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Division = Confusion

May 8, 2012 in Leadership, Spiritual Transformation with 0 Comments

Jon PeacockJon Peacock is Lead Pastor of Mission Church, a brand new church plant in the Bloomingdale/Roselle, IL area. You can follow him on Twitter.

Deep within me, there seems to be some built-in desire to see a band of brothers and sisters conquer a task, mission, or goal. An intrinsic desire to be on mission with a select few is something I think about—a lot. But at the same time I think of what stands in the way. What barriers might prevent the body of Christ from advancing toward the mission that lies before us?

In our excitement to live on mission, I’m becoming increasingly convinced it all starts with examining our “oneness.” In Philippians, Paul writes:

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”
(Philippians 2:1-2)

This idea of oneness is essential if God’s mission to be realized through us.

But there’s more.

What do people see of God through me, through my family, through my church community? As a Christ follower, am I a barrier or a catalyst for someone witnessing (and experiencing) the mission of God?

The world uses an “authenticometer” to measure our authenticity. (Okay, it’s a word I made up.) It there were such an instrument, it would allow people to tell if a person or a group is authentic or legit. As theologian Francis Schaeffer said, “Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful—Christian community is the final apologetic.”

It’s important to know that when Paul wrote to the community in Philippi, they were quite an eclectic group. Led by women (not the norm in that ancient culture) they were anything but a homogenous group. Committing to oneness given the diversity within this first century community was difficult. Yet this small band of believers in Philippi seemed to grasp what was at stake. They believed Paul and embraced the words of Jesus that said:

“The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they’ll be as unified and together as we are—I in them and you in me. Then they’ll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you’ve sent me and loved them in the same way you’ve loved me.”
(John 17:22)

Division = confusion. It’s something we can’t deny. We also know confusion leads to spiritual inactivity. And when we are divided and not moving and living in unity as the body of Christ, the world looks on—in confusion.

Have you encountered division? How did you work through it?

Introducing John Ortberg

May 7, 2012 in Events, Leadership, The Global Leadership Summit, Willow Creek Association with 2 Comments

Laura Ortberg Turner Laura Ortberg Turner is a writer, speaker, and employee of Fuller Seminary. She lives in Palo Alto with her husband and writes at loturner.com.

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”—Henri Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak

John OrtbergWhen I was growing up, my favorite days were Donut Run days. Every once in a while, my dad would rouse us out of bed early in the morning with little direction–just to come downstairs quickly, to get in the car; yes, we could stay in our pajamas, yes, we could go back to bed, but only if we wanted to miss something great. We would groan in feigned exhaustion, but we knew we were in for something special. And it wasn’t just the chocolate long johns or the pink-frosted numbers, but the goodness of being with someone in our pajama-clad, bed-headed smallness. Someone who had other, important things to do but chose to be with us.

When someone has shown you tenderness of heart and great care, you will do anything for that person. You will remember their sacrifice. You will be shaped by their generosity of spirit. There is a certain tenderness of soul that a good leader must have, a way of understanding the people and dynamics around them that builds trust.

The best leaders I have ever come across aren’t the flashiest or the most well-known. They are kind and generous in spirit. They are thoughtful, humble, and committed to sharing the truth in love. They care for the hearts of the people around them.

I am especially lucky that, for me, my father has been chief among those who have cared for my heart.

As I grew up, Donut Runs morphed into lunches and long drives, conversations about career and the future, and a new kind of friendship. Our relationship has gone this way not because my dad has continued to lead me (which, now that I am an adult, is exactly what he shouldn’t be doing), but because he has shown me how to lead myself.

Love yourself, encourage yourself, and hold yourself to high standards, he has told us.

Sometimes we still go get donuts together on Saturday mornings at our local Krispy Kreme. And there are moments when, sitting across the table from each other, I can hardly believe my gratitude at the example of this imperfect, kindhearted, vulnerable person. It has been said that people will walk through fire for a vulnerable leader, and it is true. But we will also walk through life with them. Love yourself, encourage yourself, hold yourself to high standards. Learn from those who love fiercely and sacrificially. And then, go and do likewise.

Hear from John this August at The Global Leadership Summit and watch for his new title, releasing soon, Who Is This Man? The Unpredictable Impact of the Inescapable Jesus

Summit – Click here to find nearest satellite location

Proud of our faculty!

May 2, 2012 in Events, Leadership, Summit Speakers, Willow Creek Association with 1 Comment

Every year we work to bring the best and brightest in leadership thought leaders and practitioners – check out these headlines about our past faculty members from recent weeks and months:

Mama Maggie prayer
Mama Maggie (2011) was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize 2012

Newark, NJ Mayor Cory Booker rescued a neighbor from a burning building

Good African Coffee founder Andrew Rugasira (2009) launched an online store

Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson (2008) passed away

Gary Haugen (2008) and International Justice Mission received $8 million grant from Google in the fight against slavery

Richard Curtis (2007) wrote 2011’s blockbuster War Horse

Tennessee Volunteer Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summitt (2004) retired

And check out all these new releases:

Seth Godin (2011): We Are All Weird

Wess Stafford (2009, 2011): Just a Minute

Craig Groeschel (2008, 2009, 2010): Soul Detox

Patrick Lencioni (2003, 2006, 2009): The Advantage (along with accompanying app)

Marcus Buckingham (2004, 2007): Stand Out

Jim Collins (1997, 2003, 2006, 2010): Great by Choice

Wayne Cordeiro (1999, 2006): Sifted

Watch for more new books in coming months from Erwin McManus (2003, 2011), Christine Caine (2010), Steven Furtick (2011) and John Ortberg (1997, 2001, 2002, 2007)

Leading From Both Kingdoms

May 1, 2012 in Leadership with 1 Comment

Bob HampBob Hamp is a pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX, he’s also a speaker and author of several titles, including Think Differently Live Differently. Visit his site, and follow him on Twitter.

One of the greatest challenges faced by all believers is understanding and operating in the Kingdom of God while simultaneously living our earthly existence. This challenge is multiplied when we begin to engage the issues of organizing and leading from the place of dual citizenship.

Christianity is a belief system based on a worldview that most westerners do not naturally embrace. The entire Biblical narrative clearly unfolds against the backdrop of a visible, natural world and an invisible, supernatural world.

We see this interaction in the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6:15-18. Elisha’s servant reports to the CEO that they are entirely surrounded by enemy armies. With a Jedi hand swipe, the servant’s eyes are opened to the greater, invisible reality, and he realizes that a larger angelic army surrounds the human army he sees.

An organizational or leadership decision, based on the first view of the battlefield, might be completely contrary to a decision based on the second view. As a result, to be an effective spiritual leader we must learn to lead in both realms simultaneously.

Secular leadership models can be helpful as long as we know when they do and do not apply to the context of Kingdom leadership. A leader who has developed their expertise in the natural realm only will not be able to recognize, much less operate in, the spiritual realm. Here are some of the dynamics that are critical to effective spiritual leadership:

  • The Presence of God: Throughout the history of Israel, it became clear that if God was with them they could not be defeated— regardless of logic or odds. No city or army could withstand a human army that followed God’s Presence. As a leader, Moses learned the simple, yet crucial prayer: “If you will not go with me, I will not go.” Similarly, no spiritual leader today should ever consider an initiative, no matter how logical or statistically sound, until they know that God is with them.
  • Prayer: Prayer is the tool by which we remain connected to the presence of God, and it is the primary strategy of any spiritual leader. Lead people to their knees. Be the first to listen for the Voice of God. Without meaningful conversation with God, it is impossible to lead in the Spiritual world. It would be like trying to lead people through the jungle while wearing a blindfold.
  • Fasting: We should never forget fasting, the powerful cousin to prayer. The denial of our flesh, though never pleasant, is designed to make us more sensitive to the Spirit. However, a leader who only leads in the physical realm does not recognize the wisdom and power in fasting. In John 3:10, Jesus emphasized the importance of spiritual leaders knowing the difference between Spirit and flesh.
  • Spiritual Warfare: Not all opposition faced by leaders and organizations can be handled through simple, rational problem solving. In fact, Paul lets us know that flesh and blood is never the real opposition we face. Without being spooky, we must recognize that if we operate in both realms, we will also face opposition in both realms.

I am convinced that it is possible to make decisions that are effective in one realm, yet destructive in another. To be truly effective spiritual leaders we must learn to lead with a foot in both kingdoms.

Can you think of a time when your best understanding of God’s direction didn’t make sense at first, yet produced surprising results?

Lead Differently

April 24, 2012 in Leadership, Resources with 1 Comment

Mark Miller is a business leader, best-selling author and communicator. Mark began his Chick-fil-A career in 1977 and today serves as the Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness. In addition to bringing us the world’s best chicken sandwiches, Mark is also passionate about helping church leaders. You can read more from Mark at his blog Great Leaders Serve and follow him on Twitter at @LeadersServe

Lead Differently ManifestoI’m excited that Change This has published my first manifesto entitled, Lead Differently. If you’re not familiar with Change This, their mission is to support and spread great ideas. They’ve published work by Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki and Chris Anderson to name only a few of the authors they’ve featured in the past. I’m thankful they chose to share my ideas with the world!

My manifesto is a FREE 18 page downloadable PDF in which I summarize the key principles from The Secret, The Secret of Teams, and Great Leaders Grow. I hope it will help you Lead Differently!

Take some time to read Mark’s manifesto and let us know how you’re planning to lead differently.

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