I regularly meet with pastors, church planters, and missionaries wrestling with whether to start a business. For most, it seems that the tensions revolve around calling. They went “all-in” on ministry as a career and had no “backup plan.” That is already setting up an internal conflict. Why? Because all of a sudden, the thought of launching a startup or working “outside of ministry” is a direct assault on their calling. Now what?

Added to the tension is our tendency to read our story back into Sc...