Welcome to the Pursuit, a series documenting the experiences of a Colson Fellow-in-Training as they seek to walk wisely in this time and place. Each segment will provide an insider’s look at what a prospective participant can actually expect should they choose to embark on the journey themselves.
In this segment, we sat down with King Baldwin, a business broker from Florida, and asked him to share his experience with the Colson Fellows program. The Colson Fellows program is designed for busy men and women from all walks of life in mind. Here's a glimpse inside. Enjoy!
The Pursuit: King Baldwin
How a How a 64-Year-Old Business Broker Does the Colson Fellows Program
As told to the Colson Center communications staff
Where are you from? I live outside of Tampa, Florida.
What is your occupation? I’m a business broker.
When did you become a follower of Christ? I grew up in the Episcopal church, was confirmed at 13 and became an acolyte, but I walked away from church later on. Around 1998-1999, my faith was reignited. I’ve grown exponentially in the last 15 years.
What led to your interest in the Colson Fellows program? I wanted to further my education in Christian apologetics and understand how to speak to people today, whether they’re adults or children. We need to be able to build relationships with them.
What Colson Fellows cohort are you in? I was in the Tampa, Florida, cohort led by Gary Heffner. I went through the program in 2023 and my wife went through it last year. Now I’m a facilitator for the program and a co-director for the Tampa cohort. I will be a cohort director next year.
How many CFITs are in your class? We had about 24 in my cohort. There were a lot of educators in the program, mostly Christian educators. There were also lawyers and doctors. I was probably the only businessperson there. But we were all there for the same reason: to help people come to Christ. I’m still friends with my fellow cohort members today. The current cohort is similar. There are many Christian educators, doctors, several businessmen, and a headmistress of a Christian school. I’m hoping to bring younger people into future cohorts as well.
How did you approach the workload for the Colson Fellows program? Do you have advice for other participants? My job gives me the luxury to work my schedule any way I want. I would finish the devotions at the beginning of the week and then use the rest of the week to do the other readings. This structure allowed me to stay on top of the workload.
What was your favorite book or topic to study? I loved Nabeel Qureshi’s book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. It made me really want to understand other religions and where they come from. Nabeel’s story really touched me. I really liked all the books though. They’re so well written.
Most challenging moment? I didn’t experience anything too challenging. It was actually exciting. I looked forward to our cohort meetings and the camaraderie we developed as a group.
Where has the Colson Fellows program most impacted you? What transformation did it bring about in your life? The biggest impact was learning about different cultures, how different people think (even the people in my own family), how some people’s worldviews are skewed, and how we can meet people where they are with the truth. Now, I want to help grow this program more and more. It’s a calling at this time.
What did you do for your personal mission plan as a commissioned Colson Fellow? I started off as a facilitator for the program. Now I’m moving into the role of cohort director. I lead a life group at church and have been able to bring a lot of the Colson Fellows content into the group. I’m also on the board at my church and have spoken with my pastor about starting an Affiliate program. Our church is currently taking two staff members through the program.
What would you say to someone considering the program? It’s a life changing program. It’s not a one-and-done kind of thing. This is an ongoing program and fraternity of people. I highly recommend that you just go for it. It’s great for any age. I really consider it a kind of master's program for growing in the Christian worldview. I would encourage anyone considering it to go through the program. Anyone can do it, and they need to!