Keith Ball’s career took an unexpected twist last year when he joined Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) as its director of development.

Ball practiced law for 17 years as a trial attorney before sensing God leading him in a new direction.

“I went to Texas with my brother, a missionary, to help him raise support for his ministry, and around the same time I helped raise money for the school where my son, who has Down syndrome, attends,” said Ball. “Through those experiences, I realized I had a growing desire to raise funds for Christian ministries I believe in.”

Ball now serves as development director at RUF, where he uses his legal skills in new ways. “It’s refreshing to find that most of my job is positively constructive rather than often destructively contentious. But some of the skills are similar—I focus on the point of our case that is strongest, and present that to the people I meet with. And, with RUF, there are so many strong points to choose from.”

Currently, Ball is focused on “RUF Partners,” a new fundraising effort to plant new campus ministries, assist with strategic, “frontier” campus ministries, and provide funds for RUF coordinators.

“These funds will provide seed money to new campus works, and will especially assist our campuses where there are fewer PCA churches, where raising support is more difficult.”

No matter how the funds are allocated, it’s RUF’s mission that drives Ball’s motivation. “The real reason I was willing to leave my legal career was that through RUF I see the next generation of church members, pastors, church planters, and missionaries being raised up,” he says. “I’ve seen firsthand how the Lord has used RUF in powerful ways to advance His kingdom.”

To learn more about RUF visit www.ruf.org.