‘God Has Blessed Us’: Hobby Lobby CEO Talks Company’s Continued Success
By Movieguide® Contributor
Hobby Lobby CEO David Green shared his thoughts on what makes his company a “ministry” instead of a business.
“God has been really good to us,” Green said of Hobby Lobby’s success during an appearance on Kirk Cameron’s TAKEAWAYS. “What we’re really trying to do is find biblical principles in how we operate our company, and it has served us very well.”
Green pointed to those Christian values as the reason why the company has done so well over the years.
“We also see our business more as a ministry and really not a family business,” he explained. “We see it as a ministry to bring on and let people know about the good things of Jesus Christ.”
The CEO also spoke about his decision to give away 50% of Hobby Lobby’s profits.
“I believe that God has blessed us,” he said. “Because we know it’s not ours…we want to do as much as we can in ministry as we possibly can, and I think God has rewarded that.”
Last year, Green announced that he was giving up his company and that he “chose God” over wealth.
“When I realized that I was just a steward [of the profits], it was easy to give away my ownership,” he said, per USA Today.
In an interview with Fox, Green explained that 100% of Hobby Lobby’s voting stock had been moved to a trust that would see members trade off “stewardship.”
“All the voting stock is in 1% in its trust, and it is being managed and being stewarded instead of seeing ourselves as owners,” he concluded.
Movieguide® previously reported on Green’s decision to step away from the company:
Green said that he had “chosen God,” and also hopes that the change will allow Hobby Lobby to continue to be successful.
“When I made the decision to give away my ownership, similar to Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard, it allowed us to sustain our mission and purpose,” Green wrote in an op-ed for Fox News.
“Wealth can be a curse and, in most cases, if you drill down on it, wealth is a curse in terms of marriage, children and things of that nature,” Green added in the op-ed. “So we’re stewarding our company and, therefore, our children come to work, and they get what they earn… it’s a paradigm change from ownership that can really wreck a family.
“God had to show me that He was the one who granted success,” Green said, quoting the Bible: “It’s God who gives us the power to make wealth.”
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