In this episode, Peter Greer – husband, father, president and CEO of Hope International, and recently co-author of Rooting for Rivals – joins Jedd Medefind for a rich conversation in generosity and the deeper choices that help grow us into the kind of people that can sincerely “root for rivals” amidst the long, hard work of justice and mercy.

In this episode, you’ll discover

• What it looks like to “root for rivals” – not merely parrot clichés like “partnership” and “collaboration,” but truly promote the good of others, even competitors.
• Why leaders must acknowledge and receive God’s grace before we can give grace.
• The importance of cultivating humility and “boasting” in our weakness.
• Key choices we need to make if we want to cultivate a vibrant family life while facing demanding work.
• Simple steps to bring the priorities of leadership back into a healthy balance.
• Rules for technology that help us ensure it doesn’t replace the human interaction we desperately need
• Hard questions Peter asked his wife…that you can ask your spouse, too.

Key Quotes

“When I boast in my weakness, it is so clear that this good that is happening, this is not from my intelligence, it’s not from my strength, but let me tell you the story of Jesus.”
Peter Greer

“I want to be someone that has this integrity of what we do externally matches what is not just happening internally in our heart, but also under our roof and the people that are closest to us.”
Peter Greer

“What the world needs most from Christian leaders…is not just effective leadership skills. It needs wholehearted leaders. People who can bring that presence of Jesus – the love, the attentiveness, the gentleness, the calm.”
Jedd Medefind

Meet Our Guest

PETER GREER

Husband, Father, Author, and President & CEO of Hope International

Peter and his wife, Laurel, live in Lancaster, PA, with their three children, Keith, Lilianna, and Myles.

Prior to joining HOPE, Peter worked internationally as a microfinance advisor in Cambodia, technical advisor for Self-Help Development Foundation in Zimbabwe, and managing director for Urwego Community Bank in Rwanda.

He received a B.S. in international business from Messiah College and an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School.

As an advocate for the Church’s role in missions and alleviating extreme poverty, Peter has been a speaker at a number of conferences, and he has been featured by Christianity Today, World, Forbes, CNN, and RELEVANT.

He has also written Rooting for Rivals: How Collaboration and Generosity Increase the Impact of Leaders, Charities, and Churches (with Chris Horst), The Spiritual Danger of Doing Good (with Anna Haggard, 2013), Mission Drift (with Chris Horst, 2014; selected as a 2015 Book Award Winner from Christianity Today), Entrepreneurship for Human Flourishing (with Chris Horst, 2014), Stop Helping Us (2014), Watching Seeds Grow (with his son Keith, 2014), The Giver and the Gift (with David Weekley, 2015), 40/40 Vision (with Greg Lafferty, 2015), Created to Flourish (with Phil Smith, 2016), and The Board and the CEO (with David Weekley, 2017).

Currently, Peter serves as the entrepreneur-in-residence at Messiah College and as a Praxis Venture Partner.