Episode 187 - Inside Faith Driven Investor with Samantha Couch & Justin Forman
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A raw conversation reveals how wealth's isolation is driving an unexpected movement of faith-driven investors to find their tribe. Leaders Justin Foreman and Samantha Couch join Richard Cunningham showcase Faith Driven Investor's global expansion in 2024, from European watch parties to intimate mastermind groups uniting investors seeking deeper purpose. Their bold message for 2025? "The riskiest thing is to do nothing" - and their growing network of Christian investors is proving it.
Please note that the views expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Faith Driven Investor.
All opinions expressed on this podcast, including the team and guests, are solely their opinions. Host and guests may maintain positions in the companies and securities discussed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as specific investment advice for any individual or organization.
Episode Transcript
Transcription is done by an AI software. While technology is an incredible tool to automate this process, there will be misspellings and typos that might accompany it. Please keep that in mind as you work through it.
Richard Cunningham [00:00:00] You're listening to Faith Driven Investor, a podcast that highlights voices from a growing movement of Christ, following investors who believe that God owns it all and cares deeply about the heart posture behind our stewardship. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 2 [00:00:17] Hey everyone. All opinions expressed on this podcast, including the team and guests, are solely their opinions. Hosted guests may maintain positions in the companies of securities discussed, and this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as specific investment advice for any individual or organization. Thanks for listening.
Richard Cunningham [00:00:46] Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Faith Driven Investor podcast. What is the final FDI pod of 2024? So with that in mind, friends, Merry Christmas. I know this podcast will release the week of Christmas, so maybe you're catching us on a drive to see people you love. Maybe you're taking a break in the Christmas tunes wrap in that final Christmas present, what have you, and we're hanging out with you. But regardless of where you are, I hope you have yourself a wonderful Merry Christmas. And hey, with that in mind, a couple of quick housekeeping things. We're going to return to the FDI podcast after a little break around Christmas and New Year's on January 13th. So mark your calendars. That will be our likely first release date of 2025 will be coming in hot with a marks on the markets. And then one final thing to say about today's episode is no Luke Roush or John Coleman with us. A couple of our mainstays. We're bringing in another one of our mainstays who's been a frequent guest of the FDI podcast recently, as we've been doing a couple of blended FTE and FDI pods, President and executive director of the Faith Driven Movements, Justin Foreman. And just so we're doing something special today is we're just going to highlight what all is going on in the FDI movement, what our guide has done in 2024. And you've brought someone exceptionally special with us today to do that.
Justin Forman [00:01:59] We have. I thought this was the podcast we were talking about Baylor football. Was this not the Baylor football like pre-game, but.
Richard Cunningham [00:02:04] That's our next.
Justin Forman [00:02:04] One. That's an.
Richard Cunningham [00:02:05] Excellent one. Yeah. After we're going to spare, I guess you and I eight and four takes on the Baylor Bears, even though you think we think we won the national championship.
Justin Forman [00:02:12] Yeah, we might get recording before we go way too far. And that indeed it is good to be back. You know it's fun. I feel privileged to be here to really kind of bring together friends, you know, in any good office, friendship, family rivalry, whatever word you choose to use, there are sometimes a couple of people that just are just like culture core. And when I think about that, when I think about faith driven investing, I think about Richard. But I also think about Samantha and I think about just the fun banter that you guys have had over the years about the movement, about the mission. And it's fun just getting friends together here, just to talk about to celebrate what God's done. You know, I know our faith during we're often so quick to build, to think. To do that, we need those moments to reflect and we need those moments to celebrate. And I think that there's ample amounts of scripture when we think about reflection and stones of remembrance. And I hope that in some ways, you know, the conversation today is a chance to do that, to reflect upon what God has done over this past year. And when I think about what God has done, certainly a huge part of that has been the work of Samantha leading the team Faith Driven Investor for the coaching and community and so much else. And so it's really fun to be together here again.
Richard Cunningham [00:03:28] Yeah. So welcome to the podcast studio from the Louisville, Kentucky area. Samantha Couch Sam is a vice president and helps lead the team at Faith Driven Investor. So oftentimes with Luke, John and myself and then the guests we bring in, we're talking markets, we're talking asset classes, what it might be, just kind of things we're seeing as investors and the movement ourselves. And I just don't say and rarely do we kind of take a step back and just say, hey, let's focus on the team. Who is building this movement? Sam is helping lead out the FDI team. And let's just pause and acknowledge, Hey, look at all that like God did in 2020 for you. So faithful it's celebrating. Kind of tease out some of the things to come in 2025. So Sam, great to have you on the spot.
Samantha Couch [00:04:07] Thank you so much. Like just inside, it's really, really fun to have the group back together and to be with you. So I'm excited to be here.
Richard Cunningham [00:04:14] I'm going to be great. So let's travel back in time a little bit to beginning of the year. And there was the first kind of standalone FDI conference is all around this theme of getting in the game, saying maybe kind of take us back to it. Was January correct, when this conference came out and just highlight some of what took place? We did a number of podcasts following the conference with guests who spoke on it. But take us back to kind of the genesis of 2020 fourth annual FDI Conference.
Samantha Couch [00:04:41] Yeah, it was a great time. And like you said, it was the first time that we'd ever done it as a standalone. You know, previously we've been kind of tacked on to the podcast, so we didn't really know what to expect, but we just knew that we were excited about it and it just took off like wildfire. So we had watch parties all around the world. I think we had over 90 large parties and people stepping into this and saw just great celebrations in places like Chicago. We had over 100 people attend the launch party in Chicago. I think two of the top five launch party locations were in Europe, which was really fun to see in the Ukraine and the Netherlands and the things that we've seen come out of the community and the group together in the Netherlands have been incredibly inspiring, really fun to watch. And it just seemed to really be such a pivotal moment for the Faith Driven Investor movement and the growth that we've seen over this past year. And everybody who's been stepping into communities, stepping in to lead a foundation group, be a part of a foundation group, all of the many, many conversations we've been able to have with individuals over the last year have really. Because of how fantastic that conference was in January.
Richard Cunningham [00:05:50] Absolutely. We had a big conference watch party here in Austin. Reiner Center of the National Christian Foundation, helped host it in partnership with FDI, which is great. And so, Justin, why did kind of you bifurcate what was the decision that it's like, hey, let's keep the conference in September, let's move FDI out on its own? It's hard to believe that only happened this year. This shows how much growth there's been in the movement that was still in 2020 for calendar year. And what was kind of the heart there?
Justin Forman [00:06:14] Yeah. You know, I think one of the things to pause for a moment to say, like what's the method of the madness? And some that's still being figured out, right? But when you figure out just kind of what the mission of Faith Driven Entrepreneur feature and investing is, and at its core, it's really about awakening the body of Christ to see in this moment, in this unique time the unique role that entrepreneurs and investors have to play. And the world is surrounded in full of darkness and we can see that we don't have to look far to find it. I think the question for us is, is, as we would say, what does it look like to kind of take that beachhead of darkness and bring light to it? And when we think about that, maybe it's kind of like if you were drawn up, battle plans coming ashore on the beach and you were saying, okay, woman What would be the tip of the spear? And when we thought about that, we know the entrepreneurship culture. There's no doubt that we don't have to look far down the street from your hometown to find, you know, an entrepreneur creating self-driving cars, robots and reusable rockets. And there is no doubt when we see that happening that it's shaping culture and we see that same thing happening in faith driven investing.
We see the stories of Anthony Tan, we see Sam read some of those stories. We see stories of Susanne Daniel and so many others that are getting involved in partnering with other entrepreneurs. And so when we think about the mission of Faith driven, it really starts with that entrepreneur. Changing culture. Shifting culture. But any entrepreneur can't get very far without having that supply line and that support. And that's where the Faith Driven Investor and conversation has come in. And, you know, as you said, we're smile at the fact that it kind of like in some ways it was really the first year for the Faith Driven Investor conference. But for the past few years, it paired up with the conference and there was a conference on one day and you have the conference. And the second thing, I think what we found out was there was just a lot of people that, you know, you get fatigued and the two day conference for there is a lot of content. You don't get a fair chance to really absorb it, but also to find the unique people that should be there for it.
Justin Forman [continued] And so the decision to spread those out was to give each their own room and a chance to breathe and to be that top of funnel moment to introduce people. We really look at this as the front door. It's the front porch of a conversation to say, you know, a couple of hours from the convenience of a zoom screen or in-person with friends that you can really get a chance to say, how do I find out about this big trend, this big thing that's happening? And I'm hearing a lot of people talk about, but I just don't know what it is. I don't know what's happening and I don't know how to get involved. And so it's that really kind of one, two, three set up that when we really think about this event, it's designed to do and we think that the content starts the conversation. We think then it moves into something further with these foundation groups, and I'm sure Sam will share a little bit more about. But it was an exciting time for us to really say there is a bigger thing happening and Faith Driven Investor to separate it, make it its own day.
And I think what it also was exciting for our team is it changed the dynamic of who you partner with when you partner with NEF. The conference, a lot of times that was a church and it makes sense. That's where the entrepreneurs are. When we think about the Faith Driven Investor event, it really has opened up the door for so many great partnerships with advisors and friends like National Christian Foundation and Blue Trust and others that have been hosting these, saying, You really called to bring this content and this mission and this message to our people and we want a place to do that. And if you can help us set the table for it and what a great chance it is to partner. And so, yeah, it was fun For many years that we've done it. We really believe that this was kind of really the first one where the FDI flag was planted. And I think we saw that both in the response with, you know, close to 100 watch parties, 2000 people in attendance and high capacity investors, people are giving up their time then are really saying, hey, I'm stewarding large sums of capital and we want to find those ways to make a difference with it.
So, yeah, a fun moment for the movement. It's one of those stones of remembrance when you see organizations and ministries partnering with it to really push the conversation forward.
Richard Cunningham [00:10:12]
And love it. And we're going to talk about the 2025 conference coming up here shortly as we kind of hit on some of the things coming down the pipeline. But Sam, you lead a stellar team, a full team, and I swear no one has more jam packed calendars in the FDI team. And so naturally, the conference in January is not the only thing that's happened. And so then kind of from there, Justin mentioned this audience that you serve the high capacity investor who wants to get in the game to use the conference team with their capital. What is then kind of the year look like in these foundation groups and what have you?
Samantha Couch [00:10:42]
Yeah, so the natural next step. For anybody who's coming into the conference is to either host a foundation group or to be a part of one. And for those of you who are listening, if you aren't familiar with our foundation's group, it really is. It's a great time of community to come together with your peers for six weeks, to watch some of our content and know walk through some great conversations and talking about really the heart posture and what Faith Driven Investor is, and to be able to have that in community with other people. Right. Because so often if we are working really hard to listen to the Word of God and to be obedient and that's what this is, this hard posture of getting down on your knees and praying about how God wants you to steward the resources that you've been gifted with. Having a community to also be in that conversation with and be prayerful and intentional about that with you is so important because if you hard to discern your voice verses the voice of God. And so having your peers and some people for accountability to walk through that is critical when you're talking about things like this. And walking through that, we have those cohorts, gosh, we do basically four different cycles of cohorts a year and we'll do that again in 2025. So it's just been an incredible year of growth, like I said earlier, and looking at even 2023 versus 2024, we almost doubled in size in the number of people who are intentionally stepping into this community. We even had opportunities to go deeper and more specific topics like real estate and emerging markets and public markets, direct investing, solving the world's greatest problems, which is something else that we've been talking a lot about. And so it's been really, really fun not only to see people take this first step into community, but also come out of it on the other side of like understanding where they feel like God has called them to, and then having a deeper community to step into and have those conversations around real estate or emerging markets and things like that.
Justin Forman [00:12:35] You know, I think Sam's hitting on something huge. Wealth isolates. Let's face it. We need to say the very clear thing out loud and that oftentimes it's hard to find a safe place. You know, one of the things I love about what Sam has really talked about here is creating both a high bar and a safe place, but creating a place of affinity. And I think to find a safe place and to find that high bar, you have to find a place of affinity. And it's not because that we're trying to push people into it's about numbers and scales, but it's about the unique challenges that we face. Depending upon how much God is entrusted us to steward, depending upon the structure of how that is set up, family offices and donor advised funds and whatever that might look like. It just looks different.
And so what I've loved is, is this year we've been able to step into that where we can say, Hey, here's a group for advisors, here's a good friend Busters. They're at the stage, here's a group for advisors are stepping into that stage. And I think that one of the things that I've loved is, is that we've been able to drill down and kind of some of the questions, kind of the personas of people are in this journey. And Sam can allude to some of this, but I think that we find that there's probably three personas that people step in in this conversation with. One, they're intimidated. They're just afraid. They just don't know what is under the hood. And and candidly, some of us just don't want to spend the time to. It's not because it's not good. It's not because it's a worthwhile endeavor. We just are afraid or afraid of what we might find there. Maybe our investing is canceling out our philanthropic initiatives and we're we just don't want to spend the time and we need some help.
Now, obviously, there's great people in the movement, river Guides, that will help you with that process and make that accessible. But I think the unassuming, kind of easy, accessible online nature of some of these community groups really makes it easy for people to get in. I think the second person that we find that's coming to this group is entrepreneurs that are scaling. They believe in the power of entrepreneurship, a culture. They know that for a fact. They're convinced of it in their heart, but they just don't know what that looks like. To do that and to invest in faith driven entrepreneurs in the way that maybe they've been invested in. And so I think that's a fun dynamic that's coming of age and you're seeing that growing as these are scaling.
Justin Forman [continued] And then a third one and this is, you know, something we really want to make clear, it's the teachers and it's the leaders. It's the pioneers of this movement. And we have to really pause here to say this movement is a your movement and it only goes as far as you roll up your sleeves to help make it go. Like oftentimes we can think that there's somebody else that's going to do something. But that's not the case here. This is an active movement where everybody that's called into it needs to be a part of it. And our call is is really to say, okay, what does it look like to get these teachers, to get these leaders to realize that you might feel like you're only a couple of steps ahead. But in this movement, that's new and that's for me, it's those couple steps that make all the difference. The person right behind you.
And we need these leaders to step in to say, what does it look like to facilitate a group? What does it look like to facilitate a watch party to make this stuff happen? We try to make it easy. We try to make it easy so that the easy button can get pushed and we can set the table for it. But nonetheless, this is one of those times where there's needs to be that are a factor, that replication factor. That pay it forward kind of moment. Otherwise, this thing doesn't go very far. But thankfully, we've seen people rolling up their sleeves and saying with humility, I don't pretend to be the expert. I just know a couple of things that I've learned from somebody else in this movement, and I want to pay that forward. And so I just love that as we think about groups in the work that Sam and her team has done, the maturing that's happened that we've made it, we've gotten better at matchmaking. We've gotten better at being able to match people to the stage of group where they'll have the best experience, but also the stage to find the best leaders to lead that next group.
Richard Cunningham [00:16:21] Yeah, it's well said from both of you. And I think, you know, in an effort to make sure that folks listening are not like, gosh, this is super promotional about groups or what all FDI is doing, like that is not the heart of this at all. Because I want to kind of talk about this real quickly is that, one, as we know, discipleship and growth spiritually is a hand to hand combat sport like it happens and intimate settings between you and the Lord or you in tight knit community. And that's what this facilitates.
Richard Cunningham [continued] But also the groups are kind of the first line of defense of like what is taking place. These are the front lines in the movement, like the themes we're unpacking on a podcast oftentimes bubbled back up to us because a real estate group is talking about how much equity is locked up in church real estate. And so then last week we have Nick Bonner on the FDI podcast, or folks are getting together and saying, Man, the content inside our home that we're watching on whatever streaming platform it is, is just not redemptive. And so then all of a sudden we're processing that on an FDI podcast with a filmmaker or someone at a studio, and that's informing investment product that now is out in market and people can go into or hey, there's prohibitively high investment minimums across some of these private market funds. What kind of vehicles can exist that an everyday investor who's maybe not accredited or a QC or he could get in the game? And so it's what's taking place in FDI groups that are informing the themes that we're talking about on the pod, that are also informing what's taking place on the conference and what have you. And so it's just I think it helps to kind of call out and point out how this ecosystem in this movement almost feeds itself. And Sam, it's your team is kind of leading the charge there. So a couple of things I want Sam you to hit on real quickly are some of the key partnerships that have formed and you've been encouraged by in 2024 with just other leaders across the movement. Justin's mentioned some of them, but then also just who's on your team and servant and kind of building this out in the day to day?
Samantha Couch [00:18:04] Yeah, absolutely. And it was really fun what you hit on real quick. And Nick Bonner, that name just reminded me like a lot of the guests on the podcast are also leaders of these foundation groups, you know, so it's just it really is such a full circle movement. I love to see that happen. But partnerships over the last year, a couple that have been super fun to step into one would be next. It is so fun to get to know these individual chapter presidents. I had a great time at their impact gathering in Arizona a couple months ago and then just getting to meet people in person who I've been talking to for the last two and a half years has been super rewarding. And these chapters are such champions of the Faith Driven Investor movement. I'm a huge fan of everything that they're doing and so it's just been great to step into that and like just instead to use some of that language of setting the table, you know, that's a lot of what we're working to do is just setting the table and asking and inviting these people to step into this and giving them an opportunity to gather together in person.
Samantha Couch [continued] And these kinds of chapters are a great opportunity to do that. Like you said, Brian de Santo in Austin is such a champion for us and always hosts an amazing watch party. We've got some fun things coming up with him later on this year. I have a chapter in my own backyard. I got together with them for coffee last week and so it's just been a really, really great year of sharpening those relationships and getting to know one another and how we can serve one another better. And then on the heels of that trust, we have a great relationship with the folks over at Blue Trust. And this year they really wanted to step into having all of their advisors go through our our foundation script. So we kicked that off with our staff, leading them kind of like a train, the trainer type of group with 50 of the Blue Trust members stepping into and walking through that content with us. And it was such a great time. It was really good to get to know them better. And then they've gone on to lead internally with their team. Some of them have gone on to lead their customers and their clients. We've got an incredible course that echoes a lot of what's in our foundation's course, but it's specifically targeted towards couples. And so we've had some of them step into that with their clients. It's just a great tool to be having those deeper conversations together with the people that they're serving. So that's been a really good one to step into this year as well.
Justin Forman [00:20:13] You know, one of the things that I think is so encouraging about those partnerships as well as so many others, is that we need to recognize there's a moment in the movement that's happened that we've figured out some of the plumbing. And what I mean by that is we've figured out how to to set up the donor advised fund account and just what that looks like. Well, what I love is hearing the leaders from National Christian Foundation, Blue Trust and so many others there saying it's as much about that, but it's about the community around it. And there's an emphasis of saying we will only go as far. We will only. Be encouraged to use those tools to use those tools more effectively, more deeply, more generously. If we have a good community surrounding us, because the world is going to tell us now, the world is going to say, slow down, stop. Wait a second. Let's see how this plays out.
Justin Forman [continued] But it's when you're surrounded by peers that are seeing how there's a compounding impact, that if you deploy this capital now, think about the impact that that's going to have or generations. And so I think what's fun is you're seeing in those partnerships a push towards community. And I think that one of the things I just continue to emphasize is we are figuring out ways to partner with people every day. And so if you're an organization out there that's hearing this and saying, gosh, how would we do this? We would love to engage with it because we love serving behind the scenes. We love kind of being that backstop to support with the content and the tools for community. But it's fun to see A growing number of organizations are now saying, okay, this is how we can implement it in it. Because they have that renewed emphasis and purpose on community.
Richard Cunningham [00:21:44] Awesome. And Justin, I think that kind of help sets the stage for where we're going next on the pod and we're going to close with some kind of FDI 2025 conference and more things in 2025. But I think there's kind of three things that I want each of you to tug on a little bit of building out this community further. And those are FDI plus solving the world's greatest problems. And on that one in particular, Justin, I've actually done a couple of recent joint SWGP FDI podcast releases, so the audience has a little bit of an understanding of what this is or solving the world's greatest problems kind of theme is. And maybe the third one is halftime and what will happen there. And so all kind of seminal moments and seminal kind of cornerstone things inside the movement studies, FDI Plus and halftime. So maybe I'll let you start and then Justin will go to you to kind of wrap up comments on those three kind of particular initiatives and just big things that are unfolding across the FDI space.
Samantha Couch [00:22:37] Yeah, absolutely. FDI Plus, this has really been born out of all of these conversations we've been having with these individuals who come through Foundations group that we were just talking about, who, when I'm having these next steps calls and helping them determine like, what's the right next step for them? What does that look like? We get a lot of questions about how do I do this? Who do I do it with? And to just this point earlier, this is overwhelming. I don't even know if I want to look under the hood. I don't know what's happening. I'm very intimidated by this. And so there's just a lot of questions and confusion. And I think a demand really to be able to go deeper and to be able to do this with peers and to get a really deep six weeks is great. It is a great first step. But this is an opportunity to step into this and really go deeper.
And so we're launching something in January called Faith Driven Investor Plus. And that's really what this is. It is an opportunity to step into what's next and to be able to go deeper. And so we'll start that with what we're calling our launch weekend. We're going to do that in 4 to 5 different cities this year. But in January, we're kicking off in Chapel Hill and we are bringing families together to talk about in that weekend specifically just to gather together and kind of find your people, but also, you know, understanding, solving the world's greatest problems. So what does that look like for you? How does God break your heart for the kingdom? Where are you called? To give generously but also invest. And when it comes to those causes and those issues and understanding that and like, what does it look like when you start to craft out an investment thesis for your family? What does that look like when you're having that conversation with your spouse or with your adult children? That is a blessing of this time together. Most people are coming with their significant other with their spouse. We even have some people who are bringing their adult children so they can all be a part of this and then go together for this content. So it starts with an in-person gathering and then we'll get together monthly afterwards online for about five months as we continue these conversations and kind of this sharpening as we talk more about how do you get in the game. So if you haven't yet really starting to make those moves forward in order to do that and if you have, how do you go deeper and how do you do that with peers and trusted friends and even an advisory board? And what does that look like?
Justin Forman [00:24:49] You know, I think you said it best, Richard, when we talked about this episode. It's going to sound like we're up here pitching and sharing about things. But what we're really doing is we're building places that people have asked for to say, okay, how do I find a chance to take the next step in? I think that as fired up as we can get about a podcast or a piece of content, in many ways it's a stop sign that causes a U-turn to get people to say, The world might be telling me to go this direction, but how do I turn things around? And as you do that, that's what a foundation course might be. And so over six weeks, you get a chance to really say, man, there's a there there, there's a destination to go to. But just because you see a podcast, just because you go through a six week course doesn't mean you're going to flip to the other side of the world, flip the portfolio reallocation completely on its head because the world is going to be one of those things is going to tempt you, pull you in different directions, and you need peers and you need people that. Aren't just wondering if they should, but are convinced that there is a better thing out there and they want to go to the same destination.
And so I think that's what's exciting to me about FDI Plus, is this is a group of people that are raising their hand, saying there's an intentionality that I want to have to make sure that there's a map and there's a frame that when we start out for this journey that we're going to have checkpoints know for on the right track. And that's what this road map and that's what this family investment thesis on family investment policy that seems talking about is really all about. And so yeah, it's been a fun journey for us to have some of these groups. But then people are saying, Hey, what does it look like to do this with fellow travelers that are coming from a similar stage? They have a similar destination in mind. And so we've been able to pull in some of the ingredients of kind of the half time process. But really, this one is kind of further down that stage, maybe from some other half time courses and experience and program because it's about the allocation. It's about starting to say, Hey, I have some clarity on some family strengths. We have some understanding that we want to dethrone the hold that money might have on our life, but we want to be intentional about our giving and investing with friends, and I love it.
Justin Forman [continued] It was fun to start the invitations all credit to Sam and her team. The way that we were able to do that was this fun boxes that we're able to send out to people maybe with something between 007 or The Incredibles in terms of these invitations. It didn't explode after you watched it, but it was a fun way to really say this is a big deal, this is a big deal and a big thing and something's happening. And we want to say what could happen if we could bring people that aren't lookers, but they're intentional about it and saying, what more could we do together? And so in the year ahead, you know, we've already got for these gatherings confirmed, I think we're working on a first. But these are intentional communities and conversations where people through a launch weekend and then through 5 or 6 other monthly gatherings are going to be intentional about discovering peers are in the same direction following that path and getting in the game. And so it was an honor and privilege to invite many friends in the movement that we knew were looking for this had expressed that they were looking for this, But many times we don't know what God's doing in your heart. So if you're in that stage and you're in that place and something's provoked news, you're hearing this and saying, and that might be me, check it out at Faith Driven Investor plus.org and you can be able to learn about what's happening there and talk to somebody from our team to see if this might be a fit of something to explore because of the types of things that we're sharing about and connecting people with.
You know, guidelines would say that this has to be a qualified purchaser, somebody stewarding 5 million or more in terms of capital to get in the game. But if you're at that stage, if you're at that place, that's the season and position that God has you in and you're committed to doing something. We want to make sure that you're surrounded with like minded peers that can do that. So yeah, it is one of the things we're most excited about. And you know, to bookend kind of what you said, Richard, the conference that we have coming up here and February 7th, you know, we're not going to hold any punches back. One of the things that we often talk about Faith Driven Investor investing, you say like, hey, what's the style? What's the tone, What's the way that we're doing this? And if you're refining a, you know, an avatar or somebody that was like from a pastoral voice to say, what's the tone? It's a Francis Chan David Black kind of tone that says, Hey, time is short. What's live for the things that matter and what does that look like?
Justin Forman [continued] And so this FDI conference coming up on February 7th and will be happening online or happening also in person, over 100 different watch parties around the world. We're already seeing just on a path of growth of how that's growing significantly from where it was last year. And I think that's just a testament to so many fund managers, advisors, leaders in the movement that are pushing this conversation for it. And we hope it's a front porch and a chance to gather. We think that kind of the theme, this riskiest thing is to do nothing is really that call to say, you know, it truly is the riskiest thing. When you look at the parable of the talents, it's pretty clear when you do nothing, when you bury it, that's not what God's looking for. He's looking for us to get around people that are going to push us, encourage us to deploy it, and to do that with intentionality. And so that's the theme of the event. Some incredible stories. The thing that I love most about this conference is I'm seeing the content come together is this is not a movement in theory anymore. This is born out in reality. This is deeply intertwined in the stories of families and individuals that have looked under the hood, found out how it was canceling out some of their philanthropic efforts, and they said, that's not enough. We've got to change it. We've got to look differently at the way that we invest, the way that we give. And so my hope is that this year, particularly people see themselves in the story, that they see somebody that maybe it's a Susanne Daniels or Alice or whoever it is, and the content that they would see themselves and say, I can do that too. Yeah, it might take a step, might take a first step and my take a little bit of work. But there's a joy in the journey that I see them on. There's a life that I want and I want that for me. I want that for my marriage. I want that for my. Family. And I think that it's just, again, further evidence of what God's been doing over these last couple of years. So when you see these theories turn into stories. And so really looking forward to that. And we're so grateful for the work that Sam and her team is doing to serve and support so many of these different watch parties.
Richard Cunningham [00:31:02] Sam, what else would you add to that with the big February 7th event? Some of the themes you're excited about seeing come to life and maybe help just distinguish like the global FDI event and then kind of the FDI plus offering, because I think we hit on a number of events, but maybe just kind of help real quickly clarify what those are each individually.
Samantha Couch [00:31:18] Yeah. So the conference again is February 7th. And to find out more, you can go to Faith Driven Investor conference.org. But that is a great first step. It is a great like Justin said, it's a front porch to the movement so you can look to see if there's a watch party happening in your area. If there's not and you want to host one, we'd love to talk to you about that. And you can do that or you can stream online and just watch individually. But that is about two and a half, three hours of content that really sets the tone for the year with the Faith Driven Investor movement. But it is a really, really good time to be able, if there is one, in your area, you may not know who else has stepped into the movement in your city. And you can meet new people, you can find peers, you can have people to rustle through these conversations with. And so it's just a really great first step. The Faith Driven Investor Plus is different than the conference, of course, right? So this is an opportunity to go deeper into those conversations to join us for a launch weekend at one of the 4 to 5 events that we'll be having this year. And to be able to kind of walk through that journey of what God's calling you to do and to be able to step into that deeper and have those conversations around people. I think something we've said a lot this year is that we can do more together than we can apart, and that is the the blessing of community and finding those people, whether it's at a watch party for the conference or if you want to go super deep into Faith Driven Investor plus finding those people so you can do more together so you can have those conversations together, have that accountability, have those relationships and those friendships to kind of steward those conversations and that obedience and what God's calling you into doing.
Richard Cunningham [00:32:51] Good clarification. Thank you. So February 7th, 2025, FDI conference. It is kind of the launch of the new year, if you will. I'm sure we will have speakers on the conference back on the pod and then these FDI plus gatherings. And just that's a line Justin uses all the time. If you follow him on socials or hear him speak, as the movement goes wider, there is such a necessity to go deeper. And that really is the FDI plus audience in that kind of cup range who can really go out there and do something about what God is putting on their heart. Given the different kind of thresholds and markets they might be able to enter into. I want to kind of hit on this real quickly and we're going to ask the question we ask at the close of every FDI part, and that is, hey, one theme about 2025 that you just think is paramount to where this movement is headed, whether it's something that's going to be pulled on in the conference or just something in particular for FDI, what is one theme in 2025? You're like, Yeah, I think God's really going to be doing something in that kind of realm. Justin, I'll start with you.
Justin Forman [00:33:49] Action. It's all about action. You know, I think that it's funny, so many things in life that you can kind of be, you know, firefighter aim. I think sometimes in the Christian world, in the space, which sometimes we can. Amy may, may, may, may, may, may never fire. And what excites me is I think we're getting to a place in a season where people have taken aim, their hearts are calibrated, something's changing and they're ready to take action. And so when I think about that, there's just a virtuous cycle that just one feeds the other. And when you act, it just changes your heart in that way. And so I love that virtuous cycle. And I think that that word action really embodies where I think the stage, the Faith Driven Investor movement is right now.
Richard Cunningham [00:34:35] Spoken like a guy who started an organization called Faith Driven Entrepreneur happens to meet a number of businesses himself. Something about action and Justin Foreman saying, What would you say?
Samantha Couch [00:34:45] He stole My answer. I'll go a little bit different, which is activation, right? That is, I think, what is happening now. And because we know wealth isolates and fear paralyzes and so faith produces action. And so being able to set the table and inviting people into this, to give them the opportunity to take action or to start thinking about that, that's what I'm seeing right now. And my big hopes and dreams for the year ahead is activation.
Richard Cunningham [00:35:11] Come on. All right. Well, you guys get the privilege of answering this for the final time of 2020 for what is God been teaching you and and through his word lately. Sam, let's go to you, and then Justin will finish with you.
Samantha Couch [00:35:22] Yeah. The word that keeps coming to mind when I think about this and just the prayers that have had in the quiet time of God has been obedience. You know, we know that resistance doesn't mean that you aren't going in the right direction. You know, we are prepared for resistance, right? Because often we don't know. It hangs in the balance. And so it's these steps of obedience along the way that gets you into, you know, what God has in store for you. And so many times we're battling resistance or hard and God's just pruning us into something really, really beautiful that's just on the other side. It's hard to see sometimes. So for me, it's just kind of been meditating on this word of obedience. I'm really leaning into that relationship with God. You know, I heard something not too long ago that the rabbis, when they were teaching the 14 or 15 year olds and they called them to follow them, you know, the saying was like, go be covered in the dust of your rabbi. And so that is so beautiful to me. And I want to be walking so closely in obedience with the Lord that I'm just covered in his dust. And so that's where I am right now. That's what he's telling me.
Justin Forman [00:36:29] That's hard to follow, but it's beautiful to see that. And I think that that speaks to a lot of the journey that we've been on as a ministry. But I think maybe I'll use a cheat code here and maybe not a particular verse, but I'll maybe just kind of a theme. I think that oftentimes the home that I grew up in, it was really about the father, the son, and then this other retired guy. And I think it has just been a journey and a joy and like a childlike wonder these last ten years to see the Holy Spirit work. And this sounds silly, but I think some people who are listening will relate to it when you're looking for it. You see the Holy Spirit in an email. You see it in a text. You see it in conversation. You see it in a closed door. You see it in an open door. You see it in a frustrating conversation. You see it everywhere. And I think pausing to see the thing behind the thing is just that season that I'm in, but celebrating it with this, like, childlike wonder is been a fun, fun thing for me. So when I say, what is God speaking, it's I think he's speaking in a way that again, for many years of my life it was historical and it was factual, but now it's real. And watching the little things and that's just been a childlike wonder. Maybe as we think about this Christmas in the holiday season, we talk about that childlike wonder at this time of year that's been amplified for me to see the childlike wonder how he works, things that are unexpected.
Richard Cunningham [00:37:52] Samantha Couch and Faith Driven Investor Justin Foreman, of all the faith driven movements, but very much involved and tapped in to what's going on at Faith Driven Investor. Thank you guys for joining us today. Thank you for what you're doing to build out a movement that myself and so many others here listening are beneficiaries of. Friends, Merry Christmas. Hope you have a wonderful closed year 2024 start to 2025. And thank you again. We'll get you next time.
Speaker 5 [00:38:17] We are grateful for the opportunity to serve this community and see listeners come in for more than 100 countries. Faith Driven Investor. It can be a lonely journey, but it doesn't have to be. The best way to stay connected is to join a group study with other investors looking to get the same answers to questions you have and find great community as they do so. There's no cost, no catch. In person or online, you can meet an hour a week with other peers from your backyard or the other side of the world. You can also stay connected by signing up for our monthly newsletter and faith driven investing Dawg. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the help of many of our friends. Executive Producer Justin Foreman. Intro mixed and arranged by Summer Drags Audio and Editing by Richard Barley. Our theme song is Sweet Ever After by Ellie Holcomb.