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This interview is a part of the continuing series
focusing on the Resource Partners for the Camp Improv
Learning Experience. One of those valued partners
was Injoy Stewardship Services (ISS). Their executive
vice-president, Kirk Nowery, was interviewed by
Leadership Network's Mike McMahon about the company's
services. Kirk was a participant in the Improv experience
and their workshop on the topic of “The Top
10 Questions Leaders Ask About Capital Campaigns”
will be available at the Camp Improv web site coming
soon.
Here is the interview with Kirk:
Leadership Network (Mike
McMahon): Tell us a little about yourself and your
organization.
INJOY (Kirk Nowery): I am the executive vice-president
of INJOY Stewardship Services. Prior to joining
ISS in 1997, I served for 18 years as Senior Pastor
of a large church in Florida. While I was in Florida,
I was also the chairman of a Christian school and
a chaplain with the Miami Dolphins. With ISS, my
primary objective is to assist pastors and enhance
their effectiveness in ministry.
The mission of INJOY Stewardship Services is to
partner with churches to achieve their goals and
accelerate their growth, empowering them to realize
their spiritual and financial potential. We actively
serve over 1,000 churches with our team of consultants
and specialists.
Our ISS culture is open, engaging and innovative.
The company spirit is familial, not formal. The
five core values of ISS are expressed as an acrostic,
I-N-J-O-Y. Integrity in all actions and transactions,
Newness of approach and attitude, Jesus at the center
and circumference, Oneness of spirit and purpose,
and Yes to every meaningful opportunity and viable
challenge.
Leadership Network: Describe
the changes and trends taking place in the field.
INJOY: The landscape of stewardship consulting
is being altered by many factors today. Churches
are changing, stewardship campaigns are changing,
even our competitors are changing. Churches are
becoming more egalitarian in spirit and practice,
decentralizing and moving away from command-and-control
organizational structures. They're more concerned
about having a partner than hiring a vendor. The
tenor of campaigns is shifting from the shrill call
for money to the passionate call to ministry. More
and more churches are emphasizing a whole-life view
of stewardship. Other companies in this field are
now adopting the partnership model which ISS has
developed and refined over the past decade.
Leadership Network: What
are the implications of these changes for churches?
INJOY: When taking on the challenge of a
capital stewardship campaign, it is imperative that
church leaders engage a partner whose thinking is
original and whose approach is open. The nuances
of a capital campaign demand a fully-tailored strategy
which is designed to fit the church perfectly, not
something pre-made and merely altered for the occasion.
A capital campaign needs the custom fitted tailoring
that an expert can provide, not the "off the rack"
suit that is one size fits all.
Leadership Network: How
are you practically helping churches with these
issues?
INJOY: To begin with, we make no assumptions
when we engage with a church. We're firm believers
in the value of comprehensive assessment to determine
the church's readiness for the rigors of a capital
campaign. Our analysis is deep and telling and valuable
in ways far beyond the scope of the campaign. Assessment
is followed by a process of visioneering with the
church's leaders, exploring the "what ifs" and thinking
through the barriers into the next dimensions of
ministry. Visioneering then leads to the strategic
mapping of all campaign elements. Once the mapping
is complete, the journey begins in earnest, and
ISS fills the navigational role. Through these four
emphases -- Assessing, Visioneering, Mapping and
Navigating -- ISS gives lasting, practical help.
Leadership Network: What
do you see as your company's unique value-adding
contribution to a church?
INJOY: The Scriptures teach us that a three-stranded
cord is not easily broken. From day one, ISS has
endeavored to be a three-stranded cord, combining
the essentials of Leadership, Partnership and Stewardship.
By serving in a way that both accentuates and balances
these priorities, we have been able to add value
in a definitive way to churches and church leaders.
Leadership Network: What
makes your company stand out from others in the
field?
INJOY: Our adaptiveness and our tenacity.
Our founder, Dr. John C. Maxwell, is one of the
most influential Christian leaders of this generation.
ISS was born out of his desire to empower churches
to realize their full potential in stewardship.
Our adaptiveness is relevant because it is crucial
that we adapt to the church, not vice versa. Only
by crafting our services and strategies to the church's
exact needs are we able to partner most effectively.
Our tenacity is evident in meeting head-on the stubborn
challenges which arise in every capital campaign.
We simply will not give up until we resolve whatever
the problem or need happens to be.
Leadership Network: Tell
us about some of your company's products and services.
INJOY: ISS is purely a stewardship consulting
service specializing in capital campaigns. Our team
includes full-time consultants working with churches
from coast to coast and beyond, backed up by a strong
support staff at our headquarters in Atlanta. As
a complement to our consulting services, we publish
stewardship-related resources including books, curricula
and other materials. Our quarterly newsletter, Stewardship
Strategies, is read by over 100,000 Christian leaders.
Leadership Network: Thanks,
INJOY, for being a Resource Partner at Camp Improv.
We hope many of our clients and the readers of Explorer
will visit your web site at www.injoystewardship.com
and connect with your ministry.
In addition, you can find the presentation "The
Top 10 Questions Leaders Ask About Capital Campaigns"
coming soon to the Camp Improv web site at www.campimprov.com
and look for the Resource Partner Presentation section.
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