OVERVIEW
Open Doors with Brother Andrew, Inc. (OD-USA) is the United States affiliate of Open Doors International, an evangelical Christian ministry which brings Bibles, materials, training, support and encouragement worldwide to persecuted Christians.
OD-USA is charged primarily with raising awareness and financial support for operational efforts of the parent organization, Open Doors International (ODI). Of the ODI annual $65+ million budget about $15 million is presently raised by the U.S. affiliate.
Other fundraising affiliates are in The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Korea, Brazil and the Philippines. The OD-USA raises the most financial support for ODI of any affiliate.
THE ORGANIZATION
An estimated 100 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution for being followers of Jesus Christ, with another 200 to 400 million facing discrimination for simply claiming faith in Christ. Open Doors seeks to serve and strengthen the Persecuted Church in the world’s most difficult areas through training, literature distribution, community development and personal encouragement.
Open Doors began in 1955, when a young Dutchman named Andrew traveled to Warsaw, Poland, with Christian literature hidden in his suitcase. During this trip, he found believers facing extreme persecution, oppression and isolation because they followed Jesus Christ. He also realized that they lacked Bibles and other materials to help them grow in their faith.
Andrew became convicted through these words from Revelation 3:2 – “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.” His unsettling experience and newly found conviction birthed the ministry of Open Doors, which now has 23 international offices serving more than 60 countries…with a major focus of serving Christian nationals in Muslim countries like China and North Korea; which are the hardest places to be a Christian.
The ministry does many things including delivering Bibles, assisting with pastoral and literacy training – all with the purpose of strengthening the Persecuted Church so it remains God’s light in the world. Sometimes assistance is done in a holistic manner in the areas of food, health care and employment. Such assistance is done through nationals who are on the ground in those countries.
Open Doors Vision Statement
We believe that all doors are open and that God enables His Body to go into the world and preach the Gospel. We, therefore, define our ministry as “Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide.”
Strengthen the Body of Christ living under restriction or persecution by providing and delivering Bibles, materials, training, and other helps, and encouraging it to become involved in world evangelism.
Train and encourage the Body of Christ in threatened or unstable areas, to prepare believers to face persecution and suffering, and to equip them to maintain a witness to the Gospel of Christ.
Motivate, mobilize, and educate the church in the free world to identify with and become more involved in assisting the Suffering Church, believing that “when one member suffers, all members suffer with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).
THE STYLE OF THE BOARD
The board members range from 15+ years of service to one person with less than a year. They’re a diverse group, congenial, no big personality on the board and fairly agreeable, yet all speak up. There’s no wall flower in the bunch.
OD-USA is well run. Carl Moeller, President, and his team do a good job, so seldom is there any crisis and definitely a minimum of politics. The Board operates as a policy and strategically-thinking board with Roger Spoelman as an excellent Chairman.
The board members are all donors to whatever extent each is capable. There are no major donors on the board…just a group of wise people with a heart for the Lord’s work. Attendance is consistent (people are expected to not miss more than one board meeting a year) and the members pay their own expenses although OD-USA picks up the hotel room if one is needed. People are responsive when contacted by Roger Spoelman or Carl Moeller.
WHAT’S INVOLVED IN BEING A BOARD MEMBER
Board members presently have two board meetings a year in Santa Ana, California, typically starting with dinner Thursday evening and adjourning usually around 4pm on Friday. Plus there are two one hour teleconference Board meetings.
Additionally each fall there is a President’s Forum which brings together supporters with Board Members, OD staff and some special people from the field. That event is usually held Thursday evening through Sunday morning and is held at some California resort like Bacara or the Four Seasons Aviara (San Diego). Typically half of those attending are major donors and the weekend has raised several million dollars over the past five years. Board Members are welcome to attend.
THE CURRENT BOARD BIOS
Roger Spoelman
Roger Spoelman is President and CEO of Mercy Health Partners in Muskegon, Michigan. MHP is a health system which includes four hospital campuses, a large physician network, three long-term care centers, an assisted and independent living center, home healthcare, durable medical equipment and several other subsidiaries. He is involved with and holds leadership positions with many community organizations such as United Way, Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce (past president), Rotary (past president), Reeths-Puffer School Board (past president), Lakeshore Health Network, the Muskegon Community Health Project and others. Roger also chairs the Board of International Aid and serves on the Board of CURE International and was appointed to the ODI Board in 2009. Roger joined the Open Doors USA Board in June of 2003 and was appointed Chairman in 2006. He is the husband of Jan, a health educator and creator of STATS (Straight Talk About Tough Stuff) a peer education, abstinence program, and the father of two adult children and two grandchildren. He enjoys executive coaching/mentoring, strategic planning and daily exercise.
Margaret Bailey
Dr. Margaret (Maggie”) Bailey is the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at Point Loma Nazarene University. She joined the University on the faculty of the Fermanian School of Business in 1999 as Associate Professor and Founder/ Director of the Center for International Development. Before Point Loma she was the founder and Executive Director of a strategic management leadership development consultancy serving many faith-based organizations. She earned her doctorate in business at the University of Southern California (USC) and MBA at the University of California, Berkeley.
Before entering the academic profession, she was a financial analyst for the Southern California Edison Corporation where she was responsible for renewable energy projects. She also served 11 years as an officer in the United States Navy. While in the Navy, she was assigned to the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet as foreign liaison officer and administrative aide. Following this assignment she was invited to join the personal staff of the Chief of Naval Operations as administrative aide and subsequently was attached to the U.S. Senate as a military advisor.
Throughout the years, Dr. Bailey has served as a consultant and/or board member for many for-profit and non-profit organizations. She and her husband, David Bailey, a sheriff’s deputy and retired U.S. Marine, and their daughter Jeanie make their home on a small grapefruit grove near Temecula, California.
Bruce Dingman
Bruce operates a boutique executive search firm with six people (www.dingman.com) assisting clients in filling senior leadership positions in the business world, higher education and ministries (they've served about 50 Christian organizations). Bruce has been serving on the OD-USA Board since 2004, and has been on the Board of Christian Associates which is planting churches in Europe for the past 15 years. He and his wife, Janet, live in Thousand Oaks, California and are active members of Calvary Community Church of Westlake Village (www.calvarycc.org). Bruce met Janet in Brazil in 1976 when he was with Holiday Inns and she was with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Bruce's gifting is in networking, discernment, organizational development and board governance. He's traveled to over twenty foreign countries, speaks three languages and has a heart for evangelism. Bruce has a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. He and Janet have three grown children, Jennifer, Laura and Jonathan, and two terrific grandsons.
Al Janssen
Al Janssen is Chief Communications Officer for Open Doors International and works out of his home in Colorado Springs. He has co-authored two books with Brother Andrew, Light Force, about Andrew’s 30 years of work strengthening the Church in the Middle East, and Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ. Al began his writing career with Campus Crusade for Christ in 1971. He had his own writing and editing business for six years before becoming Managing Editor at Multnomah Press. He was named Director of Book Publishing for Focus on the Family in 1992 and worked there for ten years before joining the Open Doors International team. Al joined the Open Doors USA board in 1994, serving as Chairman from 1999 to 2006. He enjoys baseball and hiking with his wife and their three children--Joshua (27), Jonathan (25), and Anna (20).
Carl A. Moeller – Ex-officio Board Member
Carl A. Moeller was appointed President/CEO of Open Doors USA in September, 2003. He previously served as Pastor to Single Adults at Saddleback Valley Community Church (Lake Forest, California). Carl's ministry began in 1983 when he joined Campus Crusade for Christ International. His positions at Campus Crusade included serving on the campus staff at the University of Minnesota, Associate Chaplain at Yale University and European Representative. His work experience also includes Director of Institutional Advancement and Director of Alumni Relations at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago; Director of Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago; Assistant Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Westminster College of Salt Lake City and Associate Pastor at the Evangelical Free Church of Salt Lake City.
Carl has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Utah, as well as an M.Div. (cum laude) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a B.S. from Penn State University. He is an adjunct faculty member at Biola University (La Mirada, CA) and Trinity Graduate School (Santa Ana, California). Moeller is co-author of the book "Being God's Man As A Satisfied Single."
Carl and his wife Kim have been married for 22 years and have four children ages 9 to 16. They reside in Dove Canyon, California
John Reynolds
John serves as executive vice president at Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, California) where he provides leadership for the administration of the university and its strategic initiatives. In addition to his several years of experience in higher education, John has worked in the mining industry and as the global CIO for World Vision International, a large private international relief organization (1991-2000). John also ministers as President of Doulos International, a non-profit organization that provides organizational and management consulting to non-profits and NGO's, John, is a regular speaker at national conferences throughout the world. He has consulted in over 40 countries and has traveled to over 80 countries to speak, consult, and advise national NGO leaders. He serves on several non-profit and educational boards, including African Enterprise (USA), LCC International University (Lithuania), Cornerstone Christian College (South Africa), Azusa Pacific International (South Africa), LCC Charity (USA) and Oakhurst Christian Camp (USA), and is an elder at Glenkirk Presbyterian Church in Glendora, California.
Originally from South Africa, John, his wife Carole, and their two sons, Dustin and Byron, have now lived in the United States of America for 18 years. John earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science and information systems while in South Africa, and is currently completing his doctoral work to earn a PhD in leadership and organizational effectiveness at Azusa Pacific University, where he also teaches as an adjunct professor in the areas of leadership, change management, and strategic thinking.
Steve Ridgway
Steve Ridgway is the Executive Director of The Northwest Network Foundation focusing on the discipling of men. Steve has served on local boards such as the Nations Foundation, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and The Bakke Scholars. Steve joined the Open Doors USA Board in 2002. He resides in Puyallup, Washington where he is heavily involved with everything from education to athletics, politics to urban development. He is single (never married), 55 years old and a former college football All-American.
Fred L. Schwien
Fred L. Schwien is the Director of Homeland Security Strategy for The Boeing Company and is based in Washington, D.C., where he interfaces with the Executive Branch and the Congress in matters involving homeland security and Boeing’s support to the Secure Border Initiative.
Prior to joining Boeing, Fred enjoyed a long and successful career in government service, most recently as a Senior Advisor to Secretary Michael Chertoff and as the Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He has also served as the Executive Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and as Deputy Secretary of the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing.
Fred was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1999. His service included tours in Europe, Asia, Latin America and in the United States. He graduated from West Point in 1979. Fred has been active with the Officers’ Christian Fellowship and Christian Embassy, Campus Crusade for Christ’s ministry to leaders in Washington, DC. He joined the Board of Open Doors USA in February, 2004, and was appointed vice chairman in 2006.
Fred and his wife, Sue, have four children and make their home in Northern Virginia. They attend Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, Virginia. He and Sue enjoy biking, camping and fishing with their family and attending their children’s various functions.
Matthew P. Yates
Matthew Yates is an attorney and has been practicing in Orange, California since 1995. Matt is a Partner in the law firm of Yates & Yates, LLP, a firm that specializes in the representation of ministry organizations, including Open Doors USA and Open Doors International. He joined the Board in February 2003, but has been the primary attorney for Open Doors USA since 1995 and has known Brother Andrew and the ODI President Emeritus Johan Companjen since childhood. He serves as Secretary. Matt is the son and law partner of Sealy Yates, a former ODI Chairman. Matt and his wife Stephanie live in Orange with their three young daughters. He enjoys family RV trips and riding his Harley-Davidson.
COMMENTS BY SOME BOARD MEMBERS
Three board members were asked for their thoughts about what being on the board means:
John Reynolds, a South African who is an EVP-Administration for a Christian university comments, “Even in Christian ministry for over 30 years, I hear so little of persecution of the Church and Christian leaders. It seemed that this almost disappeared in Christian circles after the breaking down of the Berlin wall and the fall of communism. Only after reading Open Doors literature and hearing first-hand testimonies did I realize that I was missing a large part of a still suffering world. There is no way that a Christ-follower cannot be moved to tears by the real experiences of so many, in all parts of the world, who every minute of the day put their lives at stake for the good news of Jesus Christ. Don’t pray about being on this board if you are not prepared to shed a tear every time we meet.”
Maggie Bailey, a university administrator remarks, “With the cost of discipleship for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ so inspiring and humbling it is a significant honor to serve on the Open Doors USA Board. In our ODUSA ministry, we are permitted to glimpse into the lives of those who place everything on the altar for our Lord and Savior. By giving of our little in time, talent, and resources, God is able to multiply hundred fold to minister to those who serve Him in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.”
Bruce Dingman, an executive recruiter notes, “The stories from the field, where often Open Doors is doing things no other ministry or NGO is doing, are incredible. I took my college age son on two trips…to Cairo and Sri Lanka…and what a life and spiritual impression those trips made.”
OD-USA STAFF
Dr. Carl Moeller, who was chosen through a nationwide search, was recruited from Saddleback Church. His background is in fund raising and ministry.
Reporting to the President is a senior management team consisting of the Director of Operations, the Chief Financial Officer and the Director of Communications. Additionally, there is a staff of 35 people in Santa Ana and seven field representatives around the United States.
Since Dr. Carl Moeller joined OD-USA in 2003, fundraising effectiveness and indeed the professionalism of the team, has risen significantly. While direct mail solicitations have always been a major part to raise donor awareness and support, it has become a smaller percentage and the cost to achieve the results through other channels has become more efficient. Annual contributions have increased from working with major donor development to include the President’s Forum and “mission vision” trips.
QUALIFICATIONS
Above all, qualified candidates must hear God’s call for such a role. Supporting an organization that has a passion for reaching the lost with the Gospel and encouraging isolated or persecuted believers, regardless of the barriers involved, should be present. This will be a person whose Christian faith and walk is manifested in dedicated service to and growth in the Lord as a layman. There is no expectation but it would be great if once every few years each board member went to the field to see firsthand the work Open Doors is doing.
Experience in effectively working with financial reports (financial statements and budgets) is needed.
The ideal candidate will bring experience, passion, wisdom and perspective which compliment the current board. Diversity in perspective or experience can add a lot to the board’s combined insights and wisdom. In particular, it would be helpful if a person has international experience or was born in another country, is of another race, or is a woman. Business experience is preferred. An established network, particularly with people of financial means who might have a heart for supporting Open Doors or might be a major donor themselves, is desireable.
Having had prior board experience may also be an asset but not a requirement.
The right person for the Board will be a person of integrity, spiritual maturity, exhibiting well developed interpersonal skills and a Christ-like respect for people. This person should be an encourager and collaborator, someone who engenders trust and open, two-way communication.
This person, like Open Doors, must feel comfortable in working with people of a wide spectrum of denominational or non-denominational perspectives, yet always within an evangelical context.
Annually board members will read and attest (sign) they are in agreement with the Open Doors’ Statement of Faith (Following and that there is no conflict of interest in serving on the Open Doors-US board.
Open Doors Statement of Faith
We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where He will come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
OPPORTUNITY
For the right person, this is a superb ministry opportunity to support the spread of the Gospel and strengthen beleaguered followers of Jesus Christ living on every continent of the world. Open Doors’ mission strikes a responsive chord with evangelical Christians worldwide. The organization has a history of success in achieving its mission, an effective Board of Directors, an established staff and an excellent reputation so that the potential to impact and grow the organization is significant. |
