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Turbo-Powered Finance

By Mark Tjernagel “Wow! I am not used to that kind of acceleration and power … ,” I muttered to myself in my empty rental car on a recent business trip. My “sports car” rental provided a much different driving experience than my four-cylinder economy car back home. Normally, when I step on the gas…

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You Cannot Steward Tomorrow

By Dr. R.Scott Rodin Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 If you are seeking to lead as a steward leader, then this verse from Thessalonians is a powerful reminder of a key biblical truth – you cannot steward tomorrow.…

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The Generosity Boom

By Kn Moy When it comes to giving generously, not a lot has changed in the past century. For example, according to John and Sylvia Ronsvalle in The State of Church Giving through 2011 (23rd edition, 2013) in 1921, for every $100 earned, the typical Christian in the U.S. gave away $2.90. In 2011, for every $100…

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How the Best Christian Workplaces Engage Emerging Leaders

For the past 10 years, Al Lopus, as president and cofounder of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), has been conducting the Best Christian Workplaces Survey. This 58-question, broad-based human resources survey compiles data on people practices and the way they’re experienced in Christian workplaces. Lopus and his organization have surveyed over 500 different Christian…

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Leadership Contradictions

By Kent Wilson Ph.D. Sometimes leadership isn’t that simple or straight forward—in fact, many times. People like to believe that their leaders are honest, moral, vision-driven influencers that express their leadership in understandable and consistent ways. But leading people isn’t always that simple or consistent (at least from an outsider’s point of view). One of…

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Steward Leaders Empower Others

By Howard Rich We’ve all heard Lord Acton’s saying, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  Most leaders do not hold absolute power, but all of us hold some power.  Power is an essential force in human relations, but it can be a major hindrance to leading as a steward.  Successfully handling the…

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Should Your Board Be Fired?

Dr. Larry Johnston At the recent CLA Dallas 2014 Conference, I conducted a seminar with the intentionally provocative title, “Remind me… Why do we have a board?”  In the seminar, I asked all the participants to quietly reflect on the following question before they answered:             “If you weren’t legally required to have a board, would…

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Steward Leadership: Process of Choosing Accountability

By Matthew Thomas In non-profit and church organizations, the process of choosing directors varies dramatically. It is important for leaders making the initial selection to work out their stated values ahead of defining the process, as well as defining their model for how they interpret the owners’ wishes. The organization’s bylaws will typically speak to…

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CEOs and Fundraising

By R. Mark Dillon, Ph.D. Yes, it is your job! It was my initial interview with the relatively new CEO of a highly respected nonprofit organization. The discussion was going well. Then he asked the question: “What’s your perspective on the president’s role in fundraising?” I thought about the “politic” answer, but, throwing caution to the…

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Good to Great Governance: Who Cares?

 By John Pearson You’ve heard the sad story of the board that belatedly realizes their CEO has learned very little from 20 years of CEO “leadership.” Instead, the scorecard would reveal that he or she has had just one year of leadership—but repeated 20 times. How about your board? Are your governance competencies improving, plateauing, or…

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