Christian Leadership Alliance
“I can’t wait to introduce you to our donors at the gala! They want to hear your vision.” My what? I knew better than to say that out loud, as I stared across the dark wood desk at her, our head of fundraising. I had not started my job as president yet, and I was … Continue reading The Vision Thing
One day this past Christmas season, I found myself where I often do at that time of year: next to a Salvation Army red kettle at a busy intersection in the heart of a major American city, doing everything I can to generate interest among passersby in the work and ministry of The Salvation Army. … Continue reading The Ministry Drawer
I have always been drawn to the book of Ecclesiastes. For me, it has always carried with it the smell of the grease covered men in overalls with orange rags hanging out of their pockets at the corner gas station. When read aloud, the words of this book carry the muted sound of the baled baffles of … Continue reading Fundraising Wisdom from Ecclesiastes
“The biggest barrier to the gospel is trauma.” This is the problem local leaders working with orphans and vulnerable children in the majority world shared with the founder of RiverCross. Trauma hinders children from coming to Christ. Local leaders shared that they know how to tell the children about Jesus. What they didn’t know was … Continue reading Innovation Begins with a Problem
For the Christian church in the world today, it is the best of times and it is the worst of times. Globally, the growth of the Christian church has never been greater. At the same time, persecution of Christians has never been more widespread. In these tumultuous times of extremes, these two realities best capture … Continue reading In God We Trust
“Life is physics,” says my husband, the engineer. In his world, every human phenomenon can be explained through physics. After years of rolling my eyes, I realize he’s not wrong. Perhaps that is why the principles of physics are often used to describe the human experience. Consider the physics terms that describe a material’s response … Continue reading Resilience in Reality
I am a plodder. Over my lifetime I see myself as one who simply kept working hard at whatever God put before me. Did I thrive? Did The Navigators thrive under my leadership? Yes. But at the time, it was not always apparent. There were times of struggle and challenge. My leadership path was not … Continue reading Planting, Nourishing and Harvesting
In 1994, my world was rocked when I was in my fifth month of pregnancy and the doctor sent me to a genetic counselor. In 2006, our oldest son joined the Marines and was soon deployed to Iraq. In 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. In each of these incidents God was present, and … Continue reading Stewarding our Souls
I think most of us engaged in Christian ministry fundraising would agree that this past year was challenging. The context in which I say that is with regard to “money raised” either compared to the previous year or perhaps against a budget that had aggressive goals. The antithesis of this past “challenging year” of course … Continue reading Sowing Seeds
Defining moments. Every leader has them. Likely one or two come to mind just on hearing the phrase. Outcomes editor-in-chief W. Scott Brown asked Paula Fuller, Executive Vice President for People and Culture with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, and Bruce McNicol, CEO of Trueface, to reflect on how being rooted in relationships of trust has shaped their … Continue reading Defining Moments
