Today we’d like to introduce you to Rayce Lamb.
Hi Rayce, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
In 2019, while working at Wake Forest University School of Divinity, I was part of a grant-funded program through the Association of Theological Schools called ‘Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers.’ During this program, I learned that most faith leaders graduate seminary having received little to no education around personal or organizational finance. So, I set out to make financial education accessible to faith leaders regardless of their vocational journey through a social impact venture called Faithonomics.
In 2020, I was accepted into the Do-Good X startup accelerator that helped me flesh out the idea behind Faithonomics and began testing a virtual financial education platform in 2022. After a year of testing and platform review, Faithonomics became what it is today – a virtual startup studio and impact creative for faith-inspired leaders to bring their bold ideas to life without compromising their financial or personal well-being in the process.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe entrepreneurship is never smooth and when you are trying to be a social entrepreneur, the road gets a bit more bumpy. When I first had this idea, I thought most of my work would be through individual or group coaching. However, I quickly came to understand that I had limited capacity, and by limiting myself to one-on-one or small group coaching, I wasn’t reaching as many faith leaders as I wanted. Therefore, I pivoted to creating a financial education platform, but after a testing phrase I had to pivot again to the current design of Faithonomics. Back in 2019, I envisioned Faithonomics being a financial education organization. However, five years later, Faithonomics is a vocational formation organization that just happens to center financial wellness. I’d be lying if I said I had it all figured out, but this is why we entrepreneurs test our products and receive customer feedback!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Faithonomics?
Faithonomics is a digital startup studio and impact creative for faith-inspired leaders who have a bold idea for good. Through our virtual Doers Creative, faith leaders find the community, education, and resources they need to clarify, develop, test, and launch their idea into the world while centering their personal and financial wellness in the process.
We work with a diverse community of faith-inspired leaders, from authors, podcasters, and vloggers to entrepreneurs, community organizers, and traditional clergy. Additionally, while my background is in the Christian tradition, we are looking to be a truly multi-faith organization. The one requirement is that you want to make the world a more inclusive and just place.
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m a gay Baptist pastor. Yep, you read that right. I often joke that I had to come out twice in life – once as gay and again as a Baptist. I am ordained in the Alliance of Baptist tradition, a progressive Baptist tradition that draws its inspiration from traditional Baptist principles and has served as both a Pastor of a church and as a Director of an LGBTQ Community Center.
As you can imagine, my queerness has influenced a lot of my work with Faithonomics, which is why I think faith leaders coming from traditionally marginalized spaces find belonging with our work. My queerness and my faith have also inform why I identify as both social entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial minister. My own coming-out journey was not easy, and I experienced extreme poverty as a result. That experience drives my passion for accessible and holistic financial education while my faith drives my passion for vocational belonging. In many ways, Faithonomics is just a summation of these identifies colliding.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.faithonomics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faithonomics
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithonomics
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/myfaithonomics
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@faithonomics
