How does a culture of prayer, intentional strategy, and Christ-centered care transform not just an organization—but the lives of vulnerable children? In this encore episode, Kevin Enders, former president of 4KIDS, shares how sustainable strategy and a flourishing workplace culture came together to bring hope, homes, and healing to families across Florida.
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In this episode:
Mission, Vision & Values of 4KIDS
- Hope, Homes, Healing is the core mission of 4KIDS:
- Hope for kids in crisis. (01:57)
- Homes for foster, adoptive, and young adult needs. (02:03)
- Healing through expanded therapeutic services (EPIC). (02:27)
- The organization offers services across six counties in South Florida with over 200 foster families and about 60 adoptions per year.
- Strong commitment to the Christian faith as a foundation for the mission.
Kevin Enders’ Personal Story & Calling
- Kevin and his wife became foster parents after a church message about the need for foster families. (03:15)
- They later adopted two children through 4KIDS. (03:38)
- His personal experience as a foster/adoptive parent built a deep connection with the mission. (04:40)
- Transitioned from a career in corporate leadership to become president and CEO of 4KIDS in 2017 after serving as a ministry advocate and “Champion.” (04:50)
Organizational Culture & Spiritual Identity
- Upon becoming president, Kevin prioritized maintaining and strengthening the Christian identity of 4KIDS:
- Weekly all-staff worship and devotional meetings with praise, prayer, and sharing. (09:36)
- Extended the meeting time to avoid cutting it short. (10:07)
- Kevin clearly defined the organization as a ministry of the church, not just a foster-care agency that hires Christians. (10:21)
- Emphasis on faith in Jesus Christ as the unifying and driving force of the organization’s culture. (08:01)
Building a Sustainable Strategy
- Sustainable Strategy is a key driver of flourishing workplace culture—connecting mission and vision with actionable solutions. (06:45)
- Kevin emphasized that strategy must lead to long-term relationships and problem-solving.
- On arrival, Kevin identified a leadership void following a pastoral transition and sought to re-establish organizational passion and direction. (07:50)
- Defined spiritual leadership as his top job responsibility during his hiring process. (09:31)
Early Leadership Steps & Culture Assessment
- Leveraged the Best Christian Workplaces survey reports to assess organizational health in key areas:
- Leadership (11:25)
- Compensation (11:26)
- Strategy (11:27)
- Communication (11:30)
- Prioritized personal connections:
- One-on-one meals with staff. (12:10)
- Practiced active listening to understand team challenges and strengths. (12:16)
- Recognized the importance of transitioning from the business world to ministry:
- Relied on feedback from long-standing team members. (12:54)
- Focused on spiritual well-being of staff as part of leadership role. (13:02)
Improvement Through Survey Feedback and Strategic Intentionality
- 4KIDS saw significant culture improvement from 2018 to 2019, reaching the “Flourishing” level on the BCW survey. (13:55)
- Leadership committed to a three-year goal to become a flourishing workplace, which was achieved in one year. (14:32)
- Success was driven by:
- Careful analysis of survey results. (14:39)
- Intentional focus on both strengths and weaknesses. (14:46)
- Quarterly reports shared with staff on progress toward goals. (15:16)
Transparency, Inclusion, and Communication
- Strategy involved making the vision a shared vision, not just top-down. (15:18)
- Staff began receiving quarterly updates, increasing clarity and buy-in. (15:19)
- Addressed concerns from earlier surveys about:
- Lack of clarity around decision-making. (15:23)
- Limited inclusion in strategic processes. (15:26)
- Promoted internal talent as new opportunities opened—even through the pain of others moving on. (15:50)
Strategic Planning Process with Spiritual Foundation
- First year: Kevin inherited an existing plan and observed. (17:02)
- Second year: Entire leadership team developed a new strategy via a spiritual retreat with prayer, silence, and reflection. (17:15)
- Mid-level leaders (directors/managers) were invited into their own visioning sessions to ensure alignment and unity. (18:02)
- Five key strategic areas were identified and prioritized collaboratively. (18:26)
- Culture and spiritual development of staff emerged as the #1 strategic priority. (19:02)
Goal Setting and Execution
- Teams created bottom-up annual goals, which were reconciled and aligned at the leadership level. (22:47)
- Monthly directors’ meetings were instituted to:
- Review team culture and metrics. (23:40)
- Identify management support needs. (23:52)
- Encourage real-time decision-making to build momentum. (24:08)
- Quarterly meetings reviewed past and upcoming goals to ensure continuous improvement and alignment. (24:35)
Sustainable Strategy Highlight: Uplifting Growth
- Transitioned from outdated annual review models to ongoing feedback systems. (25:30)
- Responded to employee (especially Millennial) desire for:
- Regular feedback. (25:54)
- Personal development conversations. (26:13)
- This change was rooted in a desire to show care and support employee growth more effectively. (26:19)
Uplifting Growth Outcomes
- Significant increase in the survey item: “In the last six months, someone talked with me about my progress.” (26:28)
- Scores for opportunities to learn and grow also rose above the sector average. (26:36)
- Growth in these areas tied directly to increased feedback and development efforts. (26:41)
Strategy That Succeeded: EPIC Therapeutic Team
- EPIC = Emotional, Physical, Intellectual, and Character development of children (based on Luke 2:52). (27:35)
- Built around Scripture, prayer, and a unified Christian team. (27:38)
- Grew from 1 to 11 team members in 2.5 years; plans to double again soon. (28:14)
- Focused on:
- Training Christian foster parents to respond to trauma. (28:56)
- Providing direct, Christ-centered therapy to children. (29:07)
- Seen as a highly impactful and spiritually transformative initiative. (28:46)
Spiritual Culture Driving Strategy
- Culture was ranked #1 priority by staff in strategic planning. (30:34)
- Weekly Wednesday worship gatherings reinforce shared values and direction. (30:46)
- Daily lunchtime prayer hour instituted for staff to intercede for families and ministry partners. (30:56)
- Prayer is woven into every meeting—before, during, and after. (31:29)
Hope, Homes, and Healing: A Testimony
- Powerful story of three young girls rescued from abuse and sex trafficking. (33:01)
- One foster family stepped up, eventually adopting two of the girls. (33:12)
- Observable transformation: visible healing, joy, church involvement, and spiritual growth. (33:32)
- Illustrates how 4KIDS’ culture and strategy bring lasting life change. (34:40)
Final Reflections: Unity and Big Vision
- Encourages Christian ministries to collaborate more deeply, inspired by movements like the Christian Alliance for Orphans. (36:50)
- Sees God uniting the Church and like-minded organizations in new, powerful ways. (37:05)
- Shared Jeremiah 33:3 as a guiding verse: “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things…” (37:34)
- Urges leaders to dream big, engage God in prayer, and embrace a posture of expectation and unity. (37:25)
Read the Transcript
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