Week 5 - a pastors' EDGE.

Sorry folks that I missed week 4 - Africa, no internet and jet-lag.

Week 5 ..... and it revolves around the idea of EDGE.
Jack Welch and Noel Tichy write about this idea.

All leaders possess ideas undergird by values creating energy in people around them -but winning leaders bring EDGE to their leading.
EDGE is defined as "the ability to make tough decisions and the willingness to sacrifice the security of today for the sake of a better future".

EDGE.
Let me talk about our children's global charity called When I Grow Up.
Presently we help four global partnerships with the most developed partnership the one I've just returned from in Nairobi, Kenya called Furaha Community Centre. For the past few years we've helped this centre. We've seen our help grow but in truth it has remained at a fairly doable level - we can remain at this level and not hurt other growth we need to work on within our own church and within our other global partnerships.

But now as I return from another visit, I'm challenged with the reality of EDGE. Am I willing to make the tough decision? A tough decision not to stop helping, but to take our helping to the next level - a level that moves us beyond the comfortable security of what we can afford today for the sake of tomorrow.
This is an EDGE decision.

I guess Welch and Tichy call it EDGE, but Christian leaders call it FAITH!
Can we take the next step - can we take this next step along with every other next step our church and our charity are needing to take.
Growth requires EDGE / FAITH.

Growth always requires more growth. In fact the fuel of growth is more growth.
The challenge of every growth leader is the boldness, the edge, the FAITH to not settle at the level of initial growth, but push deeper beyond settledness.

This is exactly where we are at in Redeemer's Church. 800 attending, front door working, global ministry happening, healthy ministries, healthy financials, good programming. BUT - FAITH says we need to now go to the next level - the next step for our overall vision, the next step in our When I Grow Up charity, the next step in our Growth Engines ....and these three mission critical next steps will require the next step in our financials, our leadership, our strategies. This is EDGE, or better put, this is FAITH.

Do I have it?
Do you have it?
Growth requires it.
The Kingdom of God breathes it.