Equipping Church Leaders to Build Cultures of Generosity

Leo Sabo

President, Christian Stewardship Network

Leo loves to see people experience their own financial awakening. He’s spent the last 22 years working with couples, individuals, and church leaders, helping them understand and manage finances according to Biblical principles. His life mission is “Helping people become financially free, thereby enabling them to pursue their true life’s purpose.” He served as a Stewardship Pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, for 11 years. In his current role as president of CSN, he shares the incredible impact financial stewardship and generosity can have on the Church.

Leo and his wife Natalie have been married for 35 years. They have two daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren.

Chris Goulard, CFP®, MML

Chairman, Christian Stewardship Network

Chris Goulard serves as Vice President of Financial Planning Ministry (FPM), where he helps churches develop estate planning ministries as a cornerstone of their stewardship initiatives. With over 25 years dedicated to promoting biblical financial stewardship, Chris also chairs the Christian Stewardship Network and frequently teaches on stewardship and generosity.

After a successful financial services career as a Vice President at Fidelity Investments, MFS, and Prudential Financial, he joined Saddleback Church in 2004 as Pastor of Stewardship. Over 20 years on staff, he led initiatives such as Financial Freedom Workshops, Estate Planning, and a $50 million giving campaign, fostering a culture of generosity.

Chris holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth, a CFP® designation, and a seminary master’s degree. He and his wife, Jenifer, have been married for 34 years and have two adult sons and two amazing daughters-in-law.

Dave Briggs

Stewardship Director, Central Christian Church

Dave Briggs has been at Central Christian Church of Arizona for ten years leading the Stewardship Ministry on their six campuses. Prior to joining the staff at Central, Dave held a similar position at Willow Creek Community Church. In 2002, Dave left a 27-year career as a finance manager with General Electric to follow his passion for teaching biblical principles of handling money.

He has a love for teaching and a desire to help train church leaders to establish thriving and sustainable stewardship ministries. Dave and his wife, Debbie, have two grown sons, both of whom are in full-time ministry.

Kirsten Schwartz

Director of Church Partnerships, Generous Giving

Kirsten Schwartz brings a wealth of experience in generosity ministry to the CSN board. After serving as the Director of Generosity at a large church in Cincinnati and now as Director of Church Partnerships at Generous Giving, Kirsten is passionate about helping churches navigate obstacles and build thriving cultures of generosity.

Because her father was an Air Force pilot, Kirsten grew up in many places, including Japan and Germany. She holds master’s degrees in urban redevelopment from the University of Pennsylvania and in landscape architecture from Clemson University, and spent years working in urban redevelopment with a focus on disaster recovery across the country.

Kirsten met her husband, Jason, at a triathlon in Florida. They live in Cincinnati, Ohio with their two children, Asher and Evelyn.

Steve Carter

Executive Pastor of Ministry Support, Southeast Christian Church

Steve Carter is the Executive Pastor of Ministry Support at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY. Steve is directly responsible for the leadership of ministry support teams, including Finance, Information Technology, Facilities, Safety and Security, Purchasing, and Events. Additionally, Steve leads the Central Ministry team as well as the Stewardship and Generosity ministry as the church works to build a thriving culture of generosity.

Before joining the staff, Steve served as an Elder of Southeast Christian. During those 12 years he oversaw several ministries and led multiple building projects including the launch of 2 new campuses. In 2015, Steve left a 24-year career in the safety and fire protection industries to pursue God’s calling to full-time vocational ministry.

Steve and his wife, Shelley, have been married for 29 years and have two sons, ages 24 and 18.

Kurt Drescher

Pastor of Stewardship, Grace Chapel

Kurt Drescher is the Pastor of Stewardship of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts. A graduate of Gordon College, Kurt spent more than 20 years as an account representative and marketing executive in the graphic arts industry. Much of his work was with clients in the fields of higher education and other non-profits.

Prior to joining the staff at Grace Chapel, he served as Vice President of Advancement at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for just under ten years overseeing all institutional fundraising and communications efforts for the seminary. Kurt lives in Reading, Massachusetts with his wife Sharon and together they have two adult daughters and one son-in-law.

Donna Nicholson-Stief

Director of Stewardship, LCBC Church

Donna’s love for biblical stewardship started decades ago, as a young single mother who wanted to show Jesus that she truly trusts him in all areas, especially finances. Donna met her husband Roger at LCBC Church, and as a family, continued to put God first. After 21 years as executive director and chief compliance officer in the professional credit and collections industry, Donna had opportunity to leave that career behind and begin serving in her current role as the Director of Stewardship at LCBC Church.

They have an adult son and daughter, David and Maddie, and their youngest son Jack lives in Heaven with our Lord and Savior. Donna enjoys volunteering in high school student ministry, leading GriefShare and serves on the board of directors for Bible2School.

Rachel Rupert

Ministry Director, Christian Stewardship Network

Rachel Rupert is passionate about helping church leaders embrace biblical stewardship and generosity in every area of ministry. As CSN’s Ministry Director, she works closely with pastors and stewardship leaders across the country, equipping them with the tools, relationships, and encouragement they need to make Kingdom impact.

Before joining CSN, Rachel served on staff at Gateway Church in Texas for more than nine years after graduating from The King’s University. Her ministry experience spans from serving little ones in kids ministry to engaging with seasoned believers in senior ministries — and everything in between.

Rachel also hosts She Is Courageous, a podcast dedicated to encouraging women to live boldly for Christ in every sphere of life. She and her husband Rudy live in Cleveland, Ohio with their two children, Avery and Elliot.