STOP YOUR CHARITY!

After considering a Facebook friend's much deserved rant about an overly-expectant charity I feel a post emerging from my sluggish pen (i.e. keyboard) about our charitable giving . . . STOP! JUST STOP! Yes, I said STOP!

For just one month - for January 2017 - stop all giving (except your church tithe; yes, your first 10% should go directly to your place of worship/prayer/place of faith).

Why stop? To fast. Fasting makes you slow down . . . I guess that's a pun. Slow down and think, pray, feel. About your charity - your time, talent, and treasure. What is your purpose in sharing those three most valuable personal commodities? What impact are you making with them? Is it even measurable? Does the charity even measure its impact or success and communicate that to you?

What is your mission in giving (again, not just money). That's right . . . What's your end game? Make you feel okay about yourself? For a pat on the back? Get on the major donor list? Recognition at the annual gala?

Or to make others feel good - or maybe just better? Does your effort enable the suffering of others or actually develop the person and the community? Are you in it for the short or long haul? A quick fix or a relationship? For life or legacy?

What is your mission as a steward of what you've earned or been given? Remember, its not just money, your time (which some consider more valuable), and talents. What will your legacy look like? Yep...when you're dead and gone? What will you leave the world besides your ashes? Will you steward from beyond your grave?

So stop giving for a month and fast...think...feel...pray...meditate on your God-gifted Time, Treasure, and Talent. Then write your Stewardship mission statement for 2017, and whatever exists beyond it and your life's legacy to the world. What, why, when, how, how much, for what end, and how will you know you did well in doing good?

Then, and only then . . . Give . . . As a Steward.

Steward your life, wholeheartedly and with godly joy.

Here's a link to a short post to help with your meditating and to create your mission statement to make a lasting, Kingdom impact through stewardship.

Outline your Stewardship

How one church became hospitable to their homeless neighbors

HIS House (Homeless Intervention Shelter) was founded by members of Placentia Presbyterian Church in 1989.  To the north of the Presbyterian Church stood an old two story farm house that was built about 1910.  It had three bedrooms and one bath and tenants passed back and forth over the years.  As orange groves gave way to housing in Placentia it was used as a sorority house for California State College Fullerton students. Then it came into the ownership of the Knights of Columbus, who built an adjacent hall onto the house.  However, in 1988 the Knights found the maintenance of the building a burden they could not sustain, so they put the property up for sale.

Alerted to the availability of the house, several members of the Session, the elected administrative body of the Placentia church, believed it an opportunity to buy the property and thereby provide an area of possible expansion for the church.  A further consideration was to prevent the land from falling into the hands of owners who might develop it for housing that would have been incompatible with keeping the area close to the church in harmony with its buildings.

Some resistance on the part of Session members to the purchase of the property surfaced. Members expressed doubts that the church, which had just finished a building program that caused it to assume a debt of $900,000, should not put itself into still greater indebtedness. Nevertheless, a majority in the Session supported the purchase of the property and in March 1989, at a cost of $360,000 the transfer was finalized.  The Session authorized the borrowing of a temporary loan from the Presbyterian Synod. It was still undecided how to use the house and upon inspection, it was found to be in need of serious repair. Plumbing was especially in poor condition with a large sunken tub that could not be drained.
For several months the house at 907 North Bradford remained empty while interest payments came due on a regular basis. In fact, financing became such a critical issue that in February 1990 the property was listed for sale.

In the meantime at another meeting of the Session, one of its members, Denise Eastin, active in the Featherly Park ministry, urged that the house be opened for the Drapers, a family living at the park.  The wife was soon to give birth and the baby would have to return to a tent in the park with winter approaching. The Session agreed to Ms. Eastin’s request and allowed the Drapers to move into the house. Volunteers commenced the arduous task of cleaning and making repairs so that the structure would be fit for habitation. Once Christopher Andrew Draper was born, the family continued to stay there until they found a place to live.

Development of HIS House

As it is today, in 1990 there was no lack of needy people seeking shelter. Orange County had only 500 beds (today they have 3500 beds) for homeless individuals. The Bulmaro Herrera family, comprised of fourteen members, was threatened with eviction onto the street in September when Placentia city housing inspectors declared their rental house unsafe and unsanitary. The family was ordered to leave but they had nowhere to go and not enough money to pay for an apartment. Happily, Orange County Housing officials knew that the Presbyterians had offered shelter to others in their Bradford Ave house, and the Herreras were invited to move in.  The Herrera’s became residents and the once empty house filled with the cries and laughter of the eight Herrera children.  During 1990 a total of seventeen adults and twenty five children were sheltered at HIS House, the name given to the facility.

It was now evident that a purpose had been established for HIS House, but for Session members the future still looked bleak. The church found the interest on the loan and utility bills worrisome. The HIS House committee, twelve in number and chaired by Denise Eastin, oversaw the activities at the facility, but it was difficult for them to be on call whenever something was needed at the house. The committee members would handle emergency calls. No one had experience running a shelter, yet the committee felt their ministry had to continue. To quote the late Elaine Van Deventer “Prayer was used to finance the house.”

The real estate was still listed for sale in July 1991 when a stroke of good fortune came in answer to those prayers.  The HIS House committee discovered that the California Emergency Shelter Program offered grants to run a shelter for the homeless provided that there would be a commitment to offer services for a number of years. An application to the state was successful, so the property could be removed from the market, as the grant paid a substantial portion of the church obligation to the Synod.

With the state grant in hand, the committee could now look for additional community support. They learned of an organization called Home Aid. This was a consortium of about 900 building contractors and suppliers who donated their services to assist various non-profit organizations that needed assistance. The director of Home Aid found HIS House was exactly the kind of project that met their goals.

After the renovation the shelter could house 25 individuals, couples and families.  In 1996 another grant was applied for and received to expand again.  This time 15 more beds and two additional restrooms. The capacity is now 40 beds.

In 2002, the City of Placentia purchased a home two doors north of HIS House with Redevelopment funds.  They were looking to invite a low-income family to inhabit the property. However, HIS House found out about the property and offered to pay the yearly taxes and invite graduates of the HIS House program to spend an additional “Second Step” while paying a program fee.

What HIS House offers its participants:
We offer a safe and homelike atmosphere where residents can have their own guest room, share baths and kitchens with others while looking for employment and participating in our classes. We offer no-cost housing for 4-6 months. Each week residents participate in life skill classes and an additional class of either parenting, budgeting, a mentor meeting and career development.

Each participant meets weekly with a case manager where they prioritize expenses and save money for permanent housing. Each resident receive a new pillow, toiletry basket (from the Placentia Roundtable women’s club) gas and transportation vouchers, individual counseling and two months of subsidized childcare.  Children receive a quilt from the North Cities Quilt Guild and a welcome basket from the Placentia Roundtable. Each month birthdays are celebrated with cake and ice cream (sponsored by the Placentia Roundtable) and gifts for adults and children are given.

HIS House continues to exist with the assistance of government grants, private donations and fundraisers. The generosity of our community and volunteers help make HIS House a successful program.

This year we are initiating a strategic plan process for organizational reorganization as a solo 501(c)(3), as well as a funding plan in order to deepen, strengthen, and expand our services. We would appreciate your prayerful investment.

Learn how to help here:

Lessons in a Tree Stand

Sitting in a tree stand, waiting for deer, is a difficult task (especially when it's real early on an icy 20° morning). Not necessarily the waiting; but my thoughts. Rather than allow myself to completely 'be' in this moment, I'm mentally doing a myriad of things. My mind is wired for analysis. My patience is fleeting. 

Similarly difficult for me – for which this solitary environment provides an ideal moment – is having a quiet, devotional time with God (praying for prey doesn't count). But rather than allowing the beauty of creation and nature's orchestra to embrace and lift me, I'm contemplating my calendar, career tracks and past mis-cues. And in contrast to the stillness, unmitigated static from tinnitus* competes with the sounds of birds and raindrops on leaves.

Past thoughts invade the present moment; replaying various innings of my life. But unlike the annoying video challenges in football and baseball, there's nothing that can change the outcome for me.

It recalls my past life of editing our pastor's Sunday messages on reel-to-reel tape for radio broadcast. I meticulously removed every 'uh', stutter, or cough. He never sounded so professional as he did on-the-air. It was a tedious task when his delivery was off. Listen, pause, rewind, pause . . . spinning the reels back and forth, listening where to mark and trim the bloopers from the reel.

But real life doesn't allow video challenges or post-production cut-and-tape. As with live broadcasts, what we say and do is out there for the world to see, hear, critique – and judge.

Where live productions succeed is in pre-production. That requires the study of scripts and screen plays, blocking, staging, memorizing lines and cues. If not, at least you had better be really good at ad lib and improvising.

Our personal and spiritual pre-production comes together best in our quiet times. No devotions = no preparation for success. Thus, for the unprepared pragmatists as myself, our daily improvising is sorely tested. We pray for the video challenge, and post-production editing, and then beat ourselves up for not studying the script or recognizing the cues.

But here in this tree stand – if I force myself to become quiet enough and become willing to embrace the thoughts that come – I may start to sense the Producer at work in nature and in my life. I may begin to feel, see, and hear His hand in the next act . . . and his Spirit happens to be a great Director.

Perhaps spending more time studying His script, screenplay and cues for this next one, I won't want so much post-production analysis. And waiting for prey is always a good time to pray.

I just heard a confirming voice of thunder telegraphing the advancing rain. "Break a leg!", I think as I scramble to descend ahead of the danger of lightning. But hopefully not from falling out of this tree stand. (PS. I didn't get my deer)

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 42 ESV

* Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus) is noise or ringing in the ears.

The Ask: It's About Vulnerablility And Trust

I have spent two decades leading nonprofits that were supported by asking for financial support.  Now that I am consulting for nonprofits, I realize how difficult it is for many of them to ask.  That hesitation translates into them not recognizing the need to invest in getting help—or more often, an inability to afford the help they critically need to become stable and sustainable.

Several years ago I wrote a blog post about fundraising not being about the "ask." (link)  That post included a TED video with Amanda Palmer, a musician who decided to trust her fans for her support.  It became an act of vulnerability and trust . . . putting herself out there, even when confronted by other musicians who mocked her efforts (which actually became very successful).

I realized that nonprofits have a hard time trusting their "fans" and don't communicate their ask in ways that allow supporters to see them as transparent and vulnerable.  It was then that I began to be more transparent and vulnerable to our donors.  I spoke more freely about our work, our difficulties, our successes, the needs we had, and highlighting the return they recieve for their investment.  I believe that is what sustained the organization through the recession—and even saw an increase in income and average gift per donor.

Now that I am consulting, many clients can't afford consulting services.  Perhaps don't realize they need to invest in their organizational development, and may not trust that their outcomes will be fruitful.

This leads me to ask you to help me help them.  I'm becoming vulnerable and asking for help, so that these nonprofits can get the help they need, and serve our communities.  I'm seeking subsidies to provide pro bono services to nonprofits who can't afford consulting, but who can't grow without that help.  Thank you.

Please consider investing in CharisNP:

Online Assessment Tools for Identifying Organizational Issues

Nonprofit Leader,

As an Executive Director I often wanted to know how well my board and staff understood our organization’s mission and vision, and if they were being clarified well enough.  I needed to assess the awareness of my board of how critical their understanding our programs and networking was to the organization and to our position in the community.  

Each time I looked over an organization’s financials and fundraising, I found areas needing improving, and fundraising issues that the staff and board had not recognized had changed over time.  It was that process of discovery and analysis that helped me revitalize several stagnant nonprofits and help them thrive. 

It was the fresh perspective of an outsider that made the difference.  In many cases a consultant is hired to show an organization’s leaders what they have been missing and help them make the right changes.  Some of the leadership and/or staff may recognize the issues, but may not be able to be the agents for the needed change.  Thus, the third-party consultant is engaged.  

But how do small, struggling under-funded nonprofits afford the rates for an experienced consultant?  They can’t, and so they keep struggling through tough organizational issues, ineffective programs, staff turnover, disconnect with the community, and loss of funding as a result.  And what are the options for well-run organizations to take an occasional fresh look at their organizational dynamics and leadership?

It was recognizing these issues that led me to create several online assessment tools that provide the data nonprofits need to get the overall view of their organization and start recognizing the needed changes to make.  By limiting travel and time of on-site interviews we reduce the cost and still provide a needed summary analysis to help an organization: 1. understand the stage in their life-cycle, 2. examine Staff-CEO-Board relationships, 3. measure their fundraising effectiveness.  

By developing anonymous surveys administered online, I have been able to assist a number of organizations of various age, size and budget.  The survey results are graphed for ease of understanding, and a brief, interpretive assessment is provided of potential action steps for further considerations.  The next steps are up to your organization’s leadership and funding capabilities.  You may decide to engage me or other advisor to help you move forward.  In any case, you will have this very important data with which to help change your organization for the better.

I invite you to take a few moments to examine my website and my background, and the four levels of low-cost assessment analysis tools I offer at www.CharisNP.com.  Whether you decide to engage my services beyond the surveys is completely up to you.  I am available to you to discuss how these can help your organization and help you lead quality change.

 

Serving together,

James K. Lewis, m.a., cfre^®

Is Public Office a Missional Vocation?

I am deeply moved by the numerous and diverse efforts of Jesus followers at my church to impact our community and the Kingdom. Overseas missions, neighborhood outreach, education, human trafficking, connections to help the homeless, advocating for fostering and adoption . . . it is an awesome example of stewardship - and a retaking of ownership of "social" activity within our world.

I wrote about this effort in several papers while studying at Fuller, and as I did there, I would like to take this discussion one step further, into a broader stewardship role for the church. Dallas Willard makes an excellent point in The Spirit of the Disciplines that “charity and social welfare programs, while good and clearly our duty, cannot even begin to fulfill our responsibility as children of the light to a needy world.” He then calls upon the people of God to “assume the responsibility, under God and by his power, of owning and directing the world’s wealth and goods” (1988:202). He points out that by doing so, with Christ, the church would be able to reduce the causes of poverty. That is a level of stewardship the church has not attempted on such a large scale—and likely will not without realizing that the sacred calling of God is not just within the church, but in all vocations and careers. The church should commission men and women into “farming, industry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism and missionary work” (1988:214).

The outcome of this ownership will lead to being able to speak into the development of policy . . . Once the people of God are involved as stewards in influencing the marketplace for the community’s good, they can have a hand in advising public agencies in serving the truly needy. This culminates in the people of God showing how the church “enters into full participation in the rule of God where they are” (1988:218). That is true stewardship of all that God has made and put under our authority, including social service to those in need. Religious control of social functions, as it has been in the past, can be seen as an authentic Christian response to need. P. Beyer, in Religion and Globalization states that this validates the Christian message (1994:197).

If this be the case, what is keeping us from contributing to the setting of policy in our city? Is not civic service as much a step into missional living as other forms of outreach and involvement? Is the desire to serve a public office not as sacred a vocation? If so, we should commission and support with our time, treasure, and talents those taking that step as well as the missionary.

When do you need a consultant?

 

Numerous issues in a nonprofit organization rise to the occasion of requiring paid outside assistance. These involve acknowledging you’re facing something larger than your in-house skill set can handle alone. Accepting that help is needed is the first step in any weakness or dysfunctional behavior – whether of a person or an organization.

Sometimes a struggling organization just needs help transitioning to its next stage of growth. Perhaps a well established organization needs help re-inventing itself. Facing reality is the most difficult when leaders and staff are deeply ingrained in the present organizational culture. It becomes even harder if the leader is a founder or long-term CEO, where he or she may be sensing a loss of control or that recent changes are becoming overwhelming. A lack of positive organizational dynamics keeps many dysfunctions hidden, and people are unwilling to be the one vulnerable enough to upset the apple cart.

Consulting with outside professionals isn’t limited to the need of addressing serious issues . . . most leaders could use regular coaching with peers and/or professional consultants. But some circumstances call for more serious consideration for outside help:

Strategic Planning. This process can require an anonymity that an independent consultant allows. Often I’ve found a key staff or board member who admits to not being sure of the direction or even of the organization’s mission and vision. In one case it was found that a new board member wasn’t aware of the organization’s religious core principles of faith. Appropriately laying the foundation before discussing strategy is critical to success. 

Analyzing fundraising effectiveness. In such a volatile economic landscape, it can become comfortable for an organization to stay the course with tired or limited funding appeals and stale communications. Organizations tend to stay with old metrics and “shot-gunning” rather than using new tools to target a segment of their donor base who are more likely to respond to different types of communications. E-commerce is still only effective in a small portion of demographics, and it is key to understand when and how to phase that in.

Closely aligned with fundraising is an understanding of an organization’s publics – those who can control or limit an organization’s ability to flourish. Many times an organization has “blinders” and they are not aware that they’ve grown myopic in their programs and vision. I’ve seen organizations atrophy due to ignoring the reality of their external context and relationships. This is where familiarity breeds contempt; stakeholders who once supported and helped form the organization can, if ignored or taken for granted, become the worse critics.

A most serious issue that desperately demands immediate assistance is internal organizational conflict due to a lack of unity in mission and vision. It's critical to quickly re-establish clarity of mission and unity between the leaders and the staff or board. This requires outside intervention. But choose the consultant carefully, as this requires a professional who is able to decipher the organization’s deeper cultural and personal issues – not merely personnel or HR issues that are on the surface. The former is ripe with personality clashes and broken trust, while the latter involves organization policy and procedure – which may need addressing, but is not the root cause.

I will mention briefly the need for a consultant and/or interim management through a period of crisis leadership change. Addressing this will require a separate blog, but it's most critical to contract with outside assistance rather than use internal staff in such a case.

These are just a few areas of concern where an independent third party will be able to increase awareness, broker unity, and ensure the stability and sustaining of the organization’s mission. Don’t wait until you realize the need – develop relationships with those you trust and who will be ready and willing to intercede within your organization when needed. While these resources may be costly, you will save time and money with the judicious use of consultants. They will be worth it to the organization, as you will gain much more than you spend. They may be reported as an expense, but they are an asset to any organization.

For more information on choosing Consultants:

http://strengtheningnonprofits.org/resources/guidebooks/Working_with_Consultants.pdf

http://www.first5la.org/files/Nonprofit%20Consultants-How%20to_Buttenheim.pdf

http://charisnp.com/
http://www.artiosinstitute.com/

http://www.theedgegroup.org/

What kind of impact do you want to make?

A critical question . . . "What kind of impact do you want your life to make in the world?" What is the legacy you want to leave your children, the next generations, the Church, the disadvantaged, the Least, the Last and the Lost?

Ever since our first year of marriage when we read several books about missionaries Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and three other men who gave their lives for the feared and undiscovered "Auca" people, my wife, Leslie and I have sought to make a difference. 

Coming up on our 35th anniversary, we can look back and see our service in churches, camping, as technical support missionaries, teaching in schools, homeless shelters, and even the business and corporate sector. For us there is no dichotomy of sacred and secular. What our hands find as a task is ministry - and makes an impact. Raising our four children into responsible adults will leave its mark as well. 

Investing our lives and resources is part of the impact we make and the legacy we leave. As we steward the time, treasure and talent we are given by God, into what "accounts" are you investing those resources? Following the example of the missionaries who have given their all to the Kingdom, may I make a suggestion? Consider the impact of this ministry and what it can do with your investment of life, finances, and prayer . . . 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Elliot and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nate_Saint

The Common Good of Community

These days, providing for the common good by equalizing the economic level playing field through the “creation or redistribution of wealth”—or giving one’s fair share—is an interesting conversation.  

It intrigues me that many of those who take up such a mantra, themselves live apart from those with whom they wish to build solidarity. However, as “First Things” editor R. R. Reno points out: “Solidarity is not the same as equality. It’s about being with others, being part of something, rather than being the same or having the same amounts of stuff.”^[1] So, if disparity of wealth is not the issue dividing us, what is?

Reno goes on to state that it is actual space that divides us, not just financial distance. We need each other.  Just as the scientific study of isolation on infants indicated that touch and the spoken word are necessary for proper emotional and physical nurturing, people need community. Reno also claims it’s a grievous error to think that this distance can be broached by the rich paying a greater share of taxes – as this chasm is a social gap, not merely economic. 

What the poor and disadvantaged need is not bread alone . . . they need to be in community with us – in solidarity with those seeking to help them. 

Again, solidarity is not merely monetary equality, but togetherness. Detrick Bonhoeffer warned that those who dream of community are likely the destroyer of community. How? They focus only what they want it to be, not on the community itself as it is. Such are those who desire to build a better community from afar – thinking that their charitable contributions, requiring increased taxes, or that their advocacy and activism will bring solidarity . . . without having to bridge the space between themselves and those they “target” with their doing good.   

What personal and professional time, talent, and treasures are creating space rather than lessening it in your sphere of community? We will each need to go beyond our “soup-kitchener” and donor activity, as well as our share of the tax burden, and deal with decreasing the space between ourselves and those we seek to help. If we want to see solidarity of community, we must do it as Jesus did . . . with our feet, our hands, and our actions.

¹ Reno, R. R. "The Public Square: Solidarity." First Things (Institute on Religion and Public LIfe), no. 234 (June/July 2013): 3-4.

Radical Christianity?

I find the argument about whether Christian has to be “radical” in order to be genuine is an interesting conversation. If we look at the etymology of the term Christian, its very roots define such a person “as following and belonging to the anointed one;” a pretty radical calling, if you ask me.   

The Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos) [meaning "follower of Christ"] comes from Χριστός (Christos) [meaning "anointed one"] with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.^[1}

That being the case, having been bought with the price of Christ’s blood, we are no longer our own, but His. We can do nothing of our own accord, only act as His bond slave – or steward. I suppose the conversation may then shift to the issue of if one is actually following the desires of the Owner or one’s own desires . . . removing themselves from bondage to Christ.

 

As this “bondage” is a voluntary submission—not mandatory—the follower is free to act in the Owner’s interest or their own. It seems to me that such a powerful realization of salvation through Christ’s sacrifice would render a person as fully and forever awestruck of his own need and the fullness of joy in their submission to Him – such as is rendered by C.S.Lewis in his autobiography Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life (1955).

 

My own realization recalls the scene in the film “The Miracle Worker” when young, defiant Helen Keller receives her “sight” and is overcome by joy; her life is changed forever, and spends the rest of her life bringing sight to others. ^[2]

My sight was realized in July of 1976 during vespers at Sequoia National Park, where I worked for the summer. In response to a phase of sincerely seeking His grace and forgiveness, I came to a fuller knowledge of my salvation and committed myself to follow Christ . . . unknowing then what form or manner that path of service would take. I would hope that others observing my life since would say its been somewhat radical.

Having been so surprised by joy, I can’t fathom it anything else . . . He is mine and I am His. And I want others to realize that radical joy as well. 

Notes: 

1.     Bickerman, 1949 p. 147, All these Greek terms, formed with the Latin suffix -ianus, exactly as the Latin words of the same derivation, express the idea that the men or things referred to, belong to the person to whose name the suffix is added. p. 145, In Latin this suffix produced proper names of the type Marcianus and, on the other hand, derivatives from the name of a person, which referred to his belongings, like fundus Narcissianus, or, by extension, to his adherents, Ciceroniani. (underline mine)

2.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_Worker_(1962_film)  

A Brief Review of Dallas Willard's "Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ"

[Note: this report was my submittal in the course, ML582: Character, Community and Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2009 and is edited to reflect his passing]

Willard, Dallas, 2002. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

            Dallas Willard (1935-2013) was a professor and former Director of the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where he taught since 1965. Willard lived out his personal philosophy within his teaching, writing and in his strategy for his life: “I know what good work is. I’m going to do it, and I expect God to help me. I will give my life to it. Of course, I will be a prisoner of Christ; that’s what I am.”[i] This philosophy is very much evidenced in his writing and in his commitment to allowing the Spirit to reign and provide direction in his life. Although not setting out to teach in a secular university, he was led to do so subsequent to his graduate work. Willard stated that he never self-promoted himself – not seeking a position or a raise – but considers himself a “literalist in terms of the Bible,”[ii] as it relates to advancement coming from God.

            The thesis of this book is that in the process of realizing the character of Christ, one may “remove or master” each impediment to gaining that character (:10-11); and that process should be orderly – not haphazard or mysterious – to those wanting to overcome human (sinful) nature.

            Willard presents five chapters of introductory, foundation-building elements which examines mankind’s frailty in the human existence, and provides support for the development of spiritual formation; including why people often fall short of the ideal of Christ-like character.

An “Interlude” chapter reflects on the reality of seeking this transformation.  It is Willard’s perspective that our own effort falls short; we are in need of God’s grace.  He states that those who are “the greatest saints are not those who need less grace, but those who consume the most grace;” God’s grace sustains them (:93-94).

Willard then lays out through six chapters a process of transformation of: (1) Mind/ Thought; (2) Mind/Feeling; (3) Will; (4) Body; (5) Social Dimension; and (6) Soul.  These areas of one’s self are outlined earlier in chapter two as distinct areas in which we must allow the Spirit to work through for our transformation (:38). 

In the two concluding chapters Willard examines how this process of transformation interfaces with the world and within the local church.  In the world, a contrast of light and darkness presents a picture of the outcome of personal sanctification, and its effect upon us and the world we are in (:224).  Willard then presents God’s plan for spiritual formation within the congregation of the people of God with a focus on being rather than doing. 

This book makes me recall Richard J. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline.  While I read Foster’s book in 1978 during a period of discipleship, I find Willard’s book is timely to this era of my life.  Through this book I am able to more fully recognize my shortcomings and how I may have diverted from disciplines in my life, which were a critical and primary element of my new life in Christ.  I am not surprised that Foster provides an endorsement for this book.[iii]

Willard puts flesh on the teaching of sanctification in a way I need to reconsider within my life and leadership ministry, and grasp that the transforming work of the Spirit “. . . brings every element in (my) being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God . . .”[iv]  C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce also comes to mind, as the landscape on the way to the Kingdom feels unbearably unreachable until one repents through an act of the will.

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[i] Dallas Willard, “My Journey To and Beyond Tenure in a Secular University” (Remarks given at the Faculty Forum Luncheon of the C.S. Lewis Foundation Summer Conference, University of San Diego, 21 June 2003), available at http://www.dwillard.org/biography/tenure.asp, Internet.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Richard Foster states, “No one has thought more carefully than Dallas Willard about the human personality and how it can be transformed into Christlikeness.” This endorsement is found on the back cover of the hardcover version of Renovation of the Heart.

[iv] A summary which quotes the author is found on the back cover of the hardcover version of Renovation of the Heart.

Mailbox Missionaries

Overhearing a conversation between my wife and me about bills and our limited funds, our 9 year-old daughter piped up, “Maybe there will be a check in the mail today for $200!”

In 1989, after being accepted as approved missionary candidates with Wycliffe Bible Translators, it was recommended that I get further training in avionics and acquire my FAA General Airframe Mechanic certification in order to better serve in Communications – my technical support missionary position would require installation of radio equipment and antennas on aircraft. Having recently left my position with Eastman Kodak as a Field Engineer – and its relatively secure salary and benefits – our family of 6 was residing in East Tennessee while I attended Moody Aviation.

But while we were only approved candidates, we could not raise financial support through Wycliffe until this course was completed and we were ready to continue our Wycliffe training. So, we had written our friends, explaining to them our quest toward missionary service, and left it to the leading of the Lord through them for our personal support . . . we were now “Mailbox Missionaries.” 

Later that day the mail was opened and there was, indeed, a check for $200; the faith of a little girl and her family was fulfilled and strengthened. Through these vignettes of God working through His people, we were able to trust that our support would be realized and His work would go on as an extension of those who supported and prayed for us.

Such is the plight of para-church ministries and nonprofit charities that do not receive government funding, but rely primarily upon the generosity of donors in order to provide critical relief and services to the remote, disadvantaged, victimized, homeless, poor and needy. This work is only possible through the partnership of others who sense the call to reach out and fulfill the command of God to treat these people as we would the Lord Himself.

Many bemoan the numerous pieces of mail that tend to flood our mailboxes. But I realize that educating the public on services ministries provide and the opportunity for changed lives is often the only way the average person will know of that work. Many times I’ve heard donors make the comment, “I didn’t realize you did all this”; and this from those who have been supporting the organization for years!

Public concern for the percentage of donated funds used for solicitation is warranted. Interested donors can check out charities on websites such as Guidestar.org and review nonprofits’ 990 reports. If a 990 is not available, it is often an indication that the charity is reportedly operating as a church, and therefore not required to file a 990. Donors should carefully consider religious charities transparency in reporting information such as program, administration, and fundraising ratios as good stewardship of their giving.

However, the mechanics of fundraising and accountability should not be allowed to overshadow the ministry accomplished by small charities that exist primarily as “Mailbox Missionaries.” The response envelopes that come in the mail each day are the lifeblood of critical services and can often limit the ability to sustain ministry. When you consider supporting a ministry beyond your normal church tithe, consider if that organization is utilizing every inch of its facilities, every donated penny, and every offered prayer for the service of others and to the glory of God.

And the next time you see that envelop in your mailbox, remember a little girl and a young missionary family whose faith was answered through someone responding to a need. The possibilities that your support provides toward the faith of the organization and those individuals and families that benefit are endless. Your investment is an extension of the church’s responsibility to reach out to a needy world – and often, it is through a response to a piece of mail. 

"We CAN do what we do without you, However..."

As a ministry leader and fundraiser I have to confess that I have disliked the phrase from the first time I heard it . . .“We can't do what we do without you.” The misguided mantra we use in an effort to convince our donors and volunteers how valuable they are to the ministry.

After over a decade of feeling this way, my perspective was finally confirmed by my good friend Doug Shaw in his recently released book, “The Rules of Fundraising.” Doug’s Rule #9 states: You don't have to lie to raise money [or get people to volunteer].¹ This admonition is included with a few of the “little white lies” we advance, along with overstating the impact of our organization.  

Now don’t get me wrong – what ministry partners do and give is no less than critical to a successful and effective ministry. But to make such an overstatement robs the glory from the true origin of all our available resources and abilities to serve people in need . . . that of our heavenly Provider.

God is the true owner and provider of all that we have – and all that the donor and volunteer share with us. Those who share are merely His chosen stewards of what is His. I actually verbalized this a few times when thanking those who served my ministry by saying that while we could still do most our work without their involvement, their participation made it so much more meaningful and less challenging . . . and our success wouldn't be such a blessing if we weren't sharing it with them. I wondered though, if that resonated as much.

If what I feel is right, in what way can we make our gratitude known to those who invest their time, treasure, and talents in the ministry? We can appreciate them and their investment by acknowledging that they empower us to serve in a manner that is enhanced and more effective – and which pleases our Lord. I feel the more important idea to convey is the vital impact our partners bring to the table through their efforts.

Their involvement has a direct bearing on the breadth and depth of the ministry to, and the life-change produced in, those we serve. That impact is the mantra we should voice – and not understate.

¹ Douglas K. Shaw, The Rules of Fundraising, Naperville: DSA, 2013, pg 58, brackets mine.  

Community Renewal as Incarnational Mission

Missonal, Incarnational, and Stewardship are terms that are too easily tossed about these days. In order for the people of God to bring about flourishing in our communities we need real definitions and concrete manifestations, rather than vague illusions of what they mean.   

Urban Homeless Shelter

I believe to be, or take part in something missional is to become part of what we recognize God is already doing in the community (missio Dei). This requires examination of the sociological, historical, and political conditions in which the Church—and our ministry—must become the visible expression of God to the world. When these realities are properly merged we see truly incarnational mission at work – through which we become stewards of God’s grace, justice, and resources of the Kingdom.

An incarnational mission involves our “real and abiding presence” in the community that bears fruit for both the local church and the urban environment. One cannot become part of the organism of community unless he or she becomes intimate with its “cultural rhythms, life, and geography” (2003a, 39); as Ronald Sider shares, “Holistic ministry is incarnational ministry . . . it’s God fleshing out the truth of the Gospel.” It is not only helping others in the community, but inspiring the church member and stretching themselves outside their traditional sphere of influence (2002, 27). Are we bold enough to commit to an incarnational model as sufficient to match the changes in culture and polity we face in this new millennium?

When efforts are not incarnational, little of lasting note gets done – this can lead to negative issues . . . and those seeing themselves in the “crosshairs” of perceived do-gooders begin to see themselves as “targets” rather than in community (2003b, 108). Becoming part of our community through assimilating its culture and recognizing context takes time and effort, which is necessary in order to build a missional bridge of any permanence. 

Fresno Rescue Mission's new Save the Children Home

This integration will take visionary church leaders who are able to assess the needs of the community, as well as considering the strengths within a congregation, and to build individual team leaders who can lay the groundwork for a safe and appropriate missional outreach (2006b, 32). I mention “safe” as there is danger in not considering the full impact of an urban environment when developing programs. This type of missional outreach can allow people to step beyond the “soup-kitchener” experience and into a more personal and contextual missional expression of their faith and lifestyle. 

Such change can only come through a concerted effort of our church leaders, ministries and community agencies in creating a bias for action through educating congregants in missional stewardship of all that they control – time, treasure, and talents.

Frost, Michael, and Alan Hirsch. 2003a. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Linthicum, Robert. 2003b. Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your Community. Downers Grove: IVP.

Roxburgh, Alan J. and Fred Romanuk. 2006b. The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sider, Ronald J., Philip N. Olson, and Heidi Rolland Unruh. 2002. Churches That Make a Difference: Reaching Your Community with Good News and Good Works. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Vocations Empowered for the Common Good

This morning’s speaker at Grace Brethren Church Long Beach, Dr. Steven Garber, founder and principal of the Washington Institute on Faith, Vocation and Culture spoke on being stewards of our common grace for the common good.  His comments related to how the grace of God in a life committed to Him can impact the world for the Kingdom.  Our vocations, when empowered by God’s grace, fulfill the Church’s responsibility to impact the Kingdom life here and now, not just in the hereafter—socially, politically, and economically.  This discussion recalled my studies at Fuller on social advocacy and in particular one particularly powerful statement by Dallas Willard which gave credence to thoughts I’d had on charitable programs.

Willard makes a similar point to Garber’s in The Spirit of the Disciplines that “charity and social welfare programs, while good and clearly our duty, cannot even begin to fulfill our responsibility as children of the light to a needy world.”  He then boldly calls upon the people of God to “assume the responsibility, under God and by his power, of owning and directing the world’s wealth and goods” (1988:202).  He points out that by doing so, with Christ, the church would be able to reduce the causes of poverty.

That is a level of stewardship the church has not attempted on such a large scale—and likely will not—without realizing that the sacred calling of God is not just within the church, but in all vocations and careers. He continues the challenge by declaring the church should commission men and women into “farming, industry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism and missionary work” (1988:214).

Once the people of God are involved as stewards in influencing the marketplace for the community’s good, they can have a hand in advising public agencies in serving the truly needy.  This culminates in the people of God showing how the church “enters into full participation in the rule of God where they are” (1988:218).  That is true stewardship of all that God has made and put under our authority, including social service to those in need.  Religious control of social functions, as it has been in the past, can be seen as an authentic Christian response to need.  P. Beyer, in Religion and Globalization states that this validates the Christian message (1994:197).

By becoming stewards of God’s love and compassion through charity, the church becomes a centripetal force in the world.  Serving societal needs as part of the soteriological effort of the church is the greatest stewardship of all God’s resources, and becomes the attracting light the world seeks.  In the words of Bernhard W. Anderson, “The nations are attracted to Zion, the spiritual center, because the teaching that goes forth from that source appeals to the deeper human longings for šālom (peace, welfare).  Mission is at its best when it brings something to a people that respond to their deepest desire and quest” (2006:116).

• Beyer, P. Religion and Globalization. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1994.
• Okoye, James. Israel and the Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2006. 
• Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. New York: HarperCollins, 1988.

Leveraging the Passion of our Emerging Leadership in Philanthropy

Just a year ago in an article discussing the changing culture of nonprofits and the failing economy, I examined the decline of the nonprofit sector due to its failure of facing the realities of a changing market and demographic.* Following this marked decline, in just a few years we have seen an increasing flow of new blood in the sector . . . young leaders (I dislike tagging them “millennial”) are bringing a new passion and desire to impact their society.  

To this aging Boomer, having served most of my vocation in nonprofits, this brings a surprising feeling of promise and a desire to see them become empowered in a way my generation failed to realize through our efforts in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

This upwelling of philanthropic youth is more than evident here at the 50th International Conference of Fundraising in San Diego. The San Diego Convention Center is teeming with young people, wherein such a conference a decade ago would have witnessed an older attendee. In a review class for the CFRE – a certification for those with fundraising experience – there were quite a few young people who obviously did not bring experience of the level normally expected to such a class. I propose that not a few of them thought some of the material and processes discussed a bit mechanistic and antiquated. Additionally, the crowd was standing room only and overflowing the room of the First Timers orientation meeting.  This leads me to wonder what is the impetus of these new fundraisers? 

For those of us who have long been involved in nonprofit fund development, we may recognize the surge of funds now flowing from our generation’s estates, and how best to help divert them from the government and invest in charitable efforts. I sense, however, that the new conference attendees are not so much interested in investing these funds, but rather investing themselves in the empowerment of others. They recognize the weakness of government and institutions to meet the growing gap in services and bring a new paradigm to the task.

While wanting to encourage and empower this new generation, we need to sensitively guide them and their enthusiasm into this sector. Just as the ‘90s saw a growth of nonprofits that was impossible to properly fund, we can allow them to be change agents within existing organizations, as well as lead collaborations, acquisitions, and mergers which will increase capacity, reduce duplications, and bring a new face and paradigm to, not just the nonprofit sector, but to the for-profit sector and world-wide commerce as well.

How we assist, educate, encourage and empower this emerging leadership will be the fulcrum on which their impact is leveraged.  

http://ym.christianleadershipalliance.org/?CriticalShift

A Case for a New Leadership Paradigm

We are in a world of change as paradigms are being challenged. Gone are the days of the broad community acceptance of the Christian service provider. Postmodernism is taking its toll . . . leadership is changing, urban demographics are changing, legal regulations are changing, staff and boards are changing, donors are changing, and ministry core services are changing. Change is as certain as the sun rising.

In this day and age, faith-based service providers and their staff need to be on the cutting edge to keep up with an ever-changing environment that challenges the sustainability of the mission and vision of an organization. In order to meet these challenges there needs to be a constant – and two critical constants are proper stewardship and increasing core competencies through accreditation.

Stewardship of the organization, program curriculum, staff resources, liabilities, finances, and board governance are paramount – and most importantly, is stewardship of the physical and spiritual health of the leader.
Artios Institute provides collaborative accreditation through coursework designed with stewardship as the focus. Through a peer cohort of fellow leaders, development staff and board members, your knowledge, skills, and capacity for change is strengthened and profound impacts are cultivated. In this two-year course, meeting two and a half days every other month for the first year and three times the second year, we will explore four foundational pillars:

1. An Understanding of Biblical Stewardship, Fund Development & Advancement 
2. The Keys to Balanced Personal & Professional Growth of the Leader 
3. The Core Components of Building Boards & Effective Teams
4. The Role of Strategy in Determining Vision & Direction 

Whether you are a seasoned executive or development leader, or just starting in ministry, this course of study will challenge and strengthen you and your organization – and prepare both for the challenges of today and years to come. This is an investment in stewardship you can’t afford not to explore. Examine the course elements and consider Artios Institute for yourself and your team.

  Review the Four Pillars               Examine the CCNL Credential

Fundraising isn't about the ASK

The ASK is all about relationship and trust.

I have a lot of experience in nonprofit ministry wherein we are dependent upon others for support of our programs, operations, and our salary.  A difficulty of most organizations in this sector is fundraising; asking people for money.  I believe that is due to a lack of a focus on trust and relationships.

Much of nonprofit fundraising training and practice focuses on marketing and communication.  Too much, I think.  What that focus may not clearly understand is that people want to be an integral part of the doing of good – of the ministry which meets needs and changes lives.  What they don’t want is to be seen and used as a “target.”  But all too often nonprofits see and use their clientele and donors as targets: one to do good to, and one to fund it.

Both our recipients and our donors want to have a relationship with us – but on their terms, for their purpose.  I think the secret of successfully providing services and responsible fundraising lies in how we relate to them. For both, respect must be openly given, without expectation of reciprocity.  How do we provide respect?  Through our relationship and building trust . . .

My learning curve began as a technical support missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators as we learned their partnership development (i.e. fundraising) mantra of “Full Information, No Solicitation.”  When Leslie and I built relationships and communicated the mission and vision of Bible Translation, this brought buy-in and people desired to trust us with their investment. It didn't hurt that we traveled across the country with our four children in a '74 VW Camper and people we stayed with saw us interact as a family, warts and all.

This paradigm was clarified for me so powerfully today through a video from the TED Conference and an unlikely teacher of the ASK, “Amanda Palmer: The art of asking” (click to view)  I think you will understand as you share in Amanda’s experience in building relationship and trust as you watch.

Are you willing to become as vulnerable to, and trusting of your clientele and donors?  It's what the ask is really all about.