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Today we are talking to Robert Netzly, President & CEO of Inspire Investing. If you’ve been following the Faith Driven Investor website, that name should sound familiar to you as we’ve featured a lot of their content on our blog. But today, we’re talking about the man behind the company—the man who many consider an advocate for Biblically Responsible Investing in places where the conversation hasn’t even begun.

The way that Inspire has an impact as an active shareholder is encouraging and has led to some incredible stories. Well, today, we’re going to hear from that voice, and in addition to hearing his story, he’s going to share just what it looks like to invest with Biblical principles in mind.

As always, thanks for listening.

Useful Links:

Inspire Investing

The Biblically Responsible Investing Movement is Exploding

Inspire Ranked Among Top Ten Fastest Growing RIAs

Would You Write a Check to Planned Parenthood?

by Vip VIpperman

At the heart of an entrepreneur is the curiosity and desire to find a solution where others see a problem.  We at The Lion’s Den DFW are entrepreneurs just like many of you.

Our purpose for the last 5 years has been to provide a platform so that real businesses can meet real investors to make real impact.  By all measures, we have achieved that goal through God’s grace, and we have many of you in our network to thank for that result.

Through God’s grace over the last 5 years, we have been building relationships with entrepreneurs, investors and accelerators globally.  

And in the next few years, we hope to grow our reach even more internationally as we have more investors and entrepreneurs from all over the world who are interested in being involved. Now with the coronavirus challenges for live engagement, we are accelerating that timeline and bringing to life a virtual Lion’s Den event so that the message of marketplace returns + kingdom impact can reach the ends of the earth. 

So, we are pushing the 5th annual live event to the Spring of 2021 and adding our first global virtual pitch event on April 16th.  

During this time of confusion and unrest, we hope to bring a message of hope to entrepreneurs and investors across the world and, through a virtual event, to reach more people in more countries.  

And we hope to get these incredible 10 companies, who were chosen earlier this year, funding so they can make their mark on the world
So, on the morning of April 16th, The Lion’s Den will continue to do what it has always done by uniting business leaders from all over the globe for a one day 3 hour virtual event. There will be live pitches from entrepreneurs who are actively looking for capital, a keynote message from a nationally known entrepreneur and investor who has weathered many storms, and TED style sessions covering inspiring and educational content relevant to this unique time in history and done by recognized leaders in Private Equity, Venture Capital and Family Offices. 

Session topics will include, but not be limited to, biotech and healthcare markets today, how companies have responded to and thrived in times of recession the last 100 years, how the cream will rise to the top in the venture capital markets, how to keep a strong Kingdom culture in your business during times of crisis, and what is on the heart of Christian family offices during this unique time of unrest. 

Join us on April 16th from 9am-12pm (CT) as we seek to inspire, educate and mobilize investors and entrepreneurs around the world.  Click to learn more and register today.

https://www.thelionsdendfw.org/ld-dfw-virtual-conference.html

So get out there and invite more people to be involved instead of worrying about how much TP you need in the cupboard.

This article was originally published here by Christianity Today.

by Matt Smethurst

It’s now clear that COVID-19 is a deadly serious global pandemic, and all necessary precautions should be taken. Still, C. S. Lewis’s words—written 72 years ago—ring with some relevance for us. Just replace “atomic bomb” with “coronavirus.”

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

Check out the rest of this article here!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COVID-19, PLEASE SEE OUR PAGE HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE BEST RESOURCES OUT THERE FOR FAITH DRIVEN INVESTORS & ENTREPRENEURS IN THIS SEASON.

by Eric Chetwood

Ephesians 4:11-12 – and he gave…shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

I have worked in wealth management since 2004 and over the course of my career, I’ve experienced two big paradigm shifts that have dramatically changed how I see myself at work.   

The first of which was coming to understand God’s design for us to live integrated lives, combining the sacred and the secular, which has been discussed thoroughly on this website as well as the podcast and I am so grateful for Henry and William driving that conversation, because living compartmentalized lives does not lead to our flourishing.  

The second paradigm shift, and what I’d like to focus on today, is the notion that God intends for you and me, ordinary people, to be the primary agents of ministry and reconciliation in this world. There have been so many times in my life where I would meet someone and think, “if only they could meet my pastor, then they would love Jesus.” Or, “if only they would come to church and hear my pastor, then they would understand how much God loves them.” However, I have come to learn that this is a very unbiblical paradigm. When Paul is laying out the key performance indicators of the early church in Ephesians 4, he says that a pastor’s job is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. This statement has massive implications. It means that the pastor should not be the only one doing ministry. It means the pastor should not even be the primary one doing ministry. In fact, it means that you and I and everyone reading this are both empowered and expected to be the primary agents of gospel ministry! Until we understand this democratization; until we see ourselves as ministers of the gospel in real estate, or a kingdom of priests in wealth management, or as ambassadors of Christ in private equity, as if God were making his plea of reconciliation through us, we miss out on part of the great adventure. We miss out on the joy of knowing we are fulfilling our integrated purpose in life.

In light of that, I thought it might be helpful to start a discussion around what does it mean to be a faith driven financial advisor? What are some practical things that each of us can do, as advisors, to be the primary agents of ministry in the lives of our clients? Below are ten things that our team does, some consistently well, some not as well but all are things we are leaning in to and striving for by God’s grace.  

One. Recognize that your relationship with clients is by nature one of the most intimate professional relationships that they have. No one, maybe other than their doctor, is allowed into their hopes and dreams and vulnerabilities the way that we are. Therefore, God could potentially use you to make a bigger impact in their life than any pastor or priest.

Two. You will never be able to be the financial advisor that God has called you to be if you are pouring out of an empty cup. We must shepherd and lead out of the overflow of what God is doing in our own hearts. Therefore, our highest professional priority must be to first abide in him daily. Apart from him, we can do nothing. 

Three. We are not here to make rich people richer. We have a holy calling to care for them in every way that money impacts them: financially, emotionally, relationally, and even spiritually. We have an opportunity to show our clients a vision of what a shalom relationship with money looks like. 

Four. Hire a client chaplain through Marketplace Chaplains or Corporate Chaplains of America. Many companies have chaplains for their staff.  We have a chaplain for our clients. When a client loses a spouse or gets a cancer diagnosis, there are certainly financial implications. But in that moment, they don’t want to hear about the internal rate of return or standard deviation. When clients share the unimaginable with us, we hurt with them, pray with them if they’ll allow us and then tell them that we have a chaplain on staff that would love to come and sit with them, hold their hand, and help them process in a kind and nonthreatening way. 

Five. Give them books that will shatter their wealth paradigm. I’ll give you a personal example. A few years ago, I read the book God and Money by Gregory Baumer and John Cortines, and it absolutely wrecked me; in a good way; in a great way. So, I would explain in client reviews how it changed me and how it changed our planning practices and then I’d give them a copy of the book to read. The feedback has been more than I could ask or imagine. We now track the number of gospel finance books given away as one of our KPI’s.  

Six. Help clients understand that giving away their time, talent and treasure is not a guilt-driven obligation, but a life-giving emancipation! Empirical research shows that sacrificial giving leads to higher levels of happiness. Of course, wealth can be a powerful force for good, but we also recognize that money has a seductive, almost corrosive effect on our hearts. The primary antidote to its seduction is to give away our first fruits. As I’ve heard it said, generosity is not something God wants from us. It is something he wants for us. As advisors, we can facilitate this discovery in the financial planning process by elevating charitable goals as being just as important to a client’s financial well-being as goals around retirement age, retirement spending, etc. 

Seven. Pray through your client list in team meetings or on your own. If you serve 100 clients and have 50 weekly staff meetings in a year, open your meetings by praying for two clients by name. Pray that God would bless them and that they would comprehend the magnitude of the height and depth and breadth and width of his love for them. Pray that they would taste and see that He is good and that His love is better than life.  Not every one of our clients loves Jesus, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jesus loves every one of our clients. 

Eight. Use portfolios that are God-honoring. In God’s economy, how we make a profit is just as important as how much we make in profit. As investment managers, we can and should proactively show our clients ways that we can run screens to make sure their values align with the companies that they own, even if those companies are hidden under the hood of a mutual fund or ETF. Our clients are relying on us to help guard their integrity by making sure that they are not put in a position where they are hypothetically fighting for the lives of the unborn and then subsequently subsidizing the abortion industry through the holdings in their IRA. One such screening tool can be found at inspireinsight.com.

***In the event that you work in wealth management but your role within the firm does not actively participate in portfolio construction, you can still be an advocate within your firm for fund companies that align with client values. Some faith-based fund companies that are worth researching are Eventide, Thrivent, Praxis funds, Timothy funds, Inspire funds, Ave Maria funds and others. 

Nine. Sharpen the saw with other like-minded advisors through a Kingdom Advisors study group. We were not designed to go it alone. All of us need encouragement, accountability, and an opportunity to exchange best practices with other like-minded advisors who care about us and desire our best future. Sometimes, the only person that is going to understand what you’re going through is another financial advisor. But Eric, do we really want to share our best practices with the competition? In all the years I’ve been doing this, I have learned that we gain so much more through collaboration than we ever lose to competition. I do not consider you my competition. This business is not mine; it’s God’s. Your business is not yours; it’s God’s. And, God is not a God of scarcity but a God of abundance. I am confident there are plenty of clients who are longing for someone to show them what a shalom relationship with money looks like. 

***If you do not have access to a Kingdom Advisors study group, another great option for Christian business owners is a group called C-12.  It is a faith-based peer advisory group that has been incredibly helpful to me personally and to our wealth management practice.  

Ten. Attend the annual Kingdom Advisors conference for continuing education, retreat and renewal. I have attended many continuing education conferences over the course of my career but this one struck a different nerve. I am not on their payroll or anything, so I can unashamedly say that the KA Conference in Orlando provided sharpening for my brain, a recharge for my body, and nourishment for my soul. If you are thinking about going in the future, I promise you it is worth the investment of time and money; even more so if you bring your spouse. 

So those are ten practical ways to be a faith driven financial advisor.  My prayer is that this list is just the beginning, or even a continuation, of a nationwide conversation.  Sharing ideas begets more ideas. What practical things do you do to be an ambassador of Christ in the world of wealth management? 

This article was originally published here by Christianity Today.

by Todd Wagner

With the increasing coronavirus cases outside of China, many believers across the United States wonder how to respond to the increasing alarm. What would God have us do in the face of a growing international health crisis? Should our churches close their doors for fear of spreading illness? Should I take my kids out of school? Cancel travel plans?

How should we help a panicked world?

Remember What We Know

First, it’s important to be reminded about what we already know. Worry is not our friend, and panic is not our way. Solomon reminds us, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10). May it never be said that God’s people are governed more by fear than faith.

Corrie ten Boom, along with other faithful from among the nations, led courageously in the face of the Nazi fascism—a different form of deadly virus. And she reminds us, “Worry doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrows, it empties today of its strength.”

In times of crisis, the world needs steady people who are strengthened by God’s grace and selfless by God’s power. Worry accomplishes nothing except weakness of heart and head. It’s been said that 90 percent of the things we worry or become panicked about never happen, and the other 10 percent are outside our control.

While we remain on alert against viruses of doctrine or disease, worrying won’t change our circumstances or lower our chance of infection. It won’t help us fight off illness or move us to action. Worrying about COVID-19 (or anything else) will only increase trouble. Rather than worrying and being anxious, Jesus calls us to respond with prayer and faith in him (Matt. 6:33–34; Phil. 4:6). We need not worry ultimately because we know the One who has defeated sin and death (1 Cor. 15:55–57).

Remind yourself continually: it takes the same amount of energy to worry as to pray. One leads to peace, the other to panic. Choose wisely.

Check out the rest of this article here!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON COVID-19, PLEASE SEE OUR PAGE HIGHLIGHTING SOME OF THE BEST RESOURCES OUT THERE FOR FAITH DRIVEN INVESTORS & ENTREPRENEURS IN THIS SEASON.

This article was originally published here.

by Katie Sweeney

The following article appears in the spring issue of The Strategist.

In his 13 years working at Sears’ world headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill., Michael Valleskey has survived recessions, manager changes, several rounds of layoffs and the Sears-Kmart merger of 2005.

So what has kept him going? His Christian faith — and his Christian co-workers.

Seven years ago, Valleskey, a real-estate research analyst for Sears Holding Corp., helped found the Christian Fellowship at Prairie Stone, a 150-member informal group of Christian employees at the Prairie Stone office complex where Sears has its headquarters. The group of mostly Sears employees holds lunchtime Bible studies and prayer groups, and members act as a support network for one another. Valleskey also participates in the Sears Associate Gospel Choir, which rehearses at lunchtime and is an officially recognized group at Sears.
 
“I don’t know what I would have done without my co-workers of similar faith,” he says. “They have been there to support me, encourage me, make me a better worker. They really are family. It’s basically church. I have a church in the workplace.” Church at work? It’s not as far-fetched as it might sound. Across corporate America, there’s a growing movement to recognize and incorporate spirituality and religion in the workplace. A few of the signs: a growing number of religion-based affinity groups, lunchtime prayer meetings, on-site corporate chaplains and company “quiet rooms” for meditation and prayer. Meanwhile, books on religion and spirituality in business are flying off the printing press, and even some business schools are starting to address the issue.

Who’s behind this movement? While evangelical Christians are leading part of the charge, the trend also includes other Christians, as well as groups focused on more general spiritual principles. In addition, people of all faiths are seeking time off and other religious accommodations from their employers. In short, religion in the workplace is the next big diversity issue.

If this sounds like sticky territory for companies, it is. However, ignoring the issue has its own perils, says David Miller, executive director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and author of the book “God at Work: The History and Promise of the Faith at Work Movement.”

“The soul train is going through town,” Miller says. “If you haven’t thought through a structured policy and appropriate training for your management, you’re going to make a misstep and find yourself on the back end of a lawsuit.”

Read the full article at The Strategist