Meet the Luis Palau Association
The Luis Palau Association, based in Beaverton, Oregon, is a global evangelical mission that works with thousands of churches around the world to “Proclaim the good news, unite the church, and impact cities worldwide.” The association was incorporated in 1978 by Luis Palau, the famous evangelist affectionately known as the “Billy Graham of Latin America.”
Over the last four decades, Luis Palau Association has developed an extensive network of evangelists around the globe. The plan in the next several years is to accelerate evangelism worldwide and build networks of evangelists in 150+ countries. To accomplish this goal, Palau Association needed to hire a director of the global network of evangelists.
An open-ended job description
This was the association’s first attempt at not only creating a the network of evangelists but also a director role to oversee and grow this network, so it wasn’t easy for their search team to know the full scope of what the new role would entail.
The director needed to have cross-cultural experience, confidence in public speaking, and the ability to work well with others, but also needed to have the competence and discernment to independently determine what their role required. The search team was looking for particular experience that could prepare him or her to fulfill the requirements of the comprehensive and open-ended job description.
Luis Palau Association’s CEO Kevin Palau had previous experience working with Jay Mitchell, Senior Executive Search Consultant, and chose to bring Vanderbloemen in to find their next key leader.
Building the search profile
Jay travelled to Beaverton to spend time with the organization, getting to know their unique DNA and determining the specific attributes they needed and wanted in the new hire. This person needed to have vision, and be able to figure out how that would look in different contexts and countries.
This person needed to be a visionary, a coach, and already globally connected. The role required an insatiable desire for international travel and some patience with the process. The person would be a key hire on the leadership team
Once Jay was confident he understood the association’s DNA, we began an international search for the organization’s next leader and builder of global networks.
From 97 to seven to one
The pool of viable candidates was narrowed down from 97 to seven. All seven were presented and interviewed by the association’s search team, but one stood out among the rest.
Dr. Desmond Henry of Johannesburg, South Africa was invited to visit Portland after several video calls and was hired in October 2019. Dr. Henry is skilled in worship, evangelism, and mission. An avid learner, Dr. Henry has five degrees including a master’s and doctoral, and is a well-published and recognized speaker and researcher . He has experience building a global network with a team on almost every continent, and continually looks toward the future to drive change.
Dr. Henry, his wife Lara, and their three kids made the move from Johannesburg, South Africa to Portland Oregon. We look forward to see how God uses the association and Dr. Henry to expand the reach and impact of the gospel.
