At Work in the Garden: The Faith and Work Conference
Dordt University
Sep 17, 2026 - Sep 19, 2026
6:15 PM - 3:00 PM
6:15 PM - 3:00 PM
About the Conference
At Work in the Garden: The Faith and Work Conference, is a conference for celebrating and reclaiming a robust theology of work as God’s good design.
This conference is for Christian teachers, academics, workers, pastors, and scholars.
Opportunities for learning, networking, and encouragement provided for churches, businesses, schools, organizations, and institutions of higher education.
Featured Presenters
Jordan Raynor
Jordan Raynor is a leading voice of the faith and work movement.
Through his bestselling books (Five Mere Christians, The Sacredness of Secular Work, Redeeming Your Time, The Creator in You, etc.), keynote speeches, and devotionals, Jordan has helped millions of Christians in every country on earth connect the gospel to their work.
In addition to his writing and speaking, Jordan serves as the Executive Chairman of Threshold 360, a venture-backed tech startup which Jordan previously ran as CEO following a string of successful ventures of his own.
Jordan has twice been selected as a Google Fellow and served in The White House under President George W. Bush. A sixth-generation Floridian, Jordan lives in Tampa with his wife and their three young daughters. The Raynors are proud members of The Church at Odessa.
Porter's Gate
The Porter's Gate is a sacred ecumenical arts collective reimagining and recreating worship that welcomes, reflects and impacts both the community and the church.
The group was founded in 2017 by Isaac and Megan Wardell with a mission to be a "porter" for the Christian Church - one who looks beyond church doors for guests to welcome. It started as a group of 50-plus songwriters, musicians, scholars, pastors and music industry professionals from a variety of worship traditions and cultural backgrounds who gathered to discuss challenges in the church and write songs in response.
Artists of The Porter's Gate include Audrey Assad, Aaron Keyes, Casey J, Diana Gameros, Josh Garrels, Joy Ike, David Gungor, Latifah Alattas, Lauren Goans, Madison Cunningham, Leslie Jordan, Liz Vice, Paul Zach, Sandra McCracken, Urban Doxology, Wendall Kimbrough, Zach Bolen, and more.
Michaela O'Donnell
Michaela O’Donnell is the Mary and Dale Andringa Executive Director Chair at the Max De Pree Center for Leadership. She is also an assistant professor of marketplace leadership and the lead professor for Fuller Seminary's Doctor of Global Leadership, Redemptive Imagination in the Marketplace program.
Michaela’s role at the De Pree Center is to oversee the center’s vision, strategy, and dynamic team all toward the goal of resourcing leaders like you as you grow in your sense of purpose and seek the flourishing of the people and systems entrusted to your care.
She is the author of two books, Life in Flux: Navigational Skills to Guide and Ground You in an Ever-Changing World written with Lisa Pratt Slayton (Baker Books, 2024), and Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World (Baker Books, 2021).
In addition to her academic work, Michaela has over 15 years of experience as a leader in the marketplace. Principally, as the Owner and Managing Director of Long Winter Media, a vibrant creative agency that helps brands make social impact through multi-media content. Long Winter Media’s roster of clients includes Google, YouTube, NBC Universal, the University of Southern California, Presbyterian Church (USA), and many more.
Breakout Speakers
Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger is Professor of Religion at Hope College, where he has taught for the last 32 years. He is a graduate of Hope College, with a major in mathematics and computer science, and has masters degrees from the Institute for Christian Studies (in philosophy) and Fuller Theological Seminary (in theology) as well as a Ph.D. in religious studies from The University of Chicago.
Prof. Bouma-Prediger has had published over 100 articles and has authored 8 books, including For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care, Earthkeeping and Character: Exploring a Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic, and most recently Creation Care Discipleship: Why Earthkeeping Is an Essential Christian Practice.
He is married to Celaine Bouma-Prediger, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America and a marriage and family therapist, and they have three daughters.
Stephen Carter is the founder of Seed Tree Group, where he partners with K–12 Christian schools nationwide to design and implement entrepreneurship programs rooted in redemptive entrepreneurship.
His work helps schools develop a Christ-centered entrepreneurial mindset in students, equipping them to create, lead, and serve with purpose. Through real-world, hands-on learning, students build practical skills, resilience, and a vision for meaningful impact. Stephen is also the author of Teaching the Entrepreneurial Mindset, which explores how intentional formation and authentic application can lead to student flourishing.
He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife and two children.
Christine Crouse-Dick, Ph.D., is professor and chair of communication arts at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. She teaches courses in communication, media studies, and journalism, and serves as faculty advisor for The Collegian, Bethel's student newspaper. Crouse-Dick earned a bachelor's degree from Tabor College, a master's degree from Wichita State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Her teaching and scholarship explore communication, media, and the ways stories shape communities and public life.
Rachel M. De Smith Roberts received a BA in English from Dordt (2009), an MA in English from Creighton University (2011), and a PhD in English from Baylor University (2016). She serves as Chair of the English Department and Associate Professor of English at North Greenville University (in South Carolina). Her academic specialty is British women writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and she has published on these writers in journals such as Early Modern Women and The Sidney Journal. With Rachel B. Griffis and Julie Ooms, she is coauthor of Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age, published by Baker Academic in 2024 and recipient of the 2025 Arlin G. Meyer Book Award from the Lilly Network. Rachel resides in the Upstate of South Carolina with her husband and daughter.
Sara de Waal is a writer, artist, and teacher whose work explores creativity, community, and the practice of seeing and loving the world more deeply. She teaches creative writing and has worked with students of all ages through art, music, and poetry. She is the author of the picture books 48 Grasshopper Estates (2021), a story inspired by making something beautiful from things others have discarded, and The Biggest Smallest Thing (2025), a celebration of creativity, curiosity, and kindness. Sara currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at Dordt University.
Dr. Gayle Doornbos is an associate professor of theology at Dordt University and teaches courses such as Theological Methods, Spiritual Formation, Faith and Suffering, and Teaching the Bible. Concerned with contemporary questions about the doctrine of God, the relationship between philosophy and theology, the Neo-Calvinist tradition, and Christian formation in the post-Christian West, Doornbos remains active in research on such topics.
Brewer Eberly is a third-generation family physician at Fischer Clinic in Raleigh, NC and a McDonald Agape Fellow in the Theology, Medicine, & Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School. He completed his family medicine and chief residency at AnMed Health in Anderson, SC, and is a fellow of the Paul Ramsey Institute and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is the author of The Healer's Vocation: A Small Group for Christians in Health Care and co-director of The Good Surgeon at Duke. Brewer has been published widely, including JAMA, Mere Orthodoxy, The New Atlantis, Christianity Today, and Plough, including artwork on the cover of Academic Medicine and in the AMA Journal of Ethics. While the majority of his work is caring for his patients, his scholarship focuses on the intersections between medicine, aesthetics, and Christian theology, with a particular eye toward medical trainee formation, the relationship between beauty and ethics, and the nourishment of weary clinicians.
Dr. Joshua Hollinger serves as Associate Professor of Economics at Dordt University. His research interests include labor economics, personnel economics, and economics in Christian perspective. His faith influences his understanding of economics, guiding his view that economic activity is a means to steward God-given resources and promote human flourishing. He is broadly interested in three questions: how to measure worker performance, how incentives shape our work, and how to promote opportunities for people to reach their God-given potential. Dr. Hollinger also hosts ECONversations, a monthly discussion event for students, faculty, and staff.
Dr. David Mulder serves as a professor and department chair in the Education Department at Dordt University. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses, sharing his expertise in effective pedagogy in classroom and online instruction, educational technology, and STEM education. His scholarly work focuses on AI in education, technology integration, social presence in online learning, and teaching Christianly. His recent book, Teach Like a Human: Playful Practice and Serious Faith in the Age of AI, is an encouragement for Christian educators to navigate the possibilities and pitfalls of artificial intelligence with wisdom and creativity. Dr. Dave plays the ukulele (badly) and loves superhero movies.
Emma Nydam is a scientific illustrator and fine artist whose work explores the intersection of faith, science, and art. Raised in the Pacific Northwest and inspired by a lifelong love of nature, she creates illustrations that celebrate the beauty, complexity, and interconnectedness of God’s creation. Emma holds a B.S. in Biology from Dordt University and a Certificate in Science Illustration from California State University, Monterey Bay. Her work focuses on biodiversity, ecosystems, and conservation, reflecting her belief that studying and caring for creation is both a privilege and a calling.
Julie Ooms (PhD, Baylor University) is Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, MO. where she teaches American and world literature, composition, and Honors courses. She has published journal articles on, among others, Sylvia Plath, J. D. Salinger, the television show Severance, and Dante's Divine Comedy, and is co-author of Deep Reading: Practices to Subvert the Vices of our Distracted, Hostile, and Consumeristic Age.
Melinda K. Rangel, Ed.D., is the Marvin Sellberg Professor of Business Administration & Entrepreneurship and M.B.A. Program Director at Tabor College. Rangel's teaching and research focus on entrepreneurship, career readiness, and educational leadership. A nationally recognized business educator, she has received numerous honors, including National Secondary Business Teacher of the Year and the Wichita Business Journal's Women Who Lead in Education award. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Wichita State University, along with graduate and undergraduate degrees in school leadership and business education.
Derek C. Schuurman worked as an electrical engineer for several years and later completed a Ph.D. at McMaster University in the area of robotics and computer vision using machine learning. He is currently professor and chair of computer science at Calvin University and was a visiting associate professor of computer science at Dordt University from 2015-2016. He is a fellow of the American Scientific Affiliation, a fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion, and an advisor for AI&Faith. He is the author of the book Shaping a Digital World: Faith, Culture and Computer Technology and co-author of A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers, both published by InterVarsity Academic Press.
Dr. Tim Van Soelen serves as the Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) at Dordt University, where he partners with Christian schools across North America in the areas of leadership development, governance, strategic planning, and school improvement. With decades of experience as a Christian school teacher, leader, superintendent, and consultant, Tim is passionate about equipping teachers, administrators, and board members to build healthy, mission-focused schools that flourish. A frequent speaker at Christian education conferences, Tim enjoys helping leaders think strategically while remaining deeply rooted in the biblical mission of Christian education. He and his wife live in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Travis West is a teacher, preacher, writer, speaker, and Sabbath-seeker. His deepest desires are to spread joy, defend delight, promote play, and help people reconnect with their truest selves. He is professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI and is the author of three books, most recently The Sabbath Way: Making Room In Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight. When he's away from the classroom and the writing desk, he can be found searching for wonder while walking the fields near his house, going to a farmer's market, watching a movie, or hanging out with his wife, who is his most consistent source of delight and amazement.
Event Schedule
Thursday, September 17
- 6:15 p.m. Registration
- 7 p.m. Opening Worship | Welcome | General Session 1 (Jordan Raynor)
Friday, September 18
- 8 a.m. Registration, Breakfast
- 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks
- 9:15 a.m. Breakout Block 1
- 10:30 a.m. Break and Refreshments
- 11:00 a.m. Breakout Block 2
- 12 p.m. Lunch
- 1:30 p.m. Breakout Block 3
- 7 p.m. Optional Networking/Worship Event (Porter’s Gate)
Saturday, September 19
- 8:30 a.m. Prairie Walk or Art Walk | Breakfast
- 9:30 a.m. Breakout Block 4
- 10:45 a.m. Break and Refreshments
- 11 a.m. General Session 2 (Michaela O'Donnell)
- 12:15 p.m. Lunch
Breakout Sessions
Block 1
Presenter: Emma Nydam
Location: CA-267
What does it mean to be "at work in the garden" as an artist? In this session, science illustrator and watercolor artist Emma Nydam explores how observing and drawing the natural world can become an act of faithful attention, stewardship, and worship. Through stories from her career, examples of her artwork, and interactive demonstrations of observational drawing, she will share how art has shaped the way she sees God's creation and how careful observation reveals both the beauty and order of creation. Along the way, Emma will demonstrate how her work as a science illustrator combines art, biology, conservation, and her Christian faith in a primarily secular field. Whether you're an artist, educator, scientist, gardener, or simply someone who enjoys the outdoors, this session invites you to consider how your creativity (and perhaps picking up a pencil to draw!) can cultivate wonder and care for God's creation. No artistic experience is necessary—only curiosity and a willingness to look closely at the world God has made.
Presenter: Jordan Raynor
Location: PAC-1110 (Recital Hall)
Christian or not, it’s pretty hard to dispute that Jesus was the most productive person to ever walk the earth. And because Jesus was 100% God and 100% man, we know that he faced the same 24 hour time constraint you and I face today. How did Jesus manage his time 2,000 years ago? And how can we manage our time like he might today? Those are the questions I answer in this supremely practical talk where you walk away with 7 practices you can implement immediately to redeem your time in the model of our Redeemer.
Presenter: Steven Bouma-Prediger
Location: CA-268
In his international bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries from a Secret World, Peter Wohlleben makes the case that the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. What kind of education is needed for us to understand our arboreal neighbors rightly? What kind of education would enable us to perceive the land as more than real estate? What kind of education cultivates not just head knowledge but also the virtues necessary for us humans, made in God’s image, to responsibly care for our home planet, especially in this time of climate crisis? In this paper I explore what an undergraduate liberal arts education would look like if we took our calling to care for the earth seriously. Hence the title of my talk: “Education for Earthkeeping: The Liberal Arts in a Time of Climate Crisis.”
Presenter: Travis West
Location: CA-319
Sabbath and work are two sides of the same coin; they need each other to be understood and for each to reach their full potential. But the culture of work that prevails within the US today is more akin to Pharaonic Egypt’s anxious obsession with productivity than the Sabbath-shaped community of sufficiency and trust in the wilderness. Many today are shaped by a culture of exhaustion that longs for respite but doesn’t know how to find it. In this workshop—if I’m honest, I prefer the language of playshop—we will return to the beginning and explore how the first creation account in Genesis 1 establishes patterns of flourishing—what Eugene Peterson called “rhythms of Grace”—by which God models the purpose of both work and rest within time. These patterns, shaped around a weekly Sabbath practice, function like a metronome to establish a life-affirming pace for the song that is our life in a world obsessed with speed.
Block 2
Presenters: Brewer Eberly & Gayle Doornbos
Location: PAC-1110 (Recital Hall)
Please join us for a conversation between systematic theologian Gayle Doornbos and Brewer Eberly, a physician and McDonald Agape Fellow in the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative at Duke Divinity School. This will be a wide-ranging conversation that engages healthcare, theology, the practice of presence, and the power of the Psalms. Gayle and Brewer will seek to honor and explore the questions which arise at the intersections of suffering, medicine, and the Christian life, paying particular attention to the Imago Dei, the power of witness where there are limited answers, and the mysterious relationship between beauty and pain.
Presenter: Derek Schuurman
Location: CA-267
Ever since the 19th century when the Luddites revolted in opposition to the industrial revolution, concerns over automation have persisted. With recent developments in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), many have begun to warn of the end of work—and perhaps the end of humanity. Still others believe that AI could lead us toward some sort of paradise. This talk will explore how the biblical story shapes our view of work and informs now we might responsibly harness the possibilities of AI.
Presenters: Julie Ooms & Rachel M. De Smith Roberts
Location: CA-268
In this panel, we will contend with two major “weeds” that disrupt our tending of God’s garden: distraction, which can prevent us from both productive work and true rest, and an efficiency mindset, which devalues leisure and reduces meaningful work to a series of checklists. As we uproot these weeds, we must replace them with virtuous practices that cultivate their opposites, attention and rest. We will argue that we can cultivate such virtues through reading practices that form our characters in virtuous directions, and we will examine reading practices that form us towards habits of attentiveness and leisure.
Presenter: Tim Van Soelen
Location: CA-319
Work is more than a job, a paycheck, or preparation for a future career—it is part of what it means to be created in the image of God. Yet our students are growing up amid competing messages about work: pursue success, find your passion, make more money, avoid discomfort, or build the life you want. How might Christian schools offer a better story? This session explores a biblical theology of work through the Creation–Fall–Redemption–Restoration story and considers its implications for K–12 education. Together, we will examine how schools can help students see work as cultivation, recognize how sin distorts our work, understand Christ’s redemption of all of life, and imagine their gifts and vocations as participation in God’s restorative work in the world. Come ready to develop practical ways to cultivate a healthy, distinctly Christian understanding of work across classrooms, curriculum, school culture, and conversations about calling and vocation.
Block 3
Presenter: Melinda Rangel
Location: CA-267
Competition is often viewed with skepticism within Christian communities because of its association with pride, selfish ambition, and the pursuit of personal gain. Scripture certainly warns against sinful motives that can emerge within competitive environments. Yet competition also appears throughout creation, economic activity, education, and athletics. This presentation argues that competition, when properly understood, is not inherently opposed to Christian discipleship but can serve as a God-given mechanism for stewardship, discovery, service, and human flourishing. Drawing from biblical theology, Christian scholarship, and classroom practice at a Christian liberal arts college, a framework for understanding redeemed competition is presented through six dimensions: competition as creation mandate, discovery, sharpening, neighborly love, community, and stewardship.
Presenter: Joshua Hollinger
Location: CA-319
Where do markets fit into God’s plan for humanity, and how can we participate in markets Christianly? We will consider several frameworks for how markets (networks of voluntary exchange) relate to the Kingdom of God, and then I will make the case for markets as a useful, limited, and corruptible tool for Kingdom service. Finally, we will conclude with a brief consideration of the roles we play in markets and key principles for playing these roles in a Christian way.
Presenters: Christine Crouse-Dick, Julie Ooms, & Rachel M. De Smith Roberts
Location: PAC-1110 (Recital Hall)
Presenters: Derek Schuurman & David Mulder
Location: CA-268
Block 4
Presenter: David Mulder
Location: PAC-1110 (Recital Hall)
Is the rise of artificial intelligence the end of education as we know it? Or just the next bump in the road? We must carefully consider the ethical implications for what generative AI means for the current and future situation in education. At the same time, perhaps the joys and challenges of learning and leading in the age of AI give us an opportunity to recapture our very human sense of wonder, curiosity, and playfulness—characteristics central to human creativity!
Presenter: Stephen Carter
Location: CA-318
Christian education calls students beyond consumption, performance, and achievement toward lives of faithful cultivation. This session explores redemptive entrepreneurship as a framework for Christian formation—helping students develop creativity, courage, resilience, collaboration, discernment, and a commitment to serving others. Through practical examples from K–12 Christian schools, Stephen Carter will demonstrate how student-run businesses, design challenges, leadership opportunities, and hands-on projects can help students notice needs, take wise risks, and create meaningful solutions. Participants will leave with practical ideas for forming students not simply as future entrepreneurs, but as faithful cultivators who use their gifts for the good of their communities and God’s world.
Presenter: Steven Bouma-Prediger
Location: CA-267
What does it mean to faithfully "serve and protect" God’s good creation in a consumer-driven world? For many Christians, environmentalism feels like a modern secular trend, or worse, a distraction from the gospel. Yet Scripture consistently frames earth-keeping not as an optional political stance, but as a central requirement of Christian discipleship. In this session, Dr. Jeff Ploegstra will sit down with professor Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger to discuss how we bridge the gap between orthodox faith and ecological action. Moving past superficial practices, we will dive into the messy, systemic realities of institutional stewardship—from mobilizing a campus sustainability team to navigating the hidden environmental costs of our data-driven, AI-reliant lives.
Presentesr: Emma Nydam & Sara de Waal
Location: CA-268
What does it mean to truly attend to the world around us? In this conversation, writer and teacher Prof. Sara de Waal and scientific illustrator and artist Emma Nydam will explore how creative practices can cultivate habits of attention to the places and particularities of creation, from the majestic to the ordinary. Together, they will reflect on knowing through making, and how habits of attentiveness can help teach us to see, value, and inhabit the world more faithfully.
Presenter: Christine Crouse-Dick
Location: CA-319
In academic culture, leadership often means doing more, faster, with less support—a recipe for burnout that serves no one well. This workshop explores how intentional slowing down can enhance both individual and institutional health. Drawing on research in burnout recovery, self-compassion, and trauma stewardship, participants will examine boundary-setting as community care, curiosity as resistance to productivity culture, and practical strategies for leading with both competence and compassion. Designed for anyone in academic leadership (formal or informal) who suspects there is a better way.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
The K and K Dooyema Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation provides students and alumni with best business practices and guidance rooted in a reformed Christian context, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship and innovation in non-profit, for-profit, and family business organizations. The center seeks to equip students, alumni and the broader community for Christ-centered renewal through unique leadership and entrepreneurial thinking and practices.
The Center for the Advancement of Christian Education (CACE) is dedicated to facilitating this process of sharing best practices in Christian education – collaborating with Christian school thought leaders, innovative practitioners, and Christian education supporters of all shapes and sizes to promote, innovate, advocate, improve, and sustain Christian education at all levels.
The Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities seeks to strengthen the quality and shape the character of church-related institutions of higher learning in the twenty-first century.
Also brought to you by In All Things
How to Get Here
As with most cities, Dordt University is located an hour from regional airports.
We would encourage you to look into booking flights into Sioux City (60 minutes away), Sioux Falls (75 minutes away), or Omaha (120 minutes away).
It is advised that attendees use a rental car to get to Dordt's campus (700 7th St NE, Sioux Center, Iowa 51250).
Where to Stay
Holiday Inn Express in Sioux Center: A block of rooms has been reserved and will remain available at a reduced rate until August 19. Guests should mention they are with the "At Work in the Garden" group when booking. The direct hotel phone is (712) 722-3500. A valid credit card is required to reserve a room.
Other options in Sioux Center include:
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