Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) hosted its inaugural networking event for Christian business professionals, Faith at Work, in an effort to equip and encourage Christian business leaders to value and utilize their work as ministry for the glory of God.
James “Jim” Morgan, former President and CEO of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (2005-2016), delivered the keynote address. Morgan’s arrival at Krispy Kreme was anything but easy. He stepped into a failing company and an unhealthy culture. However, Morgan had resolved to put Christ at the center of his approach to business. In practice, this looked like his implementation of Faith, Family, and Community Days, or FF&C Days for short. This was a step at creating a healthier work culture in which employees were encouraged time to nourish their faith, spend time with family, and serve the community. He also allowed employees to start an optional Bible study and email devotionals to staff as a way to implement faith in the workplace in a non-coercive way.
Morgan also pushed back on simply selling more doughnuts as a motivator for getting the business back on its feet. “Let’s find a vision bigger than selling doughnuts,” he remembers telling his Krispy Kreme staff. This led to the creation of their current mission and vision statements, “Our mission is to touch and enhance lives through the joy that is Krispy Kreme. Our vision is to be the worldwide leader in sharing delicious tastes and creating joyful memories.”
To fulfill the new mission and vision of Krispy Kreme, Morgan developed core values that demonstrated a greater mission than simply selling doughnuts. These values included pursuing excellence; growing as a cohesive team; becoming servant leaders and stewards; and becoming passionate about faith, family, the community, and Krispy Kreme. By 2013, Krispy Kreme had made a significant turnaround as a company. All of this, Morgan noted, was a testament to culture change within the company rooted in rooted in his approach to creating a Christ glorying culture that values people.
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