Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Kendall. They and their team shared their story with us below:
The 180 Program was created by Rob and Meredith Kendall – founders of Advancing the Gospel (AtG) – a ministry that started with reaching out to unwed mothers in 2002 and closed its doors in 2019 after reaching thousands through the ministry.
Rob and Meredith assisted their first pregnant teen when they married for less than 2 years. 1986, she stayed with them during her pregnancy because she was given an ultimatum:” Abort your baby or get out.” The Kendall’s volunteered for a Crisis Pregnancy Center, and gave her the option to save her child. This desire to serve others continued for years.
In 2002, Rob and Meredith Kendall achieved the American dream but found their lives selfish and unfulfilling. At Meredith’s urging, Rob took a year off work to find their calling in life. Throughout that year, Rob studied and prayed and began to see God’s heart for the poor, the single mother, the fatherless child, those in prison, those without a home, and the marginalized people who did not have a voice in society. As the year ended, they began a relationship with a single mother of three. Through a series of conversations, Rob and Meredith committed to helping her and eight of her friends overcome the challenges that had held them down. On August 4, 2003, AtG was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with two services: a program for single mothers and kids.
Over the next few years, lessons were written to address the questions and concerns the moms would ask; “Why am I doing the same things that my mom did?” or “I continue to repeat the same cycles over and over again.” The women had dreams. They would say, “I want to offer a better chance for my kids,” and “I want to go back to school,” but they didn’t know where to begin or have the confidence to work towards their goals. AtG started to offer various services to educate and empower the women they were working with to succeed in life and achieve those dreams. In the fall of 2009, The 180 Program was formalized into a study designed to address the needs of men and women in a repeatable format. Since 2017, Rob and Meredith have trained churches and nonprofits to change their model of serving to include providing dignity to those they serve. Rob’s book Breaking the Broken, Debunking the Myth of Social Justice allows readers to understand God’s Plan for serving the “least of these.”
As a country, we spend billions of dollars assisting families struggling to overcome negative generational cycles of poverty, but what are the results? Millions of capable people are trapped in dependency with no clear direction to self-sufficiency. Many want out, but by working hard to improve their lives, they often lose more in benefits than they gain in income. It’s a hopeless, self-defeating cycle.
Our current government systems hold people in poverty. As one DHS worker said, “My hands are tied on what I can do. I can’t offer them the help they need, or I’ll lose my job.” While this is a sad commentary on the services offered, the government can’t do what the church is supposed to do. Think about it: the church is the only group with no agenda but loving God by loving our neighbor as ourselves.
We do more than treat the symptoms of poverty. Through our program and training, we provide a holistic approach, which includes identifying the root causes of the struggles, providing group studies, and developing a customized plan for each individual to overcome their challenges. This comprehensive approach is much more demanding but results in a sustainable plan for independence where families change their living patterns and create new legacies. Over the years, The 180 Program has partnered with churches as they serve in jails, halfway houses, homeless shelters, and recovery centers. They also work with crisis pregnancy centers to help those they do discover their purpose through the 180 Program’s life-recovery studies and relationships.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It is never a smooth road when dealing with people whose lives are full of trauma, dysfunction, or addiction. The obvious struggles are helping people who, for the most part, have never been told they are loved, and if they are told, then it’s usually with conditions. It’s hard when you start to “do life” with a mom, and it gets tough for them, and they think it’s easier to return to their old lifestyle than dredging a new path forward. Watching a mom decide an abusive boyfriend is better than being homeless. Then, the biggest struggle was watching churches not get it, and choosing to give a gas card was more productive than getting to know the mom and her situation and how they could walk with her.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I always thought of myself as a type A personality. Get things done. Have a plan. I run over people if they get in my way. Over the years, I have found that I also have a creative side that likes to write. I have also found that I like to encourage others to become all they were created to be. I can’t say that one thing sets me apart, except I truly care about what happens. I can’t tell you just one thing I am proud of, but I will give you a few general examples. The first example is scrolling on Facebook and seeing posts from those I first met while they spent time in the local jail, now buying homes and being there for their children. Watching another play with their child, knowing they wouldn’t have been accepted into a program to get the help they needed if I hadn’t fought for them. Or meeting a child for the first time and being told I was why they hadn’t been aborted.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I listen to Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast and have read many of John Maxwell’s leadership books. But most of all, the Bible is my number 1, too.
Contact Info:
- Website: the180program.org
- Instagram: the180program
- Facebook: The180Program
- Other: meredithsagekendall.com
