Lubbock Christian University (LCU) and its School of Business are proud to announce the official formation of the Center for Faith and Business.
Dr. Josh Sauerwein, Associate Professor of Accounting was recently appointed as the Director of The Center for Faith and Business (CFB). From its inception, the CFB was intended to be not simply an augmentation to the current workings of the School of Business, but instead to be at the core of those initiatives.
“Our goal is to properly capture and strengthen the heartbeat we have in the School of Business—helping students to see the intimate connections between their faith and what they'll be doing in the marketplace,” said Dr. Sauerwein. “We want them to understand that these are not separate things, that there are already people out there that are doing faithful business in an incredibly meaningful way. We want to introduce our students to them, and talk about that in the classroom—what does it look like? How is it all-encompassing?”
Although its target audience is students enrolled in the School of Business, the Center for Faith and Business is open to all LCU students. Dr. Sauerwein explained that the principles around which the program is centered reach beyond the marketplace and across a variety of disciplines. “Our students don't have to be a pastor or missionary to impact the kingdom of God, to really be on mission,” he shared. “We want them to understand that they can be whoever God has asked them to be, whether that be an accountant, a nurse, or an educator, and still come together and form community in this way.”
One key feature of the Center for Faith and Business is its mentorship program. “Students are given the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with a local executive who is living their faith in the marketplace, and get them a chance to interact, to ask questions, and room to grow,” continued Dr. Sauerwein.
LCU Graduate Darian Johnson (’21) was a part of the first group of students entering a pilot cohort for this mentorship program that took place in the Spring of 2022—his mentor was none other than Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope.
"I gained valuable advice on some of the biggest decisions of my life, opportunities to work on my networking skills, and explored how to live out my faith in the workplace,” he shared. “I learned so much, and I know my mentor is someone I'll always be able to turn to, even as I move forward."
Building on past initiatives like the Business as a Calling luncheons, which are annually hosted by the LCU School of Business, the Center for Faith and Business also plans to bring influential speakers to campus to share how their faith factors into their callings as entrepreneurs.
“Business as a Calling has brought successful practitioners, such as Drayton McLane and executives from Southwest Airlines and Chick-fil-A to campus in order to share wisdom with the Lubbock and LCU communities,” explained Matt Bumstead, Dean of the School of Business.
Another key facet of the Center for Faith and Business is expanded classes with specialized material focusing acutely on integrating faith into the business place. This class has been a staple in the School of Business, and graduates often return to LCU to continue the cycle of mentoring new students beginning their own business journeys, specifically sharing their experiences in this class. While the School of Business already integrates faith conversations into classes across its various programs, the Center for Faith and Business will bring additional intentionality to those conversations and components.
“Ultimately, the most powerful tool that we hope the Center for Faith and Business will give our students, faculty, and all stakeholders is revelation—a Biblically-centered, Spirit-derived, life-changing perspective on how to live our faith to the fullest while engaged in our daily work over the course of an entire career in business,” added Bumstead.
Learn more about the Center for Faith and Business.