ABOUT THE HISTORY OF IOM

• Assist in developing and establishing the President's Faith-based Initiative in the state of Arizona.
• Active in re-granting funds to non-profit entities within Arizona.
• Educate non-profit leaders in furthering their skills as leaders.
• Designed and established a networking system supported by the White House Faith-based and Community Initiative Office.
• Aid other states in setting up similar systems for their community development programs.

During those years, Steve became successful in assisting the White House Faith-Based Office in providing a plan that is now used in over 20 states regarding the President's Faith-based Initiative.

After accomplishing the overall goal of assisting the White House in establishing the Faith-Based Initiative, Steve was encourage by friend—Faith-Based Director of Labor, Washington DC, to set up a separate non-profit to conduct the Christian services that were being conducted through AACFA. Through the vision and consultation of co-founder John Lind, Steve and John set out to establish a non-profit that would focus on training & equipping non-profits in learning the art of fundraising and non-profit management—while providing counseling to interested individuals, couples and corporate leaders.

Shortly after the vision and mission was established for this new work, friend and co-worker Gene Galant offered a non-profit, 501c3 tax-exempt organization (Christian Freedom Fund), to John and Steve that was no longer in use. After accepting this gift in 2002, the name was changed to IOM America (Institute of Organizational Management).

Steve and John then 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. This was accomplished by:

• Aiding non-profit leaders to respond more effectively to a changing community
• Increasing their effectiveness as community service providers
• Retaining existing constituents and attracting new ones
• Helping the reduction of inefficiencies and unnecessary costs
• Building a non-profit that grants providers desire to assist, therefore aiding them in accomplishing their goals
• Creating a more satisfying and productive organization
• Helping them effectively meet the needs of their clients and constituents
• Developing a system that will continue their growth as a non-profit

Until IOM was firmly established, Steve continued to serve as President of AACFA until his resignation in the fall of 2004. Through a 2 year process, Steve began to come under conviction by God to return to the original vision He gave him in 1982—that 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 began to occur.

For the past few years, IOM has been functioning as a non-profit ministry that provides counseling, small group leadership, leadership training, materials development and conference services to interested individuals, couples and churches/ministries.

In 2007, it was decided by the Board of Directors to do yet another "face lift" of IOM. This change was primarily centered on providing their present services "free of charge (suggested donations), while focusing on equipping lay-ministers to assist others who are in need. These changes can be reviewed by clicking the "Financial Beliefs", "Training" and "Eternal Investment" links within this website. With these changes comes yet another name change—IOM America now representing the name "Institute Of Ministry".

We are excited about our renewed focus of vision and mission. We believe it is much more honorable to God and the lives of the people who come for help or training. We hope you will take a few moments to check out our website in its entirety.