Fellowship of Companies for Christ International

In 1896, Charles M. Sheldon's book, “In His Steps,” was first published. As its story unfolded, readers found themselves witnessing the impact on the lives of the book's primary characters as they accepted the challenge to ask “What would Jesus do?”before making any decisions or taking any action…in every area of their lives. Their aim was to walk as closely as possible in the steps of Christ regardless of the immediate consequences. Almost eighty years after that challenge was first posed on those pages, Robert L. “Bobby” Mitchell, a young Atlanta businessman, received a copy of In His Steps as a Christmas gift from his mother. Bobby found his own challenge clarified in the struggle of Sheldon's character Milton Wright, a businessman for whom applying the question “What would Jesus do?” had incredible ramifications. Nevertheless, regardless of the potential ramifications, Bobby, like Milton Wright, determined that following Jesus' steps through the business world was exactly what God was calling him to do. Bobby's commitment to Bible study had previously led him to join a group of business people – many of whom were top Atlanta executives – meeting every Friday morning at 6:30. Their integrity and faithfulness impressed him, and it did not take long to discover that God was calling others to walk with Him in their businesses, even though there seemed to be no clear sense of what that really meant. As Bobby and his wife, Sue, prayed for God to lead them to a business that Bobby could operate based on a walk with Christ. A friend, B.G. “Bert” Stumberg, approached him about a company – Applied Ceramics, Inc. – that was in need of new direction and fresh leadership. God had provided the platform…now, “What would Jesus do?” The first thing Jesus did was to renew and deepen the relationship He had begun during World War II with Bert. After attending Bible study with Bobby several times, Bert renewed his commitment to Christ, and the two dedicated themselves to operating their companies based on Biblical principles. Their search for wisdom and resources led to a 1977 Leadership Dynamics meeting in Point Clear, Alabama, where two things happened: their vision of leading a company for Christ was clarified, and another close friend, Bill Leonard, accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. As Bill began to walk with Bobby and Bert, God brought another friend, Larry Burkett into the group. Together these men invited 70 of Georgia's Christian business leaders to meet at the Edwards Baking Company to hear the vision that God was developing, and to encourage them to join in pursuing that vision. Out of that meeting came a group of seven that struggled together for the next two years learning how to walk step-by-step with Christ in their personal and business lives. In addition to Bobby, Bert, Bill and Larry, Jim Moye, Ben Lively and Tom Harris formed a nucleus that actually functioned much like what has become an FCCI Business Leadership Group or CBO Resource Team. These men, along with Jim Pursell and Smith Lanier, became the original FCCI Board of Directors. Today, FCCI is led by CEO Terence Chatmon. As we look to the future, we see an unprecedented opportunity to unite business leaders worldwide, and see Christ honored in the workplace as never before.