Faith and Enterprise series invites Christian professionals to address CBU students

Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 3, 2019) – The Jabs School of Business at California Baptist University hosted its first Faith and Enterprise event for the fall semester on Oct. 2. The evening featured several local pastors who shared their experiences concerning the business side of ministry.

Dr. Andrea Scott, dean of the School of Business, said the series is a way to expose students to professionals who love Jesus and are doing well in the marketplace.

Scott served as the moderator for the evening, fielding questions from the audience. The panel of executive pastors included John Collins from Harvest Christian Fellowship; Jon Hurst from The Grove Community Church; Kevin Bugingo from Relevant Church; and Dan Zimbardi from Sandals Church.  

Zimbardi spoke of how he organized his workload as an executive pastor, explaining that a main task of an executive pastor’s is to figure out the most effective systems and processes.

“A lot of my work is around culture and organizational culture, which means creating a workplace where people want to work, they want to be there, they want to do their best work, their life's work,” Zimbardi said.

Bugingo addressed the difference of return on investment (ROI) in ministry versus in business.

“In business, ROI is all about profits. It's focused on the organization's benefit,” Bugingo said. “The way I look at ministry is that it's more like a family. A family functions on wanting the best for each individual's success and each individual's ROI. My goal as a leader is to help the [congregation] be the best that they can be.”

Jason Clarke, a business management senior, said he left the evening with a sentiment to remain humble and build meaningful relationships.

“When the pastors spoke about building relationships, that was big for me,” Clarke said. “I tend to just worry about my classes and keep to myself. But it is really important to mingle and relish in the relationships that you can find on campus and go from there.”

Nicole Berghorst, a marketing sophomore, enjoyed how the panel applied a biblical worldview to their jobs.

“I enjoyed hearing how they can add their Christian life to their job and how they differentiate their job from their personal life as well,” Berghorst said.

Three more Faith and Enterprise events are planned to take place during the 2019-2020 academic year at CBU.