Transcript: Faith, Fun, and Flourishing: Inside SAMBICA's Culture of Growth and Leadership // Matt Wimmer, SAMBICA

Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

“Faith, Fun, and Flourishing: Inside SAMBICA's Culture of Growth and Leadership“

June 17, 2024

Matt Wimmer

Intro: What are some of the practical steps you can take as a leader to increase employee engagement? Well, today on the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, we'll look at how to improve employee engagement and keep your team focused on the mission of your organization. Listen in to my conversation with CEO Matt Wimmer to deepen your understanding of leadership essentials for the long haul.

Welcome: Welcome to the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, your home for open, honest, and insightful conversations to help develop your leadership, your team, and build a flourishing workplace culture.

Al Lopus: Hello, I'm Al Lopus, the co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces and author of the book Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being. And I'm passionate about helping Christian leaders like you create engaged, flourishing workplaces.

I’m delighted today to welcome Matt Wimmer to this podcast. Matt is the CEO and executive director of SAMBICA camp in Western Washington.

Throughout our conversation, we’ll hear Matt talk about how an employee engagement survey provides the analytics that helped improve their culture; how the importance of a meeting rhythm that focuses on fun and focus helps their culture; also, the importance of developing staff, to send them into larger roles in the future to help them develop as individuals; as well as, then, what were some of the catalytic moments that helped formed his own leadership.

I think you're going to love this interview with Matt Wimmer. But before we dive in, I'd like to welcome you to this episode, brought to you by the Best Christian Workplaces’ Leadership 360 and our executive coaching program. Are you ready to transform your leadership? Well, our stakeholder-based coaching process is designed to help you lead with confidence and clarity. Visit workplaces.org/coaching to learn more about how you can become an even more effective leader. Don't wait. Start your journey towards even more exceptional leadership now.

And I'd like to welcome our new listeners. Thanks for joining us as we honor your investment of time by creating valuable episodes like this.

But let me tell you a little bit more about Matt Wimmer. Matt joined SAMBICA, a camp and retreat center, as the CEO and executive director in 2011. He's also founded IMPACT Players, a Pacific Northwest community service organization, for men inspired to be great husbands, fathers, and leaders. And he's the former president of the Seattle chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization, or EO, formerly the Young Entrepreneurs Organization. Previously, he's held financial-services-company positions and did executive coaching. In addition, Matt is a generosity ambassador for the National Christian Foundation.

So, here's my conversation with Matt Wimmer.

Matt, it's great to have you on the podcast. I'm really looking forward to our conversation today.

Matt Wimmer: Oh, thank you, Al. Great to be here. Put me in, Coach.

Al: I love that phrase, “Put me in.” Absolutely. And so many of us feel like, gosh, we're ready to go, and we want to put in to make a difference, to play the game, whatever the game that is, at our utmost ability.

So, Matt, let's start off. I'm interested in how you became a leader of a Christian camp. Your career trajectory has included founding several financial-service firms. You've done business coaching. You've also participated in other nonprofit work. You've been involved with the National Christian Foundation, for example. And you bring, and I've observed it, great leadership and great leadership experience to your role. But leading a camp isn't necessarily an easy job, and probably, as you get older, it doesn't get any easier, for sure. So, how did you come to be the executive director at SAMBICA, and what do you ultimately bring to this role in this season of your life?

Matt: Yeah. That's a great question, Al, and I've been asking that same question for the last 14 years that I've been serving in this role. And the short answer is the Lord led me into ministry. This was never on a life plan. It was never part of some type of career goals or aspirations. None of those things. My wife, Cindy, received Christ here at this ministry when she was 13 years of age, served in the ministry through her youth years, and so it's always had a close place on her heart. And of course, as adults we supported the ministry. So that was the background piece. But the Lord let us hear through a series of events that can only be explained as the Holy Spirit.

And I remember my first week being in a large room that we have that is where all the camp songs are sung and the silly camp games, and the room is just electric. So if you can envision kind of an amphitheater-style building packed with campers, over 300 campers, and over 150 staff, I mean, the place just is buzzing. And I will never forget that first week observing a group of fourth-grade boys, who had actually been Little League players of mine—I had coached them in Little League—and they were all emulating their camp counselor with their arms up, emulating and worshiping God. And I went, “I'm all in. This is amazing. This is amazing.”

As far as your question on, how does it work leading an organization that is over 100 years old? It's very challenging because there's so many what we would call sacred cows, and you always have to ask those questions, Now, why do we do this? But God continues to give the tools. And I think having that business background, especially entrepreneurial background, has allowed me to maintain an entrepreneurial mindset. So even though it's 100-plus years young, we still act very much like a startup.

Al: Give us a little background, Matt. So, what were some of your previous roles that helped you kind of get positioned to be in this job for a time such as this?

Matt: Yeah. I mean, if I were to look all the way back, I have always been attracted to leadership. I mean, when I think all the way back even to high school, being an ASB president; when I think about college, being a team captain in athletics; when I think about business to start with, always gravitating towards—we’ll call it—managerial roles, and then, eventually, founding in presidential roles. So again, I would say, you know, as it says in Esther, He's equipped us, or He equipped Esther, for such a time as this. I relate very much to that and realize that all of those things were really in preparation for such a time as this. There was even a short season that I did some consulting about living a balanced life, and I realized, oh, that was probably just for me, you know, learning from the Lord just for me of, how do you manage a property like this and a team like this and still have a balanced life?

Al: Yeah. Well, Matt, I appreciate you taking the time for this conversation. And you and your team are getting ready to launch another full summer of ministry at SAMBICA. And can you share an impact story with us, how a camper or group of campers has experienced life transformation through your camping ministry?

Matt: Oh, wow. Where do I start? One of the things we do every single day is talk about His hellos. I actually borrowed that from a friend named Raymond Mensah. Raymond was a king in Ghana, and he would say, “Every single day I celebrate His hellos.” And I said, “I would like to borrow that, please. Including the accent. I love your accent.” And so really, it's where we're seeing God at work within the last 24 hours.

And we heard a wonderful story this morning from one of the young men who has arrived at camp about being put on a project to build a shed. And his whole thing was, “Yes, I got to be a part of finishing the shed, but it made me think about all the people that have started building the shed before me,” and how that is very similar to SAMBICA over the past 105 years, that we're really just building upon what others have already done.

I mean, I think about stories that have just come up within the last couple of days that CRISTA Ministries was launched out of SAMBICA, that Children of the Nations was launched out of SAMBICA. We just heard a story yesterday of a camper asking the question, you know, or responding to the question, do you know who Jesus is? And saying, “Well, is he the one who floated down the river in a basket?”

So, you know, just this last week I received a wonderful email from a family, a local family, who we know are not believers. They're not followers of Jesus. And they were relaying a story that their daughter had shared at the dinner table about Joseph and his wonderful coat of many colors. And she was actually encouraging the mother, who had had a hard day that day.

The other day we were at church, and a mom was getting baptized, and it was because her daughter had been baptized at the Bible camp this last summer.

So, I mean, I could just go on and on and on about stories that we literally receive every day, some of them in the immediate and others like I just got a call from a trustee who was helping a woman who had received Christ here 80 years ago. So I think that brings great joy and satisfaction and also the humility of there's so much great work that has been done, people that have gone before us.

Al: You know, Matt, you started working with the Best Christian Workplaces in 2021, now three years ago, using our Employee Engagement Survey. And at the time, you had 50% of your staff were engaged in their work, kind of about average at that point. And that's risen dramatically now in 2024 to 93% engaged. What motivated you to start measuring your employee engagement, and what were some of the changes that you started to implement after that first year? And I just remember you actually took a couple of years before you came back and surveyed again and then again. So what were some of those changes? And again, what motivated you to start with?

Matt: Yeah. I remember hearing about, you know, the Best Christian Workplaces’ Survey and really being enamored by, you know, the analytics that it provides. And then certainly, when we took that first Survey, it was all confirmed. And I remember one of the things that really stood out that first time was clear expectations. And again, the team at the time, we felt—I should say, I felt—that I was providing inspirational leadership, which I know is one of those key components, and yet hearing that there weren't clear expectations that, in other words, we didn't have healthy communication, I think was really helpful. It was really helpful to be able to boil that down. So, I think some of the things that we did were just, you know—and everyone, I would say, that this is life-giving work. Everyone would say this is clearly life-giving work. But, you know, as far as did we have the right talent? Did we have the right team mix? I think what we really did was just said, “Look, we're going to try to set clear expectations, because that's what has been the feedback,” and that is embraced by some, not by all. And so I'd say that that's probably one of the key components that helped change those numbers for us.

Al: Yeah. Wow.

Well, your people are strongly positive about the strategy at SAMBICA. So that's interesting. You've got a camp; you've got a strategy. They say the camp is meeting strategic goals, and you're able to connect their work to the mission and the strategy of the organization, which is also life-giving work. So how do you keep this focus on goals and strategy? And are there some regular habits or practices that you and your leadership team use to keep this united focus, where people are—your staff, even your summer team—working together to work towards the same goals?

Matt: Yeah. We have a very strong rhythm as a team. When I say rhythm, I mean a meeting rhythm. We all gathered this morning. We actually read out of Matthew 13, which is the parable that Jesus tells of the weeds, so the weeds amongst the field. And so we connected the spiritual with the physical. And we were meeting in a location that needed some weeding. So after we read the scripture, everyone's assignment was to pick 25 weeds in that field. So we try to do our best to maintain a strict rhythm, but also have a lot of fun doing it.

One of our key strategies is always speaking a language of play. And so yesterday we certainly did that. We played with a big giant parachute and then also ate brownies and heard a lesson, again, connected to God's Word as we eat brownies together. So again, language in play, I think, is one of those keys, and then, also, having a very strong meeting rhythm that everyone knows when the most important meeting of the day is.

Al: And tell us a little more about the meeting rhythm. Is it you're talking about a specific meeting or different meetings for different people over time? Tell us a little more about that.

Matt: Yeah. I don't know if it's anything super creative, but we meet at 9:01 in the morning. That is referencing to Psalm chapter nine, verse one, which, really, is all about reflecting on all that God has done. And so we're praying together. We read God's Word together. Again, we celebrate the His hellos. So a little bit different than in a business. In a business you'd be, perhaps, focusing on a key performance indicator. Well, our, I guess, key performance indicator is where we've seen God showing off within the last 24 hours.

And then, quickly, everyone is sharing what they're doing for the day, and then they're making sure, “Hey, this is where I'm stuck. This is where I need help or assistance or support.” So it's less than a 15-minute meeting. There's 16 people in the meeting. And then everyone, again, has clear communication.

Al: Well, SAMBICA has continued to improve on a number of our FLOURISH factors as we measure through the Best Christian Workplaces. Scores are significantly improved in terms of recruiting top talent and holding people accountable, which also positively impacts team work. So are there some practical steps you and the leadership team have taken to create this energy in the workplace?

Matt: Well, yeah, I think, you know, we're always recruiting top talent. Our team as they graduate from here—when I say they graduate from here, meaning our summer staff and then our full-time staff, they graduate into places of leadership. They graduate into places of seniority, we hope—and we hope that we're equipping them. We hope we're teaching, coaching, mentoring them. And we really do see ourselves as a sending ministry. So I think with that mentality versus what can we get from them? but instead, what can we really do for them? I think they sense that. You know, yesterday we had something we call a forum, where it's really personal-development growth, helping them—them being the associates on the team—understand how to put together a mission dream that will then, the next session will be about how do you put together a mission plan? And then we also spent a little over an hour doing what we would call faith coaching, just again, to further solidify their spiritual growth.

Al: I trust you’re enjoying our podcast today. We’ll be right back after an important word for leaders.

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Al: Welcome back to my conversation with Matt Wimmer.

Well, Matt, SAMBICA is more than 100 years old, as you said, 105 years old, and your ministry is thriving. You know, are there some specific challenges in leading an organization with such a long history, even, you know, as you've reached out and you've got this high level of flourishing for your team, are there still areas that you're focusing on for continuous improvement?

Matt: Yeah. Like I mentioned earlier, we're always asking the question, why do we do it this way? We ask that question a lot. With a camp property that has over 33 structures on it and being over 100 years old, things are always breaking. Things always need to be fixed. And so it, I think, automatically creates this continuous-improvement culture.

We also realize that we're in if not the most unchurched area of the country, one of the most unchurched areas of the country. So surprisingly, over 85% of our campers don't come from a faith or church background. And so that, again, requires great tenacity to always be relevant to the culture, but also true to God's Word and make sure that truth is being shared, but in an inviting way. So that's, again, why I say, “We begin with our language is play.” We must start to earn the right relationally and then following that trust being built, we can share truth, and we can share truth from God's Word in love.

Al: Fun, truth, love, in that order it sounds like. Yeah. And we ask the question oftentimes, do you have fun at work? And course, you know, your scores are pretty high on that. We've had other Christian leaders who say, “Well, what's the relevance of having fun in the workplace? This is important work, and we're serious about it.” But you've just described one of the reasons in the roles that fun has, because it creates an environment where people are open, isn't it, and able to learn.

Describe for our leaders, you know, SAMBICA is 105 years old. You're on a lake; 105 years ago your facility was in the middle of nowhere, right? It was a rural facility. Now you're basically, for our listeners, just east of Bellevue, which is a large metropolitan area. The community has grown up around it. You're clearly in a suburban area, with houses all over, real close to you. That provides unique ministry opportunities, doesn't it? So tell us a little bit about the focus of SAMBICA’s ministry.

Matt: Yeah. It does. You're exactly right. The camp originally, our slogan is “A light on the lake.” And the light on the lake is from Matthew chapter five, verses 14 and 16, referencing being a light to the world, and ultimately that God is the one who receives all the glory.

But there’s also a historical significance to it, that you’re exactly right. In 1919, SAMBICA was the light on the lake. There was nothing else built around the lake. There were no other lights. And in the winter time, SAMBICA was the only light on the lake. Now, as you mentioned, things have changed. And we, have an opportunity every single day to really understand what the instruction is to love our neighbors.

And we have, for example, a barbecue that is coming up, where we're inviting all of our neighbors as the summer staff begin to roll in. It's a great way for the summer staff to meet the neighbors. It's a great way for the neighbors to meet some of the summer staff, who come from all over the country. So it's a really exciting and fun night, but it also has its challenges. We actually just had our dining hall broken into, and I have a wonderful email from a young man, who unfortunately was caught in the act, but I have a wonderful email from him in my inbox from last night, apologizing profusely. And so I'm excited for what that exchange will create. And I can absolutely relate. I mean, I think any one of us can relate how we learn as young people to do the right thing. So yes, it's a constant reminder of Christ's instruction to love our neighbors and the importance of that command.

Al: Yeah. And so one of the things that I know came out of you're working with these unchurched kids that come to know the Lord, and so where do they go from there? And so you've created Impact Players, which is another nonprofit that inspires men to be great husbands, fathers, and leaders. And I've enjoyed coming to your breakfast on a regular basis. This has been a lot of fun. So what do you see as the top needs of men in today's world? because this is, again, one of your key focuses with this Impact Players. And how does Impact Players equip men to flourish in their important relationships of life?

Matt: Yeah. That's a wonderful question. The Lord has always provided me a passion for evangelism. I love to share about Christ. I love discipleship. I love training. And we provide programing for the youth in all those areas, whether it be the Kids Night Out for the youngers, the middle-school Bash, the high school Ignite program. We have a program for college students called Rooted, and it's a deep-dive discipleship program.

But ministry to men or ministering to men has actually always been a huge heart passion for me. And so it's kind of ironic that I do ministry for youth. I love that now, too. The Lord knew that I would love that even more. But I've always had a great passion for ministering to men.

What men need today, I think, is three primary things. I think number one is conviction. As a follower of Jesus Christ, we have conviction.

I think secondly, it would be community. And in community, I think, is beginning with that relationship with their spouse. And I kind of think of it as four pillars. I can go into that if we want to, but how important that is relationally with their spouse, and then, of course, with their children. It's a wonderful calling to be a father. And then, obviously, a leader. Many of us lead organizations, people groups. But also, I think there's a critical piece that men need to be in community with other men. And I think we learn from one another. We encourage one another. That's the whole “iron sharpens iron” scripture. Jesus, I think, modeled that for us. So that's that second one, community.

And I think the third is calling, that every man needs a calling. And I think, you know, especially for men that are in those retirement years, have to figure out, “Okay. What was all that for? What was all that for, building up to now, and now what can I provide when I have so much experience, so much know-how? Prayerfully I'm hearing from the Lord as I'm walking with the Lord and now I can invest in the next generation.” But yeah, every single man needs a calling is that third thing.

Al: Conviction, community, and calling. Yeah. I love that, Matt. Thanks.

Well, you've led in a number of different realms. We've already talked about some of the aspects of your career in business coaching and nonprofit leadership. And as I talk with leaders who are committed to growing in their leadership and shepherding the flock well, as you're doing at SAMBICA, I'm interested in learning how you've grown through your various seasons of leadership. What can you share? Do you have a few reflections on what's influenced your own growth as a leader? And as leaders we all know that we have to continue to grow. We can't stop growing or our organization stops growing. So what are some of the catalysts that you've experienced that spur you on in your growth as a leader?

Matt: Yeah. First and foremost, I would say, you know, it's my relationship with Jesus Christ. I received Jesus Christ at a young age, thankfully. Of course, I’ve, like anyone else, gone through the ups and downs of life in cultivating that relationship. But very thankful, actually, to my mother, who was the one who led me to Christ as a boy.

We were on vacation in Southern California. I was sitting in the back seat of the car. We were coming over a giant hill into a valley, and the sunshine coming from behind the clouds, the silver lining, the sun's rays, and I said, “Is this heaven?” And my mother said, “No, this is Los Angeles.” But it prompted the question of, would I get to go to heaven? And her answer was, “It depends. It depends on who leads your heart.” And so I ended up giving over my heart to Jesus Christ at a young age.

I think, also, a moment that comes to mind is there was a phone call I received from a college teammate of mine. He at the time was actually playing for the California Angels on their big club. And he excitedly called me one night and asked if I'd ever read the book of Nehemiah. And admittedly, at the time, I couldn't have told you the first thing about the story. But it was my first venture as an entrepreneur. And as I started to read the words of the page, they came flying off, and I realized, well, I'm not building the city of Jerusalem, but I am building the walls of a small business. And not unlike Nehemiah, I'm facing the same challenges from my adversaries. So that was a catalytic moment.

I think the other thing that comes to mind would be, Cindy and my trip to Israel. Being a little bit transparent, we had actually been pregnant with our first child. We miscarried, which was really a shock to us. It was really nothing that anyone had talked about with us that it was a possibility. But it did happen. The Lord allowed that. But it paved the way for us for a door to be opened and us to travel to Israel together for the very first time. And so now I'd already had the words, God's Word, flying off the pages to me, and now I get to live it out in real life and get to see the places that Jesus walked and ministered. And I would say those are major catalytic events where my life has never been the same.

Al: Well, Matt, you know, we've learned so much from our conversation today. And I really appreciate, first of all, going back and being interested in Survey analytics and how you were able to pinpoint specific things that you're able to focus on to improve the health of your workplace culture. And then, as you've described again, on and on how the ministry of SAMBICA has continued a legacy, a rich legacy of, as you said, it has in the past started great organizations, and you continue to impact the community for Christ and especially a community that is unchurched. And that's just fantastic. And then how you've used your leadership, your God-gifted leadership skills, and develop those skills over time. And as you've even created other organizations like Impact Players and how the gift of evangelism has clearly been something you've developed over your lifetime. And again, how you've developed as a leader, looking at some catalytic events, starting with your own relationship with Jesus. And I just can't imagine or I can imagine, I should say, sitting next to your mother, coming over a hill and, yeah. “Is this heaven?” “No, it's Los Angeles.” Yeah, there's a difference. But to be able to turn that around and oh, yeah, for those of us that build things and have developed things, we all love the story of Nehemiah. What a great chapter, book of the Bible that is.

Well, this is really been great, Matt. How about, is there anything you'd like to add that we've talked about?

Matt: Yeah. I think that the, again, what is kind of that catalytic—I love that question—what are those catalytic events? And I believe I experience catalytic events every single day of my life. And a practice that I started, again, very early on as a young man, really, with the prompting from my friend, was diving into God's Word every day and receiving the instruction from Him.

So the way I do it is I go to Psalm 139 and I just say, “Search my heart, O God. Test me for any anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” I think it gets my heart right with God.

And then I spend time with Him. And right now I'm in the book of Mark, and I write down on a little three by five what I hear from the Lord, and I stick it in my pocket. And then, I pull it out in moments like these, when someone asks the question, I just say, “Lord, I don't know what the answer would be.” And it's always, not always, but oftentimes it's here in my pocket. And so today I literally read about that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” And it just reminded me as a professing follower of Jesus Christ that there are a couple of things that will last for eternity. And one of those, obviously, is my relationship with Jesus, I believe, but also, I believe it's my relationship with you and others if we share our faith. And then thirdly, it's God's Word, God's word. Those are the only three things that are going to last for all of eternity.

So, I can’t share enough how much joy I have every single day when I get to, I get called to run the play. And this is one of those moments. I just got called to run the play. It's like, there's nothing better.

Al: Yeah. Fantastic.

Well, Matt, thanks so much for your contribution today in this podcast. And most of all, I appreciate your commitment to inspiring youth to a relationship with Christ. So thanks for taking your time out and speaking into the lives of so many listeners.

Matt: It's been a joy and a pleasure. Thank you, Al.

Al: Thank you so much for listening to my conversation with Matt Wimmer. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

And you can always find ways to connect with him and links to everything we discussed in the show notes and transcript at workplaces.org/podcast.

And if you have any suggestions for me about our podcast or have any questions on flourishing workplace cultures, please email me at al@workplaces.org.

And leaders, if you want to improve your leadership, expand your organization's impact for good, and see greater faithfulness in our broader culture, help us achieve our goal to see more flourishing Christian-led workplaces. To help, please share this podcast with another leader or launch a project for your own organization to discover and improve the health of your workplace culture. And if you're interested in learning more, go to workplaces.org and request a sample report.

Outro: The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Best Christian Workplaces. If you need support building a flourishing workplace culture, please visit workplaces.org for more information.

We'll see you again next week for more valuable content to help you develop strong leaders and build a flourishing workplace culture.

Al: Be sure to join us throughout July and August as we feature some of the best of our recent podcasts. Whether you're catching up on a podcast that you missed, or you want a refresher on a particular podcast topic, keep listening throughout the summer to grow as a flourishing leader.