Meet Keith Anderson -- Leadership Interview Series (Part 3 of 6)

Which member of the Area Directional Team has been part of ReachGlobal the longest? Keith Anderson! In this installment of our leadership series, you'll hear directly from Keith... and find out how you can pray specifically for him as you continue to keep the entire ADT in your prayers.

Name
Keith Anderson


What is your history with ReachGlobal?
Believe it or not, my parents were doing support team building when I was born, so I have been part of ReachGlobal for nearly all of my life. However, Judy & I were officially accepted in 1978.


In terms of area leadership, I was involved from 1992-2000, and now again since 2004. My ministry has included church planting and theological education (Hebrew and Old Testament) in Venezuela, field leadership and administration, and now I serve as Director of ProMETA.


What is your position on the leadership team?
Although I really don't have a specific title, my focus as a team member is on leadership development.


What does that mean? What do you do?
My focus on leadership development flows out of my role as Director of ProMETA, a Master's level program designed to equip Spanish-speaking leaders in Bible and leadership. ProMETA has over 120 active students (with about 50 of those enrolled in a course each quarter). These students represent 24 different countries and dozens of organizations and churches. My responsibilities as Director are becoming more and more like those of a university president, but I hope much less bureaucratic!


What makes you a good boss or leader?
I'm a strong believer in implementing biblical leadership. Biblical leadership cannot be summarized with two or three words -- it is a complex configuration of responsibilities, attitudes, commitments, sensitivities, and submission to the Lord of the Church.


The three primary metaphors that bring together what I believe are at the core of biblical leadership are shepherd, servant, and priest. To be a good leader, it's critical that I be as biblical as possible.


What do you want to/need to work on as a boss or leader?
I have made it a personal goal to work more intentionally on hearing God (and what He wants me to do as a leader), because a biblical leader is only as effective as his or her level of obedience and faithfulness in carrying out the "orders" of his or her boss.


What has God been teaching you lately about being a leader?
There are two major themes that God has brought to my mind in recent months:

1. The value of all His servants. Each person, in God's sight, has incredible value, and I need to make sure that I am doing all I can to develop, empower, and release His people for service.
2. The need to remember that all I do is out of brokenness. Everything I do as a leader (and as a person) is the result of His enabling, and it's critical that I live in light of my dependency on God.

Why do you love Latin America?
I have spent more of my life in Latin America than in any other region of the world, and I've been greatly impacted by the culture, customs, language, and people. There is very little about LA that I don't like, but if I had to choose one thing I love most, it would be the value Latin Americans place on relationships and the joy Latin Americans bring to life.


What excites you about the ministry we're doing in LA?
I like the focus RG has on coming alongside what God is doing in the region. As a leadership team, we are sharpening our focus on those priorities that we believe God has given us. As we sharpen our vision, it may seem an overwhelming task, but I like it because it does two things for us:

1. It will help to keep us focused as we move ahead in the next ten years.
2. It also requires us to see ourselves as incapable to do this ourselves. It forces us to go to our knees in dependence on God. 

How can people contact you?
I can always be reached by email -- keith.anderson@efca.org.


More Personal...


Tell us about your family.
My wife Judy and I have three married sons and two granddaughters.

• Our oldest son lives in Boston with his wife and twin daughters and works online while doing his Master's online. His wife is currently applying to med schools.
• Our second son lives with his wife in the Chicago area. He's a student at TEDS and an assistant soccer coach at TIU. His wife is a marketing director for a health care organization.
• Our youngest son lives with his wife in Fort Lauderdale. He's a second year med student, and his wife just graduated as a nurse.

Where do you currently live?
Judy & I are "empty-nesters" living in San Jose, Costa Rica.


What's the last book you read?
I have read a few books in the last two months:

• Don Carson's Scandalous -- I would highly recommend it.
• Wayne Cordeiro's Leading on Empty -- also very good.
• Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son
• Tim Keller's The Prodigal God

Currently, I'm reading Robert Wuthnow's Boundless Faith: The global outreach of American churches and Justo Gonzalez's The History of Christianity in Latin America (also written in Spanish).


What do you like to do for fun?
I like most everything that has to do with beaches: snorkeling, scuba, boogie-boarding, fishing, aquariums, eating seafood (!). Also, photography and working in the Hebrew Bible.


Prayer requests:

• I’m convinced that God designed us to build healthy rhythms into our lives. This includes taking a Sabbath rest and a time for recreation (there is a difference!). Thus, I would want people to pray that I would have the wisdom and the discipline to have a healthy rhythm. 
• I would also like to have prayer for developing a growing and joyful walk with Jesus.
• Finally, mobilizing prayer for our sons and their families is always needed. I can think of few things that are more debilitating and de-energizing for missionary parents than to be wrestling with family issues across the ocean.