, Mind, Body business model can help you realign and refocus your business, not only to function excellently in the world but to fulfill the purpose for which God created it.

The Soul of a Business

In the same way that a person’s soul connects them to God and gives life meaning, a business has a soul that defines its purpose in God’s kingdom. And just like a person’s soul, the soul of a business is discovered, not created, by its leaders.

For Christian businesses, the soul consists of three key elements:

Purpose: Why did God create this business? How does it serve His Kingdom?

Values: Core Christian principles such as truth, love, and humility that should guide every decision.

Vision: Where does God want this business to be in 10 years?

The Mind of a Business

If the soul defines why the business exists, the mind determines how it operates. The mind translates the purpose and vision into systems and processes that guide daily actions.

The mind includes:

Core Strategy: What the business does (and does not do) and how it aligns with the soul.

Decision-Making Processes: Clear, intentional processes for making decisions.

Accountability: A system for holding people accountable in a Christ-like manner, emphasizing growth and mentoring rather than reprimanding.

Communication: How effectively teams communicate within the organization.

Measurement and Metrics: Tracking success in alignment with the soul’s purpose.

When the mind is healthy—clear, systematized, and aligned with the soul—it allows the business to move efficiently and effectively, significantly reducing chaos and improving productivity.

The Body of a Business

The body is where the day-to-day operations happen. This includes leadership, teams, products, services, marketing, sales, and customer experience. However, this is where most leaders spend too much time, often without realizing that their true work begins with the soul and mind.

In my passenger jet analogy:

* The leadership is the cockpit.
* The culture and team (crew) are the cabin.
* The wings represent your products and services.
* Marketing and sales are the engines.
* The fuselage is operations and overhead.
* Cash flow is the fuel—without it, you won’t get anywhere.
* The passengers are your customers, whose experience is directly impacted by how well the business’s soul and mind are aligned.

Focusing too much on the body without ensuring a healthy soul and mind is like flying a jet without a flight plan or an air traffic control system. You may be flying, but without direction, your passengers (customers) won’t reach their destination, and your business could easily end up in chaos or disaster. The true alignment comes from focusing on the why and how before executing the what.

A Personal Example

I experienced this first-hand with one of my own small businesses. Once we aligned the business’s soul with God’s purpose and clarified the systems in its mind, the results were phenomenal. Our profits increased by 300%, we accomplished more with 9 people than we had previously done with 13, and the stress levels in the office plummeted. The number of late tasks dropped significantly, and people felt more fulfilled in their work. It wasn’t just about improving operations—it was about aligning the heart of the business with God’s plan.

Conclusion: Aligning Your Business for God’s Purpose

The Soul, Mind, Body model isn’t just about running a business—it’s about fulfilling the purpose for which God created your business. God’s purpose came first, and He created you and your business to fulfill that purpose. By clarifying and aligning the soul (your connection to God’s purpose), organizing the mind (your systems and strategies), and letting the body execute efficiently, you will experience less chaos and more fulfillment.

A Soul Team plays a key role in this alignment. The team doesn’t just clarify the soul of the business, but also works to create and systematize the mind. They ensure that the business’s systems and strategies are aligned with its purpose and that every part of the organization works within the established framework. Without this kind of intentional, ongoing work, the business risks drifting off course.

In the next article, we’ll dive into creating a Soul Team—a group that helps align your business with God and takes responsibility for maintaining the health of its soul and mind.

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Related Blog Post:
* Title: The Soul, Mind, Body Model Explained
* Description: A more in-depth explanation of the Soul, Mind, Body business model.  Read the article

Related Event:
* Title: GOD'S VOICE IN THE VINEYARD #4: ​Transforming the Workplace Through Christian Excellence
Date & Time: Thursday, Dec 5th, 2024, doors open at 6:30pm, presentation at 7:00pm
Location: The Vineyard at Evergreen Farms, 4249 Siegrist-Jutte Rd, Coldwater, OH 45828
Cost: Free (Good will offerings accepted)
Link: Event Details

Transparency Note:

While AI assisted in gathering and refining my thoughts, the ideas and insights here are fully my own. AI helps improve the clarity and organization of my message, but the heart of this article comes from my personal experiences and beliefs.

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