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Are We Ready for the Future

CEO Discusses the Future of CMA
Frank LoFaro | Outcomes, Mar/Apr 2007

One year ago in Denver, I made my first comments as CMA's new president and CEO. I had already done some of my own research about CMA's founding, history and growth. But as the new kid on the block, I wanted to know more. I still had many questions:

• Where were we strong? Where were we falling short?
• What do people find valuable about CMA?
• Why have we plateaued in membership?
• What do Christian leaders and their teams really need from an association like ours to further the work of their ministries?
• What is on the horizon that we can all barely see?

I began a diligent search for answers. In more than 30 cities in 16 states, I met face to face with hundreds of association members, including CEOs, managers and valued staff. I talked by phone with dozens of others, swapped emails and shared stories with more than I can count. Frequently I found myself saying, "Tell me more about your world and what you need … ."

Eventually I came to this conviction:

Although CMA's middle name is "management," our future focus needs to be squarely on helping faith-based ministries achieve greater organizational effectiveness. In essence, CMA has to strengthen its focus on helping ministries achieve the results they've been called to achieve in their respective missions. Therefore, our work at CMA must be to study, teach and advance organizational effectiveness that flows from implementing best practices in governance, leadership and management.

Coming to this conclusion meant that much of CMA's future would mean careful analysis and "thoughtful reengineering" for our future. In one sense, "nearly nothing" would need changing. On the other hand, "almost everything" needed updating.

"Nearly nothing" would have to change because organizational effectiveness has been on the minds and hearts of those connected to CMA from its inception. Organizational effectiveness has various meanings to all of us, but it's God-honoring, results oriented, good business, reflects good stewardship of resources, and reflects a caring for people. And it just makes sense for any organization wanting to honor God in all it does.

But "almost everything" would have to be updated, to ensure that we, as an association, are fully prepared to seize and leverage the current and emerging realities of our ever-moving world. If we fail at this "thoughtful reengineering," it has seemed to me that we might lose the opportunity to help thousands of faith-based organizations advance God's Kingdom purposes and plans.

So what does "thoughtful reengineering" look like? Not all the details of our emerging future are clear, but here are a few that are: