PEOPLE IN PRINT
April 1, 1984
People-Centered Administration
Your Gift of Administration by Ted W. Engstrom, Nelson, $9.95
Reviewed by John A. Huffman, Jr., St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Newport Beach, California
Some who write about administration have all the theory but not the practice. I read their writing, and I'm impressed; I talk to their associates, and I'm let down.
Ted Engstrom, however, is one who practices what he preaches.
Thirty years ago, as a teenager, I lived across the street from him and watched this large bundle of a man energetically drag his body, chronically pained by a hip injury, through a schedule that wouldn't stop. He was then president of Youth for Christ International, traveling the world carrying spiritual and financial burdens and administering a huge team of creative mavericks.
Read his books, observe his accomplishments, and you wonder whether he really has time for people. He does. And not just the people who are part of his organization. Thirty years ago, he had time for the kid across the street who had observed phoniness in other Christian leaders.
It wasn't a lot of time, but it was enough to make an impression. A wave hello, occasionally stopping his car, rolling down the window, and asking a specific question or two about my life affirmed me and convinced me of his authenticity. He not only ran an organization committed to loving the teenagers of the world; he actually loved the teenager across the street and was no small influence in helping me grow in my faith and willingness to serve Jesus Christ in full-time ministry.
In the years since, our paths have crossed a few times, and I've continued to watch his work. Now head of World Vision, he knows how to get things done, and he knows how to care for people in the ...
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