In ‘On the Edge with Ken Harrison,’ Mark McClain Reveals the Difference between Generosity and Stewardship

Ken Harrison, CEO of WaterStone and volunteer chairman of Promise Keepers, is joined by Mark McClain on the latest podcast of "On the Edge with Ken Harrison." Together, they talk about the responsibility of stewarding money well, how to be a financially wise giver, and the importance of following God's calling through a faith-filled mindset.

The podcast, available in both audio and video form, can be found on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Podcast listeners can also receive a challenging weekly devotional that will inspire them to put their faith into action.

Mark McClain is the CEO and Founder of SailPoint (NYSE:SAIL). McClain has over 35 years of experience in technology, with over 20 years as a founder and leader of innovative identity management companies. Under his direction, the company has grown into a publicly recognized leader in its market. McClain directs and drives the overall vision and strategy for SailPoint, which is underpinned by his commitment and passion for building top-performing teams, creating a collaborative and innovative work environment, and focusing continuously on the needs of customers.

Prior to SailPoint, he co-founded Waveset Technologies, which was ultimately acquired by Sun Microsystems. McClain's career also includes diverse experience in international sales and marketing with Hewlett-Packard and IBM/Tivoli Systems.

Highlights of McClain's interview in the podcast include:

• The responsibility of stewarding money well for the Kingdom

"I know a lot of men and women, mostly men, who have incredible worldly success from building very substantial fortunes and successful companies. But their lives are a train wreck. You don't want to end up as that single guy after his fourth divorce with kids in rehab, living in a 15,000 square foot home by yourself. That is not success, but unfortunately that is where a lot of stories end up because we only see the business side that is projected on Fortune and Forbes. I try to convey to young people - if God's gift to you is to be a businessman, be a great businessman or woman, but do so in a way that you don't look back with regret at the train wreck of your personal life."

"As I learned to adopt my faith for myself, I really began to understand what money is. It's just a tool like so many other things in our lives that can be used for good or for evil. It happens to be one of the most important tools because, as I read years ago in The Treasure Principle, a book by Randy Alcorn, when Jesus answered questions about how he thought people should live their lives of faith, he often answered with how they should steward their money. 'How should I live?' 'You should not cheat people.' 'How should I live?' 'You should give carefully.' I think it's the ultimate barometer in some ways of our faith. If you don't deal with money well, there are probably other things wrong with your theology. I have come to believe that money is ultimately an important tool that we are given to steward. We don't own anything. We're given an amount of wealth for a period and God calls us to manage it through faith and trust."

• Giving wisely

"I try to be diligent, but I'm probably not as diligent as I could be. It sounds odd to say, but there are burdens from having more wealth to manage on God's behalf than you expected. I want to be as faithful as I can to manage these resources I have been given and if I'm slipshod, I'm not going to be doing what I was called to do, am I? I struggle with the word generosity because it assumes that I'm the owner and I'm being generous with what I have to give. But, it's not mine. We are managing resources for the one true owner no matter how small or large."

"I give carefully by surrounding myself with a smart, godly team that can help me to think about how to manage my wealth and help me channel it to the right resources. We should use our giving to advance the Kingdom, spread the gospel, and help the poor directly in the name of Christ. It's very easy for me to think about channeling the great majority of my giving toward things that are explicitly oriented toward God-ordained causes."

• Following God's calling through a faith-filled mindset

"I feel I was gifted with a stewardship mindset that didn't only involve money because back then I didn't have any, but I knew that I had some gifts and talents that I should pursue. I think like a lot of folks that ended up in business as a young, Christian, I wrestled a bit with going full time into ministry. Thankfully, I had some really good counsel not to do that because I would have been a lousy pastor. I think far more of us are called to be out among the world doing whatever God called us to do and doing it with a faith-filled and God-honoring mindset. In my case, I felt I was called to business and I began to steward what was happening as it came."

"I don't know if this is my life verse, but I quote it a lot, the phrase in Psalms where David says 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.' The implication of this is so powerful for me. I feel we all want big searchlights that shine way down the road to tell us where we're going, but God gives us just enough light to see this step and maybe one more step, a light at our feet. I think that is what it has looked like for me to walk by faith in my business life. I'm just going to take the next step that I see make sense as I pray, talk to godly counselors, and trust my amazing team around me."

 

 

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