HISTORY STATEMENT I believe it is of utmost importance for individuals who desire to support a ministry or one of its leaders - to know the pathway of the Cross of that leader. I consider it a privilege to write this letter of history regarding my love to serve Christ and the message of the Cross for you our reader.
First of all, I want to state my love for Dr. Solomon, of Grace Fellowship International, as a mentor and spiritual father. I have considered Dr. Solomon to be my spiritual father since 1976. Due to my fleshly pattern of "fear of intimacy" early on, I did not maturate this relationship as God had called me to do. This error has brought me to tears many times - even now! I find great comfort in God's extension of forgiveness and for the fact that I will be given the privilege of spending the rest of eternity with him as a fellow Bridal member of our Christ.
My Roots
I grew up in what the world classifies as a ―dysfunctional home‖. My father was the son of a great man of God and preacher that was used to reform the church. Rumor has it that my father was named after my grandfather's role model, Charles Finney. Because of growing up in a spiritual environment that was ever so public, my father decided to go the opposite direction of his calling. Therefore, my father did not allow Christianity to be talked about in our home. His sins were extensive and his calling was replaced by becoming a career man for the United States government. Bitterness and fear ruled our household. Out of a family of six children, I was the one that God choose, for some reason, to start the process of restoring our lineage back to the pathway of the Cross. I accepted Christ as my Savior at age of 16. It was a ―radical‖ conversion and transformation and, because of it, I was rejected severely by my father and siblings. I was labeled a ―Jesus Freak‖ and considered to be on drugs due to the passion of my conversion. These rejections ultimately lead to my father committing to ―never‖ acknowledging my conversion or service unto the Lord until shortly before his death.
As a result of my conversion, God began to use my ―zealous‖ heart to minister to each family member. Salvation followed for my mother, supposedly, 4 of my siblings and yes, ultimately, my father several years before his death. Keith Fredrickson, my GFI (Grace Fellowship Int.) intern Supervisor, was used by God to resolve my bitterness and hatred toward my father. One significant intern assignment was given pack my bags, travel back to Northwest Iowa, sit down with my father and seek his forgiveness for the sins that I committed against him. This act of the Cross is what started the process of my own father being lead back to the Cross and life of Jesus Christ. I will be forever grateful for this assignment. I use this service act in my counseling & corporate consulting to this very day. I have endless testimonies of the restoration of children and their fathers.
Village Unlimited
In the mid 70's, while working for an organization (Village Unlimited) that served the handicapped, I found myself in a state of unrest. I knew I was born-again and I served the Lord the best that I knew how, sharing the Word of God, and leading Bible-studies on what I heard preached. I was active in church outreach but deep down inside there remained a yearning, a spiritual thirst for a deeper walk with Christ. I desired a life of victory and triumph rather than one of fear and performance. I served God the ―best‖ I knew how, knowing all the while it wasn't enough. I found the classic message of the Church to be dry as bones. Their push for repentance, rededication, recommitment and surrender became a message of hopelessness to me it left me feeling defeated. There had to be a way of living that was different than the way I was living.
Grace Fellowship
God introduced me to Dr. Solomon in the late 70"s, a friend & coworker placed a book on my desk that he obtained from his sister (a friend of Lee LeFebre) while visiting in Denver - The Handbook to Happiness. Just seeing the graphics on the cover created a "wanting" to read it but I had a problem - I was functionally illiterate. Here I was, 21 years of age and keeping this secret and faking my way through life. After confessing my problem to my soon-to-be wife, Jane, she began to teach me how to read by using the Word of God. Knowing that this "exchanged life" book contained my answer as the liberating key that would unlock my secret struggle, I pressed on to find a way to read the book. This was the first book I had ever completed, start to finish! Little did I realize how Dr. Solomon's book would be used by Christ to change the course of my life! After reading the book, I packed up my family in 1981, moved to Denver (from Iowa), went through the GFI Intern training program, and came on staff. Christ Haven
While at GFI, I was introduced to Dave Ritzenthaler, a local businessman from Cherry Creek, CO. After serving on staff at GFI for several years, I was given the challenge to start a ―Francis Schaffer‖ type mountain retreat center with a friend. This center was to focus on ministering to individuals with the Exchanged-Life in a resort environment. Due to the IRS repeatedly denying us a non-profit status for our new work, our family moved to Colorado Springs to work for an organization called ―The Branch‖ a residential care facility assisting the hurting with the message of the Cross.
The Branch
It was at The Branch where I met Rudy Carver (now, life-long friend) who was trained by Neues Leben, a second generation ministry of GFI, in Phoenix, AZ. I was being interviewed for Rudy's job as he was being ―lead‖ to move back to Phoenix. After being on staff at the Branch for a few months, I realized exactly why Rudy was leaving the founder of this ministry fell into immorality one year before I came on staff. Needless to say, the facility was closed one year after I joined their work.
Release Ministries
After consulting with Dr. Solomon, he encouraged me to start our own non-profit in Colorado Springs that focused on the message of the Exchanged-Life. In 1986 we started Release Ministries named by my wife Jane. We developed and established training and counseling center that serviced the community with a special emphasis on ministering to the staff of the Navigators and Compassion International. It is during this time that I met my second mentor, Lorne Sanny former President of Navigators, now with the Lord. After providing some personal counsel for him, he opened the door to many opportunities of counsel and training for their team. He was the first to demonstrate and train me in the power of Christ-centered leadership.
It was during our years with Release Ministries that Dr. Solomon encouraged me to enroll in the first doctoral class of Oxford Graduate School in Tennessee. Before starting the second phase of the doctorate program, a proposal was made to merge Release Ministries with Rapha a Christian Psychiatric inpatient care organization. Due to my love and devotion to inpatient care, the RM Board accepted the proposal and my doctorate was put on hold.
Rapha Christian Psychiatry
During our ministry time in Colorado Springs, I was introduced to Robert McGee another descendant of the Exchanged-Lifemessage. Through several years of collaboration with him and his new corporation (Rapha), Release Ministries became a key ministry in providing tools for their in-patient care program. This resulted in an invite to merge our corporations. In 1990, our family moved to Phoenix to assist in establishing three in-patient care facilities for their organization. After about a year of starting this new work, it was revealed that the sexual addictions director for Rapha molested my eldest daughter. Needless to say, my family and I were in need of counseling to bear up under the trauma. At this time I was re-introduced to Dave Ritzenthaler with Neues Leben for the purpose of Exchange Life counseling. This resulted in an invite to come back to my roots of providing authentic Exchange Life ministry.
Neues Leben/Victorious Christian Living Int.
Due to our family's healing from this traumatic event and my desire to get back into discipleship training, I accepted Mr. Ritzenthaler's offer. I remained on their team for 10+ years. My primary role was materials development, counseling, training, and conference speaking and center development.
Shortly after coming on staff, I realized that many of the materials used by NL/VCL were taken from Dr. Solomon and Grace Fellowship Int. therefore I felt right at home. After working at VCL Int. for over 10 years, I was placed in the position of counseling the second husband of the daughter of Mr. Ritzenthaler. Her first husband, my best friend and volunteer pastor of a church we co-pastored, was killed in a hand gun ―accident.‖ Eight years after his death, her new husband, my client, reveals to me that Michelle, Dave's daughter, murdered her husband. Doing due diligence, I had the daunting task of counseling her, her new husband and the Ritzenthaler family, which resulted in a major legal matter. She now serves an 18 year prison term. Due to the sensitivity of the case, my attorney, along with the VCL attorney, highly recommended that I resign from the ministry to shift the media attention off VCL International. The plan worked effectively and minimal damage was done to the work of Christ.
My Stint in Politics
While at VCL, I served as an advisor to several Senators, as well as serving as the very first US Faith-Based Representative on the Arizona Domestics Relations Committee a three time Governor appointed position. During my advisory position with the state, I was given a plan, from God, to establish a new branch of government called The Faith-Based Initiative. This plan was the basis for my doctorate dissertation at Phoenix University of Theology. To my surprise, this plan was embraced by leaders throughout the United States, modestly in Uganda and, ultimately, lead to a 5 year collaborative relationship with the White House. Even though
warned and prepared, the dysfunction of American politics was used by God to call me back to my roots after completing the mission put forth by my boss, George W. Bush. I resigned my position at AACFA once our objective was accomplished in establishing the plan that is now in over 20 states. Two years before retiring from politics, a friend, Director of the US Department of Labor, encouraged me to establish a non-profit through which I could conduct my ministerial activities. Co-founder John Lind (Promise Keepers) and I did exactly that.
IOM America (Institute Of Ministry)
Through the vision and consultation of co-founder John Lind, I set out to establish a non-profit that would focus on training & equipping non-profits in the art of fundraising and non-profit management all the while providing counseling to interested individuals, couples and corporate leaders.
John & I went on to develop a 5 year strategic plan. IOM America then became dedicated to better our communities by changing one leader at a time. IOM provided practical and proven training to develop the participant's skills in order to extend their impact. IOM refined the leadership and management techniques of the participant by honoring existing skills, teaching new skills and equipping them with structural tools for success.
Until IOM was firmly established, I continued to serve as President of AACFA (Arizona Alliance for Community & Faith-based Action) until my resignation in the fall of 2004. Through a 2 year process, I began to come under conviction by God to return to the original vision He gave me in 1982that of establishing a Christ-centered counseling, training and conference center. In 2004, those changes were approved and established by the IOM Board of Directors. The transition of going from being an organization that trains non-profits in fundraising & management to a Christ-centered ministry that focuses on healing hurting lives through the message of the Exchanged Life began to occur. For the past eight of our eleven years of ministry, IOM has been functioning as a non-profit ministry that provides counseling, small group leadership, leadership training, materials development, Biblical worldview formation and conference services to interested individuals, couples and churches/ministries.
Three years ago, God opened the door to kindle afresh my relationship with Dr. Solomon. Upon the heels of establishing our own Exchanged Life training center the Living Life Training Center, God puts Dr. Solomon and me together to discuss the idea of ―coming back to my GFI roots.‖ That being an obvious decision, IOM immediately begun to explore the idea of a ―merge.‖
During my correspondence with Dr. Solomon, he shares with me that he believed God put it upon his heart, actually said to him, that Steve Phinney was to be the successor to his life's work. We met and both of us began to pray. One year later, I was struck down with a virus that went to my heart and threw me into heart-failure. Dr. Solomon and I became confused - wondering if we really heard God. As most of you know, two years later, the cardiologist gave me such a positive report that it appeared I would be "bouncing back." This opened negotiations between Dr. Solomon and me once again. I was commission by him to write a strategic ministry plan that would unite the Exchanged Life workers throughout the entire world. The plan came like a river of life. As each of you know, I flew to your headquarters in June of this year to unfold this 10 year strategic plan. To my joy, you all embraced it. I openly embraced the role as Project Manager.
After returning to Sterling, I worked daily on putting "meat on the bones" to this strategic plan, which also came to me like a river of life. This step, as you know, resulted in traveling once again to TN for the month of July to work with the staff and forming a proposed restructuring of the ministry to support the Strategic Plan - which is where I am as I write this update.
I also ask that you pray for me and my family in this transition. This mission is costly relationally, physically and financially. I will need your continued financial and prayerful support and if we decide to accept this position, Jane and I pray that you assist us in making this possible transition as easy as possible.
In Conclusion: my experience includes being a professional counselor and conference speaker who has been in the professional people-helping field for over 35 years. My generic experience includes social work, care & guidance for the handicapped, family/child specialist, mentorship, small group leadership, in-patient care, leadership development, politics, on-line commentating, author and pastoring.
I realized that God was NOT calling me to "fix the fix God had fixed on people who try to fix themselves," but deliver the truth that will set people free by helping them understand who they are in Christ. After many personal and professional struggles, I conceded all rights to the Lord and got with the Lord's program.
The Lord's ministry in me is grounded in and influenced by the life and overflow of the Holy Spirit. My joy and excitement in the New Covenant Life of Christ is contagious; my overwhelming love for my husband, Jesus, is what drives me; my style of speaking and writing in direct, to the point and highly motivational.
My dedication to restoring the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers is unmoving (see Malachi 4:6). My life is filled with the love of my wife, children and now grandchildren. My passion is my promise.
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Dr. Stephen Phinney learn more about Steve: click here