What does it really mean to be an entrepreneur—from a Christian perspective?
Amid countless business resources, one deeper question often goes unaddressed: What is the purpose of entrepreneurship? Instead of focusing only on methods or growth, the real issue is how entrepreneurship connects to calling, faith, risk, failure, and meaning.
That question sits at the heart of a new book by Rick Goossen, Chairman of ELO Network, and R. Paul Stevens, Professor Emeritus of Marketplace Theology at Regent College: Entrepreneurship: A Christian Perspective (Castle Quay, releasing June 2026).
Why This Book—and Why Now
This book exists because entrepreneurship is never value-neutral.
Most entrepreneurship texts focus on mechanics—financing, growth, marketing, and execution. The Christian worldview asks deeper questions about purpose, creativity, ethics, and responsibility. Goossen and Stevens argue that entrepreneurship is not merely an economic activity. They see it as a divinely inspired calling, rooted in God’s creative nature and expressed through entrepreneurial leadership.
Both authors come to this work not only as scholars, but as practitioners and teachers:
- Rick Goossen brings decades of experience as an entrepreneur, consultant, educator, and founder of ELO Network. He has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs globally and led the ELO Oxford Leadership Program. He has authored ten books and conducted research on Christian entrepreneurship through the Entrepreneurial Leaders Research Program.
- Paul Stevens brings a remarkable vocational journey. He is a church planter, carpenter-entrepreneur, marketplace theologian, Regent College professor, and founder of the Institute for Marketplace Transformation. At 88, he continues to lead, teach, and create.
This book is born out of friendship, shared conviction, lived experience, and a desire to serve the global Christian entrepreneurial community.
Not “Christian Entrepreneurs”—But a Christian Perspective
One of the book’s most important distinctions is this: Goossen and Stevens intentionally avoid the phrase “Christian entrepreneur.” Why?
Entrepreneurship itself has universal dynamics—risk, opportunity, financing, and innovation—that are fundamentally neutral. What changes is the perspective brought to those dynamics.
A Christian perspective reframes:
- Creativity as participation in God’s creative work
- Ethics as grounded in absolute truth, not mere utility
- Risk and failure as meaningful teachers, not merely obstacles
- Leadership as stewardship, service, and responsibility
Rather than repeating typical business topics, the book addresses the missing link: why entrepreneurship matters, not just how to do it.
Entrepreneurial Leadership, Meaning, and Calling
At the core of the book is the concept of entrepreneurial leadership—the integration of leadership wisdom with entrepreneurial action, exercised in service of God’s purposes.
This is a book for:
- Entrepreneurs and business owners
- Leaders navigating risk, transition, and uncertainty
- Students and instructors seeking a companion to traditional entrepreneurship texts
- Anyone wrestling with questions of calling, meaning, and impact in their work
Entrepreneurship, the authors argue, can be a powerful vehicle for difference-making—in business, nonprofits, social enterprises, churches, and beyond.
Join the Conversation: Leadership Expert Webinar – February 18
To mark the upcoming release, Rick Goossen and Paul Stevens will introduce the book and explore one of its central themes in a special ELO Leadership Expert Webinar. The topic: Reframing Risk & Failure: A Christian Perspective. The event is on Wednesday, February 18, from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon PST.
Register here: https://www.elonetwork.org/WebinarSignupForm
This session will dig into how Christian leaders can rethink risk and failure—not as setbacks to avoid at all costs, but as formative experiences that shape resilient, faithful, and meaning-driven leadership.
Looking Ahead
Entrepreneurship: A Christian Perspective will be published by Castle Quay in June 2026. All ELO Forum attendees in 2026 will receive a copy, inviting them to reflect on the deeper purpose of entrepreneurship.
Our hope—and our prayer—is simple:
We hope this book helps you view your work, risk, and leadership as part of God’s bigger story—and empowers you to lead with meaning and purpose.
Stay tuned. Join the conversation. And bring your questions.