Gotham Alum Bridges Sacred/Secular Divide — Nashville Institute for Faith and Work

“How do I transfer my faith from my head to my heart?”

It is a difficult question that undoubtedly entangles many Christians. Barney Zeng was one of them.

When Zeng moved to Middle Tennessee in 2016, he sought to disrupt the pattern of spiritual apathy he felt had settled over him: “I already knew God was on my bus, but He was in the wrong seat.”

One of the areas of life that Zeng already felt beginning to unravel at the time was his view of work. Zeng explains, “I was brought up on the East Coast, where religion is private. And certainly in any business I was in, my view was that I had to leave my religion at the door, and bring my character through the threshold.”

““I already knew God was on my bus, but He was in the wrong seat.””

As it happened, Zeng’s transition to Middle Tennessee coincided with a growing sense of doubt towards the efficacy of this established divide between faith and work. Zeng began asking: “If this is wrong, then what is right?”

Not long after, Zeng heard about the Nashville Institute for Faith and Work’s nine-month faith and work leadership intensive, Gotham, from a co-worker who had been through the program. Zeng’s desire to integrate his faith and his work propelled him to apply immediately, for the fall of 2017.

As Zeng explains, Gotham came at a pivotal moment in his life as he had found himself drawn toward the church again, after a season of drifting away. When Zeng entered back into the life of the church, Gotham became an important vehicle for his continued learning and spiritual growth.

Zeng recalls the growth he experienced from spending intensive time in the Gotham community reading and discussing ideas centered around a theology of work. Slowly, the walls separating his beliefs about God from his vocation in life began to crumble. This gradual shift culminated in one moment that Zeng brings to mind with a smile.

Zeng recognizes he may be unique in this way, but his story centers around what he calls his “metanoia moment,” a Greek word roughly translated to a “change of heart.” Pouring over Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s seminal work on Christian community titled Life Together, Zeng remembers closing the book, opening the front cover, and writing: I thought my love was mine to give. But my love is God’s love, and not mine to ration.”

Says Zeng, “That was the switch for me that helped me get [faith] from my head to my heart.”

Experiencing faith in a new way— no longer as a set of ideas but rather as a new way of living in the world—opened Zeng up to begin viewing the world through the lens of the Gospel. Zeng felt an increasing devotion towards his desire to learn and serve. Work became a way of loving God and neighbor, and Zeng began to notice and be stirred by the brokenness around him.

““I thought my love was mine to give. But my love is God’s love, and not mine to ration.””

Invigorated by this new understanding, Zeng decided that his cultural renewal project would center around looking for ways to meet areas of need within the cathedral he attends in Nashville. After spending time identifying needs and considering ways he could serve, Zeng recognized the heavy burden placed upon the pastor of the cathedral; the weight of spiritual leadership and administration can be daunting.

Zeng’s work with the cathedral culminated in October of 2019, when he was asked to join the newly implemented Pastor’s Council. Zeng explains that the purpose of the council comes down to this: “How do we as a cathedral become both a vibrant community and a vibrant element of our larger community of Nashville?”

Driven by his belief that Christians have a call to serve their communities, Zeng wants to help ensure that the cathedral is an outward-focused beacon of hope. Through his work involving community outreach and pastoral support, Zeng hopes to help usher in a fresh vision for how his cathedral can best serve their congregation, as well as the city of Nashville and beyond.

Carrying a renewed sense of the purpose of his work, Zeng’s heart is bent toward serving others: no longer leaving his faith at the door, but rather letting it inform his day-to-day labor. Zeng has come to realize an important truth about faith and work: that integrating the two leads to flourishing, both personally and professionally. Put another way, our posture toward work plays a significant role in our productivity in and enjoyment of what we do every day.

Zeng sums up all that he learned in the Gotham program in this simple, yet timeless way: “Love God and love neighbor.”

Zeng speaks of a love that, as he understands, is not his to ration.

Learn more about Gotham, NIFW’s faith + work leadership program designed for Christians seeking to steward their role for God’s glory & the common good.

Learn more about Gotham