Conference, training promote Biblical business practices

Transformational entrepreneur Patrick Kuwana hopes that a marketplace business conference his company is hosting in Johannesburg on February 4 will inspire delegates to apply Biblical principles in the business arena.

“It is not a feel good conference. It is an action-oriented conference for people who are hungry to understand their Kingdom calling and to exercise a Biblical worldview in the marketplace,” said Crossover Transformation Group (CTG)  founder Kuwana.

Likewise he is trusting that an inaugural CTG biblical entrepreneurship training programme starting in Johannesburg on January 30 will be the beginning  of meeting some of South Africa’s needs for developing entrepreneurs to contribute to sustainable national economic growth.

Kuwana said that after he “walked away from” his successful investment business at the start of 2011 the Lord took him on a journey which included meeting transformational entrepreneurial leaders in the United States. Thereafter he established CTG and Transform Our City, an initiative that aims to mobilise South African Christians to become Bible-based change agents in every sphere of society.  Transform Our City was launched at  the various Global Leadership Summit events around South Africa in October.

Kuwana said the response to Transform Our City had been slower than anticipated but about 100 people had responded and he accepted it would be an ongoing process. Some people had committed to setting up prayer groups in their organisations and he had referred some respondents to active transformation groups in their areas, such as Transformation Christian Network in Port Elizabeth. He had also encouraged some people to establish a transformational structure in their area.

He said US marketplace ministry and transformational leadership experts, with whom CTG was partnering, would address a Marketplace Business Conference at Rosebank Union Church on Saturday February 4. During the conference delegates would be briefed about marketplace initiatives in other parts of the world and would  participate in an exercise in which they would grapple with how the body of Christ might tackly real South African business problems.

Delegates would also be asked to join an action group that would continue to meet around the goal of making a Kingdom impact in the marketplace.
 
The five days of training,  which would be carried out in conjunction with the USA based Regent University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Nehemiah Project Ministries,  would include the first two modules of a Biblical Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme. The initial entrpreneurship  trainees, some of whom were sponsored by corporates, would be from disadvantaged communities. The programme was also suitable for established businesspeople to gain understanding about doing business God’s way rather than the world’s way.

“The team from the USA will be training a team of 15 local teachers so that we can roll out the BE program nationwide on a big scale. We intend to have the training available in all major cities by the end of the year.”

Details of the conference and training can be requested from Kuwana at patrick@crossovertransformation.co.za or 082 333 7989.