The King's Hall Podcast: Economic Greenification—Why Businesses Are Integral to the New Christendom (April 25, 2025)
Hosts: Brian Sauvé, Dan Berkholder & Eric Conn
Guests: David Reese (CEO, Reese Fund; Pastor, Puritan Reformed Church) & Jace Renneveld (Serial Entrepreneur, Alpine Gold)
Episode Overview
This episode delves into the practical and philosophical importance of Christian-led business building as a foundational aspect of creating a “New Christendom.” The discussion focuses on why Christians should prioritize starting, acquiring, and maintaining businesses—not just for personal success, but for the good of their communities, the propagation of biblical values, and the fulfillment of scriptural mandates for dominion, stewardship, and discipleship. The guests, both seasoned entrepreneurs, share their strategies, experiences, and vision for integrating faith and economics in a way that builds robust, resilient Christian communities.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Need for Christian Institution Building
- Dan [00:22]: Underlines the broader retreat of Christians from business institution building, emphasizing the dangers when Christians fail to build or gatekeep these institutions.
- He sets the stage:
“Weak men have either not built or have failed to gatekeep enemies from coming into these institutions and weakening them to the point of irrelevancy or even shutting them down.”
2. Introduction to Reese Fund's Business Philosophy
- David Reese [04:11]:
- Reese Fund's primary activity is acquiring small businesses, especially those with Christian/conservative roots, whose founders lack successors with similar values.
- Emphasizes a "buy and hold" strategy, not "strip and flip" for quick profits—seeking long-term cultural impacts through explicit application of Christian mission and biblical policies.
“Our desire is to pour our energy into buying and holding and having long-term cultural impact. So our goal is to have an explicitly Christian mission for the business.”
3. Private Equity vs. Christian Stewardship
- Dan & David [07:43-09:38]: Dissect the “strip and flip” model, contrasting it with their approach.
- Typical private equity acquirers are motivated by short-term profit via ruthless efficiency, resulting in instability for workers and undermining the original mission.
- Reese Fund seeks to protect employment, maintain company culture, and guard against woke ideologies.
4. The Role of Consolidation and Banks in Shaping Society
- Jace Renneveld [11:22]:
- Banks prefer big, consolidated businesses for easier risk management.
- This leads to less family ownership, less innovation, and homogeneity (the “Chipotle & Starbucks on every corner” effect).
“Consolidation is going to be a key part of getting to those EBITDA numbers... but what is the result? Less family owned businesses, lower quality services, more streamlined, less flexibility...”
5. Community & Culture: The Practical Impact
- Dan & Jace [12:48-14:24]: Discuss real-world effects on local communities and employees when small businesses are absorbed by large conglomerates:
- Local businesses foster higher wages, creativity, and community ties.
- The opportunity now for Christians: take over well-established “boomer-built” businesses as the next generation.
6. Business as Neighbor-Love and Discipleship
- David Reese [14:52]:
- Building/running a business Christianly directly fulfills the “love your neighbor” command—through employee development, fair opportunity, and internal promotion.
- Discipleship is embedded in training and management structures, using biblical wisdom and the law of God as guiding standards.
“As you have opportunity for people to lead and you encourage people to lead... you’re also looking for ways to pour in terms of the culture, having Biblical principles that you can talk to people about...”
7. Culture, Morale, and Employee Growth
-
Dan & David [23:29-24:40]: In Reese’s companies:
- Slow to hire, quick to fire (for character issues).
- Severance offered when possible.
- Post-acquisition, expect a 10-30% turnover as culture solidifies.
- Once established, turnover drops, culture and relationships deepen, with biblical principles guiding management.
-
Jace’s Perspective [28:35]:
- Employees value the freedom, camaraderie, and shared vision missing from most “HR-driven” W2 workplaces.
- His hiring seeks entrepreneurial mindsets aligned with the mission to “build Christendom and take dominion.”
8. Motivations: Why Build or Buy Businesses as a Christian?
-
David Reese [31:43]:
- Dominion and stewardship are biblical mandates extending beyond family and into business/public life.
- Independence from ecclesiastical or civil pressure (“not so dependent on paycheck to paycheck”) enables principled leadership.
- Quoting his father’s advice: diversifying income provides protection and freedom for pastors/leaders.
“It is a curse to be ruled by unproductive men. And so when the productive don’t want public service, the unproductive rule and enslave the productive.”
9. Case Study: The Mirror Works Acquisition
-
David Reese [36:49]:
- Describes the acquisition of Mirror Works, a glass and doors company.
- Details the five elements of business evaluation: value proposition, marketing, sales, value delivery, finance.
- The sellers (Christian owners nearing retirement) chose Reese Fund’s lower offer because they trusted Christian stewardship over maximizing price.
“They had other offers from other firms that were higher... and they very specifically chose not to sell their business for as much money as they could in order to avoid that fate for their business.”
10. The Investment Opportunity: From Identification to Funding
-
Jace Renneveld [47:31]:
- Recounts joining forces with David & Dan to fund the acquisition.
- The importance of trust, transparency, and “band of brothers” efforts in raising private capital, as opposed to Wall Street's impersonal approach.
- Investors are not just buying numbers—they’re partnering with aligned men of character.
“You don’t get those phone calls... unless you’ve built the trust and are in those circles.”
-
Dan [53:27]:
- Underscores how investing locally is about trust and genuine influence, unlike buying distant stocks.
11. Live Example: New Acquisition—Ammunition Manufacturing Business
-
David Reese [55:35]:
- Announced opportunity to acquire a high-precision ammunition manufacturer.
- Strategic fit for Armored Republic (existing company): leveraging established customer base for cross-selling.
- Aim is high-growth: expanding from core B2B (business-to-business) into direct to consumer sales.
- Investors (accredited only) receive preferred shares with an 8% annual dividend, upside tied to company profitability.
“Our goal is to go, how do we put out very high quality rounds... marksmanship rounds, but also subsonic rounds, which have been an increasing thing that people care about because you use suppressors for that.”
-
On Investment Structure [75:42]:
- 8% per annum dividend (monthly payments)
- Share buyback structure based on EBITDA/profit growth.
- Target: 2.5–4 year investment window, with potential for 4x–7x return if the growth thesis plays out.
- Exit optionality begins at year 2, mandatory by year 6.
12. Philosophy of Risk and Christian Boldness
- Closing Exhortation [86:05]:
“There was a time when Americans didn’t shrink from risk... Risk wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. Without it, our fathers knew there was no greatness... It’s time to remember who we are.”
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
-
“Our desire is to pour our energy into buying and holding and having long-term cultural impact. So our goal is to have an explicitly Christian mission for the business.”
—David Reese [05:24] -
“Consolidation is going to be a key part of getting to those EBITDA numbers... but what is the result? Less family owned businesses, lower quality services, more streamlined, less flexibility...”
—Jace Renneveld [11:22] -
“As you have opportunity for people to lead... you’re also looking for ways to pour in terms of the culture and having Biblical principles that you can talk to people about.”
—David Reese [15:14] -
“If you can’t understand the value proposition of a business, do not invest in it.”
—David Reese [38:15] -
“They very specifically chose not to sell their business for as much money as they could in order to avoid that fate for their business.”
—David Reese [44:20] -
“You don’t get those phone calls... unless you’ve built the trust and are in those circles.”
—Jace Renneveld [47:56] -
“Independence from ecclesiastical or civil pressure... allows you to have an independence where you can go like, well, if they throw me out, if they kick me out, whatever, I’m going to do this.”
—David Reese [32:40] -
“There was a time when Americans didn’t shrink from risk... Risk wasn’t a bug, it was a feature. Without it, our fathers knew there was no greatness.”
—Ben [86:05]
Important Timestamps & Segments
- 00:22 – 05:24: Setting up the problem: retreat from business institution building
- 07:43 – 15:00: Private equity vs. Christian acquisition; community impact; the new opportunity for buying boomer businesses
- 14:52 – 20:14: Love your neighbor through business; discipleship through management; embedding Christian culture
- 23:29 – 28:35: Company culture, hiring/firing, turnover, employee morale
- 31:43 – 36:49: The biblical/theological reasons for Christians building businesses
- 36:49 – 47:31: Mirror Works case study: anatomy of a Christian business acquisition
- 51:48 – 54:53: Trust, community, and the realities of investing together
- 55:35 – 82:25: Ammo manufacturing deal; opportunity for investors; return structure; risk profile; broader vision
- 86:05 – End: Rousing conclusion on Christian boldness and refusal to accept the “safety-first” mentality
Final Thoughts & Call to Action
The episode makes a compelling argument for Christians to reclaim economic “greenification”—in other words, cultivating, owning, and operating real businesses as a means of taking dominion, building generational wealth, and leavening culture with distinctly biblical values. The panel offers actionable pathways (from small business creation to buyouts of existing firms), shares practical advice and warnings on investment risk, and extends an invitation to join this movement—either as entrepreneurs, investors, or supporters.
Contact for Investment Inquiries:
- reesefund.com (look for the “Invest” page and mention the King’s Hall)
This summary provides a detailed roadmap for anyone interested in how faith, business, and community can intersect for transformative impact—while giving specific examples, honest critique of the status quo, and real opportunities for involvement.