Serving Changes Everything: Kevin H

We often write about the scandal and corruption of pastors and other Christian leaders on these pages.  We write about and discuss these men, and sometimes women, who are often high profile, have tons of followers on social and traditional media, have broadcast many sermons, have written many books, and rake in the money, but who also lead lives or are involved in activities which are significantly counter to the ways of Christ.  Many times counter enough that they should have no business being in the positions they are in, let alone being fawned over and repeatedly lauded by many Christian followers.

However, this time I would like to make you aware of a man and his recent foray into book writing who is very much the opposite of many of those Christian leaders we ofttimes talk about here.  Dr. Cameron Garven, or just simply “Cam” to those of us who know him, is my friend, former pastor, and the man who officiated my wedding.  He has a long history of pastoring, chaplaincy work, and ministry/missions/service work.

Today he is president (and a very hands-on one) of an organization named Productive Lives that as their tagline says, “We are a training organization dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through meaningful service.  Our Mission is People Serving People.”  Cam and his organization work in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Philadelphia and they come alongside multiple other ministries in the city to serve the poor, homeless, single mothers, schoolchildren, drug addicts, and more.

Cam recently wrote his first book, Serving Changes Everything … Lead the Way.  In the book, he adroitly shares principles of serving leadership, offering relevant personal experiences and advice on how to put the principles in action.  However, the best part for me is that he keeps his focus on Jesus throughout the book and he works to draw these principles from Him, rather than primarily from his own conception or some trendy leadership or management model.

What one finds in Cam’s book is not some expansive theological treatise or a slick system to follow step by step to become a great leader, but rather words from a true servant leader encouraging and guiding others in how to serve and lead.  Cam is one of the nicest, if not the nicest person I have ever known, and his heart has long bled in care and concern about others.  His lifetime of ministry, service, and care affirms the authenticity of his message.

I can guarantee you that if you acquire and read his book, you will not be reading someone who is looking to gain fame, power, or riches, or who gets caught up in the foolish fusing of the Christian faith with dastardly partisan politics.  Rather, you will be reading the words of one who truly means what he writes, who genuinely cares about people and wants to help them, and who has truly lived a life ministering to others and pointing them to Jesus Christ.