EP 104: Business Is Discipling You—But Into What?

**What if you do not have to leave business to enter ministry?** In this episode of the Kingdom Impact Summit, Steve Adams sits down with Jim and Martha Brangenberg of I Work for Him for a candid conversation about faith, work, entrepreneurship, marriage, and purpose. Jim and Martha both committed their lives to full-time ministry as teenagers. For years, they believed that calling would eventually lead them into seminary or a formal church role. Instead, they built businesses, served clients, raised a family, and eventually discovered a truth that changed the direction of their lives: their work mattered to God, and their workplace was already a mission field. They share how that realization led to I Work for Him and a growing collection of podcasts, stories, and collaborative projects designed to encourage believers to live out their faith through their work. The conversation also explores how business can expose character, how pressure reveals what is inside us, and why serving employees, customers, vendors, families, and communities changes the way we think about business. Jim and Martha also open up about 39 years of marriage, working together, protecting family priorities, choosing friends wisely, apologizing quickly, and making prayer together a consistent part of their relationship. The episode closes with a challenge for those entering retirement: almost everyone knows what they are retiring from, but far fewer know what they are retiring to. - 00:00 Introduction - 00:26 Three Fish Principle - 02:53 Jim & Martha's Journey - 06:34 Faith and Work Insight - 08:19 Cultural Mandate - 15:02 Marriage and Business - 20:28 Marriage Secrets - 27:04 Ministry Overview - 36:54 Conclusion **5 Key Takeaways** **1. Your work can be ministry** Jim and Martha spent years believing that meaningful ministry required leaving business for a formal church role. Their turning point came when they realized they were already in ministry through their work. **2. The workplace is a mission field** The people believers interact with through calls, emails, clients, coworkers, vendors, and employees are not interruptions to ministry. Those relationships can become opportunities to live out faith. **3. Business reveals your character** Pressure, conflict, deadlines, criticism, and unexpected moments reveal what is inside a person. The conversation challenges listeners to ask whether difficult moments bring out the flesh or the character of Jesus. **4. Business or ministry should not destroy your marriage** Jim and Martha strongly reject the idea that success in business or ministry requires neglecting marriage and family. They emphasize prayer, shared time, family priorities, humility, forgiveness, and choosing relationships wisely. **5. Retirement should include purpose** Through I Retire for Him, Jim and Martha challenge the idea that retirement is simply an extended vacation. Their question is direct: you may know what you are retiring from, but do you know what you are retiring to? Watch full episode on YT - https://youtu.be/\_6nF9YAvx9c Join the free Third Fish Academy at [ThirdFish.org](ThirdFish.org)