Redemptive Business Canvas

The Redemptive Business Canvas is a practical tool that helps Christian founders and entrepreneurs map out a business model that is aligned with God’s redemptive plan for creation.

Like traditional business canvases, it provides a clear, one-page framework for strategic planning, collaboration, and growth tracking.

What sets it apart is its foundation—built specifically for Christ-followers who seek to integrate their faith with business and create ventures that have a restorative impact.

Whether you’re launching a new business or transforming an existing one, the Redemptive Business Canvas helps you systematically and holistically design a venture that honors God and loves people.

Canvas developed by Hannah Lau and Philip Yan
Redemptive entrepreneurship articulated by the team at Praxis

USING THE CANVAS

The canvas is designed to group business areas according to the Three Dimensions of Work, as defined by Praxis.

For Venture Builders:

Think of the canvas as your “playground,” designed to help you systematically explore and develop the key aspects of your redemptive business.

For Business Owners:

The canvas is a powerful tool to transform your existing business. Use one canvas to assess the current state of your business and another canvas to reimagine your future business as a redemptive venture.

 

BIBLICAL POSTURE

Before using the canvas, it’s important to know how it should be positioned in the context of biblical values and principles.

A tool, not a mandate: The canvas is intended for Christ-followers who wish to have their business be an instrument of redemptive impact.

A journey of sanctification: Much like individual Christians, a redemptive business is not one that has achieved “perfection”, but is continually being sanctified. It’s an ongoing pursuit of holiness.

A biblical lens: The canvas has been designed with overlays in each of the functional areas so that we are considering our business through a biblical lens.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

  • Download and print out the canvas on 18” x 24” paper (or larger if you prefer).

  • Alternatively, you can also project the document onto a wall or whiteboard.

  • To use digitally, consider pasting the PDF of the canvas (as a screenshot) into an online whiteboard.

  • Prepare sticky notes and pens/markers.

  • Set aside time. You will not get it all done in one session, but each session should have time set aside to properly engage.

  • Involve the right people in your company and ecosystem. Consider who should join you in imagining, analyzing and deciding.

USEFUL TIPS

  • Use sticky notes — don't write on the canvas; one idea per note so items are easy to move.

  • Keep ideas mid–high level. Avoid getting bogged down in details at this stage.

  • Capture first, edit later — don’t overthink; the process is iterative.

  • Prioritize thinking and discussion over filling boxes. Take time to reflect and pray as you work.

  • Use the small checkboxes in each area to confirm the plan meets its main redemptive aim.

  • Consider the canvas flow: aim for a sequence that tells a complete story, but feel free to move between areas.

DESIGN YOUR REDEMPTIVE BUSINESS

Leadership

  • Definition: The ideal, restored state of reality 

    Biblical lens: Calling                         

    Redemptive aim: Serve through sacrifice    

    A redemptive vision is the why of your venture. In our fallen world, much has been lost and broken. To discern what God calls us to restore in the world today, we start with lament. Lament is an honest expression of our grief or sorrow to God.

    Lament bridges our personal journey and our ventures to the divine work God is doing or desires us to do. From your deepest lament, a vision will emerge—an ideal reality where brokenness is restored to its God-intended order.

    This vision should be bigger than you and your venture, a goal too grand to accomplish on your own, but what you are called to contribute toward. More than one organization can have the same vision and be doing different things to bring it to pass. 

    A clear vision will be your compass, guiding you and all your venture’s efforts toward the ultimate goal.

  • Definition: The focused contribution toward the vision

    Biblical lens: Gifting

    Redemptive aim: Serve through sacrifice

    If a redemptive vision is the why, then the mission is the what. Your venture has assets and capabilities that enable it to contribute to bringing the vision to pass. That contribution is your mission; your answer to the lament.

    A mission gives a venture a clear focus. However, in order to leave room for discovery, innovation, and new opportunities, try and keep the mission at a more general, category level.

    For example, a mission statement like "to equip Christian entrepreneurs with training" sets a broad and flexible goal. In contrast, specifying "to equip Christian entrepreneurs with training program X" could be too restrictive, potentially limiting a venture’s ability to adapt or expand its offerings in the future.

    Your mission should lead to your venture’s greatest flourishing. When a redemptive venture is flourishing, it is able to bless people and renew culture.

  • Definition: The behaviors that embody the mission

    Biblical lens: Principles

    Redemptive aim: Serve through sacrifice

    Redemptive values are the ethical compass of the venture. They are a way of being and believing that we hold most important. If values are absent, the integrity of our business is compromised, making it unworthy of pursuit.

    Core values are not only seen in how we deal with products and customers. Living out our values means that we ensure that they permeate into every aspect of our organization. This includes everything from finance to supply chains.

    We take care to translate our values into concrete actions and habits that can be practiced consistently. Every intention, word, thought, and behavior should align with these beliefs.

    Identify no more than two core values to keep them memorable, understandable, and focused. Importantly, they should be a filter used to make hard decisions.

Strategy

  • Definition: The lack experienced by the target audience

    Biblical lens: Flourishing

    Redemptive aim: Renew culture

    If lament is the overarching sorrow felt when the world strays from God's intended order, then a problem is a specific instance of this deviation, causing people pain and frustration.

    To avoid creating a solution that no one needs, start by understanding the problem you want to solve. Interview your target audience and run small experiments to confirm these pain points are real—not just based on your assumptions. 

    Then filter for problems that your venture can address within its mission. This process will help you discover if your general direction is right.

  • Definition: The approach to addressing the problem

    Biblical lens: Flourishing

    Redemptive aim: Renew culture

    While your venture’s mission is set at a broad level, the solution gets very specific. The solution articulates the product or service that will aim to resolve the identified problem.

    Start small and prototype your solution to help you confirm with strong evidence that your business idea is likely to work. 

    A redemptive solution moves your target audience toward greater flourishing. It connects your business activities with the desired impact you wish to have in the world

  • Definition: The group that the solution is designed to serve

    Biblical lens: Flourishing

    Redemptive aim: Renew culture

    Identifying a clear target audience begins with a thorough understanding of the market landscape. A redemptive approach takes into account societal trends, cultural nuances, and the spiritual environment.

    Next, segment the overall market into distinct groups, ensuring that people within each group share similar characteristics and needs. A redemptive view of your customer means seeing them as an image bearer of God, created to flourish.

    Select the segment that your venture finds most promising—not necessarily the most lucrative, but the one most aligned with your redemptive mission.

  • Definition: The overarching point of differentiation

    Biblical lens: Flourishing

    Redemptive aim: Renew culture

    A value proposition explains how your product or service benefits customers, why it’s different from competitors and why customers should choose it over other options.

    A redemptive value proposition enhances, rather than replaces, the benefits of a product or service. It provides additional intangible value that promotes your customer’s overall well-being and flourishing.

    When you understand your market, target audience, and costs, set a price for your offering that ensures both profit and value.

  • Definition: The narrative that motivates behavior change

    Biblical lens: Narrative

    Redemptive aim: Renew culture

    Marketing is about more than just selling your product or service—it’s about inspiring action and linking to a bigger story.

    The redemptive function of marketing is to invite your customers into the story of your lament and the brokenness your venture is called to redeem. This story ties into God’s greater narrative for humanity: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.

    From here, look at the 4P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion) and align your communication and relationship-building efforts toward cultural renewal.

Operations

  • Definition: The tactics that will achieve adoption

    Biblical lens: Stewardship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    Sales is often misunderstood as a purely transactional process focused on maximizing revenue. However, in a redemptive business,sales is about serving people, meeting needs, and cultivating relationships built on trust. Stewardship in sales means approaching every interaction as an opportunity to add value, not just to close a deal.

    A redemptive approach to sales prioritizes:

    • Understanding needs: Listening deeply to the challenges and aspirations of customers.

    • Building trust: Establishing long-term relationships through honesty and integrity.

    • Creating value: Offering solutions that genuinely bless people and communities.

    • Fair exchange: Ensuring that pricing and agreements are fair and mutually beneficial.

    Seeing sales through the lens of stewardship allows us to move beyond transactions, creating meaningful interactions that bless others and promote human flourishing.

  • Definition: The process of creating and distributing goods and services

    Biblical lens: Stewardship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    Production involves transforming materials, labor, capital, and land into goods and services. Distribution uses channels and networks to deliver these goods and services to our target audiences.

    In a redemptive venture, how we create and produce matters just as much as what we deliver. Our goal is to ensure not only the flourishing of our customers, but also the well-being of stakeholders in our ecosystem.

    The most redemptive way to produce and distribute may not always be the most efficient. Therefore, we seek a balanced approach that blesses people and maintains financial viability.

  • Definition: The strategy that facilitates resource management

    Biblical lens: Stewardship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    A business that is redemptive does not mean it is financially impractical. It means we look beyond the bottom line and aim to be good stewards of our financial resources. 

    We apply a redemptive lens to “where we make money” (revenue streams) and “where we spend money” (cost centers), ensuring that our financial decisions align with our values.

    Pursuing redemptive impact and stakeholder flourishing comes with a cost. Pricing, sales and production—when done redemptively—may not always maximize your venture’s efficiency or revenue. 

    Yet these choices are investments in a venture that could be profoundly good news for the world.

  • Definition: The infrastructure that enables 

    business functions to operate

    Biblical lens: Discipleship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    How a company is run internally will determine its success externally. Rarely will a company see continued success if its own household is in chaos. 

    Systems and processes need to be established to help business functions work together smoothly for stakeholder flourishing.

    A redemptive approach to systems and processes will enable those working to be at their best, grow and excel in their work, and collaborate effectively with their team.

  • Definition: The roles required to operationalize the business

    Biblical lens: Discipleship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    Early on in a venture, it’s easy to think that the founder will “do it all”—and for a time that might be true. However, a redemptive venture is ultimately not about the founder; it’s about a company with a God-given purpose. 

    Therefore, it’s important to think about the team, including roles and responsibilities, needed to fulfill the venture’s mission. 

    See your team as a group of individuals to be discipled. Lead by example and champion values, such as service, integrity, grace, and humility. Engage your team in a relational process that helps them become more like Jesus.

  • Definition: The organizational design that holds the business together

    Biblical lens: Discipleship

    Redemptive aim: Bless people

    If corporate governance is how a company is run by the board of directors to balance the interests of stakeholders, then management is how managers handle daily operations to meet the company's goals.

    Management with a redemptive approach focuses on three key areas:

    • The Personal - A redemptive leader views God as the ultimate CEO in their life and work. They are grounded in their identity in Christ and calling in God’s Kingdom.

    • The Planning - Having a plan is essential. A redemptive leader not only anticipates where the company is going, but also guides their team with clear purpose and goals.

    • The People - Management isn’t just about making sure employees get their work done; it’s about helping people flourish. A redemptive leader leads by example and sees their team as a group of individuals to be discipled.

Key Metrics

  • Biblical Lens: Accountability

    Definitions

    Stakeholder Flourishing:

    Well-being for the individual

    Financial Sustainability:

    Fiscal health for the business 

    Redemptive Impact:

    Restoration for the community 

    A redemptive business is evaluated using metrics in three main areas: stakeholder flourishing, financial sustainability, and redemptive impact.

    The aim is to keep a balanced focus as you build for longevity and impact. Remember, where you're heading is more important than how fast you're going.

Looking for more content on redemptive entrepreneurship?

See our resources page.

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