Faith meets art at numerous intersecting circles of life. It is tested at work, the supermarket, the bank, a house of worship–whenever interacting with others. One of the hardest aspects of being a disciple of Christ (regardless of denomination) is responding with grace and self-control when people deceive, rob, cheat, or hurt you.
I am currently having an experience at my job, for which I serve as Director of Education for a music non-profit, where I have entered into a partnership with another organization, which happens all the time in this line of work. Agreements were set into motion after several discussions occurred in good faith that information shared was complete, accurate, and transparent. Unfortunately, the business ethics of the person with whom I was dealing were not as clear and forthright as I had hoped, so there were too many financial surprises along the way in our journey together which hurt both me and my organization. How does a Christian who is also an artist respond in the secular workplace where healthy competition can become hostile and where partnerships turn into predatory relationships? In the currently struggling economy and the post-Covid challenges of arts nonprofits, this situation unfortunately seems to be becoming more prevalent.
Well, my first order of business was calling out the double-talk I received after all agreements had been established, and with clarity and self-control, asking for a return to our original agreement. Yes, we had a written contract, but that contract experienced some unforeseen changes when it was long delayed and then rushed because of a timeline that had spun out of control due to the firm hold on the agreement that the other party had. But I was holding onto the “gentlemen’s agreement” that we had originally forged verbally. I know how the law works, but culture care is about caring for the relationships you make in business dealings and being sure not to swindle your partners in any way via mixed messages, unexpected invoices, doctored contracts, licensing surprises, and the like.
How I now increasingly value those business partners who are completely transparent and clear about terms from the get-go, and who consistently maintain those terms throughout a collaborative project’s life! Those who change their story along the way become untrustworthy fast—and their self-serving attitude may ruin future collaborations as word gets around that contracts were broken (even verbal ones) at the expense of one of the two collaborators.
What next? Prayerful consideration must accompany and precede all my remaining steps when dealing with this now toxic business relationship. I want to care for this other person as much as I can and be an example of a straight-talker and dependable partner, while also expressing justified disapproval of how some things were handled. Further, I must be wary about future dealings with this person, even though the contract bonds our partnership for a number of years, so simply not doing business anymore is not an option. My non-profit is in this for the long haul.
My prayers are with all artists of faith who currently face similar injustices in the secular marketplace. We are called to be salt and light, set apart from others who might take advantage. When those others find themselves doing business with us, what is their impression? My prayer is that they see disciples of Jesus caring for the culture in their neighborhoods and communities. May my hurt and anger over an injustice in a business partnership lead to reconciliation and restoration via God guiding my choices and path moving forward.