SESSION

Beyond “them” and “us”: Bumping into God in the marketplace
Friday 28 March 2025 | 10:55am

In this presentation the speaker will discuss his transition from 17 years as principal of a theological college to heading a leadership consultancy in the commercial marketplace. It notes that the “church - world” divide is not as large as expected and discusses three engagements which required him to draw upon his theological training to assist his clients. The first was a mining company wanting a healthier staff culture for one of their teams. The second was an aged care provider desiring to honour their Christian heritage though no longer claiming to be a Christian organisation. The third was a Christian school worried about changing employment legislation and its potential impact on their right to preference staff based on their Christian faith. Assisting each client involved identifying their “theological architecture” – the big ideas shaping who they wanted to be. This session discusses the concept and relevance of “theological architecture”, arguing that to be a genuine sign of Christian hope in the marketplace it should be infused with three “orthos”: orthodoxy, orthopraxy and orthopathy - and that the greatest of these is orthopathy.

SPEAKER BIO

Rev. Dr Brian Harris is a sought-out speaker, teacher, thought-leader, podcaster, and writer. A respected theologian, after 17 years as principal of Perth’s Vose Seminary, in 2021 he became the founding director of AVENIR Leadership Institute. While leading the Institute, Brian continues with some part time lecturing, is a Director of the Australian College of Theology and a Distinguished International Visiting Scholar of Spurgeon’s College, London. He has published 7 books, the most recent being Stirrers and Saints: Forming Spiritual Leaders of Skill, Depth and Character (Paternoster, 2024).