Inaugural Illuminate conference inspires attendees to live with purpose

Kim Chaudoin  |  10/16/2024

Nearly 300 members of the Nashville community gathered at Lipscomb University’s George Shinn Center on Oct. 10 for the inaugural Illuminate: Living with Purpose conference. Attendees explored how faith can shape their professional lives through keynote sessions, breakout discussions and special presentations.

Keynote speakers David Kinnaman, Jordan Raynor and Amy Sherman shared insights on how to integrate faith into everyday work. Their talks, alongside discipline-specific breakout sessions, challenged attendees to consider how their roles, from corporate executives to entry-level employees, could be infused with purpose and service.

In her welcome remarks, Lipscomb President Candice McQueen emphasized the conference’s mission.

"Today, we are blessed to have such a diverse group of attendees, representing a variety of professions and industries, from CEOs to those just starting their careers,” McQueen said. “Each of you brings a unique perspective, and we are excited to explore how we can illuminate our paths toward purpose together."

McQueen noted that Illuminate aligns with Lipscomb’s Christ-centered mission. "At Lipscomb University, we believe that a career can be much more than a job — it can be a vocation,” she said. “This conference is a space where we will delve into how we can bring meaning to our everyday work, no matter the field or stage of our careers."

Keynote insights

Jordan Raynor, the first keynote speaker, is a bestselling author and leader in the faith and work movement. Through his bestselling books, The Sacredness of Secular Work, Redeeming Your Time and The Creator in You, keynote speeches, podcasts and devotionals, Jordan has helped millions of Christians around the world connect the Gospel to their work. He highlighted the sacred nature of everyday work, noting, "It’s less about what you do professionally, but more about who you are while doing your work." Raynor emphasized that Christians can bring the sacred into any workplace simply by being faithful and productive in their roles.

Raynor takeaways

• If you show up as a faithful presence at work, you are giving people a glimpse of what is on the other side. 
• To make a secular workplace sacred only takes you as a believer walking through the door. Not all jobs are ones doing sacred work. But you can always be a sacred worker. Any time you do something productive to benefit others is sacred when you are a believer and approach your work that way. 
• There is a blessing in the thorns and thistles in your work. 
• There is an increasing sense that we are entitled to do work that we love. We have to free young people of the notion that there is a dream job that will never feel like a burden. 

Amy Sherman, who directs the Center on Faith in Communities at the Sagamore Institute, was the second featured speaker. Sherman is the author of seven books and over 100 articles in a variety of periodicals including First Things, The Christian Century and Christianity Today. She introduced the concept of shalom in the workplace, encouraging attendees to love their neighbors through their work. "When you ask how you can be a shalom-bringer, you find joy in your work," Sherman said.

Sherman takeaways

What Shalom-bringers bring to the workplace:

• Attentiveness. They have the ability to see and are aware of the impact they are having and see things others don’t see. 
• Creative intentionality. They do not drift along with the flow. They think creatively about knowledge and skills and think who could benefit if they change something they do. 
• Patience and persistence. Sometimes it takes time to swing against the tide. 
• Generosity. They say God has given me this work, talents and opportunity. They ask given all that God has poured into me, how can I used that to pour into others? How can I use what God has given me to help others flourish?
• When you ask how you can be a Shalom-bringer, you find joy in your work. When you seek to help others flourish, you will also flourish. 

The final keynote came from David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group and bestselling author of Faith For Exiles, Good Faith, You Lost Me and unChristian. Kinnaman addressed the challenges of leadership in today’s fast-changing world. He encouraged attendees to take practical steps to put purpose at the center of their work and to mentor younger team members, helping them cope with anxiety and ambition.

Kinnaman takeaways

• The Gospel should make us the most change-ready leaders on the planet. We need to help our children and students be prepared to be change-ready. 
• Leadership is harder than in the past because of the speed and complexity of change. 
• Society is placing tremendous loads on businesses and workplaces as a socializing force. Your work matters because it helps to lead people to a more flourishing life … yet you can’t be all things to all people. 
• Take practical steps to put purpose at the center of what you do.
• Younger team members are essential contributors to your mission. 
• Help rising generations cope with anxiety and ambition.

Illuminate Award, student recognition

Another highlight of the Illuminate conference was the awarding of the university’s inaugural Illuminate Award and the College of Business’s Psalm 78:72 Scholarship.

Former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam received the inaugural Illuminate Award, honoring individuals who exemplify living with purpose in secular professions by using their talents, time and resources to faithfully lead and serve others for the glory of God. The Illuminate Award honors a person who truly illuminates their part of the world by shining their light in a way that honors God. Haslam During his two terms as governor, Haslam led with vision and compassion, elevating Tennessee to new heights in education and economic achievement. Under his leadership, Tennessee students became the fastest-improving in academic achievement across the nation, and programs like Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect made higher education more accessible than ever before. Read more about this year’s Illuminate Award recipient.

The conference also honored two recipients of the Psalm 78:72 Scholarship: Kendal Matas, a senior finance major, and Mateo Villegas, a senior marketing major. The award recognizes students who demonstrate high character and leadership, both in and out of the classroom.

The Psalm 78:72 Scholarship to recognize students who exemplify “skill of the hand and integrity of the heart” … who demonstrate high character both in and out of the classroom. The Psalm 78:72 Scholarship celebrates the impact students are making in the College of Business community and the light they are to others. Read more about Matas and Villegas.

Special features

In addition to the keynote sessions, the conference featured other special elements. Two blocks of concurrent sessions were offered. These included:

• How to Have Difficult Conversations without Losing Your Faith, College of Education and College of Leadership & Public Service
• The Transformative Work of Vocational Missions, College of Bible &Ministry and Raymond B. Jones College of Engineering
• Intentional Work Brings Restoration and Hope, College of Business
• The Halls of Healthcare: Is Your Faith Thriving or on Life Support?, College of Health Sciences and College of Pharmacy
• The Art of Courage, George Shinn College of Entertainment & The Arts
• Mondays Matter: How Work Can Be Sacred, College of Bible & Ministry
• Agents of Flourishing, Center for Vocational Discovery and Amy Sherman

Guests enjoyed a special presentation of No Small Endeavor during lunch hosted by Lipscomb’s Lee Camp and featuring an interview with Haslam. In the interview, Haslam talked about how his faith has shaped his work. He said, “calling is where your talent and skills meet what the world needs” and provided advice for people who are new to a leadership position and are critical of those who have held the job and thinking they have all the answers - “The decisions are a lot harder than it looks.”

Event sponsors 

The event was made possible by Signature Sponsor, Coca-Cola Consolidated; Leader Sponsor, John Bouchard & Sons Co.; Investor Sponsors, Benjamin F. Edwards, Nan Smith, the Newton Institute and C-12; and Partner Sponsors, Harrington Publishing, Convene, Luke and Brooke Roush, and Joe and Mary Slawek.

Illuminate: Living with Purpose is a part of the 2024-25 Presidential Signature Series and planning was led by the Center for Vocational Discovery and College of Business in collaboration with colleges across campus.

— Photos by Kristi Jones