By Lloyd Mackey

THEY are best known in the Victoria world of business as the owners of a furniture store, known as La-Z-Boy – one of a few dozen such across Canada.

What is less common knowledge is that business partners Bernie Willock and Anthony Gray are part of a growing number of Canadians involved in the idea of trying to operate their businesses on ‘kingdom principles.’

Willock recently told BCCN about some aspects of his pilgrimage toward applying these principles.

In the early 90s, he was a youth pastor at Central Baptist Church. As he worked in ministry, he spent a fair amount of time “thinking about faith in this dynamic world of business.”

While Willock had learned much about people challenges in the church world, he said he “really missed dealing with people outside the life of the church.”

He added: “I reflected theologically on the concept of ‘kingdom business’, and continued to ask: ‘What does it look like?’”

The La-Z-Boy license was the opportunity to create what he called the “praxis,” in which such concepts could be tested and practiced.

This process has been enhanced by the Victoria store’s employees, who come from various circumstances and backgrounds – and contribute a variety of viewpoints.

One of the objectives of practicing kingdom business was to ensure, simply, that “in the words of Micah 6:8, we would try to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God, every day – in business practice, with each other and our customers, before the king, as redeemed for his kingdom.”

Willock points out that he receives some help in understanding these principles through his part-time studies at Regent College, where he is working on a masters in Christian studies in marketplace theology.

In addition, however, there is a practical aspect to doing Christian business in the marketplace.

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The best current example of this is a recent insight trip – which Willock and Gray set up for half a dozen of their staff members – to Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

There, they observed a literacy project being conducted under the auspices of Compassion, a Christian relief and development organization; and a microcredit undertaking arranged by Opportunity International, an evangelical microbank ministry.

Another project, in Canmore, Alberta, was the May opening of a ‘fair trade’ clothing store, in partnership with Paul Wegenast.

The idea, Willock said, is to purchase clothing directly from small suppliers, in countries where local people need the descent household incomes which do not always come from large globally-owned clothing corporations.

The concept is something like the sale of ‘fair trade’ coffee in many food outlets.

Canmore was chosen because it is a popular tourist destination with people who have a fairly sophisticated approach to shopping.

In the world of ‘kingdom’ business, there has been an increasing emphasis not only on treating employees and customers ethically, but also on addressing social justice issues such as poverty, health care and the environment, Willock said.

The clothing store and insight trips are both sustainable ways of doing so, he added.

It all comes down to that original question: What does it look like?

“My ministry, as a kingdom business person, involves me 50 hours a week with 42 people – the staffers at La-Z-Boy.”

For himself and his wife, Marlene, it has been an interesting journey – as it has been for their two now-adult children.

In all this kingdom business, how does the church fare – as the traditional repository of faith, worship and Christian education?

The Willocks live in Mill Bay, and are active in the leadership of Cobble Hill Baptist Church, a long-established congregation – denominationally related to the church where Bernie served as a youth pastor almost two decades ago.

June 2008