Dialogues
PARTICIPANT GUIDE
LEADERS
by Sam Frowine
Dialogues
PARTICIPANT GUIDE
Kingdom Builder Dialogues: Participant Guide
Copyright © 2024 by Sam Frowine at www.samfrowine.com Edits, Angie Moses.
Layout and Design, Sarah Grace Lipe.
Kingdom Builder Team Leader, Lisa Spivey.
Scripture quotations are taken from New International Version, except otherwise noted.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means–electronic, mechanical, photo copied, recorded– without the written permission of Sam Frowine.
www.Kingdom-Builder.org
Dear Business Leader,
How do you make the most impact in your world? In my own journey as an overachieving CEO and person of faith, I find my direction and power in Scripture.
That’s why I’ve filled Dialogues and the Kingdom Builder Box with Scripture. The Box, which will be given to you by your facilitator, contains 40 Scripture/Insight cards. The hard-earned insights come from my decades in the marketplace trenches.
Try to read 5 cards each week. Put the Box on your desk. Make each card your own for the day: claim it, date it, write your thoughts on it, and consider sharing your insights with the group.
May God use the Kingdom Builder Dialogues and Box in a powerful way as you meet your unique leadership challenges.
PREPARATION
Kingdom Builder Box
The Kingdom Builder Box contains 40 Scripture/Insights about enterprise building. Try to read 5 Kingdom Builder Cards each week, one a day with two days off.
• Put the Box on your desk.
• Make each Card yours for the day. Claim it. Date it for later reference.
• Write notes on it about insights or questions, or use the blank notecards.
• Pay attention to how God uses the Cards this week, and consider sharing your insights with our group next week.
Introductions
List the names of group members here:
DIALOGUE 1
WHO IS A KINGDOM BUILDER?
Understand the foundational beliefs of a Kingdom Builder
Dialogue 1: Who is a Kingdom Builder?
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Exodus 3:14 about Authority.
1. Submitting to authority can be hard for entrepreneurs. Why do you think that is?
GOD’S KINGDOM AUTHORITY
When God introduces His name to Moses as ‘I am,’ He is saying that He has always been and always will be the absolute ruler. He has final dominion and authority. His kingdom, unlike ours, will last forever.
God’s kingdom has been set up for us through kingdom principles, covenants, responsibilities, privileges, rights, rules, ethics, covering and authority. The primary precept, under which every Kingdom Builder operates, is the authority of God, the absolute master and ruler.
A Kingdom person rules by God’s rules. What follows is order, provision and goodness. We were created to submit to Yahweh.
2. What’s a specific example of how submitting to God’s ways in your business brought order and goodness?
DEFINITION OF A KINGDOM BUILDER
A Kingdom Builder is an enterprise leader who:
• Integrates Biblical principles into their marketplace decisions.
• Organizes resources and priorities to intentionally affect the Kingdom of God.
• Assumes a role in spreading God’s kingdom here on earth through the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. In your particular industry, is there a common practice that is opposite of Kingdom Builder principles?
GOD’S COMMISSION TO KINGDOM BUILDERS
Kingdom Builders are more than producers of products or services, more than a providers of profit. We are commissioned by heaven to rule over people and resources here on earth, and we choose to rule in a way that honors God.
There is a cry for Kingdom Builders in the marketplace. The world is hungry for trustworthy, courageous leaders. When you don’t step up to rule, less worthy leaders gladly fill the void.
4. What does it feel like to think of yourself as a “ruler,” in charge of your company’s direction, its resources, employees, and even employees’ families?
BURDENS AND OPPORTUNITIES
There is a heavy burden that comes with ownership, especially in our constantly changing marketplace. Our product or service might become obsolete tomorrow. We wonder, “Will I fail?” Sometimes we don’t even know if we can make payroll, so how can we give to God’s Kingdom?
With the uncertainty comes opportunity, to embrace new possibilities within economic shifts and to turn to God with our needs.
Changes in the marketplace are breeding prolific opportunities to solve problems and create new business. Technology is allowing us to have immediate global influence. Analytics are driving smarter behaviors and investments. And new niches are opening up for small businesses. The business landscape is offering softer ground for Kingdom Builders to influence the culture at large.
When men and women of faith begin to recognize their sacred responsibility to serve God’s purposes without reservation, they find not burden or fear, but:
• Deeper relevance
• Greater effectiveness
• Bigger vision, on a local, national, and global scale.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Jeremiah 29:11 about Control.
5. How does God influence our road to greatness?
NEHEMIAH
Nehemiah was one of the greatest Kingdom Builders ever. He turned from his comfortable job as cupbearer to the Persian King in order to follow his sacred responsibility. Nehemiah took on the rebuilding of Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity. He restored, reformed, and refocused Israelite society.
First, though, he mourned for the broken-down city and the struggling few who remained there. Then, he fasted and prayed for the opportunity to rebuild.
The uncertainty of our success can often make us draw near to God.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Nehemiah 6:9 about Strength.
6. What part of Nehemiah’s decision-making sequence––Identify, Pray, Act––is hardest or easiest for you in your leadership decisions?
A KINGDOM BUILDER’S WORLDVIEW
Kingdom Builders place their hope in the promises and precepts of an all-powerful God, believing that:
• God can do immeasurably more than we can hope or imagine when we submit to Him as our King.
• His promises to us in the Scriptures are the secrets to our success.
• His ways are different from our ways.
• The Holy Spirit is the power that reveals God’s truths and transforms owners and faithful leaders. The Holy Spirit is the X factor.
DIALOGUE 2
THE SECRETS OF GOD’S ECONOMY
Learn God’s paradigm of business leadership
Dialogue 2: The Secrets of God’s Economy
1. What Scripture/Insight Card struck you this week and why?
2. In the past, what changed in your work life when you went from working under someone to being the one in charge? How did the ownership mentality change you?
THE STORY OF GOD’S ECONOMY
When God gave the Promised Land to the Israelites, they went from being slaves and nomads to being landowners. Suddenly they had an unprecedented level of involvement in their economic future. Through the land, the Lord offered His people an entirely new economy and culture.
The land was not just a gift but a covenant. In Deuteronomy 11 God promised to watch over the land and make it flourish, if the Israelites obeyed His commandments.
God’s presence in the land was the key to the Israelites’ economic prosperity. God’s presence was their mark of distinction, which allowed other people to see the power and mercy of the Most High God.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Micah 6:8 about Promises.
3. What telltale signs help you identify a Christian in the marketplace?
GOD’S KINGDOM ECONOMY
In ancient Israel, the values in God’s new economy were very different from the secular economies around them. The differences continue today.
God’s Kingdom Economy puts value on:
• God as the source of our achievement
• Decisions driven by what honors God and what’s best for every party in the deal
• Integrity over profit
• Profit as a means of generosity and spreading God’s word
• Character over success
THE SECULAR ECONOMY
In contrast to God’s Kingdom Economy, a secular economy puts value on:
• Man’s achievements as the center of worship
• Success at any price
• The balance sheet, or P&L, as the sole standard of measurement and reward
• Profit as king, return-on-investment as queen
• Only what can be seen and touched
TWO MASTERS, GOD AND MAMMON
In Luke 16:13, Jesus says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Mammon is a principality, a demonic force. The word mammon means “confidence in wealth or power.” Not only can this demonic force influence people, but entire nations can be ruled by it. Mammon is a spirit of greed that drives the world’s system and elevates money, power and wealth as the ultimate goals.
When we come to the Father, we freely choose to serve a benevolent master as a willing servant. But if we choose to serve mammon, we choose slavery and bondage. Mammon is a ruthless taskmaster.
4. Business leaders must make hard decisions every day about money, people and priorities (what Sam calls Lifeblood). Does becoming a Kingdom Builder mean you must become less aggressive about profit, results and holding people accountable?
THE SECRETS OF GOD’S ECONOMY
Becoming a Kingdom Builder is not about giving up our drive. In Deut 8:18, it says, “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth.” He has given us our drive.
Kingdom Builders recognize God as the source of their drive, power, success and wealth, and they use these talents not just for their own sake but for God’s purposes. They also find that when they adhere to God’s ways, they receive many blessings in return.
SECRET 1: Stewardship leads to greater purpose
In Psalm 50:12, God says, “The world is mine and all that it contains.” God does not have a sense of indebtedness to us. We live in His Kingdom, not He in ours.
When business leaders make this paradigm shift and become stewards of what God already owns, their enterprise becomes more purposeful. Significance and meaning increase. Their work becomes sacred. They see giving towards God’s Kingdom as a privilege. And they get to watch God multiply their gifts.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Proverbs 3:9-10 about First Fruits.
5. When have you seen God multiply your giving?
SECRET 2: Spiritual Disciplines lead to wiser decisions
Kingdom Builders practice the habits of the Christian life, no matter how busy. Through these disciplines, God prepares us for the assignments He is about to give:
• Daily quiet time
• Prayer
• Fasting
• Worship
• Asking for what we need
Through prayer and study, Kingdom Builders position themselves at the GPS coordinates for making wise decisions. Here, God stirs our soul and molds us into His character. The spiritual disciplines give us a better lens for seeing the world, so we make better leadership choices with fewer mistakes. Also, the pressure of decision-making lifts when we are collaborating with the Holy Spirit.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Joshua 1:8 about Scriptures.
6. Which spiritual discipline is the hardest for you in the course of a busy day or week?
SECRET 3: Obedience leads to God’s Favor
In God’s Economy He gives a deep level of favor to leaders who have positioned themselves for it. How we treat suppliers, employees, customers and clients matters to God. When we follow God’s ways, we create trust, trustworthiness creates value and value attracts business.
In a world of pirates, treating enterprise as merely a source of booty, God wants to put forward His followers. God shows favor to those who:
• Make the right choices
• Allow God to break and mold them
• Conduct their lives with integrity and honor
7. If Jesus were the Chairman of your Board, what counsel would He offer you today?
If time, pull the Scripture/Insight Card Philippians 4:6-7 about Prayers.
8. What are some themes that show up in your own prayers about your business?
DIALOGUE 3
THE SECULAR/SACRED DIVIDE
Explore the tensions of integrating work and faith
Dialogue 3: The Secular/Sacred Divide
1. What Scripture/Insight Card struck you this week and why?
SECULAR/SACRED TENSIONS
Tensions between the secular and the sacred hover in a business leader’s life, competing for time, attention and emotions. The tensions can intensify at certain stages of our personal life or our company’s development. “Parent guilt” can create a bigger tension when our kids are younger. Giving can be harder when our business is just getting started. In general, though, people tend to tip one way or the other on these tensions.
When we examine tensions between man’s ways and God’s, we open the door to let God mediate. The secular/sacred grid can help us define our choice in a particular situation and help us assess our overall balance.
There aren’t simple, one-time answers. Sometimes both/and integration is called for; sometimes it’s a matter of either/or obedience.
Some common marketplace tensions, as written by business author Laura Nash, are:
SECULAR
SACRED
Love of Money Love of God
2. Which tension is your greatest challenge as an enterprise leader and why? Are there other tensions not listed here that you deal with?
PARADOX
A paradox is defined as an apparent contradiction that is nonetheless true. Some tenets of Christianity are paradoxical, such as free will and predestination. One of Sam’s favorite phrases is a paradox: Holy Ambition.
The secular/sacred tensions are not necessarily impossible contradictions; they can be more akin to paradoxes that require our constant vigilance as we aim for balance.
CREATIVE TENSION
A Greek philosopher once said, “War is the father of all things.” War gives rise to new nations and new rulers. Conflict often launches procreative power. Tension in a bow string creates the force to propel an arrow, and tension in an organization can be a generative tool for a leader.
Often times conflict will breed new solutions and alternatives that can be the very seeds of economic brilliance. This is why Laura Nash calls the tensions, Creative Tensions.
Kingdom Builders look for creative ways to navigate the tensions between worldly demands and the promptings of the soul. How can we adapt and innovate? What questions do we need to be asking?
3. What’s an example of a creative way you’ve dealt with the tension between the Love of Money vs the Love of God? How about other tensions?
OBEDIENCE
When one of the tensions is out of whack, we feel a sense of brokenness. Maybe in the name of gaining financial security for our family, we end up working too much and ignoring the family we set out to protect. Maybe in the name of loving a difficult employee, we fail to reprimand them and leave our other employees vulnerable.
When we don’t navigate the tensions well, we can compartmentalize and box off parts of our lives. We can deceive ourselves into believing that everything is fine, so we don’t have to deal with the difficulties.
Sometimes, dealing with the Secular/Sacred divide is a matter of simple obedience, a choice between God’s ways or our own.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card for Leviticus 19:2 about Ethics.
4. What’s an either/or decision you are facing in one of the tensions?
IDOLATRY
Whatever we give our most attention can easily become a god. Our enterprise building can be that way. When we give our work or our wealth the power to define us, we are making it into an idol. We can be sure the secular/sacred tension is out of balance.
If we will do anything to get the account, we are idolizing it. We need to ask if the thing we want so badly is controlling us or if we are trusting God to provide.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card for 1 John 5:21 about Idols.
5. What specific idols tend to throw your life out of balance?
WISDOM
Pray for wisdom as you navigate the integration of work and faith. It’s a battleground for the resources of time, money and priorities. God’s storehouse of creative wisdom is there for those who choose to live a life of integrity before God.
Proverbs 2 says that when we have wisdom, we are given:
• Understanding of every good path
• Knowledge that is pleasant to your soul
• Discretion that protects you
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card for 1 Kings 4:29 about Insights.
6. How can God’s practical wisdom guide you in navigating the secular/sacred divide?
Kingdom Builder Prayer:
Forgive me Lord for not trusting in your faithful provision, for my arrogant and ungracious ways, for the harm caused to others, knowingly or unknowingly from my words and my actions, for my impatience when answers are not clear, for my lack of submission to your authority over my business problems and opportunities.
Amen
DIALOGUE 4
THE VALUE OF YOUR LEADERSHIP STORY
Claim the power of your unique story in God’s Kingdom
Dialogue 4: The Value of your Leadership Story
1. What Scripture/Insight Card struck you this week and why?
YOUR LEADERSHIP STORY
Talk to any Kingdom Builder and you will find a story that includes these parts:
• Unique calling
• Defining moments—miracles, disasters and opportunities
• Big decision points
• Idols and temptations
• Pivotal people
• Favor
Moses’ leadership story was dramatic. He grew up in the Pharaoh’s palace and was given a unique position to affect good for the Israelites. Disasters came in the form of murder, plagues and a massive army. It took great determination for Moses to pursue freedom. The end looked imminent many times, but God always came through with a miracle, like the parting of the Red Sea.
Through it all God was shaping the character of both Moses and the Israelites. God often forms great leaders by taking them through humbling situations that fundamentally change them.
2. What parts of your business story most define what you do professionally today?
UNIQUE CALLING
We each have a unique DNA. We are gifted by God for certain tasks, which are natural to us but difficult for others. There is no one else like us, and our talents are useful in both the secular and sacred realms.
Our giftedness has a purpose that is bigger than us. Our work has a deeper call. God has a Kingdom mission for us and our work. But following God’s calling requires us to let go of our own expectations, limitations, and comfort.
3. How did you first discern your calling as a business leader?
DEFINING MOMENTS
Every business leader’s story includes moments when they stood on the edge of disaster.
For Sam Frowine, this moment came during the big recession of 2008. Business models that had worked in the past no longer did. Expectations of ownership that Sam wrote about in his first edition of Lifeblood were turned upside down, but the principles stayed the same.
From economic uncertainty new insights came. During that time Sam realized that while he couldn’t control the stock market or property values, he could control how he reacted and adapted to this new era of wealth. He also realized that no circumstances could change his overarching Kingdom purpose of raising up enterprise leaders. His mission was defined by God alone. In 2013, Sam wrote a new edition of Lifeblood, for survivors.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, James 1:2-3 about Trouble.
4. When have you found comfort or perspective in a challenging time as a leader?
BIG DECISION POINTS
Many business owners don’t intend to take on such a big responsibility, but as they land on work they are good at, the opportunities multiply. At some point they hit a ceiling of complexity that prevents them from doing business the same way as when they were pioneers. They have to make Big Decisions to move from being a cowboy entrepreneur to an enterprise builder.
Big Decisions often come after getting whipped around for a while and then finally admitting the need for change. When we orient to God’s plans for us, it is easier to let go and accept new assignments from Him.
Pull out the Scripture/Insight Card, Acts 1:8 about Power.
5. When has the Holy Spirit clearly given you courage, ability, or insight in your big decisions to change and adapt?
1 Corinthians 15:58 says that “when we excel in the work of the Lord, our labor is not in vain.”
6. When you look at your business story so far, where do you see God’s fingerprints? Where do you see His favor?
DIALOGUE 5
A LASTING LEGACY
Understanding how to build something that endures beyond you
Dialogue 5: A Lasting Legacy
1. What Scripture/Insight Card struck you this week and why?
LEGACY
What do you want said about you when your days on this earth end? Proverbs 10:7 says, “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will not.” Leaving a legacy of blessing takes obedience and intentionality.
Abraham, the founder of the Jewish nation, walked away from the security of his home and business in Ur, modern-day Iraq, to go to the unknown land of Canaan. When Abraham obeyed God’s bidding, God used him to birth a new nation that would bless the entire world.
God used all of Abraham’s skills—negotiation, peace-making, hospitality—to make him not just the father of a few but “the father of many,” which is the meaning of his name. To leave a God-sized legacy, Abraham had to trust God’s leading and put his faith in what was unseen, not what was seen.
Pull the Scripture/Insight Card, Matthew 25:21 about Final Days.
2. What lesson would you pass on about living well?
TRANSFORMATION
Transformational leaders not only run successful organizations, but they also develop their people into better versions of themselves. Their business dealings are not merely transactional—getting the job done—but they are also motivational and inspirational. One leader, submitted to God, can positively impact a whole company, an entire community and even the world.
It’s like Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13—when the farmer or leader carefully sows a seed for God’s Kingdom, a very large plant can grow, one that is sturdy enough for a bird to nest in.
Pull the Scripture/Insight Card, Numbers 6:24-25 about The Blessing.
3. What employee, client or customer needs your blessing or inspiration?
KINGDOM FUND
A Kingdom Builder manages his assets honorably and puts them into play for the Kingdom of God. To do so requires focus and process.
In addition to Sam’s personal giving, each year he and his staff set aside business earnings into a Kingdom Fund.
As a team they decide which causes they will give to: the poor, the fight against evil, churches and faith-based companies.
When the people in an organization, not just the owner, decide together on a cause, everyone’s hard work becomes instantly more purposeful and a spirit of collaboration, generosity and stewardship comes into play.
Pull the Scripture/Insight Card, Ecclesiastes 1:18 about Cause Missions.
4. In what ways is generosity through your company and in your personal life difficult or joyful for you? Do you have any practices similar to a Kingdom Fund?
AN EXAMPLE OF LEGACY
One Kingdom Builder, who is the president of an international chemical company, is leaving a legacy through the entrepreneurial training center he founded in Nicaragua, called BlessBack Business Academy. Each unit of training begins with a Scripture-based perspective.
Rather than doing ministry that didn’t match up with his marketplace brilliance, this leader used his expertise to develop a micro-financing and coaching system for small businesses in impoverished Nicaraguan communities.
5. What creative ways have you or could you leverage your unique marketplace skill set to serve God’s mission locally or globally?
SUCCESSION
Did you know that most family-held businesses don’t continue into perpetuity? This is because most founders have trouble letting go. But when owners realize that God gives it, watches over it, and has every right to change it, the relinquishment becomes easier. Enterprise is a living and breathing entity that can morph into a new iteration beyond us, or not. Will your business be generative after you’re gone?
Moses modeled succession by willingly training his replacement, Joshua. Moses didn’t get to actually step foot in the Promised Land, but he effectively got to enter through his protege. Part of his leadership DNA lived on through Joshua.
6. What motivates you most when it comes to leaving a legacy as a leader?
7. How would you begin to articulate your God Vision for your work? What’s next for you?
PURPOSEFUL ENTERPRISE LEADERS
Do you ever wonder if God has something more for you in your role as a business leader?
Kingdom Builder Dialogues was created to help business owners and leaders discover their impact and calling in God’s Kingdom. Through these five weeks of interactive sessions, you’ll see what Scripture have to say about your unique influence over people and capital.
Author Sam Frowine, owner and active investor in over a dozen enterprises, will help you clarify connections between your God-centered beliefs and your marketplace realities.
He’ll help you see how you can be more than a wealth builder but a Kingdom Builder.
