Leadership in 2009?
How different than 1999 or even 2008?
Enter Thomas Freidman – yet again.
Leadership in 2009 must be global.
If the world truly is flat; if our generation can travel anywhere around the globe within 37 hours; if the global is local – then the measure of our leadership must include the measure of our global-ness.
That’s what it was for Paul back in his day.
With the Pax Romana and the incredible road network Paul’s leadership rose or fell on his seizing the day and expanding the Gospel due to the global conditions around him.
True also for every epoch of the Christian expansion.
Take the Great Awakening.
The revival of the colonies began through the travel of George Whitefield from England. For him the new world now open to receive visitors required him to travel, to be global in his preaching.
The measure of your leadership at this time in the history of our world will include the measure of your global-ness.
To our generation of leaders the responsibility and opportunity of a flat world has been entrusted.
So how you doing leading at a global level – or have you defaulted that to some international mission’s board or travel wired adventurer in your congregation.
So what does global leadership look like?
Here are 5 key features:
1. Our grasp of reality cannot be shrunk to the reality on our doorstep but must engage a global perspective. We cannot be insular in our world view. We need to be the eyes that lead people to seeing things beyond themselves and their corner of the globe.
2. How we interpret Scripture and/or the voices we listen to as we make decisions theologically or philosophically need to reflect the cacophony of color and diversity within a global church. We need to lead in moving the West from only engaging with western thought and idea. We have much to learn from Asian and African scholars and practitioners.
3. We must work to remove any sense of Western superiority within the Christian sphere. Our resources and education does not make us greater than our global brothers and sisters. We are equal – lead your church to seeing that in complete ways.
4. Our missions profile; budget spending; resource allocation should reflect a global church – not just an American church.
5. We need to travel – leaders need to touch the greater world and be touched by it.
So how you doing?
Need help?
Email me (gilbert@reedleyfbc.com)and I’ll help you become a global leader.
The Kingdom of God is always so much bigger than our systems, structures or spheres.
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4 comments:
It will be interesting to see what kind of global leaders you send out, since you say you can help us be global leaders. The evangelicals of this day have failed to pass on to our young people the evangelical Christaian faith in an orthodox form that can take root and survive the secular onslaught. Our young people and for that matter our older people know next to nothing about their own faith except how they feel about it. If I recall correctly from last Sunday one of your pastors said that they have to spoon feed your people to get them to grow and these are the people that are going to be global leaders. I think you need to step back and reflect on who is going to lead who, the western church has lost its way for many reasons but the biggest reason is its consumer driven mentality. Those very countries that you are visting, like Africa, China, South Korea and India will be the very ones who will be sending global leaders to us with the real gospel. I could tell that you saw genuine faith there in Africa, was it anything like what you see in your own church? are they spoon fed there? You seem to have all the answers.
Well ... um ... uh ...
OK, I tried to fight the temptation to respond.
Normally, an anonymous author is a waste of time. Lack of author most often = lack of integrity.
I don't think Gilbert has all the answers and if I thought that he thought he did, I wouldn't listen to him for a moment.
I actually had an interesting thought as I pondered the challenge to go global. I see the work being done between RFBC and Kenya as building a bridge rather than making a pit stop.
Sending Americans into the mission field ministers to Americans. I hear it over and over again. People come back changed. Often, they become the voice of the persecuted church abroad.
I even see missionary minded people who later in life make a trip to a 3rd world country. The mission trip was only a change in destination, not a change in heart.
I'm eager for the Sunday service that brings the leaders of the school in Kenya to minister to the church in Reedley. Are plane tickets cheaper if you buy them in Kenya?
I know this is a blog about leaders, not a blog about followers.
It's plain to see that the world has shrunk. There are no more Livingston's in the world. Africa is now very accessible.
The problems there seem so overwhelming, so hopeless for a band of sinners from a small, remote church to affect. But that's not mine to say. Mine is only to obey. Not saying I'm a leader, but I want to go.
I want to get away from the cynicism and stagnant waters of the American church. To break out of the Western groupthink. To separate that from my faith. Kind of like separating spaghetti from the sauce, though.
Right here, right now, leaders gotta go. Hey Gilbert, how about training some of those orphans to be missionaries to Reedley?
Hard to say what the reaction would be. It's not like God hasn't shown us amazing things already.
I have a confession to make. This is good stuff because I’m realizing that I want to go deeper in my relationships. I, too, am one who posts anonymously when I feel led to speak in a way that seems controversial or confrontational. However, I want more in my relationships with God and others. We are called to speak the Truth to each other in love and this includes risky, potentially hurtful communication. I’m the one who posted on Musings of a Scottish Pastor, “why we deserve to lost prop 8” with the post beginning “it’s difficult to respond…”. I felt convicted yet didn’t want to risk relational tension for the sake of finding out the Truth. However, the real truth is that to experience true relationship, we need to come out of the shadows and dialogue through the tough issues.
In John Burke’s book, “Soul Revolution”, he mentions Bill Hybel’s concept of speaking the last 10 percent. “Sometimes love must be bold. Bold enough to say things to one another that we usually lack the courage to say.” I want to find those blind spots in myself that keep me from growing relationally in the Spirit. However, withholding that from others will also withhold that from me. I want to go deeper and it begins one conversation at a time.
Yes if the truth be known, in some moments I can reveal that I approve of with you, but you may be inasmuch as other options.
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