In the Bible, Jesus calls his disciples to go out into the world and share the Word. As Christians, we should strive to share the gospel with others and live boldly. Blake Stanley, a high school student from Urbandale, Iowa, took this mission to heart.
Blake wanted to wear clothing that displayed his Christian faith, but he found that a lot of them were cheesy and “in your face.” He wanted to design a shirt that made people stop and think about the deeper meaning.
Growing up, Blake was taught to use his gifts for the glory of God, and he wanted to use his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to serve his faith. Hence, BLDR Faith was born in 2017. BLDR is an acronym for Birth Life Death Resurrection and is pronounced ‘bolder’. These 4 simple letters hold the most powerful message in history, and Blake really loved that it could spark conversations about the gospel.
At the beginning of starting this company, Blake’s family and friends were apprehensive about BLDR because they didn’t want him to be judged for sharing his faith. Despite this, Blake kept focus and reminded himself of Romans 1:16 which says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”
Even though he didn’t get much support or money in the beginning, he knew that he was working for a greater purpose. He stayed motivated because of the customers who would come back and tell him how they were able to share the gospel by wearing the BLDR merchandise.
Blake is currently taking a year off college to expand BLDR and its mission. His company donates 25% of all proceeds to various missions. This year, part of the donation will go to The Salt Network, which helps to plant churches on college campuses across the nation. Additionally, BLDR will be donating to IllumiNATIONS, which is an organization devoted to translating the Bible in every language.
I really love the mission behind this organization, and it’s evident how the Lord has used Blake to share the gospel through his t-shirts, sweatshirts, etc.
Also, their merchandise is really cool – feel free to check BLDR out and support a small business at: https://bldr.faith/
This is really cool! I love how the acronym is so simple, yet holds so much meaning. I also love how he stayed motivated by the impact of his company, despite discouragement.
I love the thought behind the name of the company it is very cool to see how something so simple can carry such meaning. The company is very cool and I love the message and impact that it stands for!!!
Such an inspiring story. A real example of the resilience needed to be a successful entrepreneur. I love how he saw a problem and attacked it head on. His faith is evident through the business he is building and I hope he breaks through and his products start to take off.
This is a great idea and very bold of him to jump into it head on. I definitely feel as though there is a need for less “in your face” Christian apparel and think the motive behind brands that encourage people to ask about what it means is great. I have been told in ministry settings to “love people until they ask why” and I think this is related to that: “Why are you so nice to me, and what does your BLDR shirt even mean, anyway?” This is very inspiring.
This is a really cool product. I agree with him and I think a lot of Christian apparel is cheesy, in-your-face, and not stylish. He did a good job of designing something subtle, looks cool, and will open the door to questions about what the letters mean.