LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After helping strengthen tens of millions of marriages and families in 109 countries for more than four decades, Dennis Rainey announced to his team of 400 staff members today that David Robbins will succeed him later this fall as president and CEO of FamilyLife®, a ministry of Cru.
“I have observed that the tendency of ministry founders is to stay in the seat for too long and not make room for fresh leadership,” said Rainey, who co-founded FamilyLife with his wife, Barbara, in 1976. As early as 2007, Rainey initiated conversations with the FamilyLife board of directors about a leadership transition plan he felt needed to take place near his 70th birthday (in 2018). At FamilyLife’s 40th anniversary celebration in July 2016, Rainey shared with staff a plan to begin a leadership transition, and requested prayer as the board and executive leadership team worked to identify his successor.
“If we want to effectively reach and support the coming generations of marriages and families, we need a leader who is committed to the authority of the Scriptures, and is uniquely connected to and understanding of the issues associated with those generations,” said Rainey. “Barbara and I are fully confident that David and his wife, Meg, embody the commitment, experience, passion and vision needed to lead FamilyLife into the future.”
Robbins currently serves as a national facilitator for Cru’s Millennials Ministry, which he and Meg launched in 2012. The initiative targeting 20-somethings quickly grew to reach a network of 1,000 millennials in New York and spread nationwide, establishing teams in 15 other cities across the U.S.
“In an increasingly secular world, we often observe how marriage and parenting are two areas in which people actually are willing to listen to a biblical perspective and worldview,” said Robbins, whose passion for families has driven Meg and him to provide extensive pre-marital and marriage counseling to dozens of couples, using FamilyLife resources. “We love connecting people to life-changing relationships, helping people experience Jesus in the deepest crevices of their souls, and holistically integrating faith, work, family and mission.”
Robbins will begin work as president and CEO at FamilyLife on Dec. 1. Full news release
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