Earlier this year , Andover Newton Theological School presented a symposium at which leading thinkers in theology and business explored the nexus where spirituality and business meet. As Bill Kunitz, vice-president of the school, put it: "We're bringing the world and the Word together!"

What emerged over three days of plenary sessions, working groups, and focused conversation is that many people today are unwilling to leave their spirituality and faith at the door when entering the workplace. There is a growing community that is engaged in creating a lively and vibrant environment that uplifts the human spirit and has the power to transform commerce and the global economy.

The Sentinel's News Editor, Kim Shippey, reports on the conference.

Symposium organizer Laury Hammel admitted that it wasn't easy to bring such seemingly disparate camps together. "So, we had to ask ourselves: 'What can business teach those involved in spiritual disciplines and living a deep inner life? What can spirituality teach those involved in business?' Also, 'How do we build an interfaith perspective, and honor that perspective?'"

Symposium coordinator Patrick McNamara suggested that the answers lay in the quality of people's thought rather than in "just coming through the door, knowing the rules, and leaving most of oneself outside the door. Personal and corporate values have to be better synchronized," he said. "Individual passions must be balanced with corporate needs."

Tanis Helliwell, who is on the faculty of Banff Centre for Management, in Maine, reported that she had recently done a study on sixteen hundred people in a very "traditional organization." They were asked, "What do you feel you need most in the next decade?" They didn't say change, or ways to handle stress, or anything like that, said Ms. Helliwell. "What came back as Number One across the board—from executive down to receptionist—was developing their potential. This was an internal call from people: 'I want to manifest who I am!' So, clearly, they're starting to push out from inside—and that's how they're going to affect their organizations. ... I really do believe we are moving to a place of interdependence."

This theme was taken up by keynote speaker Tom Chappell, founder of Tom's of Maine, which produces natural, personal care products. In his opening address he said: "Spirituality is about our relationship with others; not about self-centeredness. But if we're going to allow spirituality in, it's going to make business more complex. We'll be entering into a new way of being together.

"Spirituality allows us to get to know each other as human beings," he continued, "not just as someone in sales or manufacturing. ... It provides a new bed, a new soil, a new underpinning for our energies and ambitions. ... When a group of people are really excited about working together on a project, and know the common values of that company and the direction of the project, we get not only innovation but efficiency, high productivity, and tremendous commitment and loyalty.

"What brings us together," he said, "is our beliefs, our relationships, and our values. ... Simply stated, good values build better businesses. They also bring the rewards of personal growth. We discover things about ourselves that we want to change or improve on."

But how do we bring God into the decisions being made every day in the company? Mr. Chappell asked.

"Before we even get to work, we need to be connected with God. ... For me, the day begins on my knees, and I try to carry this [communion with God] into my greetings and [activities] throughout the day. I also take the long way to work, because it gives me a chance to become attuned to something far more enduring than today's agenda, last month's balance sheet, or this month's profit and loss."

Milagros Phillips agreed heartily with Mr. Chappell. She is a mother of three, and president and founder of Empowerment Plus. She came originally from the Dominican Republic and brings an international perspective to her work as a motivational speaker.

"My spirituality is my work," she told the Sentinel, "and I don't separate the two. It's always there, regardless of what words I'm using to express it. But I had to search within myself to find out what I'm really about and how I connect to the rest of the world. I did that by looking to understand more of what Jesus taught, how he taught it, and why he taught it. His love and compassion are an example of how we can nurture ourselves as well as others—especially through our work!"

Alexis Carol, an ordained minister who teaches in the department of management at Quinnipiac College in Connecticut, told us that she believes "there is a divine love and wisdom that moves with us ... and is much greater than any corporation. I believe God wants us ultimately to be fulfilled, to live in harmony, to have what the Hebrew tradition calls shalom.

In his opening address Tom Chappell, founder of Tom's of Maine, said: "Spirituality is about our relationship with others; not about self-centeredness. But if we're going to allow spirituality in, it's going to make business more complex. We'll be entering into a new way of being together."

"To achieve this," she said, "we need to have a right relationship with God, with one another, with the community, with the world. This is something we appear to have lost since the Industrial Revolution here in America, and, in a sense, are now reclaiming. ... If we go into any corporation, or any segment of life, knowing that what we're bringing is something divine, that can transform the world—and certainly a working environment!"