Hobby Lobby founder says his business has a divine owner: 'I chose God'

The founder of an Oklahoma City-based arts-and-crafts retail chain is making news for following principles he says are rooted in prayer and the Bible.

In an opinion piece that initially appeared on FoxNews.com, David Green, chief executive officer and founder of Hobby Lobby, said he gave ownership of his business to God by abiding by the Lord's principles.

Green discussed the recent announcement that Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, would be giving his business away. In his commentary, titled "My Decision to Give Away Ownership of Hobby Lobby: I Chose God," Green said other business leaders who were doing the same thing caused him to think about what he would be doing with his own national retail chain.

"I experienced a similar decision-making process with my ownership of Hobby Lobby; I chose God," he wrote. "The thought process reflects a basic competition of ideas that I think every business leader should reflect upon. What is the true source of your success?"

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Green, author of the new book "Leadership Not by the Book: 12 Unconventional Principles to Drive Incredible Results," said he realized that the Lord was the true source of his success. In that respect, he wrote, he has been the steward of a successful business that is essentially God's.

"As an owner, there are certain rights and responsibilities, including the right to sell the company and keep the profits for yourself and your family. As our company grew, that idea began to bother me more and more," he wrote. "Well-meaning attorneys and accountants advised me to simply pass ownership down to my children and grandchildren. It didn’t seem fair to me that I might change or even ruin the future of grandchildren who had not even been born yet."

The business leader said he and his wife, Barbara, started Hobby Lobby with a $600 loan, and they knew from the start that their bigger purpose "was to honor God in all that we did."

"That bigger mission and purpose helped me realize that I was just a steward, a manager of what God had entrusted me. God was the true owner of my business," he wrote.

Green cited Deuteronomy 8.18 that says God gives individuals the power to make wealth, and he also talked about his belief in the principle of tithing 10% of one's earnings. Along those lines, the businessman listed some of the ways the he and his family have been divinely inspired.

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He wrote that through the business, his family has been able to provide hope through supporting ministries and planting churches across the globe. Also, he said the company pays a minimum wage of $18.50 per hour, the stores close at 8 p.m. each day, and they close all day on Sunday, which had been the business's most profitable day.

"That stewardship gave me a greater responsibility," Green wrote. "I wasn’t supposed to take the profits of the business and use them for myself. I also had a responsibility to the employees that God had put in my charge."

He said these decisions have allowed the family to sustain their mission.

"It gives me a bigger purpose than just making money," Green said. "Like Chouinard said, 'Instead of "going public," you could say we’re 'going purpose.''"

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Hobby Lobby founder David Green says God is the owner of the business