Rooting for Rivals: How Collaboration and Generosity Increase the Impact of Leaders, Charities, and Churches

May this message spread! I love Greer and Horst's heart here. They live the message and calls others to it here. If we are focusing on the big "K" Kingdom and not our fiefdoms then why would we not want other Christian ministries to win and succeed?The stories range from California wine country with Robert Mondavi, to IllumiNations Bible translation stories. Points made well and needed timely advice.The book is broken up into two parts. Part one is focus on why we refer rivals the looking at unity and his two main points focusing on kingdom over clan and choosing abundance over scarcity.I'm trying to imagine criticism that would come from this book, and it's difficult for me to come up with it. If we truly are nonprofit leaders focusing on focus the great commission for the mission indeed of our organization it makes a lot of sense for us to partner. If however we are focused on just making our organization sustainable i.e. scarcity mindset, then this book seems overwhelming, or maybe idealistic.However the numerous examples from loads of different sectors from churches to nonprofits provide a framework of how this could be stepped into more practically. There are great examples to "toe the water" with these ideas. How radical but Kingdom focused would it be to positively mention a "rival" non-profit at your fund raiser? Simple, but yet powerful example of Kingdom minded non-profit leadership.In part two, Greer and Horst walk through the seven vices in the corresponding virtues. Which is really just a framework for them to discuss in greater detail how rooting for rivals plays out impracticality. Each chapter is filled with honesty, sometimes shocking honesty from the authors. But it also includes lots of examples about how other ministries have done this.So honestly, this book is convicting. I'm struck by how much I fit in the categories of vices rather than virtues. It's convicting in a wonderful way-a horrible wonderful way. I'm too often caught in pride, greed, gluttony, lust, envy, vengeance, and sloth. And I now want to really do something about it.Great resource. Thought provoking and easy to read.

The principles here should be woven into the DNA of your nonprofit.Audio version great for commuting.

Wow, I just finished this book this morning, and am working on thinking through several applications to my life and work. I started a little skeptical about using the grid of the Seven Deadly Sins as a model for organizational collaboration, but was won over fairly quickly. Each of these longtime sins (plus pride, which is perhaps the root of the other seven), has an unfortunate place in the way I lead, and now I'm committed to dealing with these areas. Several times I got to a chapter and thought "This one is going to be less relevant to me than the others," and then before I knew it I was highlighting points that were applicable to my life and leadership.One immediate take away for my organization is to open-source more of what we've created. Another takeaway is to promote "competitor" organizations to funders more often, as a way of practicing my belief in a God of abundance and further focusing on the Kingdom instead of just my own organization. I think this book is going to impact the way organizations work together in my city, and am excited to see the Kingdom grow because of that!

Really good read!!Received Rooting for Rivals and it included a sweet appreciation note and extra book as a gift.

I loved the quick service and the attention to detail. There was even a free gift in the package, which was a very nice touch. Thank you for your service.

Rooting for Rivals is a must-read for Christian non-profit and Church leaders, but its significance extends far beyond. Amidst the growing culture of fear and division in today's society, this book calls all Christians to a different and refreshing way to engage with the world. With inspiring examples and practical tools, Rooting for Rivals equips us to practice a type of radical generosity with each other that points our focus back toward the Kingdom of God. The book shows us that it is possible to remain true to our own organizational and personal values while still reaching out to our "rivals" in generous and loving ways. What I appreciated most about this book was the deep grace, kindness and humility with which it was written. The authors remind us that "because of the power of the Gospel, no person, nor any organization, should ever be written off." (page 192) Rooting for Rivals left me feeling challenged, inspired and filled with hope.

I’m grateful for this book. It gave language to some of the things that have been on my heart for years. While I’m not in the non-profit world, as a Kingdom focused business owner, everything in here applies. I’ve recommended this book to others wholeheartedly.

A well written book filled with challenges for all Christians, especially leaders. I loved the calls to action and the personal vulnerability of the authors. I highly recommend this book!