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Owe Nothing...but...

Leadership

I had a car, and the car needed gas. In order to buy gas, I needed money. To get money, I needed a job. So, on Friday, March 13, 1992, my college roommate and I set off to spend our spring break in the high-end resort town of Somerset, MA, to work as seasonal laborers doing the resume-boosting job of counting clothes at a local mall. Yup, it was inventory season, and we were super smart college kids with enough fingers and toes to count on, so we got the job. While so many others were out spring breaking on the beach somewhere, we were lining our pockets, sleeping in his parents' basement, eating Wendy's, and counting dresses in sets of ten. And I loved it! Little did I know how that day would change my life.

On that very day, while I was skipping Friday's classes to head off campus, Mike Hardwick was opening the doors of Churchill Mortgage for the first time. Having come through seasons of being knocked off his financed horse after riding a little too fast and learning to ride again, he picked up his ax and started chopping wood. He had a determination to do it differently. He wanted to build a company that would put people over profits, to honor God with his work, to avoid debt, and to give back to the community. All possible outcomes of serving others, hard, honest work, bringing expertise and experience to the market, and following the golden rule. He wanted to help families and each other, not transact files and chase headlines.

Thirty-four years later, owned 100% by its teammates, Churchill Mortgage is still doing the same thing.

    "Owe nothing to anyone- except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God's law." (Romans 13:8)  

Living without the chains of debt frees you to spend your energy loving one another. Paul reminds the Romans that the essence of God's law is simple: love one another. Remove all other hindrances, clean up your balance sheet, and set your ledger on love. Go to work, make a little money, be generous with it, grateful for what you have, and live the way God and Grandma intended. That is a great recipe for life and for business. A lesson I learned after walking through those doors that were opened 34 years ago. Thank you, Mr. Hardwick!

Happy Anniversary, Churchill! Thank you for serving others, working so hard, being the expert, leaving people better for the encounter, doing what is right, and loving your neighbor as yourself. May the next 34 years be as impactful as the last. 

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