By Chris McAlpin
What does God’s calling sound like?
That is a question I began asking several years ago. “God’s calling” was not something I’d studied in business school. There was nothing in the investment world that suggested I would one day step into ministry.
And yet, His voice became an undeniable pull.
It was not loud. It was not dramatic. It was steady, gentle, and persistent. It aligned with scripture and was affirmed by trusted friends. Over time, what began as a quiet stirring became a clear direction. At the conclusion of a particularly challenging business deal, it was as if the Lord said, “So you thought if this deal ended successfully, you would go into ministry? What makes you think I’m not calling you into ministry regardless of the conclusion? I’m in charge of business, too.”
When I was 49 years old — with a wife and three daughters (one in college and two close behind) — the Lord called me into ministry.
But He did not move me far.
I began my financial services career in 1996 as a stockbroker’s assistant at Dean Witter. For over 20 years, I served as a financial advisor at Sound Financial. Through bull and bear markets, client victories and painful losses, God was shaping something in me that I could not yet see.
I came to understand more clearly what Peter meant when he wrote:
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)
The Lord uses the hard times, the losses, the failures, the pain in life, and yes, He uses the good times, the victories, and the joy to shape us into the men and women He wants us to be.
God moved me from financial advisory to opening a Mississippi office with the National Christian Foundation. Our mission is to mobilize resources by inspiring biblical generosity. My goal is to lead, encourage, and educate people in biblical financial stewardship.
We serve givers in giving cash and complex gifts, utilizing donor-advised funds, and working with assets like stocks, real estate, and private business interests, maximizing tax advantages for the giver and maximizing the gift to the ministry.
Chris McAlpin recently joined the National Christian Foundation (NCF) Alabama team as senior vice president and relationship manager, serving givers and families across Mississippi. He previously served as managing partner and senior financial advisor at Sound Financial Strategies Group, helping families pursue lasting, generational impact through wise stewardship. Chris holds an MBA from Mississippi College and an accounting degree from Ole Miss, with additional studies in international finance and advanced financial planning. He is passionate about teaching biblical financial management, writes regularly, and serves as a prison chaplain, church elder, and missions partner. He and his wife have three daughters.