Our Vision
The Charlotte Institute for Faith & Work was founded by a group of people who believe that God cares about our everyday work. It’s through our work, from cleaning public restrooms to creating investment portfolio strategies, that God cares for His creation. As we better understand and live in the reality of that truth, the way we approach our work changes.
Understanding the high call of vocation, its responsibility and potential impact, provides a doorway through which all people are invited to experience what it means to be more fully human. As a direct result, our city becomes healthier and more vibrant. Charlotte flourishes.
“Most of us think too much of our work or too little of our work. We rely on work for security, status, identity, or fulfillment —or we simply view work as a means to an end. At the Charlotte Institute for Faith &Work, we want to reimagine work through the lens of its Creator. Because kindling a healthy imagination is the first step toward transformation. Individually, for our community, and for the world.”
— Julie Silander, Executive Director CIFW
“What do Martin Luther King Jr, Apple Inc., and the Wright brothers have in common that led to their significant impact in the world?”
Author and speaker Simon Sinek posed that question in his 2009 Ted Talk, which continues to be one of the most widely circulated videos among entrepreneurs and those interested in leadership, management, or growing a business.
His answer can be summarized as follows: Rather than leading with how and what they were trying to achieve, their driving force began with answering a more fundamental question: Why?
Starting with why changes everything.
That pivotal question is just as applicable to the that way in which we think about Faith and Work.
When thinking about how the faith we hold privately impacts the work we do publicly, we are likely to think in terms of how and what:
What is God’s will for my career?
What should I do with the (little or substantial) money I’ve made?
How can I be true to my faith when I’m working in an environment that values the bottom line over doing what is right and just?
All of these are good questions, but their answers fall short of fulfilling God’s design for work and the role it plays in society.
The more fundamental question with which we should start is:
Why work?
The way we answer that question will dramatically impact the how and the what of our work.
Of course, we work to pay for food, shelter, and basic needs. But our understanding of work, regardless of income level, is incomplete if we don’t consider its original design and eternal purpose.
If you’re curious to learn more about God’s original design for work, how the Biblical narrative plays out in what you do every day and the industry in which you work, and how God might want to use your everyday work to achieve his eternal purposes, then we are here to serve you along your journey.
“Charlotte is poised to help bridge the perceived divide between the sacred and secular in our city. Providing experiences and resources that help people integrate Biblical principles into their work is at the heart of the Charlotte Institute for Faith & Work. We are excited to be an integral part of the effort.”
— John Parker, Forest Hill Church
“Work is more about who we are and what we value than what we do. When I put on the right glasses, who I am at work can expose my heart toward God. And God really wants to use work more as a place to meet and mold us than to simply use us. If the first one happens, the second is guaranteed. And as that happens, all the work we do everyday becomes His work.”
— Palmer Trice, The Barnabas Center
“Faith and work integration is key to our reaching and transforming the city of Charlotte with the love of Christ. A holistic view of work, grounded in faith, can radically shape our city for good.”