Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carl Kerby, President of Reasons for Hope, located in Hebron, KY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Reasons for Hope* is a non-profit Christian ministry devoted to training and equipping a new generation to stand boldly on the Word of God. We accomplish this mission through our traveling speakers, digital content, and print resources that serve the following audiences:

  • Christians with questions about certain aspects of their faith Our messages teach biblical answers and insights that empower Christians to have a deeper trust in God’s Word. In turn, they can then provide answers to others with “gentleness and respect,” as we’re called to do in 1 Peter 3:15 ESV: “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you yet do it with gentleness and respect.”
  • Christians who are resolute in their faith We support this group by providing tools (digital content and print resources) they can easily share with a world that needs true hope, as we’re called to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
  • Non-Christians, our speakers and resources teach that the Bible has profound, rational, and eternal answers for the issues they are confronted with in life. Our hope is that they will consider the claims found in God’s Word! We take our role in this process seriously as we are commissioned in Mark 16:15 ESV to: “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Our desire is that, at the end of the day, all three of these groups—because of contact with Reasons for Hope* or our content—come to truly trust Jesus and His Holy Word—the Bible, and to understand what real HOPE means.

Tell us about yourself

My background is pretty crazy. Until the age of 13, when my parents divorced, I was raised in the home of a highly successful professional wrestler. After my mother remarried, I lived with her and my stepfather until my senior year in high school. At that time, they moved away for a job, giving me a choice to stay with another family to finish my senior year. I eventually wound up in the military, where I was trained in Air Traffic Control. Following 8 ½ years in the United States Air Force, I went into the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where I worked for 16 years, ultimately ending my professional career at O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Facility. At the age of 26, while still in the Air Force, I became a Christian. I was introduced to a ministry that taught me I could actually trust the Bible—that it had sufficient answers to all of life’s greatest questions. “Becoming a Christian” means I received the free gift of salvation offered by the Bible’s central character, Jesus—the Son of God. I understood that He loved me enough to come into the world as a humble baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to forgive my sins (so that I could be reconciled to a righteous and holy God), and then resurrected from the dead demonstrating His divinity and His power over death. Growing up in the church, I’d never heard this message, so when I did trust in Jesus and believe the words of Scripture, my life began to take a dramatic turn. Over time, I became a board member for the ministry that had impacted my life so dramatically, and I eventually accepted the position of Vice President for Ministry Relations there. My primary job was to raise over 20 million dollars to build the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. After that goal was accomplished, I was asked to do the same thing for another project. At that point in time, however, I knew that the Lord was steering me in a different direction—my heart truly wanted to reach the younger generation and their parents in a personal way. So, in January 2011—in the middle of a VERY poor economy—my assistant and three men (who became my board) left a prominent, extremely successful ministry to start something that we didn’t “have a clue” whether would work or not. Our driving force, however, was the state of youth in our world today.

Suicide is the number 2 killer of 15-29 year-olds around the globe, not just in America. Sadly, statistics also show that 27% of 12-19 year-olds have reportedly used prescription drugs within the past 30 days. Prescription drug misuse is also the highest among those aged 18-25. We knew we had to show as many of them as we could something better—ONE who not only helps with practical, everyday issues but ONE who can give us great joy, hope, and comfort, even in the midst of pain, suffering, and confusion. That ONE is Jesus, and I know He’s the answer! Not only because He completely transformed my life but because I believe His Word is true from beginning to end. Witnessing someone go from misery to joyfulness, from despair to hopefulness, and from darkness to light is truly the greatest motivation for doing what we do. That’s what happens when people see that there really is a God who LOVES them enough to come and sacrifice Himself on the cross for them even when they’re rejecting Him—He’s the only God who showed through His resurrection (rising from the dead) that He has power over life and death and wants to have a personal relationship with them.

To state it in a different way: I want this younger generation to know God personally so that if they decide to walk away, they’re not walking away from the caricature that is depicted in the mainstream but from the ONE true and living God.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment is seeing those around me use their gifts to accomplish in this ministry things that I only dreamed of. We are now publishing curriculum and books. I do NOT have that talent, but our team does. Our App has exploded (just search for “rforh” on your favorite app store) and is being used at a rate I never imagined. I couldn’t make that happen, but our team did. Our DeBunked videos have been viewed by literally millions around the world, and I could never have produced those, but our team can. I take great joy in watching our team grow and achieve things.

The Lord will call me home one day, and I’ve always felt that I was supposed to keep at it until, eventually, I “work myself out of a job.” Everything we’re doing in this ministry today—things that were once just dreams—is at a level I could never achieve on my own. Though initially, I did begin the work in each of these areas; the Lord would bring somebody along who caught the vision and had the talent to make it really good. I then turned it over to them and let them run with it. That’s a great feeling—watching someone grasp a vision and run with it, taking it to places I never imagined.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Fundraising! We give almost everything away for free and some of our physical resources for a suggested donation. Covering the cost of the resources is one thing, but behind every resource is a team that needs to be compensated for their efforts. We live and die by donations and volunteers. But praise God, we’ve grown in amazing ways over the past 12 years and are able to produce a fantastic amount of digital content, videos, articles, and other resources while still financially providing for our team.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Well, since we’re a Christian, non-profit organization, I don’t look at Reasons for Hope* as a business. This is my life! This is who I am. That’s not going to be the case for a lot of individuals, but it is for me. The work the team and I do is not tied to a 9 to 5 schedule, so if your desire is to start something like we’re doing, make sure you’re called to do it—that it is the Lord moving you to do it. If I had tried to do all of this with my own strength, I would have given up a long time ago. Our beginning was pretty rough, as we didn’t have many resources, but knowing that God called me to do it gave me the strength and determination to keep moving forward.
  2. Surround yourself with people who are better than you in the areas you want to see growth in. I look at our team of speakers, writers, artists, video producers, organizers, etc., and I am amazed. At one stage of this ministry, I had to serve in almost every role that we now have someone else filling. I just couldn’t do it at the level these folks can, and the difference is amazing.
  3. Empower and equip your team to champion the mission and do what you’ve charged them to do. Don’t micro-manage, but lead with conviction and love. Of course, I still want to have input and know what’s being worked on to be able to communicate accurately all we’re doing to accomplish that mission. After all, as the founder and “face” of the ministry, one of my roles is to actively, knowledgeably, and enthusiastically share our cause. I don’t want to have to do someone else’s job, though. In fact, I tell folks before I hire them that if I have to babysit them, they don’t want to serve with me. I simply expect my team members to keep me informed, update me on how they are helping to accomplish the mission, and then make it happen in the unique way the Lord has equipped them.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.rforh.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReasonsforHopeUS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rforh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rforh
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reasons-for-hope-ministries/

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