God’s Original Design for Flourishing Life and Leadership

Flourishing isn’t a modern leadership trend—it’s God’s original design.
In this opening episode of Called to Flourish, Jay Bransford invites Christian leaders to return to the very beginning of Scripture to rediscover God’s heart for fruitful, abundant life and leadership.

Summary:
Before conversations about strategy, culture, or performance, this episode pauses to ask a deeper question: What did God intend when He created humanity to flourish?

Host Robert Wachter, Global Marketing Director at Best Christian Workplaces, sits down with Jay Bransford, President & CEO of Best Christian Workplaces, to explore God’s original mandate in Genesis—to be fruitful, steward creation, and live with purpose before brokenness entered the world.
Drawing from Scripture and lived leadership experience, Jay reflects on the tension between human effort and divine grace, emphasizing that true flourishing flows not from striving, but from abiding in Christ. Together, they explore leadership as a shepherding calling—one marked by humility, integrity, and trust in God’s work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why flourishing begins with God’s original design, not human ambition
• How Genesis frames fruitfulness, work, and stewardship
• The biblical tension between effort and grace in leadership
• Why abiding in Christ is essential for lasting fruitfulness
• How leaders are called to shepherd with integrity of heart

Chapters:
00:00 Introducing Jay and launching Called to Flourish
04:37 Why Called to Flourish begins with God’s original design
06:10 Genesis, fruitfulness, and God’s mandate for humanity
07:03 Flourishing before the fall: purpose, stewardship, and work
09:42 Brokenness, sin, and God’s enduring heart for abundance
12:10 The tension between human effort and divine grace
15:12 Abiding in Christ: fruitfulness that comes from God alone
25:17 Shepherd leadership, humility, and integrity of heart
26:19 Real-world examples of flourishing through faithful leadership
31:15 Rapid-fire reflections, Scripture, and spiritual rhythms

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ABOUT BEST CHRISTIAN WORKPLACES
Best Christian Workplaces helps Christian-led organizations listen well to their employees and build healthy, flourishing workplace cultures where people and mission can thrive. Through research-based employee engagement surveys, insight, consulting, and certification, we serve churches, ministries, nonprofits, schools, and faith-driven businesses around the world—helping leaders steward their influence and reflect Christ through the way they lead at work.

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