Katherine Leary
Alsdorf
returns to CFW

 

Welcome back and thank you to Katherine Leary Alsdorf, who has agreed to step back into the leadership role of Redeemer’s Center for Faith & Work (CFW) to provide some stability and direction following the departure of David Kim and Amilee Watkins this past summer. 

For those who don’t yet know her, Katherine founded CFW in the fall of 2002 and was its Executive Director for the first decade, mobilizing hundreds of Redeemerites into Vocation Groups, launching the pioneering Entrepreneurship Initiative and Arts Ministries, and then the Gotham Fellowship, which was led by David Kim. She also worked with Tim Keller on the writing of Every Good Endeavor. 

After turning over the leadership of CFW to David Kim in 2013, she went on to launch a Gotham-based Fellows program in Raleigh, NC and help numerous other churches develop faith and work ministries. This year she’ll also be assisting City to City as they plan and launch their faith and work initiatives. 

One of Katherine’s first assignments has been to help clarify the role and organizational structure of faith and work ministry in both the Redeemer Churches and City to City. Some of you may recall that last January, Redeemer leadership and City to City agreed to move CFW from Redeemer, where it was founded and developed, to City to City in recognition of its plans to serve all three Redeemers and their church plants as well as a growing number of churches around the world. 

However, following the departure of David and Amilee last summer, Redeemer and City to City agreed that it would be better for each organization to have their own faith and work ministries and leadership. 

Katherine led the effort to formalize a Memorandum of Understanding between Redeemer and City to City that strongly supports the extension of CFW’s theological vision and programs to other churches and church plants around the globe, but also retains a strong and innovative ministry presence within the Redeemer family of churches. CFW will remain a part of Redeemer’s shared ministries. 

City to City is in the process of creating a strategy and plan for its own faith and work organization, building on the work of CFW the last 15 years. Scott Calgaro is the Program Director for CFW at Redeemer, providing leadership to the Gotham Fellowship, faith and work classes, as well as various events and lectures throughout the year. Lauren Gill is the Global Gotham Network and Communications Manager at City to City supporting and expanding the current network of fellows programs in cities around the world. Both organizations will be hiring additional staff over the next several months.

When asked about her plans for CFW, Katherine shared, “I’m impressed and grateful to see the progress and new initiatives that David and Amilee have led at CFW over the past five years and am deeply saddened by their departure. In my 5 years working with other churches in other cities, there is no question that Redeemer’s CFW is an inspiration and resource far beyond NYC. I’m committed to do what I can to steward this legacy — invested in by everyone from Tim Keller to the volunteer leaders to the many participants over the years — and continue to innovate new ways to help our congregations understand and be equipped for their calling as workers for Christ in their chosen vocations. The influence of the Church in our city is most felt as we serve him in every vocation and sphere in which we work.” This spring, CFW and the faith and work ministry at each church will be launching several new courses and vocation groups, as well as a mentor program.