Hi incredable leaders! Dave Gibbon's next session began with a humourous video of the new 'corporate' unemployed - fighting over a job offer from a latino business owner, the point was that the world is not the same anymore there have been huge shifts in where the 'needs' are, but is the church 'shifting' with this change and identifiing where it needs to be?
At the recent TED conference Ps Gibbons coined the phrase 'vertical obsession' - where he is observing that mega churches are obsessed with a 'vertical structure' along a corporate model and missing the horizontal move of God, i.e. the Pastor as a corp 'CEO' rather than a shepherd, servant & equiper of the church for the 'horizontal' ministry in relationship with the community. We can MAKE it happen or RESPOND to the leading of the Holy Spirit i.e. Jesus responded to what the father was doing.
Ps Gibbons likes to get involved with the locals in any city that they have a presence - he affirms that the locals always know more about how to reach the people than we do!
He went on to liken many of the 'signifigant' ministries operating today in the 'Mega-church' stream as Christian 'Babels' (Ouch) Idol-like structures bringing glory to men, methods & movements. This was in direct disobedience to God's command to "fill the earth & subdue it" (not build vertical 'Structures') What makes the Christian church unique is that we minister to the community on the horizontal level and love the unlovley, focusing on the 'essence' of what it really means to be Christian; The Holy Spirit initiating & we responding to the need. The quantum mindshift needed is that with 'less we can do more' - we don't need huge churches to get God's work done. 300 men in Gideon's army achieved victory as God was focused on quality not quantity.
Dave's throughts on the task of a leader:
1. To love, learn & serve in any culture (where is the need? ask a local!)
2. Build trust (trust & respect are the fruit of genuine love)
3. Bear pain ('endure hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' Paul to Timothy)
Daves poinant question finished this session "What does it really mean to lay down your life for the next generation? again 'less is more' or 'small is the new big' He encouraged us as leaders to apply the principle of 'concentrate' to our leadership; (small but potent) & we all need to start somewhere and apply faith to rise above relational, emotional, finacial, circumstancial, & habitual factors.
I was deeply challenged to assess the 'essence' of my own leadership and redefine my ministry focus. I trust as leaders we can move together through this ministry mindshift and find a more productive impact on our community.
Ps Rhett.
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