The Brand Promise of a C3 Forum
The C3 Forum is the “central business” of C3 Leaders. It is our primary vehicle for Building Business Leaders who can Influence the Business Community with Kingdom Values. It’s how we “Do Business with God.”
That tagline has a double meaning. Yes, we work to do our business with God’s principles and presence. And we are serious about our relationship with Jesus. In the C3 Forum we come expecting to have to do the serious work of our life with these brothers or sisters.
There are eight promises that make up the Brand Promise of a C3 Forum. Listed in the box. The unique combination of these eight define the distinctive of C3 Leaders against other fantastic churches and groups.
This is the “Elite Eight.” There is nothing more core to who we are as a movement of business leaders than these eight.
Brand Promise of a C3 Forum: The C3 Forum is…
Jesus-Centered
This is the true foundation of a C3 Forum. Jesus is central to all that we do. Jesus is such a significant part of what C3 Leaders that listing Him as a Core Component could diminish His status in our work. At the same time, not listing it could raise questions or cause mission drift, so He is listed and lifted up as first and foremost.
The C3 Forum could be referred to as "Christian" but we actually want to be more deliberate, defined and dedicated as people that are centered on Jesus. C3 Leaders is not a denomination, but rather, we are in a relationship with the Living God through His Son.
Colossians 1 says that Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God, that He was involved in creating everything, and that He holds all together. Jesus through the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the one that pulled the mission of C3 Leaders into existence. He is the one that pulled your C3 Forum group, member by member, together.
You have a fabulous Forum Chair, but it is Jesus that truly leads our times together. We are Jesus-Centered in all we do and especially in the C3 Forum.
Business-Focused
We are a targeted mission. We talk about Jesus regarding our business. We are Business-Focused. God is the Lord of the marketplace and has called us to be salt and light anywhere and everywhere He sends us.
The writer of Ecclesiastes encourages us to do, whatever we do, with all our might. We want to help business leaders and marketplace influencers to be dedicated and purposeful. The C3 Forum works to define our day-to-day work in the marketplace as a calling.
Prayer-Practiced
With the sharing that comes naturally in a C3 Forum, prayer will arise. The temptation of time and pride can easily make prayer slide. How many times have you heard at a meeting, "We are out of time, let's just pray as we go" or "Let's wrap up quickly in prayer."
We all must ensure that we "don't give up praying together." Stop meetings and pray for specific shares. Gather and lay on hands. Open in prayer. Close in prayer. The key to prayer is praying.
The C3 Forum is a "Prayer-Practiced" place. The “One Thing Journal” will give you space to note the prayer requests of your fellow C3 members. You can use it between C3 Forums to guide your prayer. There is also space to write praises to God.
Bible-Based
The C3 Forum must be a place where the teaching and preaching of Jesus Christ is elevated. The powerful tool given to us for that incredible opportunity is the Bible. Open your Bibles in the C3 Forum.
The C3 Forum is not a "Bible study," it is a peer-learning forum. If you want a Bible study, there is BSF. If you want to talk about the Bible, there is Teleios. Though we may not be a "Bible Study," we should not ignore the blessing that God’s Word can be for each other and for our businesses.
If the Bible is so important that God tells us to attach it to our hearts and minds, to tie it to our hands and bind it to our foreheads (Deut. 11:18-19), why should we not tie it to our C3 Forums?
Peer-Learning
We are peers gathering around common challenges, experiences, and joys. The Apostle Paul said it well, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:1).
It is a fine line between a peer-based group and a peer-learning group. The C3 Forum is a peer-learning group. We are looking to grow from session to session. You will find regular tools in the “One Thing Journal” to assist you together in this journey.
We do not gather in a C3 Forum just to “gather” or even to share. Every C3 member should be looking for opportunities to grow. Working to move forward. You will be hard-pressed to find a better place to grow as a business leader and child of Jesus than a C3 Forum.
Check-In
One of the best tools to assist in growth is an honest check-in. There is an environment of mutual trust and encouragement in each C3 Forum providing space for honest reflection and sharing. “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices” (Colossians 3:9).
It is important that each member checks-in. A check-in is where you examine your mind, heart, and the Holy Spirit’s leading regarding faith, family, and factory (work). Some Forums may include specific additional items, such as marriage, thought life, fitness, etc. These grades, findings, thoughts, and/or leadings are shared with the others. The One Thing Journal gives you tools to help with this process.
Some C3 Forums also use the Circle Check-In Process. This is a process that makes space for the Holy Spirit to speak through prayer with each C3 member. There is still a need to check-in on the Three F’s but this should be done as a part of the Circle Check-In Process. It is up to your group consensus and C3 Forum Chair if or how often your C3 Forum uses the Circle Check-In Process.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
Vulnerably-Led
What is said in a C3 Forum, stays in the C3 Forum. Founded on mutual respect, transparency, vulnerability, forgiveness, compassion, and confidentiality the C3 Forum provides an unparalleled place for business leaders. When a person is honest with another person, the recipient of that honesty bears a responsibility to hold that life in confidence.
The expectation is that everyone in the C3 Forum will lead with their vulnerable self. Brene’ Brown says that to dismiss someone else’s vulnerable sharing is an unholy act. We agree. The C3 Forum is a peer-learning environment where leaders bring their real self to the table.
Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5 that we should “encourage one another and build each other up.” There is no place during a check-in at a C3 Forum for making fun of another, devaluing feelings, not listening, or simply teasing. This is a safe place where people can share.
Note: The one exception to this Core Competency is when you or someone else is in danger. In that situation, Forum attendees should notify the C3 Forum Chair and the C3 Forum Chair will contact the staff. There also may be times when the C3 Forum Chair consults confidentially with the C3 Leaders’ staff. This is all done in the spirit of serving well.
Consistent Players
The attendees of a C3 Forum are the same from session to session. They are committed to each other. Most of our C3 Forums have met for years. There is a depth of life that comes from leaning on each other over the long haul. It is beautiful when peers gather around common challenges, experiences, and joys.
It is expected that the C3 Forum will be a priority in each member’s calendar. You are expected at each meeting. Your attendance and investment are valuable. You bring your unique gifts to your Forum. We are all busy, make your C3 Forum a priority on your calendar
True community is realized when people seek the welfare of others as well as their own welfare. God does great things when people make this kind of commitment to one another. He also does great things to the people around us, as they will know that God is real and alive by watching us love each other.
There is so much to a C3 Forum. If you have been in a Forum, you know. The brand promise of a C3 Forum should help give words to what you have experienced…and will experience. The One Thing Journal is designed to enhance your C3 Forum experience by encouraging growth, recognizing progress, and reminding you of others’ journeys. We are called to serve rather than be served… “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).