Kingdom economy (How our ministry dressed up as a business)

Posted by Gertjan Goldschmeding in Business | 0 comments

God has always led me to preach and teach a very down to earth message on financial prosperity and freedom. I have taken my assignment to help people to discover financial freedom very serious and started three organizations with the sheer purpose of creating an environment to launch entrepreneurs in their full potential.

The first is a coaching company called Ladder of Success, that operates in 8 countries to help people realize their entrepreneurial dream. From Sri Lanka to England, from Holland to Belgium, we are taking people through a very intuitive, yet comprehensive approach to develop a business model that works fort hem. The program is different in that is focuses on you working out of your passion, not out of a business idea. The second element that distinguishes this approach from many others is that we do not want the entrepreneur to become an expert in every area of business, but to focus on his strengths and learn to build a team to complement his skills.

The second initiative provides housing for starting business owners. This helps them to have professional housing at a low cost and work synergetic with other business owners. We recently had an open house where eight business owners presented their businesses to the visitors from all over Holland and even Belgium.

The third initiative is a business club that provides teaching, empowerment, networking opportunities to those aspiring to excel in business. At times we have meetings with business clubs from others churches to increase our network and learn from one another.

A by product of these initiatives is that it makes the church independent of the worlds economy. When people are laid of and the economy goes down, these business owners, who followed their heart and passion, excel because the are fulfilling their destiny instead of merely making a living!

Post Christian Society requires a different Church Paradigm

Posted by Gertjan Goldschmeding in Spiritual | 0 comments

For many years I had the privilege of pastoring a wonderful church family. We taught the uncompromised Word of God and saw people grow in the Lord. But something happened that changed the course of our ministry dramatically. We had a serious collision with the Dutch society, the authorities, the judicial system, the Child Protection Services, the public opinion and the national media. Much can be said about the origin of this collision, but we found out that in order to avoid more collisions, we had to change our approach to ministry. So are we now compromising? you might ask. I am totally convinced we are not compromising, but we have found out the there is a new mandate for the Church in post Christian communities and nations.

Let’s first address the significance of the term ‘post Christian society’. It refers to a society where Christian norms and values, biblical views on issues, were once seen as the norm, but not any longer. We don’t have to get scientific about this, most people can tell that the norms and values in today’s society are shifting. Things that used to be regarded as abnormal or morally wrong, are now totally normal and granted legal protection.

We can not expect society to accept Christian norms and values, without accepting Christ. That’s why the mandate of the church shifts from preaching the norms and values of the Bible to society, to showing society the eternal principles that are laid out in the Bible. If we don’t build a platform by being relevant to the people, nobody will hear what we are preaching.

The Church needs to apply what I call a JED Paradigm, which stands for Joseph, Esther and Daniel paradigm. These three great people of God were used mightily of God in an environment that did not know anything about God, nor did they accept anything as nomral, that God had commanded His people, the Israelites. These three persons gained tremendous influence without preaching a single word, without condemn anybody or anything. They simply developed an intimate relationship with God in a society that did not want anything to do with that God. That is what God wants to do with you and me in these last days. But we need to understand that this is not a lost situation. Just like Daniel when led into captivity could have given up and mourn about the condition of God’s people. Instead Daniel understood God was going to have a final word in this seemingly lost situation.

I feel like I live in captivity to a certain extend. There are things I don’t preach anymore because they make me irrelevant to society. But that does not mean I compromise on the truth of Jesus Christ. I simply realize that I am send as a sheep among the wolves. I apply the command of Jesus to be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove. For instance, since calling people with the honorable title of pastor is often misunderstood in our post Christian Dutch Society, I asked people in my church not to call me pastor anymore. But I still believe in the office and the respect that goes with the office. I just learned what it meant when the apostle Paul said:

I Corinthians 9: 19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23  And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Next post we will dig deeper in the meaning of the JED Paradigm.

Report Mission Trip Sri Lanka 2012

Posted by Gertjan Goldschmeding in Business, Missions | 0 comments

Watch the video report Mission Trip Sri Lanka 2012

Ladder of Success is writing history in Sri Lanka

Posted by Gertjan Goldschmeding in Business, News | 0 comments

Today is a historic day for the Ladder of Success coaching program, as Bethany Business School in Colombo signed the agreement to translate and promote the program in Sinhalees. In the presence of the three other board members (Jude Perera, Bertram Paul, Dishan da Silva) the agreement was signed by Adrian Ferdinands and the first participants are enrolling. ‘Crucial will be the support from the head office in the Netherlands, but there is a unique opportunity as such coaching is not available in Sri Lanka’, one of the boardmembers said.

The slogan of us at the Ladder of Success coaching company is, we are committed to your success. Bethany Business School, we are committed to your success!

Business Masterclass / Colombo

Posted by Gertjan Goldschmeding in Missions, News | 0 comments

Besides the meetings we conducted for pastors and leaders from the nation and the evangelistic campaigns, I had the privilege of launching the Bethany Business School. At one of the most exclusive locations in the city, the Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel, they organized a well-advertised and perfectly organized event, where I was invited to do our ‘Ladder of Success Master class’. Over 60 business people and entrepreneurs, Christian and non-Christian, participated in the one-day workshop. To me this is really a way for the Church to get out of its four walls and have an impact in society. We have found that when people become receptive to the principles of the Kingdom, their heart also opens to the Person of the Kingdom.

Besides these workshops, we have helped many people one on one with their business. I visited several companies, and I will visit another large factory tomorrow. Many of these companies are just about ready to do business overseas. Seeing the enormous impact this could have on the community, it is my desire to find ways to make connections for these businesses. This is an exciting element of our mission outreach, and will become more and more so in the future. We believe businesses all over the world, should know what it means to have Kingdom connections!