Life & Work with Gary Kendall of Olathe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Kendall.

Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
In 2017 after 38 years in ministry, all in Kansas City, I felt led to launch a citywide platform named Love KC. I was drawn to leave one church, a church I planted and led for 32 years, to serve many. The mission was to see the Good News of God move the needle in our city around the 5 elements of human flourishing defined by a well-known Harvard Study. They are Heath (mental and physical), Financial Strength, Social Connection (family, community), Life Purpose, and Character (we think of this as Faith). I believe when we do God’s work, God’s way, everyone benefits. For example, five years ago, we launched the simple idea that the world would be better if neighbors cared about each other. At a micro level, when an individual cares about his neighbors and community, that engagement is attractive and more neighbors care.

A city cares if loving your neighbor is practiced across the city in a macro effort. We have a long way to go in Kansas City, but we’ve seen 3,455 neighborhoods adopted where people commit to doing three simple things, pray, care and share. Nearly 500,000 people are prayed for and served through this effort. We have “Lights” (our name for them) in 313 of the 335 elementary school districts with a Light within the 35 mi radius of KC. We are adding 55 neighborhoods a month. The world would be a better place if everyone loved their neighbor. Many times people and churches or missions work in silos. The only way to see a city thrive is to work together, and this is not just true for the Christian mission. We need to see the various sectors of society work together. Love KC serves as a backbone org to convene churches, missions, and the sectors of our culture in the five regions of Kansas City.

We don’t need to control the work, and they don’t have to fly the flag of Love KC, but we provided the organizing effort to bring people together at least two times a year in the region and once in a city Summit. When we come together, we build community. We share best practices and collaborate on the Five Finish Lines of the Great Commandment (Prayer, Compassion/Justice, Evangelism/discipleship, Bible engagement, and Church planting). Stakeholders from the region drive the plans and progress. Love KC convenes and records the learnings. When we discover plans that work, we replicate them in other regions, and when we find a need, we rally to support each other across the region. We believe the words of Jesus. The world will know we are his disciples when we love one another. Love KC is committed to turning that idea into a reality.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I thought the need and opportunities were obvious, but adoption didn’t come quickly. I read a quote recently from a study that found only 7 pastors out of 100 were willing to work on community projects. Our independence is more ingrained than I hoped. As long as we value independence more than interdependence, we will continue to limit our progress. Our efforts are magnified when we work together, and the result is exponential. We could see a dozen churches or not-for-profits succeed at a high level, which wouldn’t change the region. If we ever want to see the needle move in Kansas City in city flourishing, it will only be because we decided we are better together.

We depend on donors and churches to underwrite our efforts to serve as a backbone org. Our product equips individuals and facilitates collaboration. We don’t have a widget to sell. We must build capacity in our donor base even as we construct an ecosystem largely unseen in the city. One can see the fruit of what we do, but because we don’t have buildings or meet on a Sunday, it requires a discerning eye to see our multiplying effect on what is already happening. Many times, we are living on faith financially, but the bigger story is we accomplish a lot with a little.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a college student, I felt called to ministry, thinking I would pastor a church. I started as a youth minister and became a pastor in three years, so I thought that was the track for me. However, in 1985 I felt led to plant a new church in Olathe, KS, and my bent toward entrepreneurism blossomed. My wife, Belinda, and I led Indian Creek Community Church for the next thirty-two years, where we always worked on something new. We used three different schools for eleven years. We bought land and built three phases to a $27M facility. We started three new churches and two new campuses. None of this was possible without a committed and generous congregation who understood we were the hands and feet of God in our world.

My daughter, Kristen, and I relaunched Project Partner, an international mission to China that we led for ten years. By God’s grace, I co-founded a Church Planting movement that planted 73 churches nationwide in the next eight years. In 2017 I was awarded the Dr. Charles Briscoe Urban Ministry Award for excellence in Pastor Ministry, Kansas City. The Mayor of Olathe, KS, asked me to found an Olathe Latino Coalition which in three years turned into a city-funded project with a full-time staff member for which I was awarded the Humanitarian of the year in 2017.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Be bold enough to seek out those who are a step or multiple steps ahead of you and get on their schedule. Also, make it a win for them by rewarding them for their time and interest. Understand their time limitations and be gracious and generous in how you approach them. Be specific in your questions and give them the floor in your time together.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lovekc.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovekctoday_/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovekctoday
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lovekctoday
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX–XEkBfBjlu5YKFUdMDYg