Intersection Sunday: A Conversation on Faith & Business w/ Jim Blanchard

How do you start strong—not just in a new year, but in life, leadership, and faith? And more importantly, how do you staystrong when challenges come?

In this special Start Strong session, Hazen Stevens, Lead Pastor of GateCity Buckhead, sits down with Jim Blanchard, former Chairman and CEO of Synovus Bank, for an honest and inspiring conversation about navigating calling, pressure, and purpose across seasons.

Over his 35-year tenure, Jim helped lead Synovus through dramatic growth, economic cycles, and moments of personal testing—not with perfection, but with a deep trust in God’s placement and purpose. In this conversation, Hazen and Jim explore what it means to be placed by God in leadership, to walk faithfully through personal and professional storms, and to finish strong by His grace.

They share insights on:

What it really means to start strong—and why it matters

How to stay anchored through setbacks, suffering, and pressure

Seeing every challenge as part of God's refining work

The importance of humility, prayer, and perseverance in leadership

Trusting God's placement in seasons that don’t make sense

This is more than leadership talk—it’s a deep reminder that the strength to stand comes from the One who placed you there.