How to Integrate Faith into Business
In Romania, Haggai leader Ruben Marian can see that God is at work. He’s watched Romania and Eastern Europe become a center for global impact on the Kingdom of God, and he can’t help but feel a hopeful sense of openness, expectancy, and adventure and that God will do what He has promised. It’s exciting, albeit maybe a little scary, because he’s a big part of it.
Ruben is the founder and CEO of a construction and mining machinery and equipment merchant in Romania. He’s gleaned the ability to lead others in this role and collaborate with and to support his staff, especially other leaders. With that specific skillset, he girds his passion for sharing the Good News through a mission and discipleship organization called Guild Faith.
Guild Faith’s mission is to help Christian professionals learn to integrate faith into their business and transform the culture within the workplace and in how they operate based on Christian principles and values. Big picture — they want to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the development and growth of faith-based businesses.
“We want to see nations transformed by leaders who integrate faith with their vocation in all spheres of society, but we believe that change happens in small groups, not in large meetings, so we invest in discipleship groups that contribute to transformation,” Ruben said.
It hasn’t been easy. Guild Faith faces a slew of geographical, economic, and cultural challenges that often make it hard to see the fruits of their labor. Trust and collaboration between business, ministry, and church leaders is a slippery slope. A lack of role models with values and principles to live integrated and relevant lives and little to no integration of work with faith currently make it hard to get off the ground. Historically, Romanian businesses are not developments based on biblical principles, so it’s a new concept not eagerly adopted.
“Where we are, there is a lack of a higher vision to have an impact to make a difference, to be relevant and meaningful,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are building their own kingdom, invested in their own personal branding, and concerned with only their own reputation.”
Corruption, weak policies, and poor performance of the public institutions discourage collaboration, and Romania ranks last in the European Union in its performance about innovation and the financial support for innovation. But where Ruben and his team at Guild Faith feel overwhelmed, they are also hopeful. Interest in what they’re doing is high, and as the Lord provides, they know change is inevitable.
In 2022, that sense of hope revealed itself. Ruben’s team travelled throughout Romania, visited 10 cities, met more than 1,000 new people, recorded six Guild Faith podcasts, were invited onto four TV shows, and reached more than 3,000,000 people with their programming on social media. During that time, they grew from five Guild Faith groups in the city of Cluj to 12 groups spanning the entire nation. Today, they’re reaching 150 business leaders, have organized two mission groups to share God’s story, and witnessed people come to Jesus through their work.
They’ve graduated more than 20 leaders from Timothy, a special program dedicated for leaders that want to be involved in marketplace ministry in Romania. They launched the Guild Faith Entrepreneurs Groups where leaders discuss identity, calling, stewardship, and more. More groups are already in the works, and the seed has been planted to take these groups and this ministry into other countries.
“We pray that our nation will be transformed by Christian entrepreneurs and businesspeople who integrate faith with business and contribute to a positive change in society,” Ruben said. “We are intentional about transforming individuals and whole communities through redemptive business. We are focused on holistic transformation and the multiple bottom lines of economic, social, environmental, and spiritual outcomes.”
Like a web spreading outward, Ruben and his team hope to touch leaders with the skills and knowledge to then equip other leaders in their own spheres of influence, changing Romania in a big way that makes an impact on the world, too.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
How to Integrate Faith into Business
In Romania, Haggai leader Ruben Marian can see that God is at work. He’s watched Romania and Eastern Europe become a center for global impact on the Kingdom of God, and he can’t help but feel a hopeful sense of openness, expectancy, and adventure and that God will do what He has promised. It’s exciting, albeit maybe a little scary, because he’s a big part of it.
Ruben is the founder and CEO of a construction and mining machinery and equipment merchant in Romania. He’s gleaned the ability to lead others in this role and collaborate with and to support his staff, especially other leaders. With that specific skillset, he girds his passion for sharing the Good News through a mission and discipleship organization called Guild Faith.
Guild Faith’s mission is to help Christian professionals learn to integrate faith into their business and transform the culture within the workplace and in how they operate based on Christian principles and values. Big picture — they want to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the development and growth of faith-based businesses.
“We want to see nations transformed by leaders who integrate faith with their vocation in all spheres of society, but we believe that change happens in small groups, not in large meetings, so we invest in discipleship groups that contribute to transformation,” Ruben said.
It hasn’t been easy. Guild Faith faces a slew of geographical, economic, and cultural challenges that often make it hard to see the fruits of their labor. Trust and collaboration between business, ministry, and church leaders is a slippery slope. A lack of role models with values and principles to live integrated and relevant lives and little to no integration of work with faith currently make it hard to get off the ground. Historically, Romanian businesses are not developments based on biblical principles, so it’s a new concept not eagerly adopted.
“Where we are, there is a lack of a higher vision to have an impact to make a difference, to be relevant and meaningful,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are building their own kingdom, invested in their own personal branding, and concerned with only their own reputation.”
Corruption, weak policies, and poor performance of the public institutions discourage collaboration, and Romania ranks last in the European Union in its performance about innovation and the financial support for innovation. But where Ruben and his team at Guild Faith feel overwhelmed, they are also hopeful. Interest in what they’re doing is high, and as the Lord provides, they know change is inevitable.
In 2022, that sense of hope revealed itself. Ruben’s team travelled throughout Romania, visited 10 cities, met more than 1,000 new people, recorded six Guild Faith podcasts, were invited onto four TV shows, and reached more than 3,000,000 people with their programming on social media. During that time, they grew from five Guild Faith groups in the city of Cluj to 12 groups spanning the entire nation. Today, they’re reaching 150 business leaders, have organized two mission groups to share God’s story, and witnessed people come to Jesus through their work.
They’ve graduated more than 20 leaders from Timothy, a special program dedicated for leaders that want to be involved in marketplace ministry in Romania. They launched the Guild Faith Entrepreneurs Groups where leaders discuss identity, calling, stewardship, and more. More groups are already in the works, and the seed has been planted to take these groups and this ministry into other countries.
“We pray that our nation will be transformed by Christian entrepreneurs and businesspeople who integrate faith with business and contribute to a positive change in society,” Ruben said. “We are intentional about transforming individuals and whole communities through redemptive business. We are focused on holistic transformation and the multiple bottom lines of economic, social, environmental, and spiritual outcomes.”
Like a web spreading outward, Ruben and his team hope to touch leaders with the skills and knowledge to then equip other leaders in their own spheres of influence, changing Romania in a big way that makes an impact on the world, too.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
How to Integrate Faith into Business
In Romania, Haggai leader Ruben Marian can see that God is at work. He’s watched Romania and Eastern Europe become a center for global impact on the Kingdom of God, and he can’t help but feel a hopeful sense of openness, expectancy, and adventure and that God will do what He has promised. It’s exciting, albeit maybe a little scary, because he’s a big part of it.
Ruben is the founder and CEO of a construction and mining machinery and equipment merchant in Romania. He’s gleaned the ability to lead others in this role and collaborate with and to support his staff, especially other leaders. With that specific skillset, he girds his passion for sharing the Good News through a mission and discipleship organization called Guild Faith.
Guild Faith’s mission is to help Christian professionals learn to integrate faith into their business and transform the culture within the workplace and in how they operate based on Christian principles and values. Big picture — they want to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports the development and growth of faith-based businesses.
“We want to see nations transformed by leaders who integrate faith with their vocation in all spheres of society, but we believe that change happens in small groups, not in large meetings, so we invest in discipleship groups that contribute to transformation,” Ruben said.
It hasn’t been easy. Guild Faith faces a slew of geographical, economic, and cultural challenges that often make it hard to see the fruits of their labor. Trust and collaboration between business, ministry, and church leaders is a slippery slope. A lack of role models with values and principles to live integrated and relevant lives and little to no integration of work with faith currently make it hard to get off the ground. Historically, Romanian businesses are not developments based on biblical principles, so it’s a new concept not eagerly adopted.
“Where we are, there is a lack of a higher vision to have an impact to make a difference, to be relevant and meaningful,” he said. “Entrepreneurs are building their own kingdom, invested in their own personal branding, and concerned with only their own reputation.”
Corruption, weak policies, and poor performance of the public institutions discourage collaboration, and Romania ranks last in the European Union in its performance about innovation and the financial support for innovation. But where Ruben and his team at Guild Faith feel overwhelmed, they are also hopeful. Interest in what they’re doing is high, and as the Lord provides, they know change is inevitable.
In 2022, that sense of hope revealed itself. Ruben’s team travelled throughout Romania, visited 10 cities, met more than 1,000 new people, recorded six Guild Faith podcasts, were invited onto four TV shows, and reached more than 3,000,000 people with their programming on social media. During that time, they grew from five Guild Faith groups in the city of Cluj to 12 groups spanning the entire nation. Today, they’re reaching 150 business leaders, have organized two mission groups to share God’s story, and witnessed people come to Jesus through their work.
They’ve graduated more than 20 leaders from Timothy, a special program dedicated for leaders that want to be involved in marketplace ministry in Romania. They launched the Guild Faith Entrepreneurs Groups where leaders discuss identity, calling, stewardship, and more. More groups are already in the works, and the seed has been planted to take these groups and this ministry into other countries.
“We pray that our nation will be transformed by Christian entrepreneurs and businesspeople who integrate faith with business and contribute to a positive change in society,” Ruben said. “We are intentional about transforming individuals and whole communities through redemptive business. We are focused on holistic transformation and the multiple bottom lines of economic, social, environmental, and spiritual outcomes.”
Like a web spreading outward, Ruben and his team hope to touch leaders with the skills and knowledge to then equip other leaders in their own spheres of influence, changing Romania in a big way that makes an impact on the world, too.
Written by Jennifer Colosimo
