by Jor-El Godsey

O - Ownership: For board members, ownership translates to stewardship, meaning board members are entrusted with managing God's resources – people, programs, and purse – to fulfill the organization's mission. This stewardship responsibility requires careful evaluation and use of all resources to ensure they are directed towards achieving the mission efficiently and effectively.¹

Someone once said, “Opinion is really the lowest form of human knowledge.”

Some otherwise earnest board members mistakenly believe they are called to serve on the board just to provide their opinions. This perspective leads to a somewhat detached role of being only an advisor to those leading the ministry toward fulfilling its mission.

Yet, being only an advisor misses the biblical call and the public expectations of all board members of non-profit organizations. Board members aren’t there merely to offer opinions. They are there to govern actively.

A part of governing is ownership of the call, the mission, the effort, and the outcome. The mantle of governance is much like the owner of a business. The owner shoulders the leadership of the company personally and intimately. This usually includes the Executive Director or CEO as an ex oficio board member.

“Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have” - Pat Summitt, legendary basketball coach

No one board member is ever “the owner” of a non-profit organization. But the board as a whole, in effect, is the ownership.

The Three P's

The board, as owners, fulfill their call primarily through the three P’s of the organization:

• People – the staff, whether paid or volunteer
• Programs – the efforts chosen that fulfill the mission
• Purse – the finances that support and sustain the team and the efforts

“The greatest ownership of all is to glance around and understand.” - William Stafford, Poet Laureate of Oregon

Board members don’t just glance at the client stats and financials. Their attention is broader and more inquisitive in looking to understand the health of the three Ps and how well the missional call is being addressed.

Just like for-profit business owners always keep an eye on being profitable, non-profit owners stay focused on accomplishing the mission outcomes. For PHOs, the mission is not to operate a pregnancy center or maternity home. Those are but methods intended to achieve the mission of rescuing lives and lifetimes. PHO board members should be analyzing the impact on lives turned from hurtling towards abortion towards life.

How to "own" your role

Owners strategize and plan. That’s because they know the old axiom, “To fail to plan is to plan to fail.”

Planning must be intentional. And periodic. Every board, as a part of their fiduciary responsibility, approves an annual plan for spending. We call it a budget, but it’s still an annual plan of expectations relative to the “purse.” We should have similar plans for the other two P’s – people and programs.

Strategic planning is a must for boards to fulfill their ownership role. In this Post-Roe era, PHOs face highly dynamic situations. Our clients have always been subject to changes in culture and economics. The shifting culture and difficult economics we’re all facing are hitting our clients even harder. Such are also impacting our donors and vendors.

Even more challenging is the dynamic nature of Big Abortion. Not only are they actively shifting their distribution paradigm to capitalize on relaxed restraints on chemical abortion, they are aggressively using political power and legislative actions to increase their footprint and maximize profits.

Board members, as owners of this era of ministry governance, should be able to readily lean into a current strategic plan—one that was updated since the Dobbs ruling in June 2022. If not, a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis should be on the agenda for the very next board meeting or the subject of a special strategic session.

The weight of governance is of intense importance during such dynamic times.

Now, more than ever, we should be like the Sons of Issachar “men who had an understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.” (1 Chronicles 12:32, ESV)

Check your inbox next month as we dive into the next major responsibility, Values!

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1. Taken from Heartbeat's Governing Essentials Manual. This series is just one piece of the manual, which can be purchased at any time here.

by Aimee Huber, Executive Director at First Choice Women's Resource Centers

I’m not a big fan of change. I like to plan, stay ahead of the curve, and know what’s next. As a pregnancy center director for 33 years, however, change has come in all forms. We have changed our organization’s name, staff structure, services, counseling methods, locations and staff. Many times, it hasn’t been an option because of our need to remain relevant!

I have found that my ability to lead change focuses directly on how I lead our team. If they know that I care for them and they trust my character, they’ll give me the benefit of the doubt even if they aren’t completely sure they like what I’m proposing. If those relationships aren’t built, change will be viewed with skepticism and reluctance, at best.

One of the most helpful tools our staff has used is the Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI). Unlike DISC or Myers-Briggs that show people’s personalities, SDI shows a person's motivation. This inventory groups people using colors – red, green and blue. The motivation for a red is to win or achieve. They love the mission. A green’s motivation is to be right. They love information and data. A blue’s motivation is to connect. It’s always about the relationship. Some folks are a combination of these colors or “hubs.” For example, I am a red-blue, so I like to accomplish things and develop relationships.

When I communicate with a red, I need to be direct and straightforward. With a green, I need to bring my data and my research. And, with a blue, I need to make a date for coffee! These methods of communication have been extraordinarily helpful with our team of godly women. We have avoided many conflicts because we try to tailor our communication to everyone’s motivation. For more information about this inventory, go to consentiagroup.com.

John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School and world-renowned change expert, introduced his eight-step change process in his book, "Leading Change."

1. Create Urgency – Why is the change needed? Years ago, we had a marketing agency provide feedback that our logo was hard to read. That created urgency for us to update our logo.

2. Get Buy-In – People are more likely to buy into a decision they have influenced than a decision imposed on them by others. Find your stakeholders. You need those who have positional power (their title or position causes folks to pay attention to them) AND informal leaders (folks who have influence with others).

3. Create a Vision – What will this vision look like? Use a few folks to be your test group and envision them. Be sure to ask for their feedback because they may notice something you haven’t thought of!

4. Communicate the Vision – Share what you believe will happen if the change takes place AND remain connected to the change you’re implementing. Don’t consider it done and move on!

5. Remove Obstacles - Uncover the predictable concerns people have, allowing the concerns to be addressed. This increases trust and buy-in.

6. Create Short-Term Wins – Share great feedback.

7. Build on the Change – When we changed our logo, every sign, brochure and publication had to be updated!

8. Anchor the Change in your Ministry’s Culture – Continue to talk about it, especially when hiring new staff so they understand the reasoning and are committed to it.

As I have led change in our ministry over the years, there are a few things I have learned. First, communicate, communicate, communicate! A lack of communication causes folks to fill in the blanks themselves. The more you can explain, the more they will trust you.

I have also learned to grieve and to allow others to grieve. It’s been said that people don’t fear change, they fear loss. It’s hard to leave what you know and embrace something new. Grieving is part of that process.

Finally, it’s okay if you don’t win everyone. Do your best to process the change with your staff as you follow God. He will honor your efforts as you serve Him!

by Amy Ford, Co-Founder and President of Embrace Grace

“Most of my clients would never walk into a church.” 

I’ve heard this phrase at times from staff at pregnancy help organizations (PHOs), and for some of their clients, it's true.

Unfortunately, the church has been a place that many unmarried, pregnant moms want to run away from instead of run towards. Whether it’s because of their own church hurt or because of the reputation of the church at large, they have formulated the opinion that the church isn’t a safe place for someone unexpectedly expecting.

The perspective of many of our moms is that the church is known to be a place focused on behavior modification instead of what many are actually focused on which is heart transformation. 

Yet, if we can find creative ways to help pregnant moms be brave and overcome their fear of walking into the doors of the church, the outcome could have a generational impact, lives changed because of Jesus, and them finding a place of belonging.

When Our Clients Visit Church

It’s amazing to see the heart change regarding their perspective of the church when moms find the courage to actually show up. When they are met with authentic and real church leaders who bravely share their own stories of how God met them where they were and turned their messes into miracles, their walls start coming down and they feel safe sharing their own stories. They realize that the church isn’t a place full of perfect people but a place where imperfect people come together to encourage and support one another while pursuing the heart of God.

I tell so many moms that I invite, “Just try it one time. What do you have to lose? If you don’t like it, there is an open door available to you to leave at any time.” And I love hearing the creative ways in which centers are inspiring new moms to show up to church.

Invitation Ideas to Help Her Feel More Comfortable

I spoke to a PHO director recently who is closely partnered with a large church a few miles from their center. She tried referring their clients to the church for the Embrace Grace group but the moms were not showing up. She looked into it, asking them why they didn’t attend, and many said, “It’s such a big building. I don’t know where to go.” Even though they had signage out with clear directions, the size of the building kept them away. The PHO director came up with the solution to have the first four group sessions at their center. The church leader was still the leader of the group but began their semester at the center, instead of a big, church building. Then, once trust was built, they moved it to the church. During one of their group sessions, they took a field trip together to the church where they could walk in the doors together and show them where the classroom would be; and the moms kept showing up each week and started going to weekend services!

I’ve heard another center director say that she personally invites them to the local Embrace Grace group at their church and tells them she will meet them there. She attends the first 1 or 2 sessions to help the moms feel more brave in coming. Because of the trust that has been built and developed at the center with their clients, they are more comfortable going to Embrace Grace because they love the center worker! 

Some directors even invite the Embrace Grace leaders or pastors to swing by one of their parenting classes to personally invite the moms to their church. Sometimes seeing a face makes a big difference in helping a mom feel more confident in showing up. 

Don’t give up on inviting moms to become a part of a church family! We were never created to live life alone. Getting young moms plugged into spiritual families will help them find new friends and fellowship. We need each other! Get creative in the ask and watch what God does!

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NEW! Join us on June 12th for our first quarterly webinar to hear new ideas and receive ongoing support to partner with the churches in your community! For those just getting started or those looking to bolster their existing groups, this is for you. Join the Embrace Grace and Heartbeat teams, along with experts from the field to be inspired and equipped. Click here to register for FREE.

Heartbeat International, in conjunction with a collective of pregnancy help organizations, has taken legal action against the Office of New York Attorney General Letitia James for egregious violations of fundamental rights, including freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, equal protection under the law, and civil rights violations. The lawsuit, with legal representation provided by the Thomas More Society, comes in response to the unjust targeting of not-for-profit life-affirming pregnancy help organizations by the Attorney General's office, which has sought to silence their life-saving message and deny women access to crucial information and support during unplanned pregnancies.

The lawsuit challenges the discriminatory practices of the Attorney General's office, which have unfairly singled out pregnancy help organizations solely because they offer alternatives to abortion. These organizations, represented pro bono by the Thomas More Society, play a vital role in providing support and information to women facing unplanned pregnancies, ensuring they have access to all available options and empowering them to make informed choices about their futures. Our lawsuit challenges the Attorney General's office's pattern of discrimination against pregnancy help organizations and seeks to uphold the rights of women to receive comprehensive information and support during unplanned pregnancies. We stand firm in our commitment to providing compassionate care and empowering women to make choices that align with their values and beliefs.

Even in the midst of the attack, our focus remains: women, like Cassidy, deserve the right to try to save their pregnancies. No woman should ever be forced to complete an abortion she no longer wants. APR remains a safe and effective option, supported by scientific evidence and the lived experiences of women who, after initiating a chemical abortion, successfully reversed it and now cradle their babies in their arms.

To put it plainly: It is time to stop politicizing a woman’s right to continue her pregnancy. 

Timeline

• April 22, 2024: New York Attorney General Letitia James sends Notice of Intent to sue to at least 12 pregnancy help organizations and Heartbeat International in regard to providing information about Abortion Pill Reversal
• April 30, 2024: Thomas More Society filed a complaint on behalf of Heartbeat International and the Pregnancy Help collective
• May 1, 2024: Emergency Injunction Filed Against NY Attorney General to Halt Threatened Prosecution of Pregnancy Help Organizations
• May 6, 2024: Attorney General James Sues Heartbeat International and 11 New York Pregnancy Centers for Promoting Abortion Pill Reversal Treatment

Resources

• Thomas More Society Case Details & Documents
• Verified Complaint of Heartbeat Int'l, CompassCare, and 10 other pregnancy ministries, against NY AG Letitia James.
• Memorandum of Law in Support of Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction in Heartbeat International, et al. v. Letitia James
• Copy of Notice of Proposed Litigation by the Attorney General's Office
• Abortion Pill 101 

Press Releases

• April 30, 2024 - Heartbeat International & Pregnancy Ministry Collective Sue New York Attorney General to Block Threatened Prosecution

Latest News regarding the lawsuit

• Pro-life centers accuse New York attorney general of threatening illegal prosecution
• N.Y. AG Letitia James Sued by Anti-Abortion Groups
• Pro-Life Groups Sue New YorkAttorney General James OverAlleged Targeting
• Letitia James Stung by New Lawsuit
• Heartbeat, pregnancy help orgs sue New York AG over targeting them for life-affirming ministry
• New York AG Letitia James Challenged Over Her ‘Political Witch-Hunt’ Against Pro-Life Groups
• Letitia James sued over ‘witch hunt’ against New York anti-abortion groups
• NY crisis pregnancy centers announce joint suit against state attorney general
• Anti-Trump Attorney General Sues Pro-Life Center for Abortion Pill Reversal
• Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers Sue New York Attorney General Letitia James for Trying to Stop Their Work

If you feel so called, you can stand with us as we continue to push back against pro-abortion lies against the good work of pregnancy help. We know this will be a long battle, and we also have faith in the victory!