Teaming up with nature

James H. Evans, adventurer extraordinaire, takes us outdoors with the Gideons and indoors at the 2008 Rejuvenate Marketplace.

By Joan Drammeh

Earlier this year, James Evans greeted the Gideon International home staff in a field of a Tennessee national park with the words, “Hi, I am James. We are going to do some interesting things today.” He proceeded to pass out blindfolds.

“They didn’t know me, and we walked through the damp grass and wandered the field for a while. After that we spoke about how that experience is similar to how an office works. They said sometimes we have to trust that our bosses see things that we don’t. They even said sometimes they weren’t sure they wanted to follow.”

Evans founded Benchmark Adventure Ministries (benchmark.org) in 1993, basing the nonprofit’s mission on the philosophy that Biblical principles are applicable in all environments and settings, creating customized experiences for groups. These experiences can involve team-building activities, wilderness trips, missions trips or seminar workshops.

“I’ve been in entirely too many settings where people were trying to teach something that is eternally significant in an uninteresting way,” says Evans, who earned his adventure credentials as an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America and certifications in rock climbing and rappelling. James is also an experienced Bible teacher and college professor who graduated from the Free Will Baptist Bible College and went on to get a Master’s degree at Wheaton College Graduate School.

Lessons on teamwork are at hand when Evans passes out maps and compasses. Groups of grown men trying to get from point A to point B can become a journey that is more than just a route to a final destination.

“People will realize that they don’t pay attention, ignore the advice of group members and end up going the wrong direction,” he says. Other Benchmark client groups range from elementary school teachers to Sun Trust Bank managers.

At the 2008 Rejuvenate Marketplace in Virginia Beach, Va., where Evens taught a session, he observed a couple of things about meeting planners. “They don’t communicate clearly what they need and want with suppliers because they have so much going on in their heads,” he says. “They keep key information in their minds, on their work stations and computers. Also, they forget that what they think is important isn’t always important to suppliers.”

A prime example involved a conversation between a planner and supplier about Internet access. “One supplier said his hotel had Internet access and the meeting planner assumed each room had access. The supplier wasn’t lying – they do have Internet access – but the reasonable assumption is something else.”

Last September, Evans was standing on the bank of a lake with a small group of men fishing. “Hey guys,” he said. “Is this where I should remind you that this is a part of my work?” After the men wished Evans wouldn’t he said, “OK, well I won’t then.”