A Day in the Life of Angela Brady: Faith in the Marketplace: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian Business?

I recently joined a new program called LocateFaith, an online directory designed to help people find Christian-owned and faith-centered businesses. You might think of it a little like a Christian version of Yelp—a place where people can discover businesses whose owners openly identify their faith as an important part of who they are and how they serve others.

LocateFaith is still fairly new, and I was excited to get involved early. But as I began setting up my profile, it got me thinking about something much bigger than simply being listed in another business directory:

What does it really mean to be a Christian in business?

For me, it certainly doesn't mean that Christians only do business with other Christians. And it doesn't mean that putting the word Christian beside a business name automatically makes someone more trustworthy, more capable, or better at what they do.

If anything, I believe publicly identifying myself as a Christian gives me an even greater responsibility for how I conduct my business.

Faith Doesn't Stop at the Office Door

I've been in real estate for twenty years, but before real estate, I worked in sales, ministry, speaking, music and several other areas where I interacted with people from every imaginable background.

One thing I've learned is that people pay far more attention to how we live our faith than to how loudly we announce it.

In business, that means integrity when nobody is looking.

It means telling someone the truth even when the truth may cost you a commission.

It means treating a small transaction with the same care you would give a large one.

It means keeping your word.

It means admitting when you've made a mistake.

It means treating people with dignity and respect whether they believe exactly as you do or not.

And in real estate, it means remembering that behind every contract, showing, inspection and closing is a person or family making one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of their lives.

Serving People Is Part of the Calling

One of the things I have always loved about real estate is that it gives me the opportunity to serve people during major transitions in their lives.

Sometimes they're celebrating.

Sometimes they're grieving.

Sometimes they're getting married, having babies or moving into their dream home.

Other times they're facing divorce, death, financial difficulties, military relocation or circumstances they never expected.

A house may be made of lumber, brick and drywall, but a home carries memories, hopes, disappointments, celebrations and dreams.

That's why I have never believed my job was simply to sell houses.

My job is to serve people well.

My Christian faith shapes the way I try to do that.

Christian Business Should Mean Integrity

There is a Scripture that has guided so much of my life:

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6

Notice that it says in all thy ways.

Not just at church.

Not just during prayer.

Not just on Sunday morning.

All thy ways.

That includes how we conduct ourselves in business.

Being a Christian businesswoman doesn't mean I will never make a mistake. I certainly will. It means there is a standard higher than a sales goal, an award, a commission check or a five-star review that I want my life and business to reflect.

I want people to know that my word matters.

I want them to feel that they were treated fairly.

I want them to know that I cared about their family—not simply their transaction.

And whether someone shares my Christian faith or believes something entirely different, they deserve to be treated with honesty, professionalism, kindness and respect.

Why I Joined LocateFaith

That is what appealed to me when I discovered LocateFaith.

I love the idea of a growing community where Christian business owners can identify themselves and where consumers who specifically want to support faith-based businesses have a way to find them.

I also love getting involved while something like this is still in its infancy. Who knows what it may eventually become?

But for me, the little “Verified Christian Business” badge isn't really about having another logo to put on a website.

It's a reminder.

If I am willing to publicly associate the name of Christ with my business, then I want the way I conduct that business to honor Him.

Not perfectly.

But faithfully.

Faith in the Marketplace

Years ago, I began using the phrase “Faith in the Marketplace” because I believe our faith was never intended to exist only within the walls of a church.

The marketplace is where we meet people.

It's where relationships are built.

It's where integrity is tested.

It's where kindness can stand out.

And sometimes, without ever preaching a sermon, it's where we have the opportunity to demonstrate what we believe simply by the way we treat another human being.

I'm happy to add LocateFaith Verified Christian Business to A Brady Brokerage.

But more importantly, I pray that long before anyone sees a badge beside my business name, they see evidence of my faith in the way I serve them.

Because ultimately, that's the verification that matters most.

Tea with Me:

Well, my tea is probably getting warm by now, so I’ll leave you with this: I’m happy to have a new little “Verified Christian Business” badge to display. But I hope I never need a badge for someone to recognize Whose I am. I hope they can see it in the way I treat them.

Until our next cup of tea…

Angela Brady
A Brady Brokerage
Trust your Bunch with a Brady

 Angela Brady with A Brady Brokerage helps buyers and sellers throughout Fayetteville, Raeford, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Fort Bragg, and surrounding North Carolina communities.

 Life. Faith. Home. Stories worth sharing. Real estate you can trust.