Our Five Focal Points
Years ago BASF had a commercial that stated, "At BASF, we don't make the products you use, we make them better." The Stockton Leadership Foundation has the same calling. It is not the job of SLF to provide new programs, new ministries or new churches. We believe that we have been tasked with a unique calling to enhance the presence of the Church of Stockton within the City of Stockton. In other words, our goal is to add value and impact to the presence of human services that already exist and to encourage, equip and empower the Church of Stockton to pursue their divine call to be present within our city.
Better Together :: The Stockton Leadership Foundation believes that the Church of Stockton functions better together than as separate entities. SLF is committed to bringing about trust and unity between city leaders (civic, business, service) and congregations within the city of Stockton. SLF believes that this unity sends a powerful message of the presence of peacemakers, programs & partners: EXAMPLES: Stockton Citywide Easter Sunrise Celebration, Multi-Faith Clergy Gatherings.
Better Mentoring :: The Stockton Leadership Foundation creates avenues for every Gospel-centered individual of faith to be a mentor and to seek a mentor. Mentoring happens when a person pours their life, expertise, experiences and heart into another person's ability to thrive. By developing relationships with other organizations like the Department of Justice, SLF desires to open up opportunities for the aforementioned individuals to be involved in mentoring. Statistics also show that children, youth, families, newly released prisoners, business entrepreneurs, people in recovery, etc. have better success when in a mentor relationship. programs & partners: EXAMPLE: Restore Stockton.
Better Leadership :: The Stockton Leadership Foundation builds leadership capacity in people to serve their community, city and world. SLF enhances the ability of current leaders within the Church of Stockton to connect with their city and surrounding communities. SLF especially seeks those who may be overlooked (young, poor, incarcerated, abused, victimized) and invests in their leadership future. programs & partners: EXAMPLE: Stockton Police Chaplaincy.
Better Neighborhoods :: The Stockton Leadership Foundation encourages congregations within the Church of Stockton to engage their neighborhood. SLF provides resources and training for churches to interact with their neighbors as equals. When neighborhoods are strengthened, then, and only then, will a city be strengthened. SLF encourages and assists congregations in entering a new era of parish perspective. programs & partners: local churches, Church as Neighborhood Centers, neighborhood action teams. EXAMPLE: Love Stockton.
Better Justice :: The Stockton Leadership Foundation advocates for the overlooked, outmatched and outcasts within our city, seeking greater compassion, justice and mercy. Justice is a larger issue than incarcerating criminals and is an issue central to the heart of the Gospel. Through awareness programs and advocacy opportunities, SLF provides the Church of Stockton with avenues to journey towards true justice together with others of goodwill. programs & partners. EXAMPLES: Gospel Center Rescue Mission, San Joaquin A+.
Our Six Practical Relationships
Structural Relationship
SLF board directs, advisory board, separate board.
Vision Relationship
SLF guides and directs the vision, influences the vision/direction. SLF may be overruled in the vision.
Legal Relationship
SLF is the responsible "organization of record". SLF is one of the organizations and maintains no legal accountability.
Financial Relationship
SLF controls income/spending, separate pass through accounts, no finances run through SLF.
Leadership Relationship
Existing SLF members lead, assigns/approves leaders. Leaders independently chosen from SLF.
Spiritual Relationship
SLF maintains spiritual accountability, no financial accountability.
Our Ten Key Values
The following is a list of the key values of the SLF. These are common values among all local leadership foundations within the Leadership Foundations network. They are also adapted from "Cities: Playgrounds or Battlegrounds (a fifty year history of the Leadership Foundations striving for social and spiritual renewal of cities)" by David C. Hillis. SLF's values are based on the theological, practical and historical act of The Incarnation; which is the understanding of God, The Father taking a human form in God, The Son, pursuing a redemptive work in the world through the work of God, The Holy Spirit and people of good faith and goodwill. The anthropological implication of this singular event is that we are called to live in such a way that we incarnate, embody, and together share in the beloved community’s work. What the Leadership Foundation refers to as The Incarnational Training Framework.
Community and Trust: The Incarnation calls forth and sustains its work through community; true community engenders trust that grows when both individuals and the community as a whole are valued. The Stockton Leadership Foundation commits to intentionally developing the social capital among its membership and partners.
Generosity and Creativity: The Incarnation empowers organizations to be generative through the exercise of our God-given imagination, creativity, and effort. The Stockton Leadership Foundation's members commit to generously giving of themselves to one another and our partners by exercising their gifts, talents, and resources without stinginess or fear.
Delightful Hope: The Incarnation prepares us to accept our brokenness and to be sustained for the work we do through joy and laughter. Acknowledging brokenness with good humor equips us to draw upon the saving grace which sustains us. The Stockton Leadership Foundation's members commit to live and laugh in transparent and vulnerable ways.
The City of Stockton: The Incarnation connects one to place. The Stockton Leadership Foundation believes that the simple discipline of staying in one place for the long term holds within itself a great power for the transformation of that place and the people who inhabit it. Staying put moves leaders to sustainable solutions that are uniquely calibrated to the needs of that place and its people. SLF commits itself to staying in places with people for the duration.
Getting Things Done: The Incarnation moves one to action. The Stockton Leadership Foundation believes that delivering on ideas in accessible, affordable, and relevant ways to communities in need is one of the hallmarks of the abiding presence of the Spirit. This ability is further augmented when the work that we do produces material results, fulfilling common needs—employs methods that are laced with grace and intelligence. SLF commits to delivering on its promises in a manner that is consistent with its values and the needs of those we exist to serve.
Servant Leadership: The Incarnation sees the other first. The Stockton Leadership Foundation believes in leadership that serves. Leaders that serve do so by empowering and resourcing others. The result of serving leadership is that it engenders trust and participation. SLF is committed to leading through servant-hood.
Connective Reconciliation: The Incarnation creates connections. The Stockton Leadership Foundation commits itself to reconciliation that leads to vital relationships that are intentionally inclusive beyond cultural, ethnic, social, economic, and religious boundaries. SLF sees itself as an organization that works with people and institutions of goodwill and good faith for the good of cities and communities. SLF is committed to collaborating with any and all who share our vision and values.
The Vulnerable: The Incarnation uplifts those on the margins. The Stockton Leadership Foundation believes that a society's truest measure of health is how those on the margins (the poor, widows, migrants, unemployed, orphans, abused, prisoners, victims, etc.) are cared for and lifted up. SLF is committed to working with and on behalf of those on the margins in every venture and activity we undertake.
The Church of Stockton: The Incarnation shapes the whole community. The Stockton Leadership Foundation celebrates and commits to collaborate with the church universal. Furthermore, SLF understands that the church has an organic unity to it and, at the same time, is a many-faceted expression that is found in a diversity of geography, ethnicity, theology, and practice. SLF attempts to work with the church in all of her expressions. SLF commits to the biblical vision of seeking the social, spiritual well-being of the city of Stockton which requires the participation of every congregation within the Church of Stockton.
The Third Way: The Incarnation clears our vision to see an alternative. The Stockton Leadership Foundation has recognized how important it is in a dichotomous world where polarities have become the norm that a third way be created. In all that SLF does, a third way is sought. More than a "both/and" approach to an "either/or" culture, SLF creates solutions that go beyond what a dichotomous world could imagine and solves often entrenched problems in innovative ways that, for example, work with the poor as stakeholders rather than for the poor as clients. The third way isn't about poor or rich, but rather poor and rich. SLF commits to the third way to bring together what are often seen as opposing sectors or groups in a community and mobilizes them around a common vision, mission, and set of values.