Introduction

The Centre for Entrepreneurial Leaders (CEL) is based at the School of Business, Trinity Western University in the greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada. TWU was established in 1962 and is a non-profit Christian liberal art university with approximately 4,000 students; the School of Business (www.twu.ca/business), established in 1975, has an enrollment of over 500 undergraduate and graduate students in eight specializations (including entrepreneurship).

The CEL is one of only four centres/institutes approved by TWU. The policy of TWU is to approve centres/institutes where "research to be conducted will be in a field of particular importance to the mission of the university, or it which there exists a sufficient strength of resources within the university." The CEL was initiated by Rick Goossen and approved by TWU in November 2007. The CEL is managed by its Director, Rick Goossen and ongoing oversight is provided by TWU.

The internal support at TWU for the CEL is supplemented by a number of prominent and successful entrepreneurs who act as "Advisors." The present Advisors to the CEL are: Ross Colello, Ken Ewert, Eugene Kaulius, Rudy Loewen, Grant Ohman, Franco Papalia, Terry Smith, Roy Stevenson, Cameron Stromsmoe, Brian Tieszen and Andrew Westlund.

The vision of the CEL is to be the world's leading centre for the development of a best practices model for the application of Christian faith to entrepreneurial practice.

The CEL is involved in three key activities each year. Two of the activities are a service to its constituency; to provide edification and encouragement through well-qualified academics and practitioners. In addition, these two events are a means of drawing support from additional entrepreneurs.

One event is an Annual Entrepreneur Forum that is among the largest of its kind in North America, attracting attendees from throughout Canada, the US and beyond. The Entrepreneur Forum is held in the fall each year and has featured internationally-known speakers such as Larry Farrell and Peter Legge. The purpose of the annual Forum: to provide inspiration and education for entrepreneurs, to promote and distribute the annual Entrepreneurial Leaders book (provided to all attendees) and to raise funds for the CEL.

The other event is a Visiting Professor Program through which the CEL brings a leading international academic to Vancouver to address issues related to faith, ethics and business. The first Visiting Professor (Spring 2008) was Dr. Richard Higginson, Ridley Hall Foundation, Cambridge, UK, who addressed the applicability of classic Christian virtues to the world of entrepreneurship.

Both of these events are intended to generate support for the work of the CEL and to be a resource for the entrepreneurial community. This is the external work of the CEL.

The third activity is the annual publication of interviews of successful entrepreneurs under the title Entrepreneurial Leaders: Reflections on Faith at Work. The entrepreneurs featured are from throughout Canada, the US and Europe. The purpose of the book is to record the spiritual and business legacies of Christian entrepreneurs and to use that as a basis of instruction for other Christian entrepreneurs, whether students or more seasoned entrepreneurs.

The publication of Entrepreneurial Leaders is an outgrowth of the research programme of the CEL, now ongoing for 4 years, and likely the only one of its kind. An extensive database is being created as to the attitudes and insights of Christian entrepreneurs. The research has formed the basis of what is now known as the "entrepreneurial leadership programme" (ELP). This is a best practices model of how to apply Christian faith in an entrepreneurial context. In essence, this is a curriculum that provides a holistic approach to entrepreneurship-how to benefit and learn from the legacies of 100s of entrepreneurs and thus succeed as a Christian entrepreneur in the marketplace.