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Rev. Dr. Wayne Credle, Jr. is an award-winning ministry and business consultant, a faith and leadership researcher, and an instructor in the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University. He is the CEO of Credle LLC, a consulting firm based in Richmond, Virginia, which has served over 150 faith-based, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations to date.
He’s also a 2026 Guthrie Scholar; that’s how our paths crossed. As I sat across the conference table from Dr. Credle and Pastor Lisa (a fellow Guthrie), I learned that his work centers on reforming ethics in workplace spirituality, or as he put it, work that “sits at the intersection of spirituality, organizational leadership, and human flourishing.” He has particular interests in organizational trauma, workplace anxiety, and burnout, and recitifying polices that may induce these struggles.
The following is a brief interview about the work he focused on during his time as a Guthrie Scholar with the Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary.
For individuals navigating anxiety, burnout, and organizational trauma, daily life can be deeply complex. Individuals may overperform out of fear of losing their position, while others may disengage due to discouragement or a diminished sense of value. Employees may arrive at work appearing disheveled (whether in appearance or in physical/emotional affect), or they may appear “perfect” and aspire for realistic measures of achievement.
Stakeholders may respond increasingly negatively, impacting team morale, or they may “satisfice,” meaning they sacrifice their true feelings (or wisdom) to satisfy the team or pacify an individual. Thus, leaders must be intentional in observing changes in one’s behavior, especially when navigating transition or turbulence in the organization.
Practically, relief could come in:
Relief could also look like:
Workplace Spirituality is the reimagining of organizations as places of fulfillment, not just work.
Workplace spirituality is not limited to a religion, nor does it proselytize or affirm one religion over another. Instead, it advocates for a workplace culture and mission that emphasizes belonging, connection, and the communal life of an organization and its stakeholders. Workplace spirituality, when implemented, is cited to increase employee trust, motivation, commitment, and overall performance.
This could look like:
In the same ways that trauma can reside in the body of a person, it can also reside in the “body” of an organization, regardless of an organization’s age, culture, mission/vision, structure, or intentions. Organizational trauma refers to the lingering effects of toxic policies, structures, leadership dynamics, and culture that impact how individuals function within an organization. When left unaddressed, this trauma impacts employees and also the organization’s overall effectiveness and community influence. Financial instability, high turnover, decreased morale and employee motivation are common organizational outcomes.
This trauma often reveals itself in the gap between what an organization aspires to be and what it embodies. It manifests in decision-making that appears countercultural and/or unethical to an organization’s mission, vision, and core values. This is especially evident in times of great crisis, transition, or grief. These can create a “rupture” in the organization, violating trust, safety, or reliability, causing stakeholders (employees, donors, managers, partners, etc.) to evaluate their relationship with the organization. Symptoms of the organizational rupture could be emotional or financial disengagement, lawlessness or even overperformance. The drivers of these could be fear, anxiety, grief, unworthiness or unfulfillment that is felt amongst leaders or the organization as a whole.
Rebuilding workplace policies that have induced trauma begins with honest acknowledgment. Organizations must first admit that certain policies, while perhaps once normalized, effective, and/or well-intended, are no longer healthy or relevant for the organization today. Organizations that admit their oversight, that they have erred, or have sinned (in an ecclesial context) show an organization that is not above approach or invincible. It shows an organization willing to do the work to cultivate a safer, more sustainable environment.
Accountability is another critical step and is altogether different from acknowledgment. Accountability in ensuring an organization takes steps towards responsibility (or repentance). This looks like conducting a full audit of all outdated systems, rebuilding policies alongside stakeholders (if comfortable), especially if they were “ruptured” in the process, and ensuring policies are evaluated regularly.
Finally, it means coaching and/or disciplining those responsible for the rupture (if applicable). When organizations create and implement transboundary policies that apply to all persons, stakeholders will be more inclined to trust those organizations again.
Organizations, whether religious or not, work with “whole” persons—not robots. As whole persons, we come with souls, emotions, needs, limitations, and stories that all deserve nurturing. When nurtured, it allows stakeholders to come to work (or volunteer) as their best selves, lending their best to the organizations they serve.
Rev. Dr. Wayne Credle, Jr. (wayncre@regent.edu) was a Fall 2026 Guthrie Scholar at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Credle is an award-winning ministry and business consultant, a faith and leadership researcher, and an instructor in the School of Psychology and Counseling at Regent University. He is also the CEO of Credle LLC, a consulting firm based in Richmond, Virginia, which has served over 150 faith-based, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations to date. Credle’s work sits at the intersection of spirituality, organizational leadership, and human flourishing. His forthcoming book chapter “Ecclesial Ethics: Faith & Trauma-Informed Decision-Making for Organizations” will be published through in the Christian Faith Perspectives in Leadership and Business with Palgrave MacMillian.
Curated By: Chassidy Goggins, Center for Lifelong Learning
