The History
In the fall of 2018, Jim Woodward, a Convene Chair and a member of Irving Bible Church in Irving, Texas, was invited to teach a six-week class at his church on any topic he wanted. Jim knew exactly what he wanted to do. He had previously built and run businesses as large as $100M, and now coached Christian business owners and CEOs as a Convene Chair. Yet, he wanted to help all Christian workers, not just business owners, implement practical strategies for living out their faith through their work.
As Jim considered what his core message would be, he was inspired by Romans 1:25 where Paul writes to the Romans that they exchanged the truth for a lie. There it was! Jim saw that we needed to turn that around and exchange the lies we believe about work for the truth, and in that exchange, learn how to walk it out in the actual work we do.
Jim wanted to find the best resources to incorporate into his teaching, so he went to his network for advice. His first call was to Greg Leith, CEO of Convene Corp., and a prominent voice for the integration of faith and work. His second call was to Helen Mitchell, Ethics and Leadership professor at Biola University, Director of the Talbot Center for Faith, Work and Economics, certified leadership coach, and one who has been working on faith and work for decades.
Both Greg and Helen saw the potential for this unique message to have an impact in workplaces and families. Helen worked with Jim to develop the content he delivered first to that class at Irving Bible Church, and then several more times with subsequent groups. As it became clear that The Work Exchange was working, Greg and Helen committed to the production of the curriculum through Convene and a grant from the Kern Family Foundation to Biola University that Helen administered.
From the start, the team has been passionate about three distinctives that form this unique learning experience:
The message: This is not another theology of work course; it’s about how to work to glorify God.
The voices: A depth of perspective is brought by over 60 diverse voices from business, academia, and the church
The experience: Based on how adults learn best, the learning elements were designed to be collaborative, interactive, and holistic.
We are praying that this study is meaningful to you, that you see yourself more clearly in God’s greater story, and that you are blessed with greater ability and confidence to glorify God in whatever work you do.