"What are some of the most practical ways that Christians can respond to the mental health crisis?"
This week on “Delay the Decay” we welcome Dave Runyon, executive director of City Unite in Denver, which convenes faith, business, and government leaders around shared causes for the city, and a leader of the Colorado Prayer Luncheon. Dave discusses his vocational path from U.S. history teacher and baseball coach to a 10-year pastoral role, then into nonprofit bridge-building focused on mobilizing congregational volunteerism, especially for under-resourced schools.
He describes learning from civic leaders by asking what keeps them up at night, highlights tutoring efforts like Wiz Kids, and explains collaborating across ideological differences by centering on clear causes. We discuss the Prayer Luncheon’s purpose, community care in neighborhoods, nonprofit leaders meeting for peer support, COVID-era calls between Governor Polis and faith leaders, and ongoing mental health and criminal justice challenges, before teeing up Runyon’s “Best Practices Framework” for faith-driven businesses.
00:00 Meet Dave Runyon
03:34 From Teacher to Pastor
06:05 Why City Unite Began
08:01 Partnering with Civic Leaders
10:08 Schools and Tutoring Focus
12:18 Uniting Across Differences
14:11 Colorado Prayer Luncheon
17:06 Stories Worth Celebrating
21:31 COVID Calls with Governor
26:10 Mental Health Crisis Response
31:17 Best Practices Framework Intro
49:00 Closing thoughts
Check out this guide on Best Practices for Faith Driven Business Owners: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qMMbunV0hbDt3ZPqVqWPyv9ER6-reqr5/view?usp=sharing
Thank you Dave Runyon for being a guest on Delay the Decay!
Find him on social media:
- Dave on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davejrunyon/
- Dave's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00A57O5LI
Delay the Decay is a podcast for unashamedly ambitious people who want to live longer, better and deeper by prioritizing what’s really important in life.
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Dan Harty is a coach, entrepreneur, and former pastor, who helps people build resilience in body, mind and spirit by emphasizing faith, fitness, and fighting the natural decay with daily habits rooted in biblical truths. Find Dan on social media:
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