We know that Faith+Finance: Reimagining God’s Economy is an idea whose time has come. And it turns out we’re not alone!
So as we continue our behind-the-scenes work building the team, finalizing the venue, and planning the first round of sessions, we wanted to share some testimonials from collaborators and friends who believe in the vision taking root among us.
“This gathering is an important one for those who see justice as a part of your faith journey. Inequity often occurs because of our lack of understanding of finances and creativity, as people of faith our commitment to Shalom needs to be tied to shared wealth. This conference will bring these things together as part of the journey towards equality.”
Leroy Barber
Director of Innovation for Engaged Church
Greater NW Area of United Methodists Church
“The world is rapidly shifting from existing social, environmental and economic paradigms that will not sustain in the decades to come. Faith+Finance is a much needed forum to bring together women and men of faith who are committed to imagining a new future, and to take thoughtful action based on justice and gratitude in alignment with our faith.”
Jayson Berryhill
Co-Founder / Partner
(en)visible
“In Jesus’ teachings, faith and finance are inextricably linked. Whether we are poor or rich, how we view and handle money reveals our trustworthiness, lifestyle of worship, and potential reward.”
Sadell Bradley
Strategic Director
MORTAR
“As someone who works with pastors and congregations around the state of Texas, it is exciting to anticipate this gathering and the meaning that will be found in difficult conversations the church often avoids. And as a San Antonian, it is a joy to know that my city is the host. As part of the cradle of some of the country’s current human rights controversies and as a city facing generational ramifications of deep racial and economic tensions, it feels important to be the place where we will gather and move forward from.”
Elizabeth Coffee
South Texas Regional Coordinator
Baptist General Convention of Texas
“All in! Faith+Finance is pulling together the most astonishing future-church thinkers I know, and strategizing about the most important issues facing 21st century Christians—how to notice Jesus bringing life from the rubble, how to leverage abundance in order to practice resurrection. The folks doing Faith+Finance are the leaders I want my students to be like.”
Kenda Creasy Dean
Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church & Culture
Princeton Theological Seminary
“I will be attending Faith+Finance because the church is struggling to engage in mission that really matters and figure out how to fund that mission. But we are not broke. There is enormous potential to put the dynamic power of social enterprise to work alongside church-owned property and investment. Faith+Finance will be one of the most vibrant spaces of 2020 to collaborate in this important work.”
Mark Elsdon
Director, Rooted Good
Executive Director, Pres House
“This conversation is important because injustice is by design. We need more liberative Christian models that combine finance and justice in order to bring good news to the poor, repair the brokenhearted, set the captives free, and to redesign and rebuild a more just society. These acts of liberation are a claim upon our Christian faith that requires us to shift the way we think about money and communities.”
Nikki Hoskins
PhD Candidate in Religion & Society
Drew University
“Homo economius sets the purpose of capital in the frame of maximizing utility for individual shareholders. Imago Dei sets the purpose of capital in the frame of human flourishing for achieving God’s plan for all of creation. We need to marshal the financial resources of the wealthiest 1% if we intend to make a serious dent in the climate crises or bring 3/4 of the world’s population out of dehumanizing conditions. The intersection of faith and finance could not be more important.”
Sara Minard
Founder / CEO
Manarine, LLC
“At core, how we relate to others and the broader world is a matter of how we understand the meaning of stewardship. My sense is that theological imagination can help us experience those relationships in new ways – ways that rewrite the course of the world toward greater expressions of equity, equality, and peace. Faith+Finance matters so much because it will be a container for these kinds of questions.”
Christian Peele
Former Executive Minister of Institutional Advancement, Riverside Church
Former Deputy Director, White House Operations
“The opportunity to marry the wisdom and resources of religious traditions with emerging models of community and meaning-making is enormous – but there’s a consistent cultural and relational gap that stops it happening. Faith+Finance is a huge step towards bridging this chasm and unleashing potential.”
Casper ter Kuile
Co-Founder, Sacred Design Lab
Co-Host, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
Love all this.