Melissa Rau

About Melissa Rau

I\'m a senior level manager and strategist whose priority is to empower teams and develop leaders to help them achieve their greatest potential and affect positive change in the Church and the world. Skilled in Visioning and Planning, Fundraising, Strategy and Consulting, Executive Coaching, Keynote Speaking, Change Management, Scaling Up, Retreat Leading, Group Facilitation, etc; proven success with small and large-scale partnership and collaboration, project management, and conference planning. I care a great deal about Christian formation, discipleship, evangelism, music, the arts, children, youth, and family ministry, and most things church-related. Signature Strengths: Strategic, Activator, Ideation, Command, Competition; MBTI: ENTP-A; Enneagram 8w7 Personal Mission God’s Call on my life has been to live boldly, love extravagantly, and lead audaciously for justice, then peace. I am passionate about helping people acknowledge and fully embrace their belovedness through nurturing authentic relationship and supporting communities of practice. Core Values Integrity: I am honest, graciously direct, and aspire to live above reproach in all respects. Influence: I cultivate a range of networking relationships so I may be more likely to be invited to support and inform positive outcomes. Yes, I wanna be in the room where it happens;) Integration: I do my best to live holistically, weaving all facets of my life (social, professional/vocational, familial, etc.) with one another to be more effective, efficient, and balanced. Impact: I prefer not to waste my time with things that don\'t matter to me and passionately invest in the things that do. Innovation: Tradition matters, yet to remain relevant, I enjoy reimagining new ways forward to honor the past while creating a more equitable future for all through adaptive and participatory leadership. Inquisitiveness: I aspire to live, love, and, lead in the spirit of curiosity, wonder, and adventure through deep listening and discernment.

Experience

1. Director of Institutional Advancement

   Bexley Seabury Seminary

   Feb 2021 — Present

Education

• Princeton Theological Seminary

  Executive Certificate, Religious Fundraising

  2016 — 2017

• General Theological Seminary

  Master of Divinity - MDiv, Religion/Religious Studies

  2019