From Silos to Seeds: A Stewardship Reality Check
Are we planting seeds... or building silos?
Hey Christians in Tech👋
On February 6, 2026, I attended the Faith Driven Investor "Silos to Seeds" watch party and panel at the New York Athletic Club. The big line, and honestly the big conviction, was simple:
Silos don't solve the world's greatest problems. Seeds do.
And if you're thinking, "Cool Andy, but I'm not a VC." Relatable but wrong.
We're all investors (even if you've never written a check)
We invest time. Relationships. Skills. Attention (yes, even the doom-scroll counts). And sometimes money.
Stephen McLean (Mountain Bay Group) put language to this better than most of us ever do: it's deeper than "God gave me money so I'll give some back." It's everything — time, talent, passion, personality, treasure — aligned into an integrated life of faith, family, and work.
That framing removes the escape hatch. You can't say, "I'll get serious about stewardship once I'm set." You're stewarding right now. I'm stewarding right now.
So the question becomes: Are we planting seeds... or building silos?
The silos we build (and the ones we don't notice)
Silos aren't just wealth. They're control. Competition disguised as ambition. Comfort disguised as wisdom. "Once I hit X, then I'll be generous."
Silos are what happen when we quietly believe that what we have is ours.
Matt Buckley (NCF, event organizer) put it plainly: as followers of Jesus, we are not ultimate owners. We're stewards entrusted with God's resources. When investing defaults to "maximize return" without equal consideration of spiritual and societal impact, we drift into silo-thinking.
Capital is seed, meant to be intentionally deployed for multiple bottom lines. Not just financial performance, but human flourishing and eternal impact. That's the inversion. That's the Kingdom lens.
"The numbers don't math"... but obedience isn't an Excel function
One conversation from the event is still ringing in my ears. Someone said they're looking to make investments that "don't really make sense." Not reckless. Not careless. Just not easily explainable on a worldly spreadsheet.
Kingdom stewardship sometimes looks like saying yes when the timeline is unclear, choosing the slower path because it forms you, funding unglamorous work that actually heals people, and letting God shape how you build, not just what you give.
Faith Driven Investor's theme this year was essentially a megaphone: stop storing up, start pouring out.
The stories that humbled me
Jason Syversen (serial entrepreneur and panelist) reminded me that faith-driven investing isn't only about avoiding bad stuff. It's asking where the Gospel can move through what you build. He talked about entrepreneurship as a mechanism to drive capital toward charitable causes, not to fill up our barns. He shared a moment in Pakistan where people were being freed from slavery in brick kilns, and he felt God highlight a practical connection: creating real work opportunities for people who needed a pathway forward. Sometimes God's guidance becomes obvious when you're close enough to the need.
Stephen McLean offered a definition of "returns" that Christians in Tech need to internalize:
Returns include financial outcomes, impact that improves lives, and work that is deeply aligned and fulfilling.
His encouragement was simple and deeply inconvenient: pursue quiet moments to listen for where God is leading, then invest your whole self into His restorative work.
Nils Smith (VP of Marketing, Faith Driven Movements) shared how the conference inspired him to better align investments with the core problems he feels led to help solve, pointing to Laila Mickelwait as an example of courageous, creative problem-solving. His takeaway: investment theses should go beyond maximum financial returns to align "all returns" for greatest impact.
The challenge: do an inventory check
Here's what I'm taking into prayer, and I want to invite you into the same.
Where am I building silos?
- In my schedule?
- In my giving?
- In my relationships?
- In my business goals?
- In the way I define success?
And then: What seed is God asking me to plant next?
Matt reminded us that faith-driven investing isn't about having all the answers. It's about taking faithful next steps. Small steps are often how seeds begin to grow.
Three seed steps you can take this week
Pick one:
1. Write a two-sentence kingdom thesis for your next decision.
"If I say yes to this, who does it bless? What does it form in me? What might it unlock for the Kingdom?"
2. Move from solo to community.
Start a monthly 30-minute call with two people: capital, calling, and prayer. No hype. No pitch decks. Just formation.
3. Replace one silo behavior with a seed behavior.
Control → surrender / Speed → patience / Competition → collaboration / Comfort → generosity
And if you're feeling spicy: ask God for blessing, and for the kind of heart that can be trusted with it.
God doesn't need our money. He wants our posture and our heart.
Grace and grit,
Andy
"The resources He gives us include not only money, but also our time, our talents, our passions, and our personalities. When we align all of those areas and invest them wisely and generously, the result is a more integrated life of faith, family, and work. It also broadens the definition of 'returns' to include financial returns, impacts that improve lives, and efforts that are personally fulfilling."
— Stephen McLean, Mountain Bay Group · LinkedIn
"A few years ago, I sensed that I could give more if I invested a partial bonus instead of giving it away immediately. Within a few years the funds grew many multiples over. When I felt it was time to give, I donated a portion to a beloved charity — 12 times the original investment. Because I knew from the start that it all belonged to Him, 'giving it away' has been a joy."
— Matthew Buckley, National Christian Foundation · LinkedIn
"When you get out into the field where people have needs and keep your eyes open — and your ears and heart open to the Lord — He may show you connections you didn't realize existed."
— Jason Syversen, Serial Entrepreneur & Investor · LinkedIn
"Our thesis must go beyond maximum financial returns, but align all returns in order for the investment to be fully maximized for the greatest impact."
— Nils Smith, VP of Marketing, Faith Driven Movements · faithdriveninvestor.org
ROOTED
A Christian Singles Event • Winter 2026
This is it — last few days to grab your spot. Two nights, two age groups, curated matches powered by Valence, live music, bites & drinks at The Mezzanine in FiDi. $40/person. Don't sleep on it.
Guys, we need you. We're actively looking to balance the room — if you've been on the fence, now's the time. Grab a ticket and bring a friend.
A collective of believers, shaping the future
where faith, art, and technology intertwine
Become a Sponsor or Supporter
Want to further Christ's mission in the tech/professional domain?
[email protected] →CIT is Fiscally Sponsored by Do Good
Christians*inTech is fiscally sponsored by Do Good. We operate under Do Good Foundation's fiscal sponsorship, which means we can help other projects and initiatives gain nonprofit status without the overhead of forming a separate 501(c)(3).
If you have a project, ministry, or initiative that could benefit from nonprofit status, we'd love to explore that with you.
[email protected] →SERVE, PARTNER, PRAY
|
📋
Submit
Add to our directory
|
🙋
Volunteer
Ops, hospitality, media
|
|
🤝
Donate
Support CIT! 💖
|
🙏
Pray
Nothing moves without it
|
Join the Community
Christians*inTech is about creating a space where you can connect with faith-based organizations, churches, nonprofits, and other cool folks around NYC.
This isn't a replacement for your church or ministry — it's a way to add to it and help others get connected.
We aim to make sure your Sunday isn't the only holy time in your week.
Subscribe →