Chief Executive Officer

About LifeWay Christian ResourcesLifeWay Christian Resources (LifeWay) is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian resources. The company operates more than 170 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as the Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. LifeWay also publishes books and the widely-respected Christian Standard Bible translation under the B&H Publishing Group imprint.

The ministries of LifeWay Christian Resources have been centered in Nashville, Tennessee, since its founding in 1891. Today LifeWay’s ministries reach across the United States and globally through millions of Christian products used in more than 160 countries. LifeWay is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention and a nonprofit organization that reinvests income above operating expenses in mission work and other ministries around the world.

History of LifeWayIn 1891, Dr. James M. Frost, LifeWay’s first president, had a desk, a corner of a newspaper office, and a little money he borrowed from his wife. More importantly, he had a vision for an organization that would help churches teach God’s Word, develop leaders, and impact the culture.

He put these four things together to begin what is known today as

LifeWay Christian Resources. The organization, formerly called the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), was established by the SBC in 1891 after its annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Convention gave Frost the approval he needed, but no funds were allocated to him. Undaunted, Frost put his vision and his work space in the office of Tennessee’s Baptist newspaper, the Baptist and Reflector, to good use. Frost laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most influential entities in Southern Baptist life.

LifeWay’s first assignment was the publication of Sunday school curriculum. More than a century later, LifeWay continues to provide Bible study curriculum, along with a wide range of Christian resources, events, and services.

About The Southern Baptist ConventionThe Southern Baptist Convention was created “to provide a general organization for Baptists in the United States and its territories for the promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.”

Thus, the Southern Baptist Convention is a multi-faceted set of ministries created, designed, and supported by cooperating Baptist churches that agree and identify with the mission and purposes of the Convention.

LifeWay Ministries1. Assist churches in the development of church ministries Provide programs, products, and services that help churches grow in the areas of Bible study, discipleship, music, worship, administration, media/library, recreation, fellowship, and family ministry; consult with church leaders regarding total church growth concepts, strategies, and resources.

2. Assist churches in ministries to college and university students Contribute to the effectiveness of churches and to individual spiritual growth by developing a program, products, and services that may be used in establishing, administering, enlarging, and improving ministry with college students, faculty, and administration.

3. Assist churches with Christian schools and home school ministries Provide consultation, products, and services needed by churches with Christian schools and members educating through home schools.

4. Assist churches in ministries to men and women Contribute to the effectiveness of churches and to individual spiritual growth by developing a program, products, and services that may be used in establishing, administering, and improving ministries to men and women.

5. Assist churches through the operation of conference centers and camps Develop, promote, and operate conference and resident camp facilities useful to Southern Baptist Convention entities, state conventions,

associations, and churches in establishing, enlarging, and improving their ministries.

6. Assist churches through the publication of books and Bibles Produce, publish, and distribute products, including books, of Christian content and purpose and Bibles that contribute to the effectiveness of churches and individuals.

7. Assist churches through the operation of LifeWay Christian Stores Serve people and the churches, associations, state conventions, and agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention by distributing appropriate products through LifeWay Christian Stores.

8. Assist churches through church architecture consultation and services Develop products and services needed by Southern Baptist churches, associations, state conventions, and denominational entities to assist them in planning, financing, furnishing, equipping, and utilizing property.

9. Assist churches in capital fund raising Provide leadership to churches in securing funds for capital needs.

10. Assist churches by conducting research and compiling statistics Conduct research and compile statistics on matters relating to, and of interest to, Southern Baptists, noting future trends and possible effects on church practice, productivity, witness, and health, and tender reports to the Executive Committee for review and possible report or action in an SBC annual meeting.

Above is the list of ministries as shown in the Organization Manual of the Convention from sbc.net.

LifeWay’s Core Values

1. Trustworthy LifeWay believes the Bible is the eternal, inerrant Word of God, and is the plumb line for all of our resources, and for everything we say and do. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

2. Collaborative LifeWay seeks to work with churches and believers in Christ to discover the best biblical solutions for life. The employees of LifeWay will work together as one to fulfill this purpose. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

3. Innovative The Bible is unchanging, but church practices and the needs of Christians will change over the years. LifeWay will seek to meet the changing needs through wise risk taking, innovation, and excellence. (I Corinthians 9:22-23)

4. Comprehensive LifeWay seeks to provide a wide array of resources to meet the needs of churches and Christians. (Luke 12:48b)

5. Transformational LifeWay seeks to provide the best resources to be a part of the process of spiritually transforming believers and churches. (2 Cor. 3:18)

LifeWay directs its ministries through five divisions:

LifeWay Resources provides biblical solutions and services to support the Church in Her mission to make disciples. This is done through many ministries, resources, enrichment and training events, and age-group products, including small group studies, Vacation Bible School, leadership development, church consulting, evangelism, discipleship, music, worship, marriage, and parenting. Its B&H Publishing Group imprint produces Bibles, books, audio and video products, and church supplies, selling to bookstores, other retailers as well as academic institutions. B&H titles include The New York Times No. 1 bestsellers The Love Dare and The Vow, No. 1 CBS bestsellers I Am a Church Member and Fervent as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation. The division also serves churches and individuals through LifeWay’s more than 170 retail stores nationwide.

LifeWay hosts a number of camps and events throughout the year including CentriKid, FUGE, StudentLife, World Changers, Access International, the Main Event, Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live, Going Beyond Live with Priscilla Shirer, Pipeline Conference, Etch Family Ministry Conference, and more.

Last year, LifeWay Global distributed resources to 164 countries, reaching more than 4 million people, and licensed resources in more than 60 languages.

LifeWay Insights includes LifeWay Research, one of the most respected Christian research organizations in the world, and corporate communications.

Information Technology partners with LifeWay’s business division to develop and distribute digital resources. In addition, IT administers technology solutions and support within LifeWay, while providing a framework to guide future technological decisions.

Finance and Business Services is responsible for LifeWay’s financial policies and general accounting and directs many key LifeWay business services including legal, investments, purchasing, real estate, strategic planning, corporate services, and human resources.

Organizational Development focuses on LifeWay’s people strategies, culture development, and change management, and includes the Human Resources Team and Leadership Development.

The OpportunityLifeWay is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian resources and its ministries reach across the United States and around the world. Lifeway’s Board of Trustees seeks an inspirational and transformative leader who shares its vision for the future and will discover and seize opportunities for advancing the ministry and business of Lifeway to its next level of service. Operating as a ministry fully funded by a revenue-generating business model, immense opportunity exists to expand Lifeway’s international spiritual influence and build upon a fully aligned and integrated organization. LifeWay’s next CEO will lead the organization by providing strategic direction and focused execution and growing the company’s revenue. As a wholly owned entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, LifeWay is highly regarded as one of the most powerful ministries among Southern Baptists and beyond. Anchored in biblical truth and called to serve the church, LifeWay’s next leader will set an impeccable standard for Christian leadership and demonstrate an unshakeable commitment to the SBC’s Baptist Faith and Message and to preserving Lifeway’s vision, mission, and values.

Responsibilities• Establish and maintain LifeWay’s operations in keeping with SBC-approved purpose and program

statements, SBC bylaws, business & financial plan, and other convention policies; live in agreement with the Baptist Faith and Message of the Southern Baptist Convention (2000).

• Follow Jesus Christ passionately and provide spiritual leadership for the entire LifeWay organization by:

o faithfully striving to help people discover God’s will

o depending upon the Holy Spirit

o being accountable for good use of leadership opportunities

o and working to help people know Jesus Christ and seek His kingdom

• Prepare for and assist in conducting trustee related meetings/matters; report to and keep trustees informed about the operations of LifeWay.

• Facilitate operational planning for LifeWay by casting clear direction, establishing key objectives, overseeing product development and distribution.

• Direct LifeWay’s Executive Leadership Team to ensure that LifeWay’s mission, vision, and core values are put into practice within the divisions and embedded in the culture of LifeWay.

• Collaborate with the Executive Leadership Team to develop and implement plans for the operational infrastructure of systems, processes and human resources; spearhead the development, communication, and implementation of effective growth strategies and processes to achieve operational excellence.

• Motivate and lead a high-performance management team through the attraction, recruitment, and retention of required members of the executive team.

• Represent LifeWay with church leaders, constituents, authors, vendors, industry leaders, and business partners as well with community business, religious, and other groups in support of LifeWay’s mission, brand, and reputation.

• Provide leadership in LifeWay’s denominational relationships to the churches, associations, state conventions, the SBC, its entities and institutions.

• Maintain legal fiduciary responsibility; safeguard all of LifeWay’s assets

• Serve as the editor-in-chief of all publications of LifeWay; establish and maintain editorial staff and procedures.

• Exercise strong business acumen and stay current with the best industry practices and initiatives through research and trend analysis.

• Oversee the fiscal activities of LifeWay including budgeting, reporting, and audit; develops and recommend an annual budget based on comprehensive operational planning guidelines for all LifeWay programs.

• Steward the business to achieve revenue growth and manage profit and loss producing a proper “Funds Provided from Operations” to maintain research, development, and growth of programs, products, materials, and services to churches and denomination.

• Promote programs and services that are produced in a cost-effective manner while maintaining biblical truth and quality; create a competitive advantage with comprehensive products and services that are trustworthy and theologically sound.

• Act as the chief steward for LifeWay’s culture to create a fun, “family environment” among employees built on trust, core values, and teamwork; communicate to employees the overall performance and progress of LifeWay.

• Serve as an expert for leading transformation; encourage change, innovation, creativity, and the facilitation of an agile workplace; foster an environment of continuous leadership learning and development; support talent management strategies to drive succession and increase leadership bench strength for the future; facilitate a success-oriented, accountable environment within the company through recognition of the desired leadership competencies.

Leadership Behaviors and Characteristics

• Spiritual leader – demonstrate spiritual leadership through interactions with management, employees, business partners, and the community.

• Christian work ethic – demonstrate a strong Christian work ethic and integrity.

• Inspiring – inspire and motivate others to achieve beyond expectations.

• Humble – lead with humility and operate with integrity, honesty, and respect.

• Emotionally Intelligent – possess a high emotional intelligence, demonstrate relational excellence, and work adeptly with many different personality types and constituencies.

• Business acumen – possess strong business acumen and demonstrate experience in integrating and coordinating diverse areas of business and management; understand the broader implications of business operations, technical and financial management required to drive growth and maintain expense controls.

• Change Agent – lead change and inspire the organization to be energized by change.

• Strategic – demonstrate a daily commitment to the vision, mission, and values of LifeWay and is forward thinking.

• Integrity – consistently display integrity and honesty; lead with character and respect the expertise of others.

• Leadership developer – foster a learning organization that works to grow and enhance the skills and abilities of employees.

• Accountable – hold self, leaders, and teams accountable with actions and performance goals and work to ensure the accomplishment of LifeWay’s strategic initiatives.

• Communicator – display excellent oral and written communication abilities, as well as consultative, presentation, negotiation, and reasoning skills to earn support of business leaders, technology leaders, colleagues, and vendor representatives.

• Credible – establish credibility throughout the organization as an effective listener and problem solver, exhibit trust and confidence in key business initiatives and people interactions.

• Inclusive – embrace and value a multi-generational, multi-ethnic workforce.

• Financial acumen – understand, develop, and manage financial statements, budgetary goals, and other metrics.

The review of applications will begin immediately. The search is being conducted with full confidentiality of all candidate information. Please direct all nominations, applications and inquiries to LifewayCEO@carterbaldwin.com. Although applications will be accepted until the time that a new CEO is appointed, candidates should submit materials by November 26, 2018 for the most favorable consideration. For additional information about either the position or the process, please contact:

Applications and Nominations

Price Harding Partner

678.448.0015 pharding@carterbaldwin.com

Andrea McDaniel Smith Managing Director, Washington, D.C.

678.448.0004 asmith@carterbaldwin.com

Experience:

• 15 – 20 years of experience serving consistently in the local church as a pastor, staff or lay leader.

• Demonstrated competence and capability in organizational leadership such as denominational leadership, business leadership or faith-based leadership experience with operational business savvy.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Theological and/or business degree preferred.