3 min read

S7E12: How Flourishing Culture Leads to Greater Ministry Impact

S7E12: How Flourishing Culture Leads to Greater Ministry Impact

Do you have a vision to see your organization making a greater impact? Kevin Enders, President of 4KIDS has positioned his organization to do just that. Listen in as we talk about how he has prepared the soil to create an intentional flourishing culture, facilitating the expansion of their vision.

 

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In this episode:

  • 4KIDS has been serving kids and families in Florida for 24 years. You and your wife became foster parents with them in 2007. In 2017 you became their CEO, after a career in the business world. Kevin, for those who don’t know about this ministry – can you share the main focus of 4KIDS and help our listeners get a glimpse into this important ministry? (02:15)
  • It started with a mission to provide hope for kids in crisis (03:00)
  • "Want a Christian home for every child." (03:37)
  • On your Employee Engagement Surveys with Best Christian Workplaces Institute, your organization continues to show strong employee engagement and commitment to mission. Your scores are well above peer organizations in the family services sector. How have you continued to build on this culture over the years, and not become complacent? (04:54)
  • "BCWI has helped us out tremendously to be able to take a look at the things that are working; how do we continue to do those things that are working and how do we look at those areas of continuous improvement and focus on them as a staff?" (05:38)
  • "We've always been so committed to culture. Again, we're a ministry; we're not a foster care agency that hires Christians—we're an extension of God's church that has been placed in this area. Culture for us is very important we have a culture-keepers team." (05:55)
  • Culture-keepers is a voluntary team across our staff. How do we put together a program of different events (07:10)
  • I appreciate your commitment to continuous improvement. One thing that you are known for at 4KIDS is a strong emphasis on a spiritual foundation. You have regular prayer and worship times as a staff. Can you share an example of how this spiritual emphasis has made a tangible difference recently – perhaps for a staff person, or team, or the organization as a whole? (08:17)
  • At Best Christian Workplaces Institute we talk about conflict resolution in terms of healthy conflict skills. We like to see people feeling free to express different viewpoints rather than burying conflict and disagreement. A flourishing workplace doesn’t mean that everyone agrees all the time. What are some of the ways that your teams at 4KIDS engage in healthy conflict or disagreement?  (10:47)
  • We have an open-door policy, and you can share your issue with a supervisor or anyone. (11:38)
  • I know that the children and families you serve need specific therapeutic support to recover from trauma and build trust. I’m curious if you see some connection between having an emotionally healthy staff, who can handle conflict in a positive way, and their ability to serve the children and families they work with? (13:05)
  • Trust as a foundation that everything is built on (13:36)
  • "If you're not healthy, if you're not in a good place spiritually, if you're not spending time with the Lord and recognizing we're on a path toward sanctification, you really can't wholly serve the people around you. It just becomes very difficult to do." (14:36)
  • You had many years as a business leader before you became the President of 4KIDS. Do you see some differences in problem-solving and conflict resolution between your experience in a marketplace company and in a Christian ministry? (16:40)
  • Your organization has a strong commitment to strategic planning – and your people embrace the process of growing together in strategy and vision. What do you see as a leader when you look ahead? What are the challenges and opportunities that you see on the horizon? (18:55)
  • Create processes to get more of the staff involved—to take ownership (19:32)
  • One of the biggest challenges is human resources capital and the great resignation (21:15)
  • Kevin, we know that your organization helps so many children and families every year – to give hope and transform lives – in some very difficult circumstances. Is there a particular story of impact you’d like to share with us today – of how 4KIDS has made a difference for one child and family? (23:13)
  • A story of Tex and Courtney. Tex came in as a child in 4KIDS. He and his wife became foster parents (24:00)
  • "If anyone listening to this and hasn't yet considered a relation with Best Christian Workplaces, I'm a huge advocate and would recommend that you reach out to them and get to know them. Because they are about you and your organization, and they want to make a kingdom impact." (29:47)

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