Rooting for Rivals

Nearly half of the individuals living in the Dominican Republic live below the poverty line…and Alex Nuñez, the CEO of Esperanza International, is on a mission to change that. Listen in as Alex shares from her own experience about how partnership and a Kingdom-first outlook have maximized Esperanza’s impact and brought holistic transformation to entire families and communities in the Dominican Republic.

Amidst a strong distrust of churches on the rise, Jesus calls us to cling tightly to unity. In this episode, Bryan Dunagan, Senior Pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, takes us on his own personal journey of rejecting competition and choosing to have faith in God’s generous provision. Listen in as Bryan shares how he pursues collaboration with churches, leaders, and nonprofits to address the needs of congregants living in a divided city.

Many times, fundraising can carry a negative connotation—evoking feelings of guilt and compulsion. But Melissa Russell doesn’t believe it has to be this way. Serving as the Chief Advancement Officer at International Justice Mission, Melissa shares how she and her colleagues seek to lead and serve from a posture of abundance instead of scarcity. Offering a refreshing glimpse into the peace and joy of Kingdom-minded fundraising, Melissa invites us to reframe our perspective and trust in God’s rich generosity.

InterVarsity and Cru recently announced that they will be partnering together with the goal of reaching over 1,200 college campuses with the gospel message. In this episode, hear Tom Lin, President and CEO of InterVarsity, share about this project in the context of his own personal journey from isolation to collaboration. Hear how God used life and ministry experiences to open Tom’s eyes to a much bigger, Kingdom mission at hand—one that would compel him to work alongside fellow ministry leaders and former ‘rivals’ to see it through.

Todd Peterson and Mart Green have a shared passion to make the Word of God accessible to everyone—including the thousands of unreached people groups across the globe. Hear how Bible translation organizations are putting collaboration into action, and plan to reach their translation goals 117 years ahead of schedule! Be encouraged by testimonies of partnership in ministry as you discover the power in joining forces, aligning visions, and showing extravagant generosity.

Rivalry in Christ-centered nonprofits and churches is all too common. Instead of seeing each other as co-laborers in Christ, fellow leaders and ministries often see each other as rivals—fierce competitors in a seemingly small marketplace for donors and resources. In their newest book, Rooting for Rivals, Peter Greer, Chris Horst, and Jill Heisey address this norm by encouraging Christ followers to lead and serve with open hands instead of clenched fists. In this episode, hear the heart behind the book and how you can help to advance the Kingdom of God through cooperation rather than competition.