The Key Ingredient Your Organization Needs to Thrive

You know that feeling when you're on the right track? That’s exactly how I felt during a conversation with a new mentor.

I was at a wedding in Korea when I met a Christian businessman. It’s important for me to seek advice from someone who shares my faith values.

Sam (a pseudonym) is the owner of a luxury resort in Asia. I reached out because I’m very curious about how successful leaders plan, create, and thrive—especially those who lead with faith.

During the wedding ceremony, I struck up a friendly conversation with Sam. I shared my vision of helping church and organizational leaders thrive in life and faith. 

Our conversation went so well that we continued chatting at the after party.

We enjoyed our conversation, and I scheduled a time to chat with him a few months later. 

We spoke before the Christmas holidays, and he was generous with his time.

During our call, I reiterated my passion for helping people thrive with purpose in faith, life, and leadership.

Sam listened attentively—a mark of a great leader. 

Then he encouraged me—another sign of great leadership.

He said, "Nestor, I can tell you will succeed because you have vision and patience."

The affirmation was encouraging. 

Success:

1. Vision
2. Patience

I see this in myself. I have a vision for my life, family, and leadership. It excites me and drives me forward with a compelling purpose.

I still have a lot of growth ahead in patience, but I’m getting there. For example, this blog article is the 10th consecutive weekly article I’ve written. I believe that consistency beats inspiration. Patience is key as I stay consistent with my work.

Then Sam shared a truth that floored me—it was amazing. 

He said, “Not only do you need a God-given vision and patience, but you also need to build a solid foundation.”

Wow.

I wrote this in my notes:

Success:

1. Vision
2. Patience
3. Preparation

What’s the key ingredient to thrive in your faith, life, church, or business? Preparation.

The most important thing we can do is to build a rock-solid foundation.

Down to the Nail in Every Detail

And we need to care about the details.

Sam shared a compelling example.

He asked, “Do you know why some Asian carmakers succeed?”

“Why?” I asked.

Sam shared the punchline: “They succeed because they care—down to the very nail of the car.”

Wow. 

We have to build a rock-solid foundation and care about every detail.

Success:

1. Vision
2. Patience
3. Preparation – Build a solid foundation by fine-tuning every detail.

You might be thinking, “I get that I need to pay attention to every detail when building a solid foundation.”

And then you sigh: “But this process is so slow!”

I get it.

When I'm hangry (yes, hunger-anger is real!), I’d rather microwave my Ramen than cook it from scratch.

I’m American. I like things fast.

But what tastes better: microwavable Maruchan Ramen (no offense to Maruchan lovers!) or a carefully prepared and slowly cooked bowl of Ramen that’s been marinating for hours?

I think you know the answer.

Preparation is always best. And preparation takes time.

So be patient with yourself. Your slow consistency and preparation will pay off.

I’m experiencing this at our church.

The Slow-Build Approach at Our Church

I have the privilege of serving as lead pastor at Hinsdale Fil-Am Church, a vibrant and beautiful community of Jesus followers. I’ve been here for 3.5 years.

I believe the most important thing a leader can do in an organization is clarify the mission.

And clarifying our church's mission has taken time.

In March 2023, we formed a visioning team with thirteen members. 

I’ll never forget one meeting a few months later. We were reviewing church mission statements and brainstorming strategy.

And then something dawned on us.

We had been asking, “What should we do?”

But we weren’t asking, “What is God up to?” 

Wow.

So instead of starting with a strategic vision, we spent about 1.5 years working on a theological vision.

Yes—one and a half years.

It’s been slow. But we believe that building a rock-solid foundation is the key ingredient for our church to thrive.

We spent over a year discovering and understanding the core of our church’s existence: the gospel.

The diagram below illustrates what we discovered about the centrality of the gospel.

For some context: our Christian church is part of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. The diagram shows that the center of our unique and beautiful teachings is the gospel—the story of how God saves people through Jesus.

Preparation is in the details, and preparation takes time.

Like Sam said: 

Success:

1. Vision
2. Patience
3. Preparation

Prepare well. Be patient. And watch God bring His vision to life.

* If you're interested, feel free to explore our Theological Vision document.