Serving at the Intersection of Ministry and Business

David had five smooth stones. I was taking on a corporate giant farm with the Mrs. family policy matters. Focus on faith tradition with Thomas Grant join us once a month is pastor Graham shine some light on the intersection between our Christian faith and engaging our culture. Thank you for joining us for this week. Special focus on faith tradition of family publishing today. I'm excited to have as my guest a gentleman who was using the success and skills he gained in a 20 year career in corporate America to know help corporate nonprofit ministry and church clients apply biblical leadership principles and truths within their organizations.

Jim Dotson currently serves as the Raleigh Executive Director for the mission increase Raleigh is also the author of a terrific book titled taking on Goliath Dotson versus Pfizer a collision of personal and corporate values. Jim Dotson welcome to family policy matters. It's great to have you on the show.

Thank you, Thomas. It's great to be here on this beautiful fall afternoon and I'm happy to participate.

Thank you.

Having those great to have you in the studio today Jim we like to tell stories on the show and the most important store. We all have to tell is the way our personal story led us into a life of relationship with Jesus Christ. Please share with our listeners today.

A little about your personal story and the experiences that shaped you into the man of faith, you are today sure Thomas. I grew up in Reidsville, North Carolina, just north of Greensboro into a preacher's home that my dad is is a pastor was a pastor until he retired at age 65 cell is one of two children and I feel is that when I say that I grew up in the church is literally until I was age 18. I was in the church at least three times a week, if not more, and I did except Jesus as my personal savior. At age 4 and honestly that is all I have ever known and I can't imagine life apart from the Lord and on the local church. Growing up as a preacher's kid. As you can imagine, I had opportunity to meet many wonderful and fascinating people come through our home missionaries, pastors, teachers, and it was a common theme that I often heard when they were in our home sharing about the wonderful things that God was doing in their ministry, but there was always a catch that catalyst. If only we had more resource if only we had more dollars we could do whatever run while growing up as a preacher's kid and kinda having a bent toward business and sales.

I was determined that that was good to be my piece. I was going to solve the money problem for kingdom ministries. So I took off and went to UNC Chapel Hill graduated from the business school at Chapel Hill my senior year met my wife of 31 years and Loudermilk now and Dotson and I after graduation in 1986 he went to DC to work for the late Sen. John Easton then moved over to Sen. Helms staff I went to Columbus Ohio to be a part of Procter & Gamble's management training program we married. After a year I moved to DC and eventually found my way to Pfizer pharmaceuticals in 1988 and that started a great journey in my corporate career with Pfizer. We have three biological children and then our fourth came a few years after when we adopted our daughter Celia from Russia that's great Wolf, I know you had a very interesting and convicting experience in corporate America so interesting.

In fact, that you wrote a book about it. We still want people to read your book, but tell us about that experience and why it was such a turning point in your life you share Thomas all underscored the words interesting and convicting.

I had wonderful 15 year career with Pfizer pharmaceuticals in sales, marketing, and an end on leadership training and I was with Pfizer during the late 80s and 90s. During the pharmaceutical heyday, and during that period of time. Pfizer rose from the 14th largest pharmaceutical company in the world to the words largest pharmaceutical company have benefited greatly from being in the right place at the right time and being somewhat successful and so through my the first 13 years I was given the opportunity many times for an a promotion and and each permission required of relocation. But again, I was determined to solve the money problem of kingdom ministries and so with each promotion came more money and I didn't even slow down enough to stop and consider the impact yet another move might have on my wife and and our children and we were faithful to continue to give it to give faithfully to our church and nonprofit ministries and I thought again that I was doing my part by finding and fueling unchristian nonprofits. Pfizer is known for having one of the strongest leadership training programs in corporate America and as I was benefiting from that training, I would write in my prayer journal numerous times after a a weeklong session at Harvard or Princeton or some training class I would write make a note that one day upon my retirement.

I can't wait to take some of these principles and skills that I'm learning and provide them at no cost to the church or Christian nonprofits met at my retirement. Well, that's the way that life was progressing and then September 11 of 2001. We all remember that day. Just redo and I was at a corporate meeting, not in New York City but are our headquarters was New York City and I was in Florida with a number of of headquarter personnel and is the world trade centers fell, many of the headquarter staff members were losing family members, neighbors and loved ones, and and and the kids were living in DC at that time she saw smoke coming from the the at the Pentagon. We were stuck in Florida and as everyone recalls life just came to a standstill for many of the students and in that period of pause many of us ask the question what if that had been us no one of my life ended abruptly. While at that point I had to face the facts. I had to recognize the fact that my life was not reflecting my heart in corporate America. Pfizer was getting everything I had to get from what I was giving financially.

My life didn't reflect my heart for God's kingdom building work, and so after September 11.

Over the next few months, my wife and I made a decision to get off the corporate treadmill and to dial back and really to regain control of of of life. So we decided that we want to move back to Raleigh with been in and out of Raleigh a few times in our career with Pfizer want to raise her three children here and as we started listening to God and move back to Raleigh.

God started laying on of our heart adoption always been strong proponents of the cause of life and God just let us to engage with the cause of life by giving a home to an orphan that otherwise wouldn't have, wouldn't have a family that there was something happened so within a few days of returning from Russia in October 2003 with our daughter. I was called into a special meeting and aerosol vice president of my division vice president of human resources and a corporate attorney and at that moment I was told that I was being terminated immediately for exchanging Pfizer pharmaceutical drugs for the child that we had just adopted from the Russian orphan wall. I knew it wasn't true. Thomas and so today I thought that will get this misunderstanding straightened out and everything will return to normal. Well, the vice president of human resources handed me a separation agreement offering me a significant amount of money if I would sign the separation agreement and agree to go away quietly well with the family of six large lifestyle that I wanted to maintain and keep this on this. This this afloat.

I was scared to death and I felt like I had no choice but to sign and accept this this Psalm separation agreement.

Fortunately I had seven days within which I could renege. And for the first few days I cannot sleep because I knew again that I had done nothing wrong and I knew that I had not traded drugs for our child and guy. Just let me to stand for the truth regardless of the cost and so are reneged on that separation agreement and made a decision that regardless of the cost I would stand for truth will as you think back on that experience. Can you recall some of the I'm sure there were many Scripture passages that God gave to the give you motivation and strength and kept your faith up. Can you recall what some of those verses were to share them with our listening audience Thomas is that that is a that is a challenging question because there were so many that I would love to share a few sure because this termination actually resulted in a six year journey of six year legal battle that went from a federal jury trial to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals all the way to the US Supreme Court.

While in town. At the end of 2009, and during this season of life. I had known the stories from Scripture and I knew Scripture but Scripture came to life yet is a season, David and Goliath of course only based on the title of my love your book smartly.

David had five smooth stones.

I was taking on a corporate giant Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world had a team of 300 staff attorneys whom unlimited resources. I was armed with the truth and a local law firm was willing to take my case and armed with the truth for seven years. This journey we were able to go to the Supreme Court and win at every level. Genesis 5020 Joseph how he responded to his brothers who sold him to slavery and the last one Thomas L Nin with this the morning that I was preparing for opening arguments is reading in Jeremiah Jeremiah 5136 is thus says the Lord. Behold, I am going to plead your case for you coordinate a trial.

I clung to that promise you all goodness does turn a corner here. Let's talk specifically about mission increase foundation for any listener that might be tuned in right now is unaware of or ignorant of just exactly what this wonderful organization does give us give us an overview give us a look sure were simply and equipping organization. We exist to help expand nonprofit ministries kingdom impact while helping them become healthy, strong and sustainable way say that mission increase distinct advantage is serving at the intersection of business and ministry with a commitment to biblical stewardship so that allows us to take corporate best practices best practices from academia and the nonprofit sector and to look at them through the lens of Scripture to discuss and and can consider. How would a Christian organization apply these principles and so we provide teaching first on core competencies that will help a nonprofit become healthy and sustainable group so we provide workshops once 1/4. Then we provide coaching and consulting help the organization apply what were teaching and then for those that are making progress. We will invite. We may invite them to apply for a grant to learn a particular skill that we feel is essential for them to learn and everything that we offer is at no cost to Christian nonprofits in the community, so we hope every nonprofit especially crisp Christian nonprofit in the triangle knows about us.

Because what we offer is at no cost to them too much just excellent. I love it. I so appreciate and I'm sure many of our listeners appreciate this wonderful contribution that you've made to go to their lives were about to wrap up this radio broadcast for today Jim where can they go to learn more about mission increase foundation, or even to get a copy of your book for mission increase. You can go to MI Raleigh.org and at that website that the events tab and you will see our upcoming workshops. Second of all, you can join our Facebook page mission increase foundation, Raleigh, and then in regards to taking on Goliath. You can go to Jim Dotson.net you can purchase the book fair.

You can get it on Amazon but again I just think you Thomas for this opportunity to come and share my journey with with your audience today and and I want to encourage again. Every listener to make sure that there engaged somewhere in kicking the building work because we have no bias from loving our neighbor and making disciples excellent.

Oh, I could not agree with you more Jim, thank you brother God bless you and may you prosper the work of your you've been listening to family policy matters.

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