FONTAINBLEAU, SOUTH AFRICA (ANS) -- When churches embrace entrepreneurs who want to grow their own businesses, lives can change—and so can family legacies.

Jedd (right) and Janelle Schroy

In South Africa many, who start businesses, are the first entrepreneurs in their families. Apartheid once prevented many black South Africans from operating businesses in their communities. But now, with a controversial unemployment rate somewhere between 23 and 40 percent, many people are starting their own businesses without the basic skills necessary to grow them. Interest rates, sometimes as high as 1,000 percent annually, can also make raising the necessary capital for expansion impossible.

So, this past year, the nonprofit organization Paradigm Shift began equipping volunteers from four South African churches to become the answers to their own communities’ pressing needs. By teaching these business-minded believers to become mentors, life coaches, business trainers, and microcredit coordinators, Paradigm Shift started helping the churches cross race and socio-economic barriers to expand God’s family and impact lives.

Grant Walton, pastor of New Creation Family Church, explains how “as a South African church surrounded by a community in need of social, economic, and spiritual renewal; we had a dream to empower entrepreneurs to earn a living while being discipled. Paradigm Shift helped us realize that dream.”

Rumbi works on one of her first clients in her new salon, Euro Afro Chic

More than 167 entrepreneurs have completed Paradigm Shift’s program and begun expanding their businesses. Using the skills she learned, Grace Mwachoweka, the owner of Madam Grace Fashion Design, was able to provide for her family’s needs while her husband was out of work. She thanks God for the training and volunteers who made the difference, saying “I was nobody, but now I am somebody. For the first time in my life, I have money in savings, a business brand, and confidence in myself and my abilities to run my business.” Recently, she began passing along the lessons she learned to several up-and-coming tailors and seamstresses.

In addition to the entrepreneurs from South Africa, immigrants from eight different nations speaking eleven different languages went through Paradigm Shift’s rigorous program. Rumbi Mapeture came from Zimbabwe with a pair of scissors in her hand hoping for better economic opportunities to cut hair. Little did she know how much Paradigm Shift’s four key components—discipleship, business training, mentoring, and microcredit—would impact her life.

Discipleship

For Jedd and Janelle Schroy, the visionaries behind Paradigm Shift, the intentional teaching of God’s Word in the context of a small group where everyone feels safe, cared for, and connected is the core of the program. Jedd says, “Many of South Africa’s poor are evangelized, but not discipled. As a result, the poor often know about God, but they don’t know how to have a relationship with Him.”

That’s why Paradigm Shift’s program intentionally integrates discipleship principles into the trainings. Jedd explains: “Effective Christ-centered discipleship is a critical focus and goal of each weekly meeting and has an integral place in every aspect of the program. Paradigm Shift believes true life transformation happens only from the inside out. Addressing spiritual poverty is as important as addressing physical poverty.” Entrepreneurs, like Rumbi, take part in weekly meetings, similar to the small groups found in the local church, where they are discipled. Last year, 26 percent of the entrepreneurs began a relationship with Christ and many others deepened their existing relationship with him.

Business training

Before Rumbi could apply for a microloan to expand her business, she had to be prepared for the increased responsibility. In Paradigm Shift’s twelve-hour Business Experience course, she learned practical skills such as planning, accounting, finance, organization, costing, pricing and marketing. A skilled team of volunteers from participating churches conducted each training. Sometimes business students from the Association of Christian Schools International assisted as table trainers, giving them exposure to good practices as well.

In this highly experiential atmosphere, Rumbi learned how to use these practical tools to formulate a simple business plan. Then, over the next eighteen weeks, she participated in the Business Growth Course where she made strategic decisions about what she wanted to accomplish and figured out how to achieve her goals. One day, Rumbi hoped to own a proper hair salon in the city of Johannesburg.

Mentoring

Volunteers from local churches, who may not have time to participate as business trainers, can become mentors—meeting individually with entrepreneurs to provide friendship and professional advice. Janelle easily recognized the expertise Beatrix Coetsee could bring to this process and encouraged her to attend Paradigm Shift’s mentor training. At first Beatrix hesitated. “It just wasn’t the right timing. But, eventually, I participated in the training, then committed to meet and work with Rumbi.”

That’s when God’s perfect plan for both Rumbi and her mentor began unfolding, Beatrix owned a salon that she’d been trying to sell. While coaching Rumbi in business and discipling her during regular mentoring meetings over coffee, Beatrix became increasingly aware of God nudging her to help Rumbi fulfill her dream.

Microcredit

Rumbi's graduating entrepreneur class

Completing a viable business plan made Rumbi eligible for a small low-interest loan, repayable over a four-month cycle. Normally loans are guaranteed through the use of social collateral. By belonging to a group of five other entrepreneurs, each group member guarantees one another’s loans. They understand that if a payment is not made, the rest of the members must cover it. This type of collateral places the repayment responsibility on the group instead of on the church, with microcredit coordinators overseeing the weekly loan repayment process. To date, 100 percent of the loans have been repaid.

An important financial aspect of microcredit is the recycling of loan dollars. Because each loan must be repaid quickly, the money can be recycled as a new loan to another entrepreneur. This process multiplies the value of each dollar used in reducing poverty by creating numerous opportunities for economic growth. It also creates a sustainable church outreach.

But Beatrix decided to go above and beyond the norm. She worked out a plan to surprise Rumbi and sell her the salon in Johannesburg.

Paradigm Shift logo

Now that her dream has come true, Rumbi is helping perpetuate the entrepreneurial cycle. As a new business owner, she is currently mentoring Benhilda Tichiwangani. Together, they are working toward Benhilda’s goals.

This year Paradigm Shift intends to multiply its outreach to entrepreneurs by equipping volunteers from twenty churches. In that process, many more lives will change, some for eternity. And, that’s a legacy worth passing on.

To see a video account of Rumbi’s story visit http://blog.shiftingparadigms.org/2010/02/a-mentoring-story-video or to learn more about Paradigm Shift, go to http://www.shiftingparadigms.org. For interview requests, contact Jedd Schroy at: jedd@shiftingparadigms.org.

As an executive editor, Patti Townley-Covert gave oversight to the production of a magazine as well as many books including The Cell's Design: How Chemistry Reveals the Creator’s Artistry by Fazale Rana and A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview Test by Kenneth Samples. Her articles have been published in magazines such as Focus on the Family, Decision, and Light and Life. While waiting for God’s next job assignment, Patti is chronicling memoirs of her unusual life at pattitownleycovert.blogspot.com. She may be contacted at ptcovert@yahoo.com.