Ministry Leader Infusion - The Secret To A Gospel Centered Productivity Focus, Interview With Aarron Pina

Bill Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Christian Foundation, which seeks to enable followers of Christ to give wisely to advance His Kingdom. Before joining the National Christian Foundation, Bill had 30 years of experience in corporate America. As part of our Accelerate Giving Conference Bill sat down with Ministry Ventures' own CEO Boyd Bailey to talk about Generosity and the strategic resources available for generous givers. Make sure you watch the whole Accelerate Giving Conference at http://accelerategiving.com/ Find out more about Ministry Ventures at http://ministryventures.org

In this episode you'll hear part of our recent Accelerate Giving Conference. Danny Wuerffel joined us to speak about what he has learned while leading Desire Street Ministries. Danny was a star quarterback for the University of Florida Gators and won the Heisman Trophy in 1996. Danny retired from his professional football career in 2004 and began working with Desire Street Ministries which seeks to revitalize impoverished neighborhoods around the country. Make sure you watch the whole Accelerate Giving Conference at http://accelerategiving.com/ Find out more about Ministry Ventures at http://ministryventures.org

How could he think about strategy and vision when he had four-thousand messages in his inbox, two jobs to manage and no way to see himself out from under the stress of it all? He wanted to stop putting out the most urgent fires and start choosing the most strategic fires to address instead, but didn’t know where to find the time. Can you relate? Aarron Pina is the Executive Director of Seasons of Life Ministries and takes seriously the biblical calling to manage responsibilities as unto the Lord. He knew he needed help as things spiraled out of control so he decided to take action. In this interview, you’ll hear how he applied biblical principles to think rightly and narrow his focus. Being a good shepherd of his relationships, projects, responsibilities and opportunities is key to his thinking and will inspire you to do likewise. Additional Links: For more on Aarron Pina or to take part in his Clean Slate workshop, visit http://zeroinbox.org/ Ministry Ventures www.ministryventures.org Recommended Books: David Allen’s Getting Things Done

Todd Buechter co-leads the youth missions program at his church in Atlanta. In this episode you will hear how God lead him into his current position and how his church is leading large groups of teenagers on mission every year. Outline 1:19 - Introduction 7:25 - How things changed after leading his first youth mission trip 10:47 - A year in review 16:55 - Planning for the next year 21:20 - Making the announcement 24:05 - An explination of Family Groups and fundraising opportunities 30:59 - January Retreat 41:00 - Group fundraisiers 51:00 - Todd shares what keeps him going when things get rough Photo by The City of Toronto https://www.flickr.com/photos/cityoftoronto/

In this episode Boyd Bailey, co-founder and CEO of Ministry Ventures, shares why prayer is critical in the lives of ministry leaders. You'll hear Boyd's personal journey along with practical advice for including prayer as a part of your leadership legacy. Here's a preview: Intro 2:20 - Why prayer is important for the leader 7:07 - The example of Charles Spurgeon 8:14 - Benefits of regular prayer retreats 10:58 - Monastery visit; Abby of the Genessee 17:49 - Setting aside time for prayer 25:26 - Listening prayer 28:58 - Boyd's prayer for ministry leaders Find out more about Ministry Ventures at MinistryVentures.org

How important is networking to your role as a ministry leader? Mike Flink is the National Partnership Director with Ministry Ventures. In this episode he shares his philosophy of networking and why it is such a fundamental part of ministry leadership. He also shares practical advice around bringing refreshment and encouragement to every engagement. Here's the overview: 1:20 – Intro 2:08 – Mike shares his story 5:18 – Mike shares his philosophy of networking 7:46 – The first steps in networking 20:58 – Continuing the relationships through systems 25:05 – How to contact Mike

Rich and powerful as he was, he could only remember fourteen days in his entire life that could be characterized by joy. He had everything, yet only two weeks of contentedness. Hard to believe…or is it? The man was an ancient Eastern ruler who, near the end of his life, looked back to number his joyful days and ended up needing only two hands and one foot to tally the sum. As I thought about this story, I was struck by the contrast of another man our team recently spoke with. He’s not rich and powerful, nor is he a ruler, but when I heard his story I couldn’t help but notice how much joy he seemed to have. His name is Brian Kluth, and we recently interviewed him on his favorite topics: generosity and gratitude. Brian has a way of counting his blessings that seems to fuel his joy-tank on a regular basis. You’ll hear more about this in the interview, but I wonder if generosity and gratitude were the missing ingredients in a life with only fourteen days of joy? As Kingdom leaders there will be times of testing that may tempt us toward despair, especially when we’re not sure from where or when the resources will show up. Even still, doing what Brian has learned to do may help us pass those tests with flying colors by looking away from the need and up towards the Provider again and again. Let’s not settle for fourteen days. You were made for much more joy than that. Get your joy-tank filled to the brim! Generosity and gratitude are essential to the mix, and Brian speaks with sage-like wisdom to both of these. I know you’ll be blessed and inspired! Intro 2:17 – Brian’s Journey Toward Generosity 5:10 – The Discovery of Giving 9:07 – Key Moments of God’s Provision 14:36 – First Steps to Re-Engage in Generosity 17:56 – Conclusion

What if a few simple questions asked before your next meeting could save your organization significant time and money? In this interview with Bryan Noel, COO of Root Radius, you’ll learn not only how to avoid wasting time and money in your meetings, but also how to foster inspiration and creativity during those important moments together with your team. Here’s what we cover: Intro - Meet Bryan 2:54 - What Happened to Meeting Agendas? Plan Your Next Meeting Like a Boss. 7:40 - Five Simple Questions to Ask Before Your Next Meeting that will Save Your Organization Significant Time and Money. 10:15 - Sinking In. Creating Inspirational Meeting Environments for Incredible Results. 18:21 - When to Go with the Off-Site Meeting. 19:25 - Create a Space that Reminds People of What They're Doing.

In this interview with Terence Chatmon, President of the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International, you'll hear why vision is perhaps the critical component of effective leadership. From his days at Johnson & Johnson and Citibank to leading the community outreach efforts of Focus on the Family, Terence speaks from experience. You'll be inspired to nurture courage in your own heart as a leader and learn how clear vision can make the diference in the face of adversity. Here's a preview of the interview: Intro 1:52 - Terence’s background - Corporate and Non-Profit Leadership 5:18 - On the Shoulders of Great Leadership - Intentionally Investing in Others, Lessons from Dad 8:33 - Leadership Pitfalls, Leading through Crisis 11:48 - Developing the Courage to Lead - Trusting in His Vision 15:40 - The vision of Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI.org), Stories of impact 23:00 - Keeping the Vision Fresh

Leading practices and life stories from experienced ministry leaders. In this interview with Laura Bishop, Executive Director of the South Florida National Christian Foundation, you'll hear communication insights from an experienced and qualified leader. From crisis management at Oral Roberts University to working in development with Habitat for Humanity, Laura has a breadth of experience and wisdom to offer. You'll hear how her team approaches their annual communication plan along with how they gauge whether or not it's successful. Here's a preview of the segments: Intro Laura's Communication & Development Background - 1:18 Diving in the Deep End - Crisis Communication at Oral Roberts University - 3:07 Seeing the Organization with Fresh Eyes, Digging Up Stories - 5:47 Putting Together Your Communication Strategy for the Year - 9:00 How to Gauge the Success of Your Communication - 12:00 Your Part as Executive Director vs. Your Team's Role - 13:54 Using Your Annual Report For More Than The Financials - 15:08 Social Media - Choosing what works best - 17:43