Every so often, I sit down with someone whose perspective reshapes how I see community, leadership, and purpose. My recent conversation with Stu Davis, the leader of COSILoveYou in Colorado Springs, was one of those moments.
Stu has built something remarkable — a model of collaboration that unites churches, businesses, nonprofits, and government leaders to tackle some of our city’s toughest challenges. It’s called collective impact, and the idea is simple but powerful: when people from different sectors bring their resources, expertise, and energy to the same table, things start to move.
From Ministry to Movement
Stu’s story started in higher education before he spent a decade in student ministry at one of the city’s larger churches. At the time, his world revolved around teenagers and their families. “I was heads down,” he told me. “I didn’t realize how much was happening around me in our city.”
That changed when he joined the Springs Rescue Mission in 2014, right as Colorado Springs was facing a visible homelessness crisis. Stu found himself in the middle of churches, business owners, and city leaders — all of whom cared deeply about the issue but were operating in silos.
He and his team helped create an engagement platform where those groups could collaborate, share data, and coordinate efforts. Over the next five years, that approach became one of the reasons Colorado Springs saw something rare: a growing population alongside a declining unsheltered homeless population.
“We didn’t have a magic plan,” Stu said. “We just invited people to work together around a shared problem.”
Faith, Free Markets, and Working Within the System
During our conversation, I asked Stu how he balances faith-based compassion with the pragmatism of capitalism and policy — something many business leaders wrestle with. His answer stuck with me.
“We can work within the system we wish we had, or we can work within the system we have,” he said.
Stu believes the best path forward lies in partnership, not polarization. “The church has incredible resources — people, expertise, compassion,” he said. “But even with everything on the table, we can’t solve it all. We need nonprofits and government. We need everyone at the table.”
That humility and realism shape how COSILoveYou operates — not as a charity, but as a convener of shared purpose.
Setting the Table
That phrase — the table — came up again and again as we talked. It’s the core of how Stu builds trust between very different people.
He creates spaces where business owners, pastors, city officials, and nonprofit leaders come together to listen before they act. “A misidentified problem will always lead to a misapplied solution,” he told me.
Stu learned that lesson years ago while working in Swaziland. Instead of assuming what the community needed, he asked the local elders to tell him. Their vision was bigger than anything he could’ve imagined. That posture of listening first now drives every initiative he leads in Colorado Springs.
Small Steps, Big Stewardship
As we discussed issues like homelessness, housing, and addiction, Stu reminded me that progress doesn’t come from massive overhauls — it comes from faithful stewardship.
“Most of these problems will never be solved,” he said. “They’ll just be resourced well.”
That mindset — seeing progress as stewardship instead of control — reframes how both churches and businesses can lead. Stu gave examples like churches sitting on unused land or buildings that sit empty six days a week. What if those spaces could be repurposed for affordable housing or weekday childcare?
“We don’t need to wait for hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said. “We can just do what we can right here.”
It’s a principle every entrepreneur can relate to: start with what you already have, and use it well.
Rebuilding Community After Disconnection
We also talked about the quieter crisis unfolding since COVID — the loss of community. People are busier than ever, but more disconnected. “We went back to being busy,” Stu said, “but now we’re busy and tired.”
His answer to that problem is shared mission. COSILoveYou runs citywide service days that bring people together around common causes — painting schools, organizing foster-care closets, supporting local nonprofits.
“Common mission draws people together,” he said. “It gives them a reason to come out and stay involved.”
Through service, people rediscover what it feels like to belong.
Looking Ahead
Of all the ideas we covered, one especially excited me — the potential for churches to help solve the childcare shortage by opening their doors during the week. Stu is already working with legislators and community partners to explore how that could work within existing regulations.
“It doesn’t have to be about writing checks,” he said. “Can churches just open their space? That could change everything.”
He also talked about creating stronger bridges between churches and business owners to help people rebuild their lives through employment. “We can take care of the personal side,” he said. “You take care of the job side. Let’s do it together.”
A Word to Entrepreneurs
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Stu what advice he’d give to business owners who want to make a difference but feel overwhelmed by the scale of social problems. His answer was simple.
“Start small and start simple with what you’ve got,” he said. “You don’t have to move the needle overnight. Just start somewhere and stay the course.”
As an entrepreneur myself, that message resonated deeply. The path to meaningful impact — whether in business, community, or faith — isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing something consistently and doing it well.
“You might not fix everything,” Stu said, “but you can resource it well. And that’s how communities change.”
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Stu Davis, you may reach out to him at:
- Website: https://cosiloveyou.com
Connect with Chris Seegers:
- Website: https://exceptionalcos.com/
- Email: Ch***@************OS.com
Other Resources:
- Books: Selling Main Street by Chris Seegers
