In an era when CEOs face the relentless pressure of shifting markets, workforce fatigue and moral complexity, many leaders are striving for success yet feel disconnected from their deeper calling. A new Barna report—Faith-Forward CEOs: Research and Insights on Executives Who Lead Differently—produced in partnership with C12 Business Forums, examines how today’s business leaders integrate purpose, faith and meaning into their work.

For Christian CEOs, the call is not only to navigate a changing marketplace but to steward their organization’s people and purpose alongside profits. The report explores how CEOs perceive and practice leadership across four key dimensions: self-leadership, organizational leadership, cultural leadership and Christian leadership. Among the 356 CEOs surveyed, nearly nine in 10 (89%) either identify as Christian or say faith is important in their life—leading Barna to describe this sample as “Faith Forward.” In this article, we’ll look at what motivates these faith-minded CEOs today, and the ways their Christian faith informs their leadership. (In our second article, we’ll explore the personal values that most influence the way CEOs lead.)

Faith Shapes Motivation and Mindset

Behind every leadership decision sits a deeper motivation—and for most Faith-Forward CEOs, it isn’t status or recognition. It’s purpose. Four in five (82%) say their top motivator is having a positive impact on others. Close behind are building a positive company culture (79%), upholding moral standards in business (77%) and fulfilling personal purpose (76%). Interestingly, making a broader societal impact ranks near the bottom, suggesting that CEOs focus more on the people and culture immediately around them than on abstract, large-scale change.

While three-quarters (75%) of surveyed CEOs have a Christian background, only half (51%) say faith actively motivates their leadership. “This study invites every leader to consider what and why they’re building,” says Sharrow in a recent Patheos article. “In today’s complex world, the strongest and most effective leaders know what they believe, live it out and lead from it.”

Key Insight: Faith-forward leaders already lead with purpose, but bridging the gap between belief and practice enables them to infuse faith into every aspect of organizational life.

Leading for a Greater Purpose

Barna’s Faith-Forward CEOs report offers a reflection on how leaders’ faith shapes today’s executive landscape, and an invitation for leaders to recover faith as the bedrock of wisdom and excellence. For CEOs willing to lead from that conviction, business becomes more than a career. It becomes a calling.

Read our second article to find out what personal values shape the way CEOs lead their people. Download the Faith-Forward CEOs report to uncover all of the findings and insights from our research.