90 Minutes with Rich
Leadership insights from one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen (who is also a committed Christian).
Last year, I was at the Leadership Summit Debrief in Chicago. It's a gathering of all the lead pastors from different churches that serve as satellite sites for the Leadership Summit. This group gathers to review the Summit and be mentored by Bill Hybels and other key leaders that they bring in.
One of the leaders that they brought in this year was Rich DeVos. DeVos is a billionaire (listed as the 73rd wealthiest person in the United States and the 248th wealthiest person in the world), founder of the Amway Corporation, owner of the Orlando Magic, and Christ Follower. We had about 90 minutes to do questions and answers with this remarkable leader and here are a few of the highlights:Why did you decide to trust Bill and invest so much in the Willow Creek Association?
First of all, I believe success attracts success. I first met Bill through his father and I saw his ministry continue to grow and grow. I was always fascinated with church builders—people could grow a church that would reach people. Bill was a success and I wanted to be a part of helping him. Secondly, I’m a cheerleader. I believe the most important words you can say to a person are “You can do it!” It’s awfully simple, but I just want to tell people they can accomplish their dreams.
You did an interview for the Leadership Summit a few years ago and when asked about getting money from wealthy people you told pastors to “hit ‘em up.” How?
First, introduce yourself and help them get to know you. Be straightforward in your presentation and tell them what you need and what it will accomplish. They will like to see something started and finished. Don’t just tell them it is for the budget. Tell them what you need and what it will accomplish. Be specific.
When you have to fire someone, what is the best way to do that?
I always want to be able to say, “I’ve been talking to you about this for 6 months…”
It should not be a surprise.
You are writing a new book titled Powerful Phrases of Positive People. What are some of those phrases?
Here are some:
· I’m wrong,
· I’m sorry.
· I trust you.
· I’m proud of you.
· I luv ya!
Dave Ferguson is lead pastor of Community Christian Church and an editorial advisor for BuildingChurchLeaders.com.
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Comments
Wow, I almost didn't comment on this one because I couldn't think of anything nice to say. Unfortunately, Amway hasn't exactly been a uniting force in churches across America and I've met only one Amway person out of many who would actually be upfront about what 'business' they were trying to talk to me about. Amway was very good to those who got in on the ground floor but really did some tremendous damage to a lot of 'little guys'. I've not been in Amway myself, but knew many who were and their grip on the truth didn't seem too tight and they were never quite honest about how much they were actually making after all they spent on seminars, supplies, and such. I think when I think of Amway or Quixtar, the adjectives that come to mind are not positive ones.
I think our western culture has squelched the Holy Spirit by our reliance on wealth, programs, and our own ingenuity. Asking the wealthy for the big bucks rather than praying and asking God to direct his people to give to the project if He wants it to happen seems more man-driven than God-driven. I look around here at all the 'good' churches that raised money for these huge building projects within the last 10 or so years. Lots of people left because the building programs made the places so money driven. Now here Michigan sits, in the middle of a recession with lots of people in huge financial difficulty, and these churches have all their money tied up in a building they use for four or five hours out of a week. Something is terribly wrong.
This whole post kind of creeped me out but it's hard to put a finger on it. I guess it was just epitomized some of the thinking that has become standard in the church that, in my opinion, has nothing to do with what the church is supposed to be. Too long to go into here, but my posts over at my blog explain it better.
Sorry about the rant. Wish I could have said something nice!
Posted by: Karen | March 27, 2008 7:23 AM