The Organization
Christian Aid Mission (CAM) in Charlottesville, VA exists to be a witness for Christ in every nation by assisting indigenous ministries who are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in some of the world's most difficult mission fields, giving priority to ministries making disciples among unreached people groups. They’ve been doing so since 1970 when founder Dr. Bob Finley started CAM, which quickly became the premiere and foremost supporter of indigenous missions worldwide.
This $16m nonprofit mission organization has assisted thousands of indigenous ministries that have led millions of people to Christ throughout the world. Currently they give aid to nearly 300 indigenous ministries in eight regions of the world where more than 30,000 indigenous missionaries work. The forty-five (45) employees of CAM (both onsite and remote) support the indigenous ministries with a distinctive of giving aid, not instruction.
The Opportunity
The Board of Directors seeks a President and CEO to partner with and lead the ministry into their next exciting chapter. The President/CEO of CAM will provide spiritual, strategic, and operational leadership to advance CAM’s mission of assisting indigenous ministries to establish a witness for Christ in every nation. CAM is emerging from an organizational reset and desires a leader who can both care for and galvanize the team to accomplish their God-given mission. This role requires relocation to the Charlottesville, VA area. Ideal candidates will possess leadership experience in organizations of similar scope and emphasis.
THEIR STORY
In 1953, CAM’s founder, Bob Finley started International Students, Inc. to share the gospel with foreign students all over the U.S. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association provided ISI with headquarters office space in D.C., while Dawson Trotman, founder of Navigators, loaned four Navigators staff members to help grow the work in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia. Finley served as president of ISI for 17 years. From the beginning of ISI, Finley realized the need to provide financial assistance for indigenous ministries, especially those led by men and women of God whom he had known as foreign students in America. In 1970, he started CAM, the premiere and foremost supporter of indigenous missions worldwide. As the organization grew to support new ministries overseas, they quickly outgrew their space in D.C. In 1976, CAM moved to Finley's hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Finley retired as President and CEO of CAM in 2011 at age 89 and is fondly remembered by those who worked with him as a pioneer and visionary who gave his life for the sake of the gospel. He passed away on March 22, 2019, at the age of 96. Since its inception CAM has assisted thousands of indigenous ministries that have led millions of people to Christ throughout the world.
Over the past 10 years, CAM has vetted and identified over 50 new ministries, working in strategic fields with large numbers of unreached people. Today, CAM assists ministries that are serving in 85 countries. In the past three years alone, ministries have started working among over 200 new unreached people groups within the regions they serve. CAM has focused on increasing its field reporting through social media posts and online interviews with ministry leaders, creating more mission-nearness.
Ministries are employing modern methods for reaching the unreached such as through media platforms, reaching least reached groups from closed countries due to geo-political displacements, and being able to respond to disasters in unreached areas. The methods and opportunities have changed and will continue to do so but the vision, mission and distinctives remain until there is a witness for Christ in every nation.
THE CAM DISTINCTIVE
Indigenous Ministries
CAM assists nearly 300 indigenous ministries in eight regions of the world. Over 30,000 indigenous missionaries work for these ministries. These ministries are fully independent. With CAM’s assistance, they accomplish their God-given visions to reach their own people with the gospel. Every year, they share the hope of Christ with approximately 2 million people in places unreached by the gospel!
Their philosophy of international missions begins with a commitment to see a witness for Christ in every nation of the world. And that commitment is followed with the unwavering belief that no one is better qualified to reach the people groups of the world than those within or near those people groups. So, it follows that the vision and mission is best fulfilled by assisting indigenous missionaries around the world to reach their own people. CAM doesn’t do any missions work directly. Their sole work is to assist indigenous ministries in their missions’ work.
WHAT THEY DO
Building Christ’s Church
Building Christ's church throughout the world is our top priority. We do this by assisting indigenous ministries with the resources they need to reach the world's last remaining unreached people groups with the gospel of Jesus Christ. These resources include vehicles so missionaries don't have to travel on foot, portable projectors and screens so they can show evangelistic films, Bibles and discipleship materials in local languages, simple church buildings, and training centers. Indigenous ministries assisted by Christian Aid Mission have established hundreds of training centers where local believers are discipled and prepared to share the Good News with their own people. They are sending workers into the world's most difficult mission fields, where false religions and hostile governments oppose God's truth. With help from God's people in developed nations, indigenous ministries will push back the gates of hell and establish a witness for Christ in every nation.
Transforming Communities
Christian Aid Mission helps indigenous ministries bring hope and healing to entire communities through community engagement projects. In poverty-stricken regions where illiteracy is high, indigenous missionaries open schools. They help pull women out of the soul-killing work of prostitution by teaching them a vocational skill such as sewing. In India, a Christian hospital provides free eye surgeries to destitute people. In Iraq, a mobile medical clinic visits displaced people in remote areas. In Indonesia, indigenous ministries help local Christians start small businesses to provide for their families and establish a place for themselves in communities that would otherwise reject the gospel.
Ministries in Burma have found that wells are one of the most powerful ways to reach closed villages with the gospel. Villagers who no longer must trek miles every day to obtain clean water are open to learning about the Living Water. Hundreds often attend ministries' evangelistic outreaches, and those who accept Christ form churches.
Sharing the Love of Christ
Following the example of our Savior, who met people's physical needs along with their spiritual needs, we provide help to those who are needy and suffering through indigenous ministries. When disasters strike in remote regions, indigenous missionaries are often the first responders, taking every opportunity to share the hope they have in Jesus Christ. Likewise, indigenous missionaries care for those whom society has rejected, including victims of leprosy, street children, and widows. They shelter and protect persecuted believers and the families of Christian martyrs. They go tent-to-tent in refugee camps throughout the Middle East to aid, listen to, and pray for broken people who were forced to flee their homes. Help from God's people in developed nations provides indigenous missionaries with the resources they need for compassionate outreach—resources like food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, provision for the persecuted, and children's homes for the orphan.
POSITION DESCRIPTION
TITLE: President/CEO
REPORTS TO: Board of Directors
STATUS: Full-time, On-site
TRAVEL: Travel required within the U.S. and internationally to meet with donors (in collaboration with the Mission Advancement Directors), ministry leaders (in collaboration with the Regional Area Directors), and to attend conferences and speaking engagements.
Position Summary
The President/CEO of Christian Aid Mission (CAM) provides spiritual, strategic, and operational leadership to advance CAM’s mission of assisting indigenous ministries to establish a witness for Christ in every nation. This executive fosters a high-performing, Christ-centered organizational culture, elevates CAM’s global reputation, and ensures long-term financial sustainability. As the primary liaison to the Board of Directors, the CEO ensures all activities align with CAM’s vision, values, and strategic priorities as set forth in Article II of the Bylaws.
The President/CEO reports to the Board of Directors and oversees the Leadership Team while working collaboratively with both to further CAM's vision and mission.
KEY RESPONSIBILITES
Culture & Spiritual Leadership:
Foster a Christ-centered, high-performance culture rooted in CAM’s theological convictions and core values.
Model servant leadership, spiritual maturity, and a passion for reaching unreached people.
Strategic Leadership & External Advocacy:
Lead the development and execution of long-range strategic plans, ensuring all staff and programs are aligned with CAM’s mission and goals.
Regularly assess and adapt organizational strategy in response to changing global and ministry contexts.
Serve as the chief ambassador for CAM, strengthening relationships with donors, churches, global ministries, and the media.
Represent CAM at key events, conferences, and public forums to enhance visibility and influence.
Operational & Financial Stewardship:
Provide executive oversight of day-to-day operations through the Leadership Team, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability, and alignment with organizational priorities.
Establish clear performance metrics and accountability systems across all departments.
Ensure compliance with all legal, ethical, and regulatory standards.
Ensure the financial health and sustainability of CAM through effective budgeting, financial oversight, and risk management.
Lead and innovate in fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and stewardship, with a focus on major gifts and ethical practices.
Board Relations:
Collaborate closely with the Board of Directors, providing timely and transparent updates on organizational performance, opportunities, and risks.
Prepare and deliver clear, professional presentations to the Board, supporting informed decision-making.
Working Conditions:
General Office environment, onsite in person at Charlottesville, VA HQ
Travel, as needed
REQUIREMENTS
Level of Experience
Minimum 10 years of senior executive experience in nonprofit leadership (preferably with an organization of similar size to CAM) with significant experience interacting with and reporting to a governing board.
Level of Education
Bachelor's degree required, in a related field preferred. Relevant work experience will also be considered. Advanced degrees in a related field a plus but not required.
Character
Deep alignment with CAM’s theological convictions and 100% agreement with the CAM statement of faith and conduct.
Competencies
Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams in a complex, multicultural environment
Demonstrated success in strategic planning, fundraising, and financial management, ideally within global missions or faith-based organizations.
Exceptional cross-cultural communication and relationship-building skills, with high emotional and spiritual intelligence.
Experience managing IT and finance would be ideal but not required for the role.
Chemistry with the Culture:
A demonstrated commitment to advancing the Gospel among unreached peoples.
Wisdom and discernment to identify suitable indigenous ministries to support and humility to assist them without giving typical “Western expertise.”
Compensation and Benefits
Competitive executive compensation package, commensurate with experience and industry benchmarks.
Comprehensive benefits, including health coverage, retirement plan, and relocation assistance as needed
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Opportunities
There is a strong tradition of staff longevity, passion and commitment to CAM’s vision and mission. Core employees have a deep and abiding drive to serve the Lord through CAM and will work diligently to overcome obstacles in order to support indigenous ministries overseas.
CAM has a well-deserved good reputation based on its global impact through local indigenous ministries and its ability to get money into restricted areas.
CAM has invested in a strategic 12-acre property in a much sought-after section of town that houses its headquarters in Charlottesville, VA. Along with its strategic reserves, built up through the sale of other assets and past fundraising campaigns, they are well positioned for organizational growth and strengthening of their core mission to aid indigenous ministries around the globe. In addition, they’ve worked hard in recent years to build a full and healthy independent Board of Directors. Five of the ten Board members having joined the Board in the past two years. They have gained firsthand knowledge of the organization by leading it directly through the Interim Operating Committee (IOC) in this interim period. Looked at from the long-term perspective, they have made the transition from founder-driven organization to mission-led organization and are ready for a new President/CEO to take the helm.
Challenges
Recent years have been challenging for mission organizations with shifting global trends and workplace rhythms (e.g. spike in remote work). The next President/CEO will need to build a healthy leadership and organizational culture where staff feel connected and excited to be part of this organization. While the IOC is already working on this, the next CEO will need to focus early on team unity and collaboration, with appropriate accountability for team goals.
Like many mission orgs today, CAM faces fundraising challenges with an aging donor base. Building on CAM's strong reputation and its renewed membership with ECFA, the next President/CEO will need to reinvigorate its fundraising efforts. A key challenge will be to identify, cultivate, and solicit new major donors. It will also be important to manage CAM's budget well to ensure that maximum funds are being sent to assist indigenous ministries around the world.
ABOUT CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
Just under two hours from Washington, D.C., Charlottesville sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers a healthy, innovation-driven economy. Charlottesville marries intellectual energy with Southern charm. Mornings might include a hike or campus stroll, afternoons spent meeting at a café on the Downtown Mall, evenings enjoying local cuisine—combining renewal and relational connection.
It's anchored by the University of Virginia (UVA) and a range of bioscience, defense, and tech employers. With UVA and with its signature Rotunda and Lawn, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and nearby Monticello Wine Trail, with over 40 wineries, Charlottesville offers relaxed country charm and city refinement. Residents and visitors alike enjoy scenic trails in the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, with hikes like Humpback Rocks and Old Rag, offering sweeping mountain views and seasonal tranquility.
Three-bedroom homes become available in the $500K–$590K range, and allow access to well-built, spacious properties within reach of top schools and vibrant neighborhoods. With university lectures, arts events, and small-city hospitality, Charlottesville fosters both professional networking and genuine belonging.
If, after prayerfully reviewing this information, you believe this role fits you well, please APPLY below. If you know someone you would like to recommend, please contact:
Dr. Rich Kidd
Managing Partner
MISSION:LEADERSHIP
mobile :: (757) 642–0622
email :: rich@missionleadership.org