Leadership Foundations

08/21/2026

When we see a need in our city, the instinct is often to respond by creating something new.

A new program. A new initiative. A new solution.

But urgency can cause us to overlook what is already present: local leaders who understand the challenge, relationships that have sustained a community for years, and residents whose experiences should inform what happens next.

Before deciding how to respond, good leadership begins by listening.

These five questions can help us move from creating solutions for a community to pursuing meaningful change alongside it. They remind us that the people closest to a challenge are not simply beneficiaries of the work. They are neighbors, leaders, collaborators, and essential participants in building the way forward.

Sometimes leadership means beginning something new. Other times, it means recognizing what is already present and finding ways to strengthen it.

Save these questions for your next planning conversation. Which one does your organization need to ask?

08/19/2026

Some of the most influential leaders in our communities will never hold a formal title. Because while a title can offer authority, it does not automatically earn them trust.

In every city, there are people others already turn to: the neighbor who brings people together, the community member who keeps showing up, the pastor who understands what families are carrying, or the young person whose peers know they will listen.

Their influence doesn’t come from position, but rather, from consistency, presence, and relationship.

Who are the overlooked leaders in your community?

08/05/2026

A few moments with our local LF affiliate New Vision, on The Ridge in West Virginia 🩵

07/31/2026

The idea for The Ridge first began around the table at a local diner in Philippi amongst a handful of local leaders and pastors.

One challenge surfaced repeatedly: young adults aging out of foster care were falling through the cracks.

Rather than waiting for someone else to solve the problem, the group chose to respond.

Led by LF Member Vision, churches, volunteers, businesses, and community partners came together to create The Ridge, an intentional tiny home community where young adults can find stability, mentorship, and belonging as they step into adulthood.

Across the Leadership Foundations network, this is how transformation often begins. Local leaders listen, identify the unique challenges facing their communities, and work together to create solutions that couldn't exist without relationships.

07/29/2026

Meet Christian — a bright, innovative 25-year-old and one of the residents of the tiny home community on New Vision's, The Ridge.

Like many young adults who have experienced foster care, his path to adulthood has been neither straightforward nor easy. Years of moving from one home to another meant that stability was something he rarely experienced for long.

Today, Christian is building a different future for himself at The Ridge. He has a place to call home, meaningful work, and a community investing in his growth.

While his story is deeply personal, it also reflects a larger reality facing young adults across West Virginia.

07/28/2026

What happens when a young person ages out of foster care?

It's a question that doesn't often make headlines, but in West Virginia, where there are more children in foster care than any other state in the U.S., it’s one that carries great weight.

In Philippi, West Virginia, children have been particularly vulnerable to the repercussions of the opioid epidemic, economic hardship, and the foster care crisis. When local leaders in this small Appalachian town saw a growing need in their community, they chose to respond. The result is The Ridge, an intentional tiny home community created for young adults transitioning out of foster care by our local member New Vision.

The homes provide stability, security, and community, and residents gain mentorship, meaningful work, life skills, and a network of support committed to walking alongside them.

Over the next few posts, we'll introduce you to the people behind The Ridge and explore why this work matters.

07/14/2026

What if loneliness isn't just an individual experience, but a community one?

The places we gather, the neighbors we know, the mentors who invest in young people, and the relationships we build all shape whether people feel like they belong.

Strong communities don't happen by accident. They're built over time through ordinary acts of connection: sharing a meal, learning someone's name, showing up consistently, creating spaces where people feel seen and valued.

At Leadership Foundations, we believe local leadership is about more than solving problems. It's about cultivating communities where belonging can take root.

What helps people feel connected in your community?

07/10/2026

The story begins with a dovetail joint.

For generations, Grand Rapids was known as the Furniture City. Craftsmen built pieces that didn't rely on screws or metal fasteners but on interlocking joints, distinct pieces shaped to hold one another together.

It's an apt metaphor for our local Leadership Foundations partner, Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation (GRCCT).

It's a place where people are coming together in collaboration for their community. A civil rights organization shares space with a century-old Christian nonprofit. Entrepreneurs work alongside youth mentors. Churches, businesses, and neighborhood leaders build something none of them could build alone.

As founder Justin Beene asks: "How do you love a city into greatness?"

Maybe it starts by recognizing that communities, like those old dovetail joints, are strongest when they're intentionally connected.

Thanks to BitterSweet Creative for this thoughtful piece!

🔗 Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/GRCCTLF

The Center’s Culture Coordinator Matthew “Monk” Duncan explains, “The Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation is an idea.

07/08/2026

In Fresno, California, young leaders are stepping into leadership roles in their community, connecting with their peers, finding a sense of purpose, and deepening their faith through the Barnabas Project.

Yetzanit, a Barnabas Fellow at our local Leadership Foundations affiliate, FPU Center for Community Transformation, shares how the nine-month program has already transformed her life.

"I feel like at this age, we feel lost." For Yetzanit, the fellowship became a place to ask questions, find direction, and grow alongside others navigating the same season of life.

Her story is a reminder that many emerging leaders aren't looking for a platform. They're looking for someone willing to invest in them, challenge them, and help them discover who they're becoming.

06/29/2026

When we think about leadership, we often picture a stage, a title, or a microphone.

For Nico, it looks different.

Three years ago, he moved from Illinois to Georgia to work in construction. Today, he helps build highway structures across the state. The work is demanding, fast-paced, and often unpredictable.

Yet it's also become a place to build something less visible: relationships, trust, and character.

Nico is one of eight young adults in Atlanta participating in the Barnabas Project, a Leadership Foundations fellowship led locally by Resurgence. The nine-month program brings together emerging leaders ages 18–24 to explore faith, vocation, and service in community with one another.

Coworkers notice the way he carries himself. They ask questions. They pay attention.

At just 23, Nico reminds us that leadership often grows quietly. It takes shape in ordinary places, through everyday faithfulness and the small choices to stay grounded, show up well, and care for the people around us.