Contact: Jim West, 949-463-9800

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Jan. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- Ten years ago, 16 graduates of a three year coaching program called The Master's Program (www.mastersprogram.org) came together and formed a new ministry called The Barnabas Group. The goal was to help men and women who had completed the program engage their personal calling in service for God's Kingdom. The mission was to see the time, talent and network of marketplace and other Kingdom leaders help ministries transform lives worldwide.

Under the leadership of the two founders, Bob Shank and Jim West, the first quarterly meeting occurred in the Spring of 2000. The founders realized ministry-minded people could provide so much more if given an opportunity to use their network, time, and unique abilities to help ministries that reflect their true passions. The format was simple. Qualified ministries would have an opportunity to share with members ways that they could invest these gifts of time, talent and network to dramatically impact God's Kingdom.

Today, a full decade later, The Barnabas Group has hundreds of men and women who are enrolled in, or are graduates of, The Master's Program, as well as many other service-oriented Christians who are willing to search out and participate in the many exciting ministry opportunities The Barnabas Group provides.

Further, not only does The Barnabas Group provide a platform for marketplace leaders to meet qualified ministries, it also serves as an incubator to young ministries and provides a strategic review for ministries needing help with an issue or specific challenge. This review consists of a team of members who meet with the ministry to discuss and work through a question the ministry is struggling with.

The results? Over 200 ministries have presented their mission and vision. There are now 8 distinct Barnabas Groups located across the nation. Members are on the boards of dozens of ministries, have taken direct leadership roles, have donated thousands of hours to guide and assist, and have set up over 100 separate Giving Funds through the Foundation for Christian Stewardship. Aside from talent and time, their total giving just through their individual Giving Funds have exceeded $38 Million.

Bob Shank believes that "The Barnabas Group is a marvelous case study of how a movement benefits from leaders in partnership" and that "it was apparent that the graduates from The Master's Program had an incredible contribution to make to ministries."

While the tangible results speak for themselves, the largest impact is that The Barnabas Group has become a truly dynamic organization that continues to grow both nationally and locally, stays highly relevant to its members and ministries and has become a valuable asset to the communities it serves.

Links:
The Barnabas Group: www.barnabasgroup.org/
The Masters Program: www.mastersprogram.org/
Foundation for Christian Stewardship: www.fcstewardship.com/