3/18/26 - 2138: How to Start a Workplace Bible Study

Jim: This is iWork4Him.

Martha: Where faith meets work and believers unleash their calling.

Jim: When Martha and I find a resource out there that we feel will benefit our audience, we want to get it out there right away. Every workplace believer needs to be involved in a discipleship mentoring kind of program to gain consistent encouragement and biblical background for the ministry you've been called to at work. Only every once in a while do we find a great resource and we just can't schedule the interview in a timely manner.

I'm sorry, but Biblical Business Training or BBT has been out there for over a decade, and it's not because we haven't been trying. Today, you're gonna hear all about it. Biblical Business Training has a variety of discipleship options so that everyone in their workplace has a training for them. From online studies to a mobile app, BBT is available to you.

Lori Drury is here today to tell us all about it and to finally succumb to an interview at iWork4Him. Lori, welcome to iWork4Him.

Lori Drury: Thank you for that warm and long overdue welcome. It's God's timing that we're finally here talking to each other. I appreciate all that you all are doing and your persistence as well, so

Jim: I know, I don't give up easily, that's for sure.

Yeah. Alright, so we always start off every show with a brand new guest asking this question. What's the story about you becoming a Jesus follower?

Lori Drury: That's a pretty easy one because it started at birth. I'm a, as they say, a cradle Catholic. And my faith foundation was instilled in me early on, generations of Catholic families on both sides.

And church was a non-negotiable. You also had it in Catholic school during the week, and so it was just part of my life. I didn't know anything else, if that tells you anything. My family always, prayed, my grandmother served at church. All of the things.

And so I was set on the right footing. I also had my share of straying away when I was independent in college, but found my way back and my husband comes from that same faith foundation. And so we build that for our kids now.

Martha: That's so good. Thank you for sharing that.

Lori Drury: Yeah.

Martha: Jim and I were, we were reminiscing with you about the fact that, we actually initially got connected to BBT before you were even there. How did you get connected to BBT?

Lori Drury: That goes back even further than what we talked about.

Martha: So I thought you were gonna say further than birth. That was your other story, right? (chuckles)

Lori Drury: So when I was working in academics I got to know a lot of the different alumni and that's where I met the BBT founder Brandon Mann. And so through our connection at Mizzou, we knew each other. And when I was looking to change from academics to corporate and move from Columbia, Missouri, to St. Louis, I called him up and said, where should I be looking for places to work? You know what I do and my personality.

And he said, come work for me in commercial real estate. And I kinda looked at him like, I have a marketing degree. I don't know anything about real estate and finance and any of that. And as God's path, right? He had us meet and I went to work in commercial real estate and watched how Bible study in the workplace was changing Brandon and how he how he came to work and how when I would come to him with a problem, he'd say, how can I serve you today?

And it all came from God calling him and another coworker to start a Bible study in a corporate office space. Doesn't usually happen, right? And so I watched this transformation and watched how God called him away from corporate to start this ministry. And I stayed in touch because I was doing Bible study with his wife and getting updates on how the ministry was doing. I was sharing with what the growing company was doing and my role as it was ever changing in the marketing field.

And so it wasn't until there were several mergers that happened within the company that just kinda lost my purpose. And as, as my Bible study group was praying for Brandon's wife to leave the ministry and bring someone else new in, as she helped him start it, and then I was praying for what do I do next? Do I stay with the company? Do I go find something else? God called us together and said Lori should be working at BBT. All those things I learned along the path that can be applied to BBT.

So think of BBT as a startup or a small business, always growing, right? We apply the biblical principles, but with business and business leader mindset. All the people that come and work with us have corporate backgrounds and ministry background. So we all bring a wealth of knowledge to this organization. And so that was my path. I brought all the things that I learned through academics, through corporate, and applied it to a nonprofit in a way that people I think forget that nonprofits really, it's a business, right? You're running a business and you're always looking for funding and so on. So it's really at the core of that. But that was my path.

Jim: So talk about your role at Biblical Business Training, BBT, as we keep saying, but I wanna make sure people understand what it stands for, and then the mission of BBT.

Lori Drury: Yes. I came in as the communications director when I made the leap from corporate and that grew into learning under Brandon, the founder, as the executive director and CEO at the time, and then also another director that came in. And just, I wore so many hats within the organization. If it wasn't curriculum or coaching, I pretty much grabbed everything else that wasn't the CEO role either. And what that turned into was when the executive director and CEO role opened, we were going through the strategic planning process with an advisor of ours.

And what I realized was God was calling me into that role. And as we, as the team and I were going through the process, I realized that - actually, I didn't realize, God said - you can do this role. And of course I pushed back at first and he pursued.

Jim: So you're in good company.Moses pushed back too.

Lori Drury: Exactly. And Brandon and I were reminiscing about the 20 years plus that we've known each other and how he came to be starting BBT. Even starting the Bible study, we both realized we resisted it at first, and of course God pursues in his plan.

And it just came to us being obedient. But when I actually brought it up to the team that I was going to interview for the role, they said we hoped you would figure this out. So again, I was the last to realize that.

Martha: Okay. So your role now though is CEO and executive director, is that correct? That is awesome.

Lori Drury: I came as the executive director and CEO in 2021.

Martha: And then just share with us what the mission of BBT is for people to understand what it really boils down to.

Lori Drury: Absolutely. So our mission is helping people apply biblical principles to work. And we do that through small group Bible study and we actually call that Faith for Work. And then our vision from that then is that you grow in relationship with Christ and expand God's kingdom. And then we call that Leadership for Life And we can do these things because we promise the Bible, application, community, and leadership to all of our groups and to all the content we provide.

Jim: That's a lot of stuff. We're gonna get into those details here in a second.

Martha: So listeners, if you've hung around with us for any time here at iWork4Him, you know that we truly value the mission of those that we invest in. Not just our investment dollars, but our spending dollars, our time, our energy, and our resources.

And that's why we carefully vet our show sponsors and proudly present them to you, our listeners. All of our sponsors align with our mission, offer excellent products and services, and have a Kingdom perspective. Check them out all online at iWork4Him.com/sponsors.

Jim: All right, so talk to us about the different offerings of BBT, Lori.

Lori Drury: So we call them internally the four Cs, but they are curriculum, connectivity, coaching, and contribution. And so curriculum's pretty easy to understand. We provide Bible study materials that are biblically based, application focused - application to work, but also to life. That's what happens.

And those studies then are delivered through a technology that we created with the help of a local developer to connect that group, deliver the content, create some easy buttons to facilitate those Bible study groups. And then you get a bonus of a coach, a real person, right?

There's a lot of places where you can go buy content or download it but you don't get somebody to walk alongside you. So we get a lot of questions of, how do I start this? What do I do here? We're studying this, but we wanna talk about this next. Do you have a study on that? Our coach is our global leadership director, and he can help guide with studies, with group dynamics and just help people along the way.

And then contribution just means that all of these resources are provided because we have donors that support the mission. Whether those are people who believe in the mission and wanna pay it forward, or groups who wanna pay it forward for more content for their groups or for future groups. And so that can look like just a one-time gift out of supporting the mission or it can be monthly. And so it really is the lifeblood of how we can continue to provide resources for groups.

And then I always add in another one because it's part of our promises, but it also just encapsulates all of this is community - you have a small group that they share prayer requests, they hold each other accountable. They support each other, they follow up with each other. And that's the essence of how these groups function. And then they also learn about other groups. We have community events and so on. And so it's all part of the package. It's a benefit, a blessing of what these groups come together.

Martha: Okay. So the groups you are talking about, are they in person, online? Some of both? 'Cause I believe you have online studies available as well, but what, like for the person listening and going, okay, how this, how do I get involved? How does this really apply to me? Tell us about that.

Lori Drury: Yes. So a lot of people think that we do the studies for them, and that's not the case. We equip people to go out and study in their offices with coworkers, study at the coffee shop next to their office because policy says, this may not be available in the office space, can be done with peers.

All of those things, whatever the group looks like, I always say it's like snowflakes, right? No two are the same because the makeup really brings the essence. But those groups can be completely online. Some are a blend of online and in person. Some are completely in person based on the group's needs and wants.

When COVID hit, a majority of our groups were meeting in person and I remember sending out a note the week everything shut down to say, don't forget, you can use these platforms, these online platforms to be meeting when we can't be in person. And so we see a blend. We see a blend of online, in person, some that were in person, but when they went online. They can't be in person again because they're across the world.

Martha: Sure.

Lori Drury: And so it's an interesting dynamic of how that changes. But the beauty of the technology is it can be anywhere.

Martha: So let me understand this, 'cause I'm the person who's I'm thinking all the questions that anybody listening might be asking. Is it available for people to join an existing one, or are you trying to equip people to start their own because maybe they're in a situation where they don't know yet what that would look like in their own space or whatever, but they want to start getting fed and learn? What does that look like?

Lori Drury: Our typical group model is that someone has this put on their heart by God. It's a calling. It's a, it's an idea. And they start it on their own. So next step would be finding that co-leader, maybe they have that person in mind already. And then our coach can help them get started.

Jim: Okay.

Lori Drury: We also have groups that they're meeting, but they're looking for content. So it's really easy to plug in our content into an existing group.

Jim: Oh.

Lori Drury: We do have people that say, Hey, I'm not in a season where I can start a group, could I join one? Gets tricky because groups get really personal and very vulnerable. And so placing a new person is difficult.

We do have a handful of groups that we, they welcome the opportunity to have new people and they love it. We also started something new couple years ago called sample group meetings. And so where people can come taste and see, if you will, what a group is about.

How do you get into the technology? How do you run a group? What are the questions I need to be asking that maybe somebody else in the group are asking? And sometimes we even pair up people who may be entrepreneurs that they say I don't know who I should be asking, but I want other entrepreneurs in my group so they become co-leaders of a new group.

And so we do have a running weekly sample group meeting that people can join and learn the process.

Jim: So people are getting involved and they've got lots of different ways to get involved, and I wanna talk about more of that in a second, but speaking of get involved, it's not too late to get involved in a couple of different events that Martha and I are gonna be attending and MCing this year.

One of those events is the Spiritual World Citizens 2026 Expo in Orlando for the US Christian Chamber of Commerce. Their conference title is "Yes&," for an immersive three day experience where Christian leaders unite to break barriers, build bold businesses, and advance the kingdom. We're your MCs once again. I can't wait to see you at Orlando Register using the code iWork4Him for a 20% off your ticket at swc2026.com. We're also gonna be involved in the Faith and Work Summit at Cincinnati. Tell you about that in a future episode.

Lori, you've also got networking, which is notated on the site, and coaching, which you've already mentioned. That, I'm assuming, just shows itself as people are getting more and more involved. How many groups you got? First of all, how many groups? Let's talk about the expanse of BBT as it's grown over the last, more than a decade. How many different groups you got?

Lori Drury: We have seasons of when groups are active. Some are active more so in the winter or fall than they are in the summer. But so right now I would say 65 active groups. But we have since our technology launched in 2020 we've had 237 groups launch.

Jim: And not just in the states, all over the world.

Lori Drury: Correct. Yes. I always say we're from coast to coast in the US. We have a group in Puerto Rico. We have some groups in Africa and several groups in India, plus members of groups all over the country or all over the world.

Martha: All right, so let's talk about impact. It's been around for a while, so what are you hearing from people as the biggest maybe couple of impacts that are happening in their own lives as a result of being involved with BBT?

Lori Drury: So that is the greatest part of my job, is to be able to hear how, first of all, people come to us, right? Someone schedules a meeting with me or my coach, and we get to hear the story of how God called them there. That's just the first step. And then for instance, I had a call with a woman in the Philippines that said, oh, you should meet my friend Peresh in India. He runs a ministry there. And I said, I know Peresh. He's a partner of ours.

And it's just the fun small world that God connects. But then what happens is God works in and through those individuals, those groups, and I've heard lifesaving stories of a woman who left Bible study and something didn't seem right and the leader walked with her to her car. Come to find out she was having a stroke and she was there to be with her, and reach out for obviously medical assistance.

But there's also things like, we've had a group where someone confided that they have a sales guy that really wasn't a great fit, but he was their top sales guy and he didn't know what to do. He wasn't a culture fit, and the group held him to it and said, I think you gotta let him go. And it was a very hard decision, 'cause again, he's a top producer and with support and accountability, the guy came back and said, I let him go and thank you for the prayer.

So we see these stories all the time. When we release new curriculum - we had a burnout study that came out last year around this time. And one of our groups studied it. And the leader said, none of us realized we were this close to burnout or in burnout until we studied this. And we're not experts. We are not providing clinical..

Jim: It's good not to be an expert at burnout. (laughter)

Before we run outta time, I wanna make sure we hear from you, you've been involved in BBT now for a decade. How has being involved with Biblical Business Training impacted Lori Drury?

Lori Drury: Oof. A ton. My husband will say - he was actually the one that encouraged that I should come to BBT. So I give him all that credit. But he will be the first to say, it has been such a blessing to our family. If you ask my boys what does mom do for a living? They'd probably say she reads the Bible all day. Again, that is a ripple effect. They see that. They know that Thursday mornings are my Bible study days.

And so that impact is, I'm more faithful and a better Christian because I get to hear from other people, see their faith, be encouraged by them, be inspired by them, want to be better because of them. I get to experience all different faith denominations and even some who are not of the same Christian background. And it's incredible, the impact it has on me. And I'll be sitting in mass on Sunday and nodding my head at Scripture, the homily, and my son's " what are you agreeing with here?" Like they'll ask me these things.

Jim: Oh, I like that.

Lori Drury: And so it's my wide range of knowledge because I get to interact with so many people, but also just a deeper faith because I can just absorb from others. And then again, that ripple effect comes to my family and my boys.

Martha: That's so good.

Jim: So you're next gen, as we would like to call it. You're part of that next generation of young leaders that are growing up in the marketplace, and you're the future generation of the leaders of our country. How is BBT impacting the next gen? Because a lot of times with Bible studies, there's a lot of old guys sitting in a bakery having a cup of coffee. But that's not what this is. So tell us how you guys are impacting those 20 to 40 in the workplace.

Lori Drury: That has been the most fun transformation I've seen, is how it has gone from the traditional executive in a coffee shop to young leaders whose companies bless this type of thing in their business, and they can come together with their peers who are trying to climb that ladder and do the corporate thing, and they can come together in faith.

That, that wave of young people really stepping out in faith and it's incredible for them to be able to take something like Bible study and dig into it and make an impact in the workplace. So we see it all the time. That's the fun of who I get to meet is you see all ends of the spectrum, all the different levels of work and ages and diversity is wide ranging and who I get to hang out with.

Martha: That's very encouraging. And so I am imagining that we have listeners right now that are saying, okay, I hear that this is something that, you know, is doable, tangible, God's putting on my heart. The resources are there, the platforms created. What is it next? What do they do to get involved, Lori, what's their next step?

Lori Drury: Absolutely. I always say if I can do it, anybody can do it, because we all have busy schedules. Best step, now, take note of this. Our website is a mouthful, just like Biblical Business Training.

Martha: We'll put it in the show notes. That's okay.

Lori Drury: Perfect. But come visit our website. On our main page we have everything you need to know about the sample group. Come try it out with us. You'll have Bible study with Jay, our global leadership director and myself. We just had one today, every Wednesday at noon central time. So join us for that. Find out more information on the website. We have lots of studies there to view.

Also LinkedIn is a great place to find us. We post a lot about upcoming events and you'll see different segments on groups or they posted about my 10 year anniversary with BBT, so you can learn a little bit more about me.

Martha: Awesome.

Lori Drury: But yeah, I mean our website and LinkedIn are the best places, and I just encourage you, don't overthink it. Just jump in, ask us questions, join us for those sample groups, and we can help you through it.

Jim: Biblical Business Training, online@b-b-t.org. And as Lori said, LinkedIn is the best place not only to get ahold of Biblical Business Training, but to find believers out there in the marketplace from all over the world. There are millions on LinkedIn. You can get connected there. Lori Drury, thank you very much for being on iWork4Him today.

Lori Drury: Thank you for having me, and thank you for your patience with me to get this scheduled. And I look forward to seeing you both at the Faith at Work Summit.

Jim: Very cool. You've been listening to iWork4Him with your hosts Jim and Martha Brangenberg. We're Christ followers. Our workplace, it's our mission field, but ultimately iWork4Him.