INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MISSIONS (ICOM)

What started as a simple annual gathering has grown into a global community of missionaries and mission-minded practitioners, and a unique niche among the largest missions’ conferences worldwide. Each year, thousands of attendees and hundreds of organizations meet to further the cause of global missions, all as ICOM’s work transforms the globe for Christ.

Conference success is measured by the number of people attending, decisions made to go into or stay in ministry work and how revenues compare to costs. The staff works frugally, but with rising expenses societally, the road to future sustainability will require increasing revenues at a different pace than has happened in recent years. The organization has been well-run on a low-overhead model, so expenses rarely outpace income. Most revenue is generated through the convention—in registrations and sponsorship, with the opportunity to bring in more revenue via fundraising. Convention logistics are the highest expenditure, with staffing the second greatest expense.

ICOM’s annual conference engages between 6,000 and 10,000 people each year, providing a significant connecting place for those within the independent Christian Churches/Church of Christ (NMC). It is the most influential source of mission connectivity in this tribe and one of the largest mission conferences on the planet. 

For the future, the hope is that the conference will continue to be known by internal constituents as a resource and meeting place to advance global missions, and that it will increasingly be known by external constituents as one of the world’s preeminent missions conferences.

LEADERSHIP, STAFF & STRUCTURE

The current executive director has served over two decades. He has led with a vision for more—scaling the organization beyond one singular employee. In addition, he has a passion for this community—loving and serving it as a shepherd. And finally, he has served with relentlessness, being fully devoted to the organization’s work. In recent years, he has worked with the Board to bring in Carver Policy Governance, which is the organization’s framework to guide decisions and guide expanded impact.

While the cornerstone of ICOM is the annual convention, there are other initiatives that take place during the year, as well as a digital outreach, that serve to further the mission. The conference usually takes place in the eastern United States and varies locations each year.

The ministry has 8 full-time staff and has grown to steady revenues of around $1.8 million. The overall feel of ICOM is an organization that is healthy and excited about the future.

All but one of the eight full-time staff work in the current office in Clayton, Indiana, but there is an awareness of a need to discern the office’s future location. The current office sits across the street from one of the NMC's churches, which is the church the outgoing ED and his family have served for decades.

Nearly all of the staff presently reports to the Executive Director, However, there is freedom to adapt this structure to maximize next-season impact. The ED reports directly to the Board of Directors, who are the hiring decision-makers. The hire is guided by a Search Committee consisting of four Directors and four other members.

The ED and all staff are required to sign the ICOM Statement of Belief. While the position could be remote, the current office location is a suburban bedroom community of Indianapolis, located about 20 minutes southwest of the airport. The average price of a new home in the area is $325,000.

The top attributes needed for this role are:

• Commitment to global missions

• Connectedness within and ability to further gain trust from key denominational influencers and ministry partners

• Ability to convey the message of ICOM’s mission to churches, donors and exhibitors

• Experience working with a Board of Directors and policy governance

• Ability to envision and make changes to maximize ICOM’s impact on global missions

• Ability to lead an organization into its next stage using professional management approaches and

• Ability to keep the big-picture view, while delegating operations to a capable team.

  
  

The ideal candidate will be involved in the NMC denomination, and might be a leader in a member church, especially as an executive pastor or missions pastor. Or they may be a nonprofit leader, or possibly a business leader, accustomed to working well with a Board, and ready to take their C-suite skillsets into this mission’s calling. 

Words that describe the candidate’s key traits, gifts or abilities include passionate, trusted, relational, well networked in the denomination, and a strong, yet servant-hearted leader.

The future leader needs to be a visionary who delegates well and knows how to adjust strategy and build a more robust resource network. Their gifts will be in leadership, strategic planning, speaking and public presence, fundraising and serving as a visionary. Additional traits desired by the Board of Directors include a leader who is driven, relational, collaborative, optimistic and accountable.