Spring 2014

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...

How to maintain a healthy tempo

How would those closest to you — your spouse, a close friend, or a team member — describe the melody of your life? Would they suggest a light-hearted Bach fugue or a dramatic Beethoven symphony? How would they characterize the tempo and the dynamics of your life?

 “He was busy.”

“She made things happen.”

...

Leading and measuring belong together!

I totally understand that the degree of change and the pace of change will be different for every person and organization. That is not my concern. What I am concerned about is, for the most part, leaders of faith-based nonprofits are under the illusion that they are making progress when every indicator around them says they are not. Simply put, the solutions nonprofits — even faith-based nonprofits — are trying ...

It's the key to better ministry outcomes

Boards can be frustrating. That fact led me to do my doctoral research on the legal and biblical duties of a parachurch governing board, to see if we could find ways to spark our boards toward greater engagement and true accomplishment. I can teach the theoretical but I’m very focused on producing practical, effective outcomes. That’s why I’m leading a two-day class on the topic of catalytic board ch...

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 wind, I told him the truth: “You are the chief fundraising officer of this organization.” He...

A healthy culture starts with you.

Does it haunt you to watch some leaders conducting “dangerous business” with their organizations? It haunts me.

Then, I reflect on our Truefaced team, which works every day to help leaders and their organizations grow in love, trust, and change, and I’m haunted even more. From time to time, we have conducted some of our own “dangerous business.” We all struggle to become the kind of lead...

Change your ministry's culture

“I’ve tried a dozen times,” one CEO told me, as he struggled to increase the pace of innovation at his company. If you’re like him, shifting demographics and the Information Age foster a change-laden atmosphere, while your organization remains static.

Culture matters

Most of our organizational adjustments are simply strategic. We see impact growing...