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Christian Nonprofit Leaders, Here's the Bottom Line
Brian Kreeger • February 2, 2022
Many leaders, especially executives, are bottom-line people. It doesn’t matter if they are urgently solving a problem, analyzing a financial report, or listening to a server describe the ins and outs of the BLT they are ordering, they want the bottom line.
Executives have different styles to get to the bottom line, and they are wide ranging. Some are gently and artfully persuasive in guiding a conversation to the bottom line, and some are very direct, almost insulting.
This is one of those places in my writings where I will be very direct, get to the bottom line, and maybe step on your toes in a challenge to your thinking.
I absolutely, whole-heartedly believe that those who surround a leader play a significant role in preventing their fall, especially when they see them falling.
But I wish to include one harsh caveat to that fact. One bottom-line, very biblical principle directed at the executive:
you are ultimately accountable.
(This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.)
I believe all of us Christians know this in our heads. But do we allow this truth to pierce our hearts and be part of our roadmap?
For all of modern society, this can be a truth that is difficult to face. It’s a truth that many want to sweep under the rug as we live in a “do-what-you-think-is-right, what-makes-you-feel-good” society.
Just because it is common does not make it true or acceptable.
So, all of those justifications you create in your mind for the detours you take in your Christian life always come back to the same person….you. No one else, no matter how hard you attempt to shift the blame. But, as a part of human nature, we all try.
Each one of those detours represents a trigger that may possibly find you on your way to being buried under the ice and snow of an avalanche. And, yes, a leadership fall could happen in your life.
There are many things that an executive leader can do to be proactive in their fight against a fall, and I write about them often in these articles.
The very first thing they need to do after acknowledging they are accountable for their continued thoughts, words, and actions is to enter the fight. They have to realize they are in a multifaceted battle and recognize that, against all apparent odds, they could succumb to one of the many temptations that could bring them and their organization down.
If you, as a leader, don’t think this is possible, you may want to go back and read blog #2 Could a Leadership Fall Happen to Me/Us? It is possible. In fact, without conscious effort, it is probable.
I am writing this article to help you as a leader begin to strategize your unique battle plan, so you will not only win the battle, but also be a conqueror in your own personal war that goes beyond nonprofit leadership.
“If your health fails, your marriage hits the rocks, or your finances reverse, people will feel sorry for you, but they won’t feel responsible. Why not? Because you’re the one who has to take responsibility for your own life.” Ouch! Those are the words of Patrick Morley in his book Ten Secrets for the Man in the Mirror.
James Allen puts it this way in his 1903 book, As a Man Thinketh: “A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man’s; they are brought about by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not the other man’s. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is.”
When I think about individual accountability, Ezekiel 18:20 always come to mind: “The soul who sins is the one who dies.”
Sounds like Patrick Morley and James Allen were simply stating what God said through the prophet Ezekiel way back around 570 BC.
You see, the Israelites kept repeating a proverb they felt allowed them to blame their ancestors for the path they chose for their own lives. Ezekiel received a word from the Lord that took out that trap door of escape. In fact, he says it more than once in just this one chapter of the book and explains it thoroughly. We can find individual accountability all throughout God’s word, but this one always sticks out most to me.
It’s a hard thing to face, but when we have to account for our lives on judgment day, we will not be able to blame anyone else for how we ran our lives.
These blog articles talk a lot about the grace and mercy that needs to be applied to the encouragement and treatment of a leader, but a leader has to be cautious that their humanness does not become an excuse for sin.
Before all of this reality settles too far deep inside of you and you panic, God also gives us tremendous support, hope, and encouragement in that reality.
For instance, in 2 Peter He tells us He has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us. And what about 1 Corinthians 10 where He tells us through Paul that He is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear and will provide a way out so that we can stand up under it? These are promises of God. And if God promises it, you can take it to the bank.
The wise Christian will ask God for help and will always find that, even though they are hanging on by just one nail and the enemy is trying to pry that nail loose, God will open a window of hope and allow you into safety. Many times the window appears in your life in the form of God’s promises.
So we, including nonprofit executives, are accountable for our own lives. In today’s world, that can be depressing and shoot us into despair. But God’s promises, if we choose to avail ourselves of them, provide hope and encouragement even during the toughest of times.
So, what are you going to do? A close self-examination may expose some areas needing immediate action.
A proactive approach to prevent the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders starts with the leaders.
You are a conqueror! Maybe it's time to enter the battle, but only you can do it.
Be Courageous!
Be Proactive!
Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at
briankreeger.com. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My Story) of my book,
The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders.
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Executives -pastors or nonprofit executives in our context- are put on a pedestal. It’s not that the typical person necessarily believes they belong there or desires to put them there. But it is human nature that this happens. The general public often places much higher expectations on leaders than they do on themselves. Sometimes it is appropriate, and the leader has put themselves in that position. In some cases, it is simply scriptural. For instance, James 3 points out that those who teach will be judged more strictly, thereby heightening the expectations of those who lead and teach. But what about when we accept, and enact, those elevated expectations and forget the humanity of our leaders? Often a community heaps on a leader the expectation that they are to perform with the perfection of Jesus and not simply be a Jesus follower and disciple just like them, but with a unique calling and heightened responsibility. Too many times when a leader shows human imperfection, the respect we have for them is damaged. Leaders fall under strict judgment, and we forget they are no less fallible than us. The imperfection they have colors any positive experience we would have had with them otherwise. While most of us acknowledge this strict, hypocritical judgment and recognize it as not being how we want to treat our leaders, it is a difficult battle to fight in our own attitudes and minds. No matter who the leader is, they are not Jesus. But please allow me to reverently make some comparisons. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
You are the community, no matter what formal role you play in a particular organization, or if you play any role at all. My blog articles typically focus on the roles the leader and the board have in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. But I contend that the community that exists around organizational leaders and boards has a role as well. In fact, a community’s role can many times be much bigger. My next few blog articles will focus on the role of the community in preventing the fall of Christian nonprofit leaders. (This blog focuses on starting a conversation centered on preventing the fall of nonprofit leaders. I write it from a Christian perspective, but all leaders will benefit. Be sure to sign up to receive these articles via email every Tuesday at briankreeger.com as well as taking a look at previous blog articles. In addition to receiving these articles two days before they hit social media, you will receive the article "5 Early Indicators of a Christian Nonprofit Leadership Fall" along with the Contents, Introduction and the Appendix (My story) of my book, The Courageous Ask: A Proactive Approach to Prevent the Fall of Christian Nonprofit Leaders. )
