Rules
1. Each business plan will be submitted by an entry team. An entry team can be one person or a number of people and has no limit on size. The entry team creates the business plan but is not necessarily the entire management team of the business.
2. Members and regular attendees of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and of Redeemer Affiliate Churches are eligible to submit a proposal. Every team without a member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church or a Redeemer Affiliate Church must have the endorsement of a member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church or a Redeemer Affiliate Church who can speak to your involvement in that church. All entrants should be located in the New York Tri-state region (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut).
3. All entry team members must be in agreement with Redeemer’s Core Values, and will be required to sign such a statement as part of the application. However, proposed businesses and ventures need not plan on employing Christians exclusively.
4. Should the business plan reach the finals, at least one member of the entry team must be present at the final judging panel. The panel is a major factor in determination of the winner, so we encourage key team members to be present. Winners will be announced in March.
5. The decisions of the judges as to the finalists and winners are final. The Center for Faith & Work reserves the right not to name any winners if, in the sole discretion of the staff and the judging panels, none of the entries have sufficiently met the competition objectives.
FAQ
I've already started up my business. Can I submit an entry?
Yes. We accept business plans from start-ups that are still looking for capital, or existing businesses that have a plan for some substantial expansion. Your current capital needs should be at least US $50,000.
What resources can help me learn more about building a gospel-centered organization?
There are an increasing number of resources, both from Christian and mainstream sources, that are listed on our resources page.
I have security or confidentiality requirements. What do I do?
We understand that a number of business plans will have concerns about security or intellectual property. Please be as forthright as you would be to a potential major investor, but note any constraints you have. These judges are largely marketplace professionals who regularly deal with confidential information in the course of their work. We have asked them to treat your work product with the same care and respect for confidentiality. We also ask them to remove themselves from judging your plan if they do have a real conflict of interest. The judges and competition directors are the only people who will have access to the submissions.
Feel free to mark your plan—or particular piece of it—as "confidential." and to request that the judges give you the hard copy of your plan back after you've completed your presentation. Note that the short description of your idea which you include with your entry form may be used in public documentation relating to the contest.
It is your responsibility to protect your intellectual property. Before submitting your plan, we urge you to evaluate with advisors or legal counsel your need to protect your property, and to do so if appropriate (patent filings, copyright notices, etc.).
What if my friend is really eager to participate in the competition with me, but is not a Christian?
Experience from the field indicates that Kingdom-oriented Christians are required in critical decision-making positions in order to direct the business toward Kingdom ends, though that does not preclude non-Christians from serving on a senior management team.
We need to know that a business plan is committed to a Kingdom vision from the start. One way we check that is by asking all finalist team members to sign a Statement of Agreement to our Core Values. At this stage, if someone on your team is not Christian, we still encourage that person to actively participate.
If someone is not a Christian and is in full support of the objectives of this business plan competition, this could be a great conversation starter: what barriers or challenges face your friend in trusting Jesus with his or her life, if the vision is already compelling?
Appendix A – Redeemer Presbyterian Church Core Values
Redeemer Presbyterian Church is a center-city community of changed people who are committed to serving and renewing New York City through a movement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel: The 'gospel' is the good news that through Christ the power of God's kingdom has entered history to renew the whole world. When we believe and rely on Jesus' work and record (rather than ours) for our relationship to God, that kingdom power comes upon us and begins to work through us.
Changed People: The gospel changes people from the inside out. Christ gives us a radically new identity, freeing us from both self-righteousness and self-condemnation. He liberates us to accept people we once excluded, and to break the bondage of things (even good things) that once drove us. In particular, the gospel makes us welcoming and respectful toward those who do not share our beliefs.
City: We believe that nothing promotes the peace and health of the city like the spread of faith in the gospel. It renews both individual lives and reweaves the fabric of whole neighborhoods. We believe that nothing moves Christians to humbly serve, live with, and love all the diverse people of the city like the gospel does.
Community: The gospel creates a new community which not only nurtures individuals but serves as a sign of God's coming kingdom. Here we see classes of people loving one another who could not have gotten along without the healing power of the gospel. Here we see sex, money, and power used in unique non-destructive and life-giving ways.
Movement: We have no illusions that our single church or our Presbyterian tradition is sufficient to renew all of New York City spiritually, socially, and culturally. We are therefore committed to planting (and helping others plant) hundreds of new churches, while at the same time working for a renewal of gospel vitality in all the congregations of the city.
Serving: Though we joyfully invite every person to faith in Jesus, we are committed to sacrificially serving our neighbors whether they believe as we do or not. We do this by using our gifts and resources for the needs of others, especially the poor. And more than merely meeting individual needs, we work for justice for the powerless.
Renewing: We believe that the gospel has a deep, vital, and healthy impact on the arts, business, government, media, and academy of any society. Therefore we are highly committed to support Christians' engagement with culture, helping them work with excellence, distinctiveness, and accountability in their professions.