Yesterday I had the priviledge of sitting down for a Dunkin Donuts coffee and bagel with Brian McLaren to discuss our new community in Baltimore. The conversation was focused on ways that our new faith community can tackle the issues of inner city poverty and lasting community development.
Before I go on I have to say that Brian looks just as warm of a guy in person as he does in his photos (and he actually is that “warm”). I can’t wait until I have a bald head and grayish white beard. I think it makes you more intelligent, not look more intelligent, it actually makes you more intelligent. Do you agree?
Anyway, I won’t write everything we discussed because, if I did, it would be a book. I want to mention one thing that struck me. I told Brian that one question Matt and I had been asking ourselves (Matt was there too) was, “Would it be possible for a faith community to tackle issues of poverty through starting non-profits and co-ops so as to create jobs.” At this Brian lit up and began scribbling on a piece of paper explaining to Matt and I the new emerging category of a B Corporation.
Up until this point there have been two kinds of business, 1. the for-profit S or C corporation which focuses on max profit and 2. the non-profit organization which focuses on benefits. Brian explained that the B Corp is somewhere in between. They, essentially, reverse the for-profit corporation mentality. While a for-profit values as little employment as possible so as to increase profit the B Corp values little or no profit so as to create more employment, more jobs. The B Corporation has three bottom lines; financial, environmental, and social.
We then began to discuss all of the sticky, nitty-gritty details of how challenging this would be while at the same time we began to see what rewarding and long-lasting the benefits this could create in Baltimore’s inner city neighborhoods. Brian pointed out that many of those currently living in impoverished neighborhoods have not been employed for as many as four or five generations. Asking them to work 40 hours a week would be like asking me to work 120 hours a week. Not only do we have the challenge of providing employment however there remains the parallel challenge of helping future employees become employable.
I left with a sense of excitement about the possibilities and a humility toward the potential tasks which lie before us. Innumerable ideas were, of course, bouncing around my head.
5 Comments
February 22, 2008 at 9:11 pm
[...] went and posted about our time with Brian McLaren at Dunkin Donuts yesterday… I hope to post something about it tomorrow, or Sunday (I have a couple of other takeaways, [...]
February 22, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Wow! I’m new to the term, “B Corporation,” so thank you for sharing that link! I hope that you continue to mention parts of your convo w/ Brian and what God is teaching you!
February 23, 2008 at 7:56 pm
These are the moments when we get a glimpse that what we hope for is actually validated and confirmed. This is exiciting. This is us in the midst of God.
Keep us posted with B Corporations.
February 27, 2008 at 7:06 pm
How exciting to see your thoughts on B Corporations and where we’re headed. It’s a pioneering movement with–so far–81 companies from 17 states working together to shift the paradigm. I know some of you won’t have been familiar with B Corporations before you read this, so please come visit us at http://www.bcorporation.net. Let me know if I can be of any help. Email us at TheLab@bcorporation.net
February 27, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Errin, thanks a lot. Great stuff you guys are doing!