Photos by Ralph Freso
John Kaites emphasized the importance of faith in his business life during his induction as an honorary member of Grand Canyon University's Eta Chi chapter of international business honor society Delta Mu Delta. During his talk, the Colangelo College of Business dean delivered a challenge to the ceremony's inductees.
“Put the Lord in the middle of your life, to live that life in a congruent way, to do your two jobs of loving God and others, surrender and serve (God), and watch what happens,” Kaites said toward the end of an 8 ½-minute speech.
“I never expected to grow up to be the dean of one of the largest business colleges in America. But when you surrender and serve Christ, you never know where it will lead. It is like living on the back of Jesus’ ski boat.”
Kaites, who was selected as the business college's dean in October 2023, earned his bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and has started 21 companies. He also earned his law degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and a certificate of Christian studies from Fuller Theological Seminary.
He implored inductees to become the best business students they can but also spoke about how to create a ministry disguised as a business.
Kaites shared a parable about a man who was assigned to manage a restaurant by an owner who told him to bring people into the restaurant, to make sure the restaurant serves as a place of community and fellowship, and that the customers are fed well.
“Then the owner said, ‘There is one condition,’” Kaites related. “‘You are not allowed to steal customers from other restaurants.’”
The manager wonders about attracting customers who do not like restaurants, and the owner explains that he owns all the other restaurants.
“The owner of the restaurant is like Christ, who is the owner of the church,” Kaites said. “And the mission of the church ... is to be organized in a way that is similar to the restaurant.”
Kaites emphasized that the product of the church is the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Specifically, how do you worship God well? How do you pray and listen to the Word. How do you love God with others? How do you bring people into the church and have a relationship with Christ?
“But unlike the rest of the business, now you bought the restaurant business,” Kaites said. “You are throwing an event every week – Sunday services. You have fixed costs. And you’re hoping people show up, just like the restaurant, you’re throwing a party every week and hoping people show up.”
However, you cannot steal from other churches, Kaites stresses.
“I want you to think about the business of the church,” Kaites said. “In addition to getting your degree in business in whatever capacity, the information you are learning is so applicable to helping and serving the Lord and the church.
“But you understand the business model of the church is similar to a restaurant, but you don’t want to steal people from other churches. You've got to go out there and find people who don’t like church, who don’t want a relationship with God or who have not developed that relationship with God.”
Kaites reiterated to honorees to put the Lord at the center of their lives, to perform their two jobs of loving God and others, and to surrender and serve God.
And if you accomplish these three tenets, “then the fourth thing is the most commonly stated thing in the Bible – you have nothing to fear,” Kaites said.
“They chose me for the job (as dean), not just because of the companies we started, the entrepreneurship and the business we’ve been successful in building, but also because the president of the university (Brian Mueller) and the staff wanted to make sure we are who we say we are. We are a university that puts Christ at the center of everything we do.
“The CCOB stands for the Colangelo College of Business. … It also stands for Christ at the center of business.”
To be invited to join the Eta Chi chapter, named Delta Mu Delta's outstanding chapter of the year in 2020, students must have at least 24 CCOB credits, be a junior or senior in the top 20% of their program and be in good standing with the university.
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected].
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