Leading Across Boundaries

What do you do with someone who went to Bible College and has a Master’s Degree in both Counseling and Public Administration? Someone who has pastored, built social service programs, and launched businesses? I know that God has a sense of humor because what might look like a mismatch is actually chapters in a story about the Kingdom of God breaking down barriers. That’s what I did in planting three churches, two in the lead role, to reach those who were not yet Jesus’ followers allowing them to see Him and his people in a new way. We built communities of faith that were relevant to their culture. Following those efforts, I spent time in larger church settings building community service efforts that crossed the religious-social service divide, named a Promising Practice by USC. The faith-based initiative took me beyond the local setting as I helped churches and ministries nationwide learn to better reach their communities in funded service programs. As a busy trainer and speaker around the nation in the faith-based initiative I had the joy of meeting and working with thousands of nonprofits and ministries from the smallest to many of the nation’s largest. I then took some of those lessons back to the world of planting new churches by creating a process for start-up churches to identify how they were uniquely gifted to serve their communities. I developed a curriculum and published community needs assessment manuals that allowed them to build a foundation of trusting relationships. The digital elements of organization growth weren’t left out as I spent time tent-making in SaaS business development and creating systems that help companies find what makes them unique in the market. 

What does all of that add up to? A enduring belief that Jesus wants to invade the culture, and that he wants his people to act as the primary change agents. What is missing is not desire on the part of believing leaders, but practical pathways to help them take their Gospel leadership beyond simply personal influence. I am convinced that the current tip of the spear for Gospel advance is found in the businesses that are lead and managed by believers. Jesus’ loving business leaders have more access to the culture, spend more time with people and have the most influence out of any institution across all of their audiences. It’s more consistent and more impactful than any social influencer. Yet, these same leaders have been told by the culture that they must be silent about their faith, keep their values tied to Christ out of their business, and go along with the post-modern wreckage flooding our culture. Brand Disciples is designed to help these business leaders cross the bridge from “faith is private,” to, God’s Kingdom should be demonstrated and declared even in the workplace. To break past his barrier, we provide practical tools to create a plan and a culture that advances the kingdom.

David brings a wealth of training and experience from the worlds of ministry and business to the work of Brand Disciples. He’s planted churches, worked in national ministries, and served as a founder of multiple businesses in the tech space. He sees the practical ways that the spiritual invades and shapes the natural in ways that build businesses while honoring the call that Jesus speaks to every business leader, to “follow me.”

A Passion for Purpose

With an entrepreneurial spirit, my workforce experience began at a young age with a computer, an Associates in Graphic Design, and a dangerous amount of enthusiasm. With a B.S. in Biblical Studies and a portfolio of small business design, I joined a large content and design team at a public university. It was there that I developed a passion for transparent faith in the workplace and a deep desire for more purpose.

My tenure ended in higher education when our start-up agency—Story Collaborative—quickly scaled. Within a few years, that start-up was a team of writers, designers, photographers, account managers, and videographers. It even dragged my husband away from his defense contracting job to become a video director. And while our team was openly dedicated to Jesus, our ministry-minded backgrounds never led to discipleship in the workplace.

Burned out, exhausted, and ready for a fresh purpose, we downsized our agency and started asking the Lord: What now? 

Watching my twin girls grow up in the home of business owners had me wondering what values they were learning, and what they thought “it” was all for.

Years of leading worship and dedicated personal ministry started to seep into our business conversations. What if our team could blur the lines… on purpose? What if discipleship could unapologetically be launched inside the workplace? What if the future of our professional lives was built on a deeper purpose and calling?

All my years of brand development and creative directing could be combined with decades of ministry in and out of the home. It’s my desire to see every follower of Jesus step into their authority as disciples, and seek first the Kingdom of God.

Spiritually Filled Like a Delicious Pop Tart

Resident goofball here. I’m the guy in movies who disarms all of the enemies with my charm and levity, but then can be stone cold serious and pondering the universe at the drop of a hat.

Where did that phrase come from? Who is going around dropping hats, and why does that confirm a tone change? 

Speaking of hats, I’ve had quite a few! I’ve tested and driven a set of explosion resistant vehicles for the military, helped businesses inform their customers through video (just look up “crematory tour” in Google, and you’ll find one of my videos there), toured across the country performing salvation plays back when I wasn’t that great of an actor, and started several business ventures with my lovely wife.

But nothing has charged me up and excited me more than changing lives for Christ and continuously learning more about His Kingdom. Even since being saved at the age of 15, I’ve poured over the Scriptures and have prayed for others. I love telling the stories of God with my friends, my wife, and my wonderful twin girls.

A turning point came in the form of post-COVID America. While others were becoming spiritually depleted, God began expanding my mind with powerful speakers like Dr. Michael Heiser (RIP) and Andrew Wommack. John 14:12 became my favorite verse of all time, although I would argue that the Bible is built for all seasons because you don’t just “set it and forget it.”

Now for the boring, but necessary stuff that must be said: I have a Bachelor’s of Science in Video Communications (I actually got a job in my field of study!) and a Master’s of Science in Management of Information Systems. I once became Scrum certified and helped a business acquire a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Level 3 certification, if you want to nerd out with me.

So, as you are realizing that a chaplain may not be enough for your business, I would love to take the journey with you in unlocking what God has for your business, your customers, your vendors, and, most importantly, you. 

I look forward to working on God’s Kingdom with you. That is, if you can tolerate Doctor Who references, Dad jokes, and pinball musings.