Data as a Ministry

Robert Rouse

Some ministers lead congregations. Others shepherd youth groups or teach Sunday school. Governments appoint ministers of finance and ministers of health. God has called me to be a Minister of Data.

By day I help people see clearly through their data. As an analytics strategist, I've led business intelligence teams and consulted on data projects for some of the world's largest companies and smallest startups. I'm also a two-time Tableau Visionary. The road here started at the U.S. Air Force Academy and wound through Air Force civil engineering, construction, and the energy industry before it landed in analytics.

Along the way, one question kept coming back: what if the tools that help companies understand their business could help ordinary people understand the Bible? Viz.Bible is my answer. It turns the people, places, and events of Scripture into maps, timelines, and stories you can explore. The data behind it, the open-source Theographic Bible Metadata project, also powers other tools, including AI study assistants like the Study Bible MCP.

After living in seven different states and as far away as Japan, I have settled into the Dallas–Fort Worth area as the proud Father of three sons. My hope for them and all readers of this site is simple: that something I have created and shared here sparks enough curiosity to lean into God's word and to become closer to our Father in heaven as a result.