Organizations and institutions can seem cold and inhuman, somehow disconnected from the lives we lead. But the reality, especially in modern society, is that most of us are organizational beings. We work in companies or other types of institutions. We are members of churches and other civic organizations. These entities can feel soulless, but they are anything but. All organizations are human organizations, they only exist as a collection of people for a particular purpose. In the Organizational Life Video Series, we seek to uncover some surprising biblical truths about human institutions. In the process, we also discover that our lives can be more fully imbued with God’s purposes when we begin to appreciate that He is not just interested in our individual and family lives, but also our organizational lives.
Meet Your Instructor: Curtis Chang
Curtis Chang bridges the worlds of secular institutions and Christian theology. He has won an Obama White House award for social innovation as the founder and head of Consulting Within Reach (CWR), a firm serving nonprofits and government organizations. He teaches strategic planning as a faculty member of American University. You can learn more by visiting our About page.
What People are Saying About God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life
“I heartily recommend Redeeming Babel and the materials they offer. The theology of organizations curriculum, “God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life,” was a great help to me, as I have spent much of my career leading large public sector organizations. The work of Curtis Chang and the team is ACCESSIBLE, PRACTICAL, FAITHFUL AND HELPFUL.” – Bill Roper, former dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health; former CEO of UNC Health Care; former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
“The Faith and Work movement has needed a way to go deeper and think more specifically about the organizational nature of work, and this curriculum has the theological and biblical richness to make an important contribution.” – Matt Rusten, Executive Director of Made to Flourish
“As one who studies secular institutions and leads one, I’ve rarely thought about God’s purposes for them. Curtis Chang’s Organizational Life Course has transformed my view of all human organizations and their deeper meaning and potential.” – Kenneth P. Miller, Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna College; Director, Rose Institute of State and Local Government
“God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life provides a well-designed, interactive, small-group-in-a-digital-box experience to help process what we spend most of our life doing: working for an organization. With important teachings, reflective questions, and engaging activities, conversation comes easily about how to engage in our organizations more missionally. If you’re leading a group of young professionals who are starting to ask deeper questions about vocation, organizations, and missional engagement, I can’t think of a better place to start!” –Mike Ahn, Assistant Dean of Chapels & Worship at Biola University
“When I started the course, I was skeptical that the image of God could be found in secular organizations. I finished the course not just convinced but deeply motivated. This course gave me a profound missional alignment with my own startup that I did not have before.” – Matt Harder, Founder of Civic Trust
“The idea of organizations being fallen but not irredeemable resonated with students heavily. So many were focused on the idea of politics or work as inherently immoral, devoted to money or power, that the idea of organizations being able to be reformed was surprising.” – Dr. Jakob Miller, Professor of American Politics at Taylor University
“As a CEO and entrepreneur, I found ‘God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life’ an encouraging reminder that God cares about both secular and Christian organizations. Curtis points the participants to the reality that there are broken institutions, but that all organizations have the potential to be used for God’s good in the world.” – Karl Wirth, Co-founder and CEO of Evergage
“God’s Purpose for Your Organizational Life is a fantastic study on how Christian’s should think about any organization to which they belong. The study provides a great framework for thinking about your role within your organization and the organization itself. What I enjoyed the most was that it gave me practical steps to take and concrete things to pray for toward redeeming the organizations to which I belong.” – Aaron Schavey, Associate Professor of Economics and Chair of Business Department at Bethel University
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