Leaders Want to Be Here

We want to add so much value to participants that leaders are coming to us for the opportunity to join our community. It becomes a sought-after opportunity for leaders in the 412 to become a professor at TeachPassion Summit. Leaders want to be here with their teams.

For Small Business Owners in the 412

Very few small businesses host a conference due to the sheer amount of time and money it takes—but also because they have no experience and don’t know where to start. We want to take what we have learned over the years and let it be a blessing to others.

We envision, as we grow, that many small businesses across the 412 will not only want to participate with their whole team as part of the TeachPassion Summit, but go a step further and host their own team the day before, just like we do.

Each company could brand it with their name. For example, a company called “Yinzers R Us” would have “Yinzers R Us University” at the TeachPassion Summit. We would handle all the logistics and work with the leader to prepare their team’s customized agenda and formulate training to meet their team’s goals.

This would take place the day before TeachPassion Summit and would consist of internal team training sessions, with each team secluded and finishing the day with a team-building event and game night—just like we’ve done for years with our team.

This would allow us to magnify our impact on the community, providing small businesses and their teams with the fire to fuel their growth and create greater impact in those they serve—strengthening the 412.

It’s More Than Just a Conference—It’s a Community

We’ve heard from so many of you, “This is more than just another conference.” You can feel it, even if you can’t fully describe it. We want these to be the dates people mark off on their calendars as soon as they’re announced. We want professors to come back each year and become part of our community. We want participants to bring their spouses to be part of the magic. We want attendees to parlay the trip into a family weekend getaway.

We envision a growing network of leaders in the 412 that creates unparalleled opportunities for connection, collaboration, and growth. We don’t want this to be just another event—we want it to be the week that supercharges your life.

TeachPassion Founders Retreat

As our community continues to grow, we plan to hold an invitation-only retreat for founders of companies in the 412. This would be a group of 12 founders who have brought their teams to the TeachPassion Summit and have chosen to do life together. Spouses would be invited and included in this experience as well. Over two days, we would go in-depth on leadership and running your company. We plan to host interactive sessions where, as a group, we focus on the core areas of a business leader’s life: health, people, numbers, systems, marketing, and faith.

This community wouldn’t stop at the retreat—it would carry on throughout the year to provide accountability, create a safe space, share best practices, solve real issues, and do life together. All while working toward our shared vision of making Pittsburgh more famous for God than steel.

Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely anymore. Our goal is to launch this in 2027.

TeachPassion Retreats

We’ve found that many leaders struggle to take time away from the day-to-day demands to work on their business instead of just in it. Having seen the power of regular clarity breaks—for self-reflection, reviewing the direction of the company, setting goals, and spending time with God—we want to create that kind of space for leaders across the 412.

In the future, we plan to develop a retreat center specifically for business leaders—a place to withdraw, reset, and become healthier, more Spirit-led leaders. It will be a turnkey space for intentional time away, but also a place where we offer guided retreats for leaders who don’t know where to start.

It’s just one of the ways we feel called to help make Pittsburgh more famous for God than steel—by helping business owners grow in wisdom, discernment, and disciplined leadership through time with God.

Partnerships

We currently do not accept sponsors, and our vision is to continue operating without traditional sponsorships. However, in alignment with our core value of Doing Life Together and our ecumenical mission of making Pittsburgh more famous for God than steel, we believe in the power of partnership.

We are actively exploring opportunities to collaborate with other faith-based organizations that are called to serve small businesses and their leaders. Our hope is to create meaningful connections between Summit attendees and trusted organizations that can help meet their needs, solve real challenges, and support their long-term growth. These partnerships, as we envision them, are rooted in relationship—not revenue. They are not sponsorships or dollar exchanges, but intentional collaborations to build something greater together.

As the Body of Christ is made up of many parts, we believe many organizations—each with their unique strengths—can come together in unity for a greater Kingdom impact. Unified, we can serve more deeply and multiply the mission we share.

Gloria Deo!

When this conference started six years ago, we could never have envisioned all that God had in store. While this is the current vision, we remain open to His will—trusting and following wherever He leads the future of the TeachPassion Summit and all the work we do to serve Him. Gloria Deo! (Glory to God!)