Spring 2014

Stanley Carlson-Thies on protecting good works rooted in religious conviction

Stanley Carlson-Thies, founder and president of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA), has his finger on the pulse of public policy issues impacting Christian nonprofit ministries like those comprising CLA. His non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based organization works “to safeguard the religious identity and faith-shaped standards and services of faith-based o...

Looking back on God's unique plan

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)

Recently I was visiting with an elderly friend in his small,  assisted living apartment. We had spent more than six years work...

Measuring ministry outcomes

When Bridgette’s sponsors received an updated photo of her from El Salvador, they were concerned. Bridgette’s picture was sullen and serious. This wasn’t the same little girl whose winsome smile and hands-on-the-hips confidence had won their hearts in her original sponsorship picture.

They contacted Compassion. Were bad things happening to Bridgette? Could Compassion’s staff investigate? After all, the whole idea of ...

Defining your mission, vision, and values

When we meet with people to discuss strengthening their Human Resource (HR) practices, we often use the term “kingdom-minded organization.” More often than not, they are intrigued as to precisely how we define such a considerably broad scope or approach. Certainly, many Christian business people, pastors, and consultants have their own ideas as to what constitutes a kingdom-minded organization.

My ...

Principles for greater Kingdom impact

Do you really believe that any good can come from social media? If we were candid, many of us would wonder how social media could have any significant kingdom impact … or maybe any positive kingdom impact. After all, social media platforms are some of the greatest time wasters and distractions of our day.

In 1961, then Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton N. Minow, famously called comm...

How effective is your ministry?

If you were asked why your organization exists, what would you answer?

As a Christian ministry, your answer would likely point to meeting spiritual needs and addressing human needs — demonstrating and declaring the love of Jesus in word and deed to advance the kingdom of God.

Certainly, you would detail the important, “good works” your organization accomplishes.

Now, just imagine ...

Outcomes assessment and Christian higher education

Higher education has come slowly to true outcomes assessment. Christian higher education has been no exception. We have made plans for years — even plans that we called “strategic.” We have certainly done “evaluation” of students. We have regularly evaluated each other through the peer accreditation process. But in all of this, we have focused more often on “inputs” rath...

Leadership lessons from a life of ministry

Leaders are learners. At least that’s my experience. I’m a reader, so I learn a lot from the blogs, articles, and books I read. I also learn because I’m (by background) a curious journalist and I ask a lot of questions. And, hopefully, I keep my eyes open to absorb what I observe.

But in the five decades I have been in vocational ministry, in many different leadership roles, this is clear: I...

World Vision's Rich Stearns on completing our kingdom mission

CLA President and CEO Tami Heim, recently interviewed Rich Stearns, president and CEO of World Vision, U.S.

Stearns is the former CEO for Parker Brothers Games and Lenox. He holds a B.A. in neurobiology from Cornell University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Following a sense of God’s call on his life, he resigned from Lenox in 1998 t...

Three defining characteristics

Kingdom Outcomes is the theme of the 2014 Christian Leadership Alliance National Conference. So we thought it would be helpful to explore this question: What are kingdom outcomes?

We propose that kingdom outcomes have three characteristics:

    1. They are the byproduct of obedience to the Holy Spirit. Kingdom outcomes are filled, led, and em...