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Rich Carney

Met at: NCS men's group meeting (as featured speaker) Met date: 2025-09-19 Role(s): Author, former Executive Director of Austin Bridge Builders Alliance (ABBA), U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Last interaction: 2025-09-19

Professional Background​

  • Former Executive Director of Austin Bridge Builders Alliance (ABBA) - served nearly a decade
  • U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (retired) - 1st Ranger Battalion, Special Forces
  • U.S. State Department counterterrorism experience
  • Trained intelligence operatives
  • Doctorate of Ministry from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
  • Recently published author: "Unshackled: Freedom to Flourish"
  • Has helped plant over 400 churches
  • Led six different city movements: Phoenix, Las Vegas, New York City, Cleveland, Baltimore, and Austin

Military and Government Service​

  • Served in El Salvador (1983) during guerrilla warfare period
  • Stationed alone at compound that had been overrun (175 Salvadoran soldiers killed)
  • Experienced combat and isolation in hostile territory
  • Counterterrorism work with State Department
  • Specialized in training and intelligence operations

Ministry Philosophy​

  • Focuses on "incarnational leadership" - presence over platform
  • Emphasizes stepping into people's pain and isolation
  • Believes isolation is the enemy's primary weapon
  • Advocates for community and presence as kingdom advancement
  • "Programs and platforms won't defeat isolation. Presence will."

Current Focus​

  • Full-time author and speaker (recently retired from organizational leadership)
  • Speaking to movement leaders across the country
  • Next speaking engagement: Boulder, Colorado to 150+ movement leaders
  • Book promotion and ministry development
  • Mentoring and modeling approach to discipleship

Key Experiences​

  • Las Vegas elevator encounter with grieving woman (demonstrates incarnational ministry)
  • 9/11 response in Manhattan - mobilized disaster relief and pastoral care
  • Multiple combat and crisis leadership situations
  • Decades of church planting and city transformation work

Personal Details​

  • Married to Sandy for over 45 years
  • Describes himself as being "on the front lines of the Jesus Movement"
  • Recently transitioned from organizational leadership to writing/speaking ministry
  • Holy Spirit directed his retirement and transition to authorship

Faith Philosophy​

  • Strong emphasis on presence-based ministry
  • Believes in stepping into interruptions as divine appointments
  • Focus on defeating isolation through community
  • Advocates for mentoring and modeling over classroom discipleship
  • "The future belongs to the faithful"

Connections​

  • Austin Bridge Builders Alliance: Former leadership role connecting churches, businesses, government
  • National church planting network: 400+ churches planted
  • Movement leaders nationwide: Speaking to 150+ leaders in upcoming Boulder event
  • NCS community: Regular supporter and speaker

Interests​

  • Church planting and city transformation
  • Crisis response and disaster relief
  • Military and veterans ministry
  • Leadership development
  • Community building and isolation prevention
  • Writing and speaking ministry

Interaction History​

  • 2025-09-19: Featured speaker at NCS men's group
    • Delivered powerful message on incarnational leadership
    • Shared military experiences from El Salvador and 9/11 response
    • Emphasized presence over programs in ministry
    • Spoke about defeating isolation through community
    • Promoted new book "Unshackled: Freedom to Flourish"

Notes​

Rich Carney represents a unique combination of military leadership, crisis experience, and faith-based community building. His decades of experience in city transformation and church planting, combined with his military background, provide him with credibility in both secular and religious contexts. His recent transition to full-time writing and speaking suggests he's entering a new phase of influence. His emphasis on presence-based ministry and defeating isolation aligns strongly with current cultural needs and Gary's ministry interests.

Key Quotes​

  • "Isolation is the enemy's weapon. Community is how the kingdom advances."
  • "Programs and platforms won't defeat isolation. Presence will."
  • "The future belongs to the faithful"
  • "Not a platform, but a presence. Not a sermon, but a sacred interruption."
  • "Every interaction advances the kingdom. Or, it's ground to the enemy."

Transcripts​

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2025-09-19-gary-sheng-aaron-alba-bradley-rapier-nick-alter-rich-carney-ncs-men-group-austinSeptember 19, 2025NCS men's group meeting with Rich Carney on incarnational leadership and defeating isolation