From “how we work” to “why we work”

What kind of pastor repents after commissioning three construction workers for a house-building mission trip in Tijuana? The type — like Dr. Tim Dearborn — whose definition of “ministry” has been expanded from church-funded initiatives to the broad spectrum of vocations under the sun. Speaking to a Denver Institute crowd in November 2015, Dearborn frames […]

Jeff Haanen
Banking Alone

  Recently I received an urgent plea from Mike, a young investment banker in New York. Mike had just graduated with his BA in financial economics from Columbia University. Having read my review of Kevin Roose’s Young Money, he knew that investment banking meant 100 hour work weeks, acidic professional environments, and often working for […]

Brian Gray
The Christian Life is Taught & Caught

I’m a cagey veteran of the staff here at Denver Institute for Faith & Work… a ripe 21 days into my tenure. After serving on DIFW’s Church Advisory Council for the past two-and-a-half years, I transitioned from the faculty of Denver Seminary to a new role here as the director of cultural engagement. Amidst the […]

Jeff Haanen
Corporate Tithing: An Interview with Jack Kim

Jack Kim has different dreams than the rest of us. I first met Jack at Colorado Community Church when we started talking after a service. Soon after, he started sharing a vision: “You know what I’d do with $20 million? Build an institute for men — to have fellowship, to grow, to live in the Kingdom.” […]

Biblical Business — Engine of Blessing

By Tim WeinholdIf you are a business person, let me suggest an addition to your list of most significant Bible passages — Deuteronomy 8:17-18. The passage occurs in the midst of Moses’ farewell address to the children of Israel. At the time, they were camped beside the Jordan River, finally ready to enter the “promised […]

Consumerism: What Do People Really Want?

Perhaps the best response to wealth disparity in America today can be summarized in two words: Karla Nugent. Karla is the Chief Business Development Officer at Weifield Group Electrical Contracting in Denver. In 2014, she won the Denver Business Journal’s 2014 Corporate Citizen of the year award. Why? Denver’s economy is booming, and as the […]

Interview with Barry Rowan: Bringing Meaning to Work

This interview is excerpted from Ethix, a publication of the Center for Integrity in Business in the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. It was republished here with permission.  Ethix: Barry, you have been in and out of the telecom business for many years now. What was your path to get to Vonage?Barry […]

An essential element of vocational work is mentorship

By Jenna Ellis October marked the second anniversary of former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Joe Rogers’ passing. To the world, he was the second black lieutenant governor in Colorado’s history and a very charismatic, passionate leader and advocate.To me, Joe was the kind of Christian who took mentorship seriously. When I was only 15 years old, I […]

Steven Strott
Intergenerational Friendship

  Take a second and picture some of your closest friends. Now think of people who have served as your most influential mentors. I’d be willing to bet that with few exceptions, the same faces didn’t appear as both “friends” and “mentors.” In all likelihood, most of your friends shared experiences with you in the […]

Business as a Holy Calling?

By Tim DearbornOne Sunday, our church was commissioning its youth group to go to Tijuana to build houses. Professional carpenters and an owner of a construction company were commissioned with them. It occurred to me, “Why were we commissioning them for this volunteer ministry, but we’ve never thought of commissioning members in the construction business […]

Religious Intolerance is Bad for Business

By Jeff Haanen and Chris HorstDenver is on the rise. Construction cranes line the streets around Union Station. New residents arrive faster than we can house them. But as Denver surges, will our city be a place where religious people are permitted to live and work? Given the recent news, it’s a fair question to ask.Last […]

Jeff Haanen
Matt Turner, MorningStar Senior Living (Video)

Matt Turner, the CFO of MorningStar Senior Living, serves nearly 1000 employees, tens of thousands of residents – and his investors. As a young, Christian business leader, he’s had to grapple with the tension of serving both his staff and his investors – one many executive leaders feel. Yet ultimately, for Turner his work is […]