A Biblical Principle That Transformed a Major City (w/ Jeff Williams)
On this episode, Darren sits down with former Arlington mayor and author of The Unity Blueprint Jeff Williams to discuss how he leveraged a key biblical principle to transform Arlington, Texas from a pass-through town into the most popular U.S. tourist destination between Orlando and Vegas.
Darren Shearer hosts Jeff Williams on the Christian Business Leader podcast to explore how faith-driven unity transforms cities and businesses. Jeff, author, CEO, and former mayor of Arlington, Texas, shares how he led projects like AT&T Stadium, Texas Live, and the National Medal of Honor Museum while keeping the Texas Rangers in town.
He recounts challenges like the 2008 recession, when trusting God and showcasing projects such as Cowboy Stadium opened doors to new work including Warren Buffett’s Nebraska Furniture Mart. Jeff emphasizes valuing people, reshaping offices for collaboration, and weekly “high fives” to build culture. His company lives out core values: Deliver, Innovate, Give back, Navigate, while posting scripture and dedicating buildings to the Lord.
He urges leaders to pursue unity through vision, prayer, and valuing every person, whether revitalizing small towns like Maggie Valley or managing growth in major cities. His new book, The Unity Blueprint, distills stories and principles showing how trust, valuing others, and character-driven leadership can break down barriers, forge friendships, and advance God’s kingdom through unified purpose.
Key Takeaways 💡
- Discovering God’s Role in Business: Jeff Williams, author, CEO, and former mayor of Arlington, Texas, led projects like AT&T Stadium, Texas Live, and the National Medal of Honor Museum. He kept the Texas Rangers in town and helped shape Southlake Town Square and Prestonwood Baptist Church.
- Marketplace Discipleship: Jeff and his wife set firm character values early in their careers. During the 2008 recession, he trusted God and used completed projects like Cowboy Stadium to attract new work, including Nebraska Furniture Mart with Warren Buffett.
- Modern Models of Leadership: His company fosters unity by valuing employees, creating collaborative offices, hosting weekly “high fives,” and posting scripture in common areas. They also dedicate buildings through prayer.
- Values That Guide Decision-Making: His firm lives by Deliver, Innovate, Give back, Navigate, focusing on excellence, creativity, generosity, and courage rooted in faith.
- Translating Faith Into Practice: In The Unity Blueprint, Jeff shows that unity requires vision and valuing every person. He calls leaders to build trust, pursue shared purpose, and advance God’s kingdom through collaboration.
Christian Business Leader is the show for marketplace Christians seeking to explore and apply God’s will for business. If you want to learn more about how to do business for the glory of God and shape culture through discipling the business world, this show is for you.
BIG THANKS to this episode’s sponsor: High Bridge Books
High Bridge Books helps Christ-centered authors build a legacy by crafting and publishing messages and stories that glorify God in all spheres of culture.
- High Bridge Books’ professional book publishing package: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/publishing/
- High Bridge Books’ proofreading, line editing, developmental editing, and co-writing services: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/editing-and-proofreading/
- Examples of our books: https://www.highbridgebooks.com/bookstore/
We’re extremely proud that …
- 45% percent of our 204 books under contract were written by authors who have published more than one book with us, and
- 51% percent of our books under contract were referred to us by authors who have previously published with us.
Contact High Bridge Books’ CEO Darren Shearer at [email protected] to get a conversation going about your book!
