Sam Rima


​There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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Romans 8:1-4
What are you doing now?
I have worked for the last three years as a Director of Church Engagement with Partners International, whose mission is to build the church in the least reached places by partnering with indigenous ministries and connecting them with churches in the U.S.

Additionally, I have been working with DeoWorks, leading cohorts of indigenous ministry leaders to provide leadership formation training based on my book, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership, in an effort to help leaders understand the more challenging aspects of their personality and the unhealthy leadership patterns that have the potential to marginalize their leadership and Kingdom impact.
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I also have a personal ministry of spiritual direction and leadership coaching, serving pastors and leaders in the U.S. and in the 10/40 window.
Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership was prompted by the many leaders that had recently
experienced major public failures, whether moral or ethical. 

After seeing significant Christian leadership failures, I wanted to know if there were any commonalities when such leaders crash and burn and looked at similar cases in the Bible. If we had a better idea as to what causes such failures, I thought we might have a better chance to educate young leaders to identify the issues in the inner life that could produce the same time of failure in their life (my life) if left unattended.

Our current Christian “Celebrity Culture” and focus on building personal brands are extremely dangerous to a leader’s soul. There are very, very few people who have the spiritual and character formation needed to withstand the many temptations that come with fame, money, and power, particularly at a relatively young age. Pastors were never intended to be popular celebrities and the focus of adulation. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung said, “The brighter the persona, the darker the shadow” and I have found that to be true time and again when it comes to Christian celebrity leaders. 
My favorite image is that of the prodigal son returning to the arms of a loving father, who was yearning for the return of his beloved son. At the first indication that his wayward son was returning, the father ran to meet is son. The father didn’t make the son grovel and beg to be reunited, because he’d always been his son! All of us as followers of Jesus have a bit of the prodigal in us. We are all sinners and sufferers who struggle in this fallen world. Often because of the wounds we have experienced in our childhood and developmental years, we create a “false self” we project to the world; it is our idealized self, the self we think we should be in order to merit the love and approval of others, which we so desperately need. Unfortunately, we too often feel this is the self that we need to present to our heavenly Father to merit his love and approval as well. But our Father knows our true self, and this is the self he longs to be with. He longs to have his children turn to him in their woundedness, brokenness and sin, and at our first turning toward him, he runs to us and welcomes us with a love that is beyond our comprehension! It is this love that will heal our wounds and give us the confidence to discard our false self and enable us to realize that our heavenly Father knows us completely yet loves us unconditionally! This image also reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 6:37 when he says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
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In my ministry I long to see everyone I work with know and experience this embrace of the Father. I strive to help leaders understand that is it is in their sin and brokenness that God most wants to meet them. They no longer need to live a life of pretense or spiritual posturing to be approved and loved by God. I long for spiritual leaders to embrace Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  When we grow weary as a result of our sin and feel heavy-laden by guilt and shame, we can come to Jesus, who is gentle and lowly and find rest and healing for our souls. Afterall, that is precisely why Jesus came, to save sinners and sufferers like me and you! When we turn to him in humility, confession and authenticity, he will never turn us away.
​" I long to see everyone I work with know and experience this embrace of the Father. "
Background:
Sam Rima has served in a broad variety of ministry and leadership roles over the past 35 years. Spanning the church, academia, and the non-profit worlds, Sam has experience as a Lead Pastor, Executive Pastor, denominational Executive Minister (overseeing churches and ministries in five states), seminary professor, and non-profit program director.

With a passion for spiritual and leadership formation, Sam has taught and spoken extensively through the U.S. and on five continents. He is the author or co-author of five books and is a certified Spiritual Director. Sam has earned a Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Leadership from Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Buckingham, UK, in Socioeconomics (Spiritual Capital).
Interests: 
I have a deep interest in, and passion for, spiritual and leadership formation. Over the past 30 years I have worked with many spiritual leaders and pastors who live and lead with a pervading sense that God is disappointed in them, accompanied by a chronic sense of guilt and shame. These feelings often result in unhealthy and often destructive, emotional and spiritual cycles in their life that mitigate and marginalize their full kingdom potential, not to mention a prevailing sense of joy that should be theirs as the beloved of God. My interest and passion are to help spiritual leaders become aware of the emotional and spiritual dynamics in their life that produce these unhealthy cycles and help them find freedom, joy and authenticity in Christ as a result of what He has done for them.

In this season of my life and ministry I have particular interest in providing this kind of ministry for kingdom leaders in some of the least reached and least resourced parts of the world, where they often don’t have the resources to access to this type of training.

Other areas of interest and academic focus are:
  • Leadership Formation
  • Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership
  • Moral and Ethical Leadership
  • Personal Formation and Self-Leadership
  • Spiritual Capital Theory
  • Social and Economic Justice
  • Socio-Economic Transformation
  • Integral Research for Social Innovation
  • Team Leadership Development
  • Leadership Development and Leadership Emergence Theory
  • Organizational Leadership
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Intercultural Competence in Leadership
  • Change Management
 " My interest and passion are to help spiritual leaders become aware of the emotional and spiritual dynamics... and help them 
​find freedom, joy and authenticity in Christ ​as a result of what He has done for them. " 

DeoWorks has a desire to serve as a catalyst for kingdom initiatives and does this by leveraging technology and creating innovative platforms for ministry to advance God’s kingdom work across multiple sectors.

​I resonate with and embrace DeoWorks' desire to empower, network and release leaders to realize their true calling and live out the fullness of their giftedness to advance God’s kingdom mission in the world.

                                                         
​                                                                          — Sam Rima
References
"From his extensive leadership experience to his relevant scholarship and writing, Dr. Sam Rima brings a wealth of insight to those with whom he works. Through his wise, timely, and personable training and coaching, Dr. Rima will provide value to anyone desiring to take the next steps in their personal and professional growth."

Justin A. Irving, Ph.D.
Professor of Leadership
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
​"I have had the unique privilege of walking with Sam as both my Spiritual Director as well as a pastoral leader in my life. Sam Rima is someone who has done the hard work of vulnerably facing himself with the power of the Holy Spirit and is now a wise soul friend and mentor on the journey. I wholeheartedly trust Sam as someone who is a friend of Jesus, who knows His heart, and who desires to live out of the power of that relationship. I can unreservedly recommend Sam as a Spiritual Director and as a Leadership mentor and coach for anyone who hopes to walk and lead with integrity, conviction, and joy."

Rev. Jay Ewing
Spiritual Director and Pastor of Spiritual Formation
Redwood Park Church, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
I have witnessed his sterling leadership capability and capacity in a variety of roles inside and outside of academic settings.  In particular, his personal faith and commitment to leadership development and spiritual formation have made him a valuable resource for personal and professional development of others seeking to better themselves, form a solid spiritual core, and excel as leaders in any setting.  I have greatly benefitted from his guidance and wisdom.  I am a better person for knowing him.

Gregory W. Bourgond, DMin, EdD
President & Founder of heart of a Warrior Ministries
"I’d say that I learned more about living out the Gospel through Sam’s leadership and teaching and role model than at any other time in my life. His ability to discern, teach and just ‘be’ the life of Christ is remarkable."

Kay Hodges
Director of Operations
Vantage Point 3


​"Dr. Sam Rima is a pastor, professor, scholar, and leader of leaders. His book, Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership, is the most helpful leadership resource I've ever read and recommended to others. But the Dark Side workshop is even more impactful because it affords the opportunity to personally interact with Sam. When Dr. Rima led our staff and elders through this workshop, we were captivated by his extraordinary communication gifts, vulnerable authenticity, and practical wisdom. We were especially blessed by his uncanny ability to spontaneously answer our many questions. Sam is humble, personable, and professionally excellent. He will compassionately expose the root issues that are facing your church or organization and set you on a path of healing and transformation from the inside and out. I believe every leadership team and church would benefit greatly by hosting a Dark Side workshop at least once, if not every year." 

Keith Krell, D.Min., Ph.D.
Lead Pastor
Crossroads Bible Church, Bellevue, WA
​For more information, please contact sam.rima(at)deoworks.org