BETTER TOGETHER MINISTRIES
Better Together Ministries (or BTM) is organized to create, establish, and operate a Christian ministry to share the love of Jesus with everyone it reaches. The corporation will accomplish this through it’s 3 primary offerings of aid: Food, Water, and Community Development projects. BTM leverages a number of local events to create awareness and generate funds for their aid projects in developing countries. These events value community, compassion, family, joy, serving others, and excellence. Operating out of a firm conviction that we truly are BETTER TOGETHER, our team proactively seeks out partnerships with businesses, churches, and organizations who share these values and goals. BTM was incorporated on February 5th, 2014 in the state of California as a 501c3 Nonprofit Religious Corporation.
“We understand that we truly are better together and that life-transforming work impacts both the giver and the recipient.”
- Jadon Lavik / BTM President
OUR PURPOSE
We aim to transform communities both locally and globally. We truly are BETTER TOGETHER.
Love each other as I have loved you.
(John 15:12-13)
Love your neighbor as yourself.
(Galatians 5:14)
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
(1 John 4:9-11)
We recognize that serving the needs of others is a key ingredient to both personal happiness and a meaningful existence. Furthermore, we have learned that life-transforming work impacts both the giver and the recipient.”
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
(Mark 10:45)
OUR VALUES
We aim to be like Jesus. We value selflessness, sacrifice, compassion, generosity, justice, excellence, and creativity.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
(Matthew 25:35-40)
We value family. We strive to help leaders, business owners, and parents both create and shape a vision for their own “families” by providing environments and experiences for this to take place.
OUR HISTORY
Better Together Ministries was birthed from a desire to see people join together to do life-changing things.
As a young child, Jadon Lavik recalls his church working parents intentionally creating international travel experiences for their children to shape a well-rounded worldview and a passion for serving the less fortunate. After college, Jadon Lavik began his professional career as a Christian music recording artist. Jadon and Stephanie were married in 2006 and travelled the country together in their early years of marriage fulfilling Jadon’s musical commitments.
In 2010 Jadon and Stephanie created a Christmas concert tour with fellow musical artists as a unity experiment to encourage community outreach amongst neighboring church congregations. What they discovered was how powerful working TOGETHER can be when a community unites towards a common cause. After touring the country for a number of years as a solo musical artist, Jadon recalls Stephanie making the statement, “it seems like these concerts are even better when done together rather than individually.”
During the early years of the seasonal “A Christmas Together” concerts they would raise funds for good causes overseas. From 2010-2014 the concerts raised significant amounts of money to do some truly incredible things. The events were able to build libraries, schools, and meet urgent medical and food needs in various third-world countries partnering with Food For The Hungry, Compassion International, and others. It didn’t take long to see the potential more gatherings, events, and fundraising could have to transform communities overseas and help impoverished communities break the vicious cycle of poverty. Two years later the 501c3 non-profit organization was formed under the name Better Together Ministries, Inc.
BTM quickly began expanding this vision to see more communities joining together in Jesus’ name. Jadon and Stephanie started by providing aid to geographical places of the world they had personally visited and seen with their own eyes. Leveraging current relationships as well as forging strategic partnerships BTM focused on the countries of Fiji, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Jadon and Stephanie knew that the key to lasting change in these communities would be establishing long-term and on-going relationships seeking to provide both physical and spiritual solutions for the specific needs that exist within these communities.
Better Together rallied its influence to generate support to provide aid in 3 primary ways: Food, Water, and Community Development projects.
Back home, the organization began creating ways to engage and inform local communities to the needs that exist overseas. Recognizing that healthy families are integral to a community’s success, BTM began by focusing primarily on reaching the families (individual families, church families, business families) around them. Today Better Together Ministries, Inc. hosts a full calendar of events aimed at creating awareness and generating funds for their on-going overseas efforts. Golf tournaments, youth surfing and skateboarding camps, community markets, conferences, concerts, and overseas trips are the primary ways BTM continues to generate funds to expand its work.
OUR STAFF
Jadon Lavik
Jadon Lavik lives in San Clemente, CA with his wife Stephanie and their four children: Laird (12), Noah (10), Lily (7) and Shane (4). Jadon is the President of BTM and works closely with his wife Stephanie to co-lead the overall vision and operation of the organization. Jadon graduated from Westmont College with a degree in Business Economics and also hold a masters degree in theology from Rockbridge Seminary. He has over 20 years of full-time vocational ministry experience both as a pastor and as a traveling recording artist in the Christian music industry. Jadon was a collegiate baseball player who loves to golf, surf, and spend time with his family.
jadon@bettertogetherministries.com
Stephanie Lavik
Stephanie Lavik is a San Clemente, CA native and mother of four beautiful kids. She lives with her husband Jadon and home-schools all of their children. Stephanie graduated from Kent State University as a dual major in both marketing and psychology. For the past few years she has worked as an interior designer as well as managing operations for BTM. Stephanie is passionate about raising her children and would tell you being a mom is her dream job. She loves adventure, travel, and fostering community. Stephanie is infectious with enthusiasm and has an obvious heart for bringing families together for transformational work
stephanie@bettertogetherministries.com
Bryan Wiepert
Bryan Is the Founder and CEO of Cascade Wealth Group. He has been in the investment business for over 20 years and serves on multiple non-profit boards.
Bryan lives in Oregon with his wife and four kids and spends much of his time coaching football and baseball.
Chris Bury
Chris Bury graduated from Biola University with a degree in Business. Chris is a partner and Senior Vice President at Foundry Commercial. Chris specializes in commercial real estate for religious, educational, and not for profit groups. “I love BTM because it is a model for generous living through community, serving others, and enjoying life together.”
Jonathon Cohen
Jonathon Cohen lives in Laguna Beach with his wife Briana and three kids: Kayden, Wesley and Abbie. Jonathon oversees investment strategy for the Snyder Family, owners of In-N-Out Burger. Jonathon received a business-economics degree from UCSB, a masters in accounting from UCI Merage and an MBA from UCLA Anderson. He feels called to use his skills and experience to help grow ministries and help them be great stewards of the funds entrusted to them through donors. Jonathon feels lead to be involved with Better Together Ministries because of their outreach to bring communities together, both near and far. .
OUR PARTNERS
We love our partners. Our name Better Together defines our belief in the power of unity and collective effort. Our philosophy for ministry begins with collaboration at the core. We look for like-minded families, churches, organizations, and businesses to link arms with and become Better Together.
HERE IS WHAT A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS HAVE TO SAY
Charity Water
“Better Together Ministries clearly values unity in accomplishing it’s mission. Recognizing life transforming work impacts both those who give AND those who receive, they have created a community of like-minded people passionate to make a difference in the world.”
Scott Harrison - Founder and CEO of Charity: Water
Pro Deo Foundation
“Better Together is one of the more creative Christian outreach ministries of our time. With a deep love for the whole gospel for the whole person, Jadon and Steph have integrated the privileged with the poor, bringing life and hope to all who participate.”
Chris Pritchett - Executive Director Pro Deo Foundation
Calvary Chapel SB
"Better Together Ministries has an incredible and effective vision to share Jesus through loving communities locally and around the world. Jadon and Stephanie have a passion to draw the body of Christ together through service projects, camps, concerts and outreaches as they share Christ through their love, their talent and the fun they bring everywhere they go. I love to see the pictures and hear the stories about how God is using this amazing ministry!”
Tommy Schneider - Lead Pastor Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara
Kids Around The World
“Better Together Ministries approaches missions and outreach in a fun, unique and highly effective way. Every opportunity they create is an open door for families, regardless of their faith, to step into a community with a heart to serve others. Our work with them spans packing meals for impoverished communities in Latin America and traveling the globe and building playgrounds, where families can serve families, kids can serve kids, and communities can be changed both at home and abroad!
Dan Liesik - VP of Operations for Kids Around The World
Love and Respect
Jadon and Stephanie Lavik are friends. Actually, Jadon and my son David played college baseball together. I believe in this husband and wife and their passion to help others be better together. That has a broader application than marriage and family. Better Together includes a community coming together to be better together. So, if you are looking for innovative outreaches that few have the bandwidth to pull off, join arms with Jadon and help him hit another one out of the park.
Emerson Eggerichs Ph.D. Founder and President of Love and Respect Ministries
