CEO I. David Byrd is an ordained minister who brings his corporate experiences and his ministerial calling into a union of service.
David is a noted preacher, teacher, author, mentor, coach, and workshop facilitator for youth, youth workers, parents, and those seeking to engage in critical conversations on the most pressing issues facing the church. His ministry and teaching have impacted lives across denominational, generational, and cultural boundaries. David’s research and ministry focus on the effects of cultural practices and norms on the identity development of adolescents from differing social locations. He is a past Director of Student Ministries at the 15,000 member Apostolic Church of God, where he led 40 ministries, coalescing 700 volunteers serving 2,500 youth. Through the staff and volunteers, they developed holistic spiritual, educational, and social programs to help young people build resiliency in school, church, and their community.
David has over 30 years of corporate experience converting strategy into effective execution to achieve operational excellence in the private and public sectors. David has held leadership positions in organizations from the Fortune 50 to small start-ups. A metrics-oriented servant-leader who facilitates transformation by managing and empowering team members to deliver superior performance with distinctive long-term impact.
Today, as an Change enablement Executive, companies hire him to help them pivot due to the secular decline in their core business, to execute cost containment, or to implement culture change.
His life principles:
- Culture trumps strategy every time;
- Lead with a servants heart;
- Focus on people before task;
- Start with the end in mind;
- Goal-directed actions speak louder than words;
- Private conduct has public consequences;
- To thy own self be true.
Educationally, David received his Doctorate of Divinity at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He holds Masters from Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business in Pittsburgh and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. His undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Business Management is from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.
David currently serves on the boards of the National Network of Youth Ministry (NNYM), The Historic Stranahan House in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA). David is married to his best friend, Monique.
Join teamDestiny to receive our bi-monthly newsletter. Click Here
DIGGING DEEPER
The consistency of my fundamental religious convictions throughout my life suggests that my calling to ministry was a refinement of preexisting religious attitudes. Like Timothy, I have grown up in the Apostolic faith. My call to the ministry came later in life rather than as a college choice. Destination Destiny created out of the desire to provide exposures to young people that can change the trajectory of their lives.
I have lived a successful corporate career and was blessed to take a sabbatical from corporate American to serve, for a season, young people, and those that lead them at my home church. The Lord allowed my passion to become my vocation. My current consulting work will enable me to fund the work of Destination Destiny and complements the support provided by funders.
I bring a perspective that, in some ways, is unique to the conversation as I come from first, over 30 plus years of corporate leadership experience in Fortune 20 and entrepreneurial companies. Second, I have an overlapping 25 plus years of Christian leadership in megachurches, small churches, and para-church environments. Third, I have been biblically and theologically training through both seminary and systematic ministry processes—all combined to receive the blessing in serving young people and families.
I have experienced a significant amount of the good, the bad, and the ugly of leadership in Christian and secular settings. I have witnessed the visionary leadership of staff and volunteers, and I have seen a lack of leadership that led to everyone not being on the same page. I have seen goals exceeded, and I’ve seen goals severely missed. I’ve seen the charismatic leaders, I’ve seen the quiet behind the scenes leader, and I’ve seen the individualist leaders who are about themselves and not those they serve. I have seen the effect of operating out of passion and purpose – the good that comes from a focus on authentic servant leadership. I have also seen the self-serving – focus on power, position, and prestige.
Time has allowed me to see the good and bad of my own decisions. To be surrounded by mentors that helped “walk me off the ledge” in times of my challenge. And I have had the opportunity to mentor other leaders through their process. I am most proud of the young people who I have had the honor of pouring into and pulling out the best of them. Providing biblical guidance as they walk this journey called life. Teaching them who Jesus is and why He is so essential to their future—making His principles and precepts relevant and relational in their day-to-day situations. Being there for them when, not if, tough times come. Teaching them to think through the process rather than telling them what to do. So when faced with a decision and we are not there, they can think through the process, correctly applying Biblical principles to their decision process. And when they make wrong choices, helping them evaluate the consequences of the choices they have made.
I have been experiencing the results of the significant, ongoing mentoring relationships with young people who are now young adults and adults. God has blessed me to see how they approach situations using discernment and applying biblical principles to their thought process. I am truly humbled when the phone rings, or I meet with one of them locally, and we walk through a situation or scenario before they make a decision. As I listen to their maturity in evaluating the consequences of the decision they can make. Some who were like the sugar cane that shows no fruit for several years, and then all of a sudden grows six feet in a matter of days. Lord, we thank you for the mind to keep planting and watering for it is you who gives the increase. I am genuinely encouraged to continue interceding for this current younger generation. For they too, one day will be the young adults calling back for “real talk.”
And to those who labor with me in the vineyard of youth and young adult ministry – “Stay upon the wall, don’t come down. We’ve got too much work to do, no time to turn around.”
Join teamDestiny to receive our bi-monthly newsletter. Click Here