Lead by the Name was started in November 2021 by Eduardo Mendes.  But that is not where the story begins. To fully understand why Lead by the Name exists, we must travel back to the previous generation.

 

Eduardo’s father, Antonio Mendes, raised his family in São Paulo, Brazil, where he spent 20 years working for Ford Motors. After two decades in the business world, he shifted his career to ministry and pastored the First Baptist Church of Atibaia in São Paulo for 40 years. This dual experience in business and ministry is something his son would later take up as well. Antonio’s leadership grew as his involvement in ministry did and was defined by influence and relationship, not position and power. He became an example to Eduardo of how to be a relational, flexible, and humble leader.

 

Fast forward to Eduardo and his entry into the working world. He began his career in Brazil, gaining non-profit, for-profit, and ministry experience over the next 29 years. In 2010, his local church invited him to start two ministries; one was a ministry to serve the pastors in their preaching in Brazil, and the other was a church-based seminary. He took the challenge, and after five years of building these ministries, he passed them on to a new set of leaders. At this moment, a passion for ministry was taking hold in his heart, and he did not want to return to a for-profit business. Instead, he wanted to use his business experience in ministry. He shared his desire with the church elders, and they sent him to the United States to serve in a Christian organization. In 2016, he and his family took a leap of faith and moved to the US. During the next seven years, he worked with several US-based non-profit organizations and gained even more cross-cultural leadership experience. Work that continues to this day.

 

With so much experience supporting and leading organizations, Eduardo saw healthy and unhealthy forms of leadership. He saw what built organizations up and empowered their employees and what caused the opposite. These experiences were the foundation for Lead by the Name. Eduardo wanted to see leaders take on a new approach that prioritized relationships over processes. That was collaborative, communal, and empowering.

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By developing leaders centered on Christ–his teachings, humility, and sacrifice–Lead by the Name aims to help transform both organizations and individuals. They do this while always being mindful of the things Eduardo and team have learned from years of experience in non-profit and for-profit organizations. A personalized approach is always best. Missional and business strategies can work beautifully together. Relationships should always lead. And serving others is the best way to make an impact. 

 

Lead by the Name focuses on the few to reach the many and will do whatever it takes to build the Kingdom around the world–always partnering with the local community and letting them lead.