I work for INJOY Stewardship Solutions. This is an organization who helps churches raise financial resources and create cultures of generosity which allow people to connect with the heart of God. When this happens, buildings get built, debt gets paid off, campuses get launched, relocation happens, ministry gets funded and people get saved. I love working for and helping lead this ministry.
Every two weeks I lead a conference call with our team going over Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and the progress we have made in achieving our goals. Yesterday would be our final meeting for 2018. It would be a time of looking back with gratefulness and looking forward with a sense of urgency and expectancy.
Our minority owner Ken Friar and I were the first ones on the call. He said, “Brian, how many years have we been doing this?” I laughed and said, “This will be our 16th.” Everyone else soon arrived and the call began.
I opened by telling a story unrelated to what we do but I found interesting. I said, “On this day twelve years ago, December 21, 2016, the embattled head coach of the Miami Dolphins Nick Saban, stood at a podium and defiantly stated he was not going to the University of Alabama. 13 days later he took the job. This has nothing to do with us but I just find the story interesting.”
Ken said, “Brian, can I interrupt and tell a story about this date?” I said, “Well, of course.” After all, he is the minority owner and my direct boss.
Ken went on tell the story of how on this date, January 21, 1974 he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and what it meant to him.
As Ken told his story I had several thoughts:
- How blessed am I to work with someone who is more than an owner or boss, but a deep friend and someone I admire as a man, husband, father, and grandfather.
- How blessed am I to work with someone whose salvation experience is as fresh today as it was 24 years ago.
- How blessed am I to work with someone and have 16 years of relational equity. Fewer and fewer people can say this. We have been through countless highs and lows together.
- How blessed am I to work with someone whose faith, integrity and biblical worldview shapes every interaction he has and every decision he makes.
- How blessed am I to work with someone whose got my back and I’ve got his.
- How blessed am I to work with someone who once sat across from me at a restaurant and said, “Brian, it’s time to come back to the INJOY family.”
- How blessed am I to work with Ken Friar. He is the type of leader I want to follow.
What are the qualities of the type of leader you want to follow?
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