In the 1980s, the British band Mike and the Mechanics recorded a powerful song titled, “The Living Years.” The songwriter mourns his father’s death, because their relationship had been strained and marked by silence rather than sharing. The singer remorsefully says, “I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say.” Struggling with regret over words unsaid and love unexpressed, he laments, “I just wish I could have told him in the living years.”
From the moment Dr. De Haan founded RBC Ministries, he believed he could trust God to set the pace of growth. Though he occasionally made financial needs known in newsletters, he vowed not to let "needs" get in the way of "message" or to use proceeds to develop an elaborate superstructure. And he said that if enough support didn't come in, he'd take it as the Lord's signal to close up shop. When Richard De Haan became the leader of RBC, he accepted the principles developed by his father. To avoid overspending, he directed the ministry to "live within its means." To avoid waste, he emphasized the sacrifice each gift represents. And to make RBC accessible to all, he chose to distribute booklets without charge to anyone who requested them. Today, under the leadership of Mart De Haan, those original principles still hold true.