Business question

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KGP

Puritan Board Freshman
Looking for some strong counsel on an issue regarding my my business.

I own a mobile music and event rental company in our area that has grown to become perhaps the largest in the region, especially for DJ and sound/music services. Our main rental items are present are photobooths and an LED dance floor; weddings are our primary events.

I've been struck by a few sermons I've heard from Alastair Begg on 1 Cor 10. Particularly 1Cor 10:7 'Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."' That is pretty much how our company makes money! We bring the music that people want to party to, request music DJ service. I am very good at serving people; and our business grew because I know music and can play what people want to hear, take requests, etc. Of course that means playing songs.

If it were not such a profitable business I would never have grown it to the extent I have. I've been praying pretty hard about some of the things that I am not comfortable with and God has been faithful to show me I need to repent and make some changes, but what that looks like is what I want help with.

Some options I have considered.

1. Burning everything. Extreme maybe, but so were the folks in Acts who burned their valuable scrolls. When I think of the compromises that I have made, and the compromises that I have led others into during the course of growing this business; and the holy standard God calls his people to; a part of me wants to commit it all to destruction and refuse to profit from it anymore even through asset sales.

2. Sell the business by selling off assets or selling the company outright. This would allow me to recover some of what I have put into the business obviously.

3. Continue to operate the business but set tight boundaries around what music content our company will and will not play from now on, and perhaps lose some work but also avoid putting our reps into morally compromising situations.


I have made it my goal to move my involvement with the company to owner/tech support only; we have a booking manager and one equipment coordinator who also DJ's with us regularly during the busier months, then a roster of about 8 people who we call when e have work. Some of the people we hire have no qualms with any of the work we do. They love working for us because they can use the cash, they enjoy the music mostly and while they find some of our clients partying and music preferences distasteful, they just get over it and try to help everyone have a good time. From a provision standpoint it has been a real blessing to them, and it's opened doors to serve them personally in other ways and show Christ's love practically.



If you built a successful DJ company that hires people to go to parties and events and play request music, what would you do given your convictions? What would you do in my shoes? Besides never have started such a business!










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I've been struck by a few sermons I've heard from Alastair Begg on 1 Cor 10. Particularly 1Cor 10:7 'Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry."' That is pretty much how our company makes money! We bring the music that people want to party to, request music DJ service. I am very good at serving people; and our business grew because I know music and can play what people want to hear, take requests, etc. Of course that means playing songs.

Hi Kaleb,

Wow, what a dilema. I think I understand your concern and also think we have some things in common.

I own (actually my wife owns) a small seven-person construction estimating service in NE PA. We are small, but we have worked on some of the biggest jobs in the country. E.g, The New Your Subway Expansion worth billions; the Verrazano Bridge reconstruction, and so forth. I love our little business for exactly the reasons that concern you. We never work on Sunday, and we provide an honest job-product for the civil construction industry. We get to set the ethical tone for all that we do--and do not do. It has been a great blessing to my wife and me for over 25 years.

I was converted out of the 60's drug culture which included a front row seat at Woodstock. (If you have ever heard of it :) Then in the early 70's after almost dying of an overdose, I was saved in an instant, cut my hair, and left my old ways behind. Mine was a story-book salvation if there ever was one.

Several years before that I worked at a photo and record store and got a reputation for having perhaps the largest rock album collection around. Shortly after my conversion I became convicted over the content of my collection and knew I had to either destroy them or get rid of them in some way. I finally opted for giving them to a friend. To this day I wonder if I should have destroyed them instead.

Here are two Scriptures that I have thought about over the years:
The first speaks to your option 1. "Burn them."
Acts 19:19 (KJV)
Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Some of the secular music is so bad that this verse could apply.

Then there is this very different situation which may better speak to your semi legitimate venture.
Your option 2. "Sell the business."

Deuteronomy 14:21 (KJV)
Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God.

On your option 3. "Continue to operate the business but set tight boundaries around what music content our company will and will not play"

This option would not do for me, but that may just be me. I do not even dance with my wife at a wedding when slow-dance music is played. Never have--never will. But, I will be the first to admit that these may just be my personal qualms.

So I think it's between option 2. and 3.

I highly commend you for your concerns in this situation.

That's all I can think of right now. Don't hesitate to contact me if you want to discuss this more. I will pray for you in about an hour from now when I am done reading.

Sincerely,

Ed Walsh
 
I may be different than most ... while I see nothing inherently wrong with dancing and music, what the dancing and music is for greatly affects the moral aspect. Marriage is moral, and can be a celebration of the blessings of God (we played the pipe and you did not dance is a thing). Celebration of what God has done with dance is not evil, but good.

I see all of this as requiring wisdom. I personally think it might be worthwhile doing option 3 and make sure it is done properly.
 
Kaleb,

A number of years ago, I owned exactly the same kind of business as you do. Eventually, I chose your option 2. My conscience has not been bothered by that decision, as I didn't think that I was selling an inherently (though, admittedly, it was a potentially) sinful enterprise. :2cents:

I will be praying for you as you make your decision.
 
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