Transcript: Why Flourishing Workplaces Still Matter: A Final Word from Al Lopus // Al Lopus, Best Christian Workplaces

Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

“Why Flourishing Workplaces Still Matter: A Final Word from Al Lopus“

June 30, 2025

Al Lopus

Intro: How would the world change if Christian-led workplaces were the best, most effective places to work? Well, that's more than a question—it's the vision that has shaped my life and the heartbeat behind this podcast. And with a full heart, I ask you to join me for the final episode where I host the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast as I reflect on a decade of conversations, leadership lessons, and stories of transformation from the front lines of Christian-led organizations.

Welcome: Welcome to the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, your home for open, honest, and insightful conversations to help develop your leadership, your team, and build a flourishing workplace culture.

Al Lopus: Hi, I’m Al Lopus, the co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces and author of the book Road to Flourishing, the go-to research-based, Christ-centered guide to build a flourishing workplace culture. My passion and the purpose of this podcast has been to equip and inspire Christian leaders like you to create engaged, flourishing workplaces, where people thrive and organizations make a significant Kingdom impact.

And after more than a decade of meaningful conversations, today, with a grateful heart, I celebrate the close of this season of the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast with you. This marks episode number 449.

And you know, it all began back in 2009, just seven years after we launched Best Christian Workplaces. When podcasting was still new and an emerging platform, I felt a strong conviction to begin recording the stories and practices of Christian leaders who were cultivating healthy, even flourishing workplace cultures. “Why?” you might ask. Well, because as we stepped out in faith to help ministries measure the health of their organizational cultures, we began to witness something remarkable: that was transformation. Leaders who embraced feedback and implemented biblical leadership practices were changing the atmosphere—yes, even the culture of their workplaces—and lives were being impacted.

And as we asked ourselves, “How could we share these stories without falling into the trap of self-promotion? And how could we spread the word about our newly published and developed FLOURISH Model without making it about ourselves?” the answer came straight from Scripture, Proverbs 27:2, “Let others, let someone else, praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.”

And so, this podcast became that platform, a place where ministry leaders could tell their own stories authentically, humbly, and powerfully about how their cultures were being transformed. And in 2015, we began producing episodes weekly. And over time, it grew to one of the top 5% of all podcasts and, more importantly, a trusted voice in Christian leadership.

It's been an incredible honor to speak with ministry leaders, school heads, pastors, university presidents, business CEOs, and authors, and to witness firsthand how God has turned workplaces into places of light, love, and flourishing.

So, let’s reflect on the journey.

I give thanks for what God has done and look ahead because while this chapter ends, the mission continues. And from BCW's start, our focus was clear: to shine a light on what's good and what's working. When we began creating a list of Certified Best Christian Workplaces, some said, “Well, I'm more interested in who are the bottom ten or who are worst Christian workplaces,” but that's never been our mission. I've always been drawn to the wisdom of Philippians 4:8, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” And that's what we've done here: highlighting the excellence and praiseworthy work that God is doing through faithful leaders who are faithfully shepherding the flock that God has entrusted to them. So my hope has always been to equip and inspire Christian leaders to build engaged flourishing workplace cultures, not through my voice alone, but by amplifying the voices of those in the trenches, faithfully doing the work God has trusted and called them to.

Well, today marks a milestone. This is the final episode where I serve as the host of the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast. In the weeks ahead, we'll share a series of listener favorites, our greatest hits, featuring timeless wisdom from inspiring leaders. Then, Robert Wachter, our global marketing director, and Jay Bransford, our CEO, will launch a new season of this podcast, with fresh energy and renewed vision. I'm looking forward to it.

So, yes, the mission continues. And thank you for listening, sharing, and leading with purpose.

And to every listener, you've been the heartbeat of this podcast. Thanks for joining us. When I started this journey, I honestly wondered, “Would there be enough Christian leaders who are truly hungry for these kinds of conversations? Would anybody care about the deep, often messy, work of transforming a Christian workplace? Would busy ministry leaders, nonprofit directors, and Christian CEOs actually tune in week after week?” Well, you answered that with a resounding yes. Through your emails, your comments at conferences, your stories of how one episode gave you the courage for a difficult conversation or clarity about a leadership crossroads you were facing, you made it clear: the podcast mattered—not because of the download numbers, which we did look at very carefully, but because of lives and the places that were changed. You turned these conversations into transformation, and that transformation in your teams, your leadership, and your organizations is what made this podcast truly successful. So, thank you.

And to the team that made it possible, I want to thank you, too. To Solape Osoba, my partner and producer for eight faithful years, thank you for turning ideas into reality week after week. And to Carla Foote, whose thoughtful editing and insightful interview guides turned every conversation into a clear and meaningful narrative. And to Darrell and the Pro Podcast team, thanks for your excellence and making us sound our best every week. And to the team at Best Christian Workplaces, thank you. Thank you for your vision, excitement, and for helping to deepen and expand the reach of this work. I really appreciate when I had the opportunity to have BCW consultants on as guests to the show. A special thanks to Jay Bransford, Cary Humphries, Giselle Jenkins, Tara VanderSande, Barry Slauenwhite, and Doug Waldo, to name a few. So thank you for your tremendous insights.

And above all, to every guest who said yes to joining me, thank you. You might wonder, “Was it difficult for me to find guests?” and the answer was no. You each stepped up with grace and volunteered quickly. You shared your stories with honesty. You opened your hearts, acknowledged your failures alongside your victories, and trusted us to steward your experience as well. These weren't just interviews; they were windows into what God is doing when leaders choose to build something different. Every episode was a masterclass in faithful, courageous, Spirit-led leadership. And over these 10 years, I've had the privilege of sitting across from some of the most courageous leaders in Christian organizations, leaders who didn't just talk about culture transformation, but rolled up their sleeves and did the hard, often unseen, work of change.

And as I reflect on these conversations, I see the beautiful variety of Christian leadership that God has set forth. Some were pioneers, bravely stepping into uncharted territory. Others were turnaround artists, leading broken cultures into new life. Some were sustainers, faithfully protecting and nurturing healthy cultures year after year. Others were practitioners, applying the daily disciplines to make flourishing possible. And some were great thought leaders, stretching our vision of what Christ-centered leadership could truly be.

Let me just kind of review a couple of the highlights, and I wish I could mention even more, but to start with that, the pioneers taught me that transformation starts with one brave decision: listening to their staff. Doug Mazza of Joni and Friends was one of my very first guests on this podcast back in 2009, and still after 20 years of leading that ministry, he was still saying, “What could we do to love our people better?”

My early frequent guest, Bill Robinson at Whitworth University was the first university president in 2003 that I met who truly understood that workplace culture wasn't optional; it was essential. He showed us that healthy cultures don't just happen, but they're built with intention.

John Bowling, the 30-year president at Olivet Nazarene was another flourishing-culture university president, and his colleague, David Pickering, worked year in and year out to intentionally steward their culture, and saw enrollment double during their tenure.

It's very exciting for me to see this generation, this new generation of Christian university leaders take up the challenge amplified by my guest, Steve Mason at LeTourneau University, or Michael Lindsay at Taylor University, and to see the great cultural transformation that Dondi Costin is doing at Liberty University.

I'd also like to place Mike Sharrow, the CEO of C12, in that pioneer category. He's fully embraced the vision that flourishing workplaces lead to deeply engaging employees; people who stay, grow, and excel in their work as they serve customers with excellence; and how satisfied customers become loyal customers. And over time, they share their positive experience with others, and this creates momentum that builds revenue and profitable growth for organizations. But beyond the financial outcomes, Mike understands the greater purpose: that when leaders build healthy, Christ-honoring workplaces, they create environments that not only attract employees, customers, and stakeholders, but ultimately point them to Christ. The eternal impact of a flourishing culture is far greater than business success; its Kingdom impact.

Well, then we had a number of turnaround artists that showed me what's possible when leaders refuse to accept “that's just how things are done around here.” I'll never forget Gary Losh from English Language Institute-China, who shared in 2017, with tears in his voice, describing how their culture transformation had improved their organization, whose culture had been toxic for far too long years earlier, and how having a flourishing workplace made such a big difference for every employee in the organization.

One of my most popular guests we've had on this podcast was Mark Maxwell, the president of Prairie College in Alberta, Canada. One of our most downloaded episodes was titled “From Toxic and in Debt to Flourishing and Profitable,” which aired on July 20, 2020. Over the years, I've met several Prairie College graduates, and to think how close that school was to closing their doors is sobering to me. Mark Maxwell, the grandson of Prairie's founder, left a successful investment-management career in Toronto to return just in time to lead Prairie through a remarkable turnaround. Mark, like several other leaders I've interviewed, has graciously given BCW a lot of credit for providing a blueprint that guided their cultural transformation. But the real credit belongs to the courageous leaders like Mark, who trusted the process, applied the principles, and faithfully led their organizations to flourishing.

We've started working with Christian-led businesses about a decade ago, and we found the flourishing model worked just as effectively for the for-profit world as well. One of my guests, Brad Carr, the president of SonicAire, in my first interview with him, we titled the episode, “Finding the Truth About Your Workplace Culture.” He described how our Employment Engagement Survey was able to show him clearly what he didn't and couldn't distill otherwise, and then, described some of the hard decisions that he made to move his culture from toxic to flourishing. In a later podcast, six years later, he described how they were developing their team and putting them into roles where they could really thrive. And I asked him, “Well, do you see a correlation between culture and financial performance?” In a very matter-of-fact way he responded that they had grown revenue and profits 80% in the previous year. And as much as I believe in what we do makes a difference, that was a mic-drop moment for me.

It's these turnaround stories that choke me up the most, to think that we had a role in changing a culture from toxic to flourishing. I've worked in toxic workplaces, like many of you have, and I've had the privilege of being in, even leading, flourishing workplaces where people are fully engaged and find joy in their work. And to think I've had a hand in catalyzing the change in a culture from toxic to flourishing, there's no greater joy. I'm so grateful.

And then, there are the sustainers, and they've taught me excellence isn't just an event; it's a practice. Pete Kelly and Kelly Jones of Apartment Life have maintained a flourishing workplace culture for 22 consecutive years. Yes, 22 years, year in and year out, flourishing workplace culture. And when I asked their secret, Kelly said simply, “We keep working on our bottom 10. We can always improve.”

Well, then there are other practitioners that showed me that culture transformation happens in every context. Whether it was Wesley Wooldridge and Jeff Osborn at Christ’s Church of the Valley, showing how pastoral teams can lead differently; or Troy Meacham at ACR Supply, proving that businesses can build places of dignity and purpose impacting customers and communities for good; every conversation reinforced the simple truth: people flourish when they're seen, valued, listened to, yes, even loved.

And then, we had a number of thought leaders who challenged my thinking and expanded my vision. I remember talking with Ken Blanchard, whose One Minute Manager book sold 28 million copies. And it reminded me that leadership principles without love is just techniques.

Josh McDowell, the famous evangelist and author with 51 million books sold, showed me what it looks like to build a flourishing workplace in his own organization and ministry.

And then, I enjoyed Mark Miller from Chick-fil-A, who taught me that culture isn't what you hope happens; it's what you intentionally create.

But here's what struck me the most. Every single one of these leaders, regardless of their organization size or sector, came back to the same core conviction: creating flourishing cultures takes intentional work. That's the thread that connects a global-ministry leader like Peter Greer with HOPE International with a large Christian school superintendent like Jason Rachels. It's what links a Fortune 500 executive with a church planner. They all understand that Scriptural challenge to leaders: to shepherd the flock that God has entrusted to them. And, you know, in order to do that effectively, you have to know the condition of the flock, and that is to measure the health of the culture. These just weren't interviews; they were masterclasses in faithful leadership, and now their wisdom lives on through you.

I remember when a pastor once described the intentional work of creating a flourishing workplace culture on this podcast, especially through the daily faithful work of managers, is nothing less than Christian discipleship, because when leaders invest in the growth and well-being of their people, they aren't just improving performance metrics; they're shaping hearts; they’re raising morale; they're deepening engagement; and multiplying eternal impact. In that sense, every conversation, every coaching moment, every decision about culture becomes a discipleship opportunity, forming people into who God designed them to be, even as they carry out the work that He's called them to do.

One of the greatest outcomes of these many conversations is the clear confirmation that the research-based FLOURISH Model really works. Over and over, our guests have testified how our book Road to Flourishing and the Model provided a clear pathway, helping them identify what needed to change and giving them the tools to make it happen. They've shared how BCW walked alongside them, offered insight, encouragement, and practical steps for real transformation. And the results have been far more than improved workplaces. Flourishing cultures become powerful witnesses of the Gospel—places where trust grows, people thrive, and Christ is made visible. Toxic cultures hurt people and push them away, but our guests have verified time and again that as their cultures flourished, the lives of their employees were changed, and their organizations were transformed for Kingdom impact.

This podcast didn't just grow others; it also changed me. I've been stretched, inspired, convicted, and renewed. These conversations affirmed my calling and deepened my conviction that workplace culture is a spiritual matter, not just a leadership topic. They helped me to build a flourishing culture here at Best Christian Workplaces. In every conversation I had, I took notes to reflect on the conversation with our audience. And many times, I thought to myself, “Hey, I need to implement that here in my team.”

I've seen that flourishing is possible, even in hardship. Like the time I interviewed a camp director in the heart of the pandemic. I just really felt bad. He just laid off a majority of his team. Yet just a year later, they were back and going strong because of the way he loved his team through every step of the process. God is still at work in workplaces of all kinds, growing His Kingdom through everyday leaders like you.

And while this is my last episode as host, the work continues, and I believe it will only grow. The next generation of leaders at Best Christian Workplaces is stepping forward with wisdom, strength, and the heart of a church. Let me encourage you: don't grow weary; don't settle for good enough. Pursue a flourishing culture with boldness, humility, and prayer.

And as we bring this final episode to a close, I want to say once again, thank you. My prayer is that these conversations have reminded you that you are not alone in this work and that flourishing is possible even when the journey is hard.

Many years ago, I wrote down my personal purpose statement. It captured what felt like my unique calling, the space where God seemed to use me most effectively. I wrote, “My purpose is to reflect Christ by being a catalyst for positive change.” Well, that's been my heart: to leverage the way God wired me as a catalyst for change, serving leaders and organizations by reflecting Christ, His character, His compassion, His love for us all. And this podcast has given me a platform to share that story again and again.

At Best Christian Workplaces, we've long held a bold vision, yes, that Christian-led workplaces set the standard as the best, most effective places to work in the world. Why? Because when our workplaces reflect the character of Christ, marked by love, trust, excellence, and grace, they become more than productive organizations; they become living testimonies. They attract people, not only to the mission, but to the Gospel and to the Lord whom we serve. So may you lead with faith, may you build with vision, and may your culture always point people to our Lord.

And as I reflect on these years, what moves me most is that from those first simple recordings to today, we have seen God at work, a growing movement of Christian leaders choosing to lead differently, workplaces being redeemed, cultures being transformed, lives being changed. I can say through the empirical data that Christian workplaces are healthier today than they were 20 years ago. So to see workplaces, once marked by distrust, become places of healing, and to see leaders, once discouraged, now leading with renewed courage, that is His work, and it fills me with gratitude, awe, and hope for what is still to come.

And so, as I lay down this microphone for the final time, my heart is full. If these conversations have offered you even one moment of encouragement, one spark of courage, one glimpse of what's possible, when Christ shapes our leadership, then this has all been worth it. My prayer is that you will carry this vision forward. Keep building workplaces that reflect His character. Keep loving your teams well. Keep trusting that even in the hard moments God is doing His transforming work. The mission continues, not because of this podcast, because of who He is. May your leadership be faithful, may your workplaces flourish, and may your witness always point people to Jesus.

Outro: The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Best Christian Workplaces. If you need support building a flourishing workplace culture, please visit workplaces.org for more information.

We'll see you again next week for more valuable content to help you develop strong leaders and build a flourishing workplace culture.