Having as its main theoretical support Weber's classical sociology, which debates the relation of religious life to entrepreneurship, and Schumpeter's approach to the entrepreneur, this article addresses the influence of religious belief on followers recognized as entrepreneurs. The research strategy was a qualitative and comparative case study on entrepreneurs from two religious organizations: the Reborn in Christ Evangelical Church and the Catholic organization Focolare Movement. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentary research. The results indicate that the entrepreneurs from both organizations fill in the gaps of uncertainty generated by market circumstances, by searching for the "transcendent", which offers them the subjective safety needed for action. It was also possible to find out that they develop skills that are not restricted to mere economic behavior, a dimension in which their actions are shown as irrational, but in line with the "entrepreneurial spirit", such as faith and hope. These skills come close to Schumpeter's concept of entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurship; Religious organizations; Entrepreneurial behavior; Schumpeter.