Leadership

Gary Tenpenny has more than 25 years of experience in management and nearly 40 years of experience in family wealth advising, estate and business continuity planning, and charitable giving strategies.

Gary’s passion is to see senior business leaders become the leader God has designed them to become, while building a business of excellence that glorifies God. Gary grew up in Topeka, Kansas and graduated from Emporia State University School of Business with a B. S. in Business Administration. He also received his Master of Science in Financial Services from The American College. He has nearly 40 years in the financial services industry as a representative, managing partner, and senior financial planner for two major financial service companies—New England Financial and MetLife.

Having retired from his first career in 2015, God was calling him out and into the ministry full time with CBMC USA, Christian Business Men’s Connection. Today, Gary serves as Senior Area Director for CBMC Central Midwest. He is a coach, mentor, disciplemaker and spiritual director working with men in the marketplace. His desire is to see all men of all ages become the man God created them to be, and his focus is on helping them become 2 Timothy 2:2 spiritual reproducers to the third and fourth generations.

Since 1997, Gary has integrated his work and faith through his involvement with CBMC USA, National Christian Foundation Heartland, Signatry Foundation, Kingdom Advisors, and the Halftime Institute as a coach. He has volunteered at Emporia State University on both the Foundation Board of Trustees and the School of Business Advisory Board, as well as mentoring business students.

Gary accepted Jesus Christ into his heart in 1980 and has been active in his local church since 1987. He serves the body at Northland Christian Church as an elder, in stewardship areas, discipling and mentoring men. Gary also serves as an AWANA leader for 5th and 6th grade boys. He regularly supports his local church, community, and various other ministries.

Gary truly began following Christ in 1995 after reading Bob Buford's book: Halftime.

“My income was higher than it had ever been, and I had accomplished all the goals I had set twenty years earlier. But for some reason, I was discontent and unhappy.”

Reading Bob’s book started Gary on an incredible journey. God showed Gary that for him to move from success to significance, he first needed to surrender. He sold the equity in his firm and relocated to Kansas City in 1997, allowing his family to be closer to grandparents and to follow what God had put on his heart.

This surrender led to many new things for Gary, one of which was coaching with Halftime. And since 2015, he has been mentoring, coaching, and discipling men, as well as providing spiritual direction, through CBMC Central Midwest. His mission is clear: empower high impact leaders with wisdom for life, helping them discover, develop, and deploy their unique gifts for kingdom purposes.

Gary and Trudy have been married for nearly 44 years. They have three daughters: Christa, married to Jarred; Amy, married to Odines; and Kara, married to Jordan. Their four beautiful grandchildren, Dyno, Blake, Leila, and RJ, keep them quite busy.

“At this stage of my life, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to come alongside senior business leaders and grow together as God has designed us to, while becoming men of spiritual maturity as we impact others for Christ in the marketplace.”