Christian Leadership Alliance
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Balancing Life's Demands
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How one leader planned for it-and then told his board the unexpected news. . .| Outcomes, Sep/Oct 2007, Vol. 31, No. 5
As a CEO, it may have been the low point in my four years in ministry leadership. Thank goodness no one was around to see what I was doing on the morning I faced the fact that our best efforts to raise over half a million dollars had left us way short. I wouldn't say our development efforts had failed. However, because we had so far to go, I knew there was one thing I had to do.
On that dreary Saturday, I drove the two miles from my house in Lititz, Pa. to my office at the Pocket Testament League. I unlocked the door and went in. I was all alone, just as I had hoped. I should have enough faith. After all, I knew the story.
Since its founding in 1893, the League had distributed 100 million pocket-sized Gospels around the world. At its peak in 1941, we had eight million members, yet there were none left in 1999, the year I came on board. We reclaimed the founding mission—to mobilize and equip Christians to read, carry, and share the Word of God—and began to see new, dramatic growth.
Then a breakthrough idea: At the dawn of the 21st century, high-tech advancements had outfitted the world with a new "pocket," the Internet. Here was our big opportunity. To equip our ministry partners with the Gospel, our leadership team and board got behind a truly creative "out of the box" web site initiative. It was ingenious and Heaven-sent. Through exhaustive research and strategic efficiencies, we determined it would cost $520,000. That's above and beyond our annual giving. For an organization with a seven-person staff and a $1 million budget, half a million dollars was a lot.
We laid our plan before the Lord, prayed about it, and then we went to work. We decided to hold a "vision weekend," and so we brought 30 supporters to a ministry retreat. Together, with our staff and our board, we celebrated the faith legacy of The Pocket Testament League. Our supporters heard story after story of changed lives. And they learned about our new, web-based endeavor.
If ever there was a God-blessed gathering, this was it. And when the weekend was over, we had raised a total of $100,000.
I was very excited—and concerned. On that Saturday morning, I plopped down in my office chair and said out loud, "What am I going to do? Our board meeting is in one week. They're going to want answers." At that moment, I didn't know what to tell them.
I knew one thing. After doing everything to engage our supporters in the most God-honoring way, we were $420,000 short. To take the ministry to the next level, we needed a big gift.
