The Business of Faith: How to Lead Yourself, Unify Your Team and Create a Remarkable Organization

Leaders get the organizations they deserve. Effective leadership begins on the inside, and enduring leadership grows out of the leader’s relationship with Christ. The Business of Faith brings to life timeless, practical biblical truths that every good leader must learn: • True leadership begins with self-leadership. • Effective conflict resolution transforms the workplace. • Fear limits our impact, while God’s perfect love casts out fear. • Highly functional relationships at work change the culture. • Leaders who fight for unity produce enormous positive momentum. • Generous leaders are rare, refreshing, and deliver excellent ROI. • The ultimate benefit of generosity and mentorship is a culture of discipleship. Healthy leaders and organizations consistently demonstrate these behaviors. This type of biblical leadership is not easy. God’s ways are not easy. But a faithful and abiding relationship with Christ is the key that unlocks the door to this kind of leadership. God enables and empowers personal transformation. Why? Because God wants your work to be His work. Biblical leaders have two goals. The first is to lead your organization well today. God has given you stewardship responsibility for the sake of others. The way you choose to live and lead will make a tangible difference in many lives, including the lives of people you don’t even know. That is a high calling. The second goal is eternal, and it is directly related to your goal today. Everything you do at work has an eternal consequence. Jesus will dismiss the work that didn’t matter. Everything we did with selfish motives will be discarded. However, all that we do for the glory of God and the benefit of others will last into eternity. God is the one calling you to be the greatest leader you can be. Don’t miss out on the chance to participate in the work He has already prepared in advance for you to do. And you know that if God calls you, He will equip you. Leadership is both a privilege and a burden. God can and will change you if you let Him. And leaders changed by God change the world.

Matt Levy is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Credera, a management consulting, user experience, and technology solutions firm based in Texas. Credera is the sandbox where most of the ideas discussed in this book have been learned and practiced over the last 20 years. Credera has been recognized by several notable organizations including Fortune's 100 Best Medium Workplaces, Fortune's Best Workplaces for Millennials, Inc. 5000's Fastest Growing Private Companies, Texas Monthly's Best Companies to Work for in Texas, Houston Business Journal Best Places to Work, and Dallas Morning News' Top 100 Places to Work. Learning to practice The Business of Faith has turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of Matt's career. Matt and his wife, Amy have two teenagers in Dallas and are members of Watermark Community Church.

Jeff Ward was a trial lawyer in Dallas for many years, specializing in products liability litigation. He expanded his practice and joined some partners to create their own firm in 2002, handling complex products liability and commercial litigation. Jeff was named a "Texas Rising Star" by the publishers of Texas Monthly and served for many years as an adjunct professor. In 2008, he joined the staff of Watermark Community Church, where he has served as the Director of External Focus. He leads the church's international and local community engagement strategies, particularly in the areas of poverty, justice, education, and families/health and enjoys coaching kingdom-minded entrepreneurs who wish to use their gifts, skills, and passions in community transformation initiatives. He lives in Dallas with his wife and two sons.