Christians in business
| Christians in Business V. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| purpose | Execution of management days, congresses, seminars and professional group-specific specialist forums in order to be able to live and spread Christian values in the work environment |
| Chair: | Friedbert Gay and Doris Schlereth |
| Establishment date: | 1902 |
| Number of members: | around 1,000 |
| Number of employees: | around 250 volunteers |
| Seat : | Wurzburg |
| Website: | www.ciw.de |
The Christians in the Economy (CiW) (former names including: Association of Believing Merchants and Manufacturers , Association of Christian Merchants ) based in Würzburg are a confessional association of Christians from the fields of craft , trade , services and industry . It has the legal form of a registered association . The Christians in the economy are active throughout Germany in around 70 local groups with different formats (discussion forums, groups, prayer groups, etc.). In addition, various management days, congresses, seminars and professional group-specific specialist forums are held.
history
The history of the association began in 1902. On February 18 of this year, 36 committed Christian merchants and manufacturers met for an evening discussion on the topic: “Our duty as a Christian at work”. The result of this meeting was the establishment of the Association of Believing Merchants and Manufacturers , the forerunner organization of today's Christians in business .
In 1908 the merchants and manufacturers merged with the Association of Believer Sales Aids Germany . The intention was to institutionalize a neutral communication platform for Christian employees and employers . At the beginning of the global economic crisis in 1929, the association had over 2,000 members.
During the Second World War , the National Socialist authorities prohibited association work. However, this ban did not prevent the members from organizing themselves as a circle of friends . In 1947 the association work began again, now under the name Association of Christian Merchants (VCK).
In the German Democratic Republic , the association was banned in 1951 and the building of the Wall in August 1961 greatly reduced direct contact with members in the GDR. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, work began there on February 24, 1990 in the house of the regional church community in Leipzig.
In 1987 the general assembly decided to change the name to Christians in Business - Association of Christian Merchants. V. (VCK) . In 1998 the current name of the association Christians in Business was adopted.
In June 2016 the Austrian state association of CiW was founded in Vienna. Matthias Gerwinat, managing director of ERF Medien Austria, was elected chairman .
Club names
In the more than 100 years of Christian club tradition, the club name changed depending on the focus of the work. The following overview should clarify this:
| year | Name of the association |
|---|---|
| 1902 | Association of devout merchants and manufacturers |
| 1906 | Association of devout merchants, manufacturers and commercial employees |
| 1908 | Association of believing merchants |
| 1931 | Association of believing merchants registered association |
| 1940 | Circle of Friends of Christian Merchants V. |
| 1947 | Association of Christian Merchants V. |
| 1983 | Association of Christian Merchants - Christians in Business |
| 1987 | Christians in Business - Association of Christian Merchants (VCK) |
| 1994 | Christians in Business - VCK eV |
| 1998 | Christians in Business V. (CiW) |
| 2020 | factor c - An initiative by Christians in business e. V. |
aims
With their offers, the Christians in the economy want to support members and non-members - self-employed, entrepreneurs, employees and trainees - to live and spread Christian values in their working environment. In this context, for example, biblical principles and values should find their way into companies and be promoted. For Christians in business it is also important to have instructions on how to talk about faith “with business partners and work colleagues”. At conferences and regular gatherings, economic topics should be described and discussed from a biblical perspective.
Structure and organization
The overall responsibility of the association, which according to its own information has "around 1000 members from industry, services, trade and handicrafts" , lies in the hands of a board of up to ten members. Friedbert Gay and Christoph Wegert chair the board . Until January 2017 , the general secretary was Hans-Martin Stäbler , who headed the office in Wuppertal from February 2014 and after moving on February 1, 2015 in Würzburg. He is succeeded by Michael vom Ende. Around 250 volunteers work in the regional groups.
Branches of work
- communication
- Women network
- Business according to biblical principles (WiBi)
- Young professionals conference
- Trade & Technology Conference
- Impulse forum Nürtingen
Links to other organizations
The association maintains contacts with Europartners (www.europartners.org), the Missionary Services Working Group , and is close to the German Evangelical Alliance .
Publications
The association has published several books in collaboration with Christian publishers in recent years. This includes:
- Martin L. Landmesser, Ulrike Jooß (Ed.): Setting standards - living values . Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2006, ISBN 3-7751-4499-4
- Martin L. Landmesser, Johannes Sczepan (Ed.): Every day is an opportunity. Being a Christian in business and society . Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 2002, ISBN 3-7751-3847-1
- Martin L. Landmesser, Johannes Sczepan (Ed.): How do we deal with ourselves and others? . Hänssler, Holzgerlingen 1999, ISBN 3-7751-3321-6
- Martin L. Landmesser, Johannes Sczepan (Ed.): Living to work - work to live , Hänssler, Neuhausen-Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-7751-3210-4
- Martin L. Landmesser, Johannes Sczepan (Ed.): Shaping the future successfully , Hänssler, Neuhausen-Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-7751-2893-X
- Martin L. Landmesser (Ed.): What counts tomorrow ...: Shaping the future of business and society successfully , Hänssler, Neuhausen-Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-7751-2751-8
- CiW: The bible for managers. The New Testament for Managers
- Further publications
- various audio CDs with lectures by speakers from the membership and environment of the association
- Factor C. The Christian business magazine . Quarterly magazine of the Christians in the economy eV ISSN 1866-6698
literature
- Paul Gerhardt Möller: Article Berufsmissions , in: Evangelisches Gemeindelexikon (edited by Erich Geldbach et al.), Wuppertal 1986, ISBN 3-417-24082-4 , p. 59, Sp II - p. 62 Sp I
- Association of Christian Merchants (Ed.): 75 years of the Association of Christian Merchants in documents, historical testimonies and reports. 1902-1977. Anniversary issue of the CHRISTIAN MERCHANT , Wuppertal 1977
- Hanns-Peter Pestel, Andreas Schnabel, Andrea Schulz, Friedrich-Wilhelm Seinsche: 100 years of Christians in business. A tour of history . Special edition for the 100th anniversary of Christ in der Wirtschaft eV Christians in der Wirtschaft (Ed.). Wuppertal 2002
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entrepreneurs with Christian aspirations - The association "Christians in Business" is 100 years old. ( Memento from October 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: ekir.de , February 18, 2002, accessed on October 28, 2013.
- ^ Special issue 2002: 100 Years of Christians in Business (PDF; 917 kB) , ciw.de
- ↑ Austria: Christian business people join forces , pro-medienmagazin.de, report from June 24, 2016.
- ↑ Table from 100 years of Christians in the economy, p. 22
- ↑ CiW-Vision , ciw.de, accessed on May 27, 2014.
- ↑ New beginning with “Christians in the Economy” , ciw.de, news from November 4, 2013.
- ↑ Hans-Martin Stäbler becomes CiW General Secretary ( Memento of March 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), ciw.de, notification of January 24, 2014.
- ↑ Michael vom Ende becomes general secretary of “Christians in Business” , pro-medienmagazin.de, article from November 24, 2016.
- ↑ CiW move to Würzburg , idea.de, report of 12 February, 2015.