When I graduated from Manna University (it was Grace College of Divinity back then) with my Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, I did not know exactly where that journey would take me. I already had a Master of Science in Accounting, and I was supervising a global team of communication technicians for a defense contractor. Before that, I was a satellite communications team chief in the Unites States Army. Like many graduates considering Christian leadership careers, I understood that leadership could happen inside or outside the local church. What I have learned since then is that calling will hardly be defined by a job title or a career path. Today, I have the honor and privilege of serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Manna University, and my journey to this role has looked very different from what I might have expected years ago.
An Unexpected Path to Practice Christian Leadership
My journey to the CFO’s office was not a traditional one. Even though I had earned an undergraduate and graduate degree in accounting, I did not have much professional experience in the field. As I stated earlier, much of my career was in satellite communications and technology repair. While I had plenty of management and leadership experience, it was not in the field of finances. I had no idea what lay ahead of me after commencement; I only knew that I wanted biblically-based leadership training to accompany and shape my experience.
As God would have it, my combined education and experiences began opening doors. Earning my Master of Arts in Christian Leadership at Manna University helped shape the way I understood leadership. I began teaching college mathematics at Manna University as an adjunct professor, which allowed me to use my accounting degree. As time passed and my responsibilities at the university grew, I had opportunities to practice my education and leadership experience in areas ranging from financial stewardship to organizational leadership.
Today, my role as the CFO involves budgets, policies, compliance, strategy, and difficult decisions. Yet one of the most important lessons I have learned as a Manna University alum is that leadership cannot become disconnected from the people affected by those decisions. Behind every spreadsheet are students, faculty, and staff. Behind every budget decision is nonprofit university leadership attempting to accomplish its God-given mission.
That is where my understanding of Christian leadership continues to influence how I lead.
Bigger Than a Job Title
Regardless of your profession, faith-based or otherwise, God can use experiences that may seem disconnected at the time and bring them together in ways we never anticipated.
Your career after graduation may lead you to a church, university, nonprofit organization, business, classroom, or somewhere else you never expected. The title you have or location you work does not determine whether you are practicing Christian leadership.
Years ago, I would not have predicted that my path would lead from the military to satellite communications and technology repair to the CFO’s office of Manna University. I have the opportunity to practice leadership every day, and it always gives me excitement, as it challenges and encourages me. One thing is clear – I would not be the CFO had I not completed my Master of Arts in Christian Leadership at Manna University.
Sean Pottorff, CFO