Born Again Church

In every generation the Lord extends his kingdom through the church as it is born again by the gospel of the kingdom. This new birth in no way diminishes the timeless "never-changing" truth of the scripture or the timeless "never-changing" message of the gospel, but the "church" must be recreated so that it will be salt and light in an "ever-changing" culture where it lives. Peter refers to the church as "aliens" in a foreign land living a life that is radically different then the world.

The church through no malice will naturally seek to either conform, to confront or to hide from the changing culture and world around. She grows comfortable with it's forms, with it's practices and with it's expectations of what it is supposed to be and as the world changes the church loses it's ability to "connect to the culture," and to "influence the world with kingdom values." The salt becomes tasteless and the light grows dim or is covered by the forms and practices that seemed best 40 years ago.

So as followers of Jesus we are faced with the choice of being "crucified, dead and buried with Christ," in order that we might by faith be reborn as a new creation to reflect the beauty and the new life of the resurrected Jesus in this new generation. The church must see herself as entering into the mission of God in the earthly realm with wisdom from the heavenly realm.

Birkman Consulting

Recently I had the opportunity to spend the morning with my freind Doug Holm and a campus ministry director from Chile'. Marie' Jose' was a new staff member in Chile' when my daughter Kelly went to Chile' on a summer mission project to Santiago, Chile in 2003. I had met her when doing a week of team building with Doug in Concepcion. So now in July of 2009 Marie Jose was in the US to share her story and ministry. Doug asked me to go over her Birkman profile with her to help her better understand herself and to advise her on her future.

She is a delightful person who has had a very fruitful ministry over the years. I pray that our time together will be used by God to help her move forward in her life and ministry. It is not unusual for those who have spent seven years as a minister and also who are around 30 years old to need a fresh perspective and an objective "sounding board."

Coaching Leaders for Campus Ventures

Over a year ago I began a relationship with Campus Ventures a campus ministry active on universities in Wyoming and South Dakota. Here is the website address: http://www.campusventures.org

I had completed the Birkman reports with the ministry leaders. I was invited to spend a morning with them during their staff conference. Of course this crew found a retreat center 45 minutes west of Fort Collins literally at the end of the road. I reviewed the main elements of the Birkman report and did an exercise in how each area of interest would look at the future. It was a great time of ministry. Here is what Jack Hall the general director wrote in reviewing the time. "Thank you for your words of encouragement. It was a pleasure working with you. You did an outstanding job with the limited time and number of people you had to deal with."

Thanks to the many ministry partners who enable me to serve in this way. I pray that these leaders will be deeply encouraged by understanding themselves and others they work with.

Alliance for Vulnerable Mission

The Alliance for Vulnerable Mission (formed 2007) seeks to promote Christian mission to non-Western people using a Biblical model of ‘vulnerability’, more precisely defined as – using the language of the people being reached, and not using foreign funds to support one’s key project or ministry. My friend and ministry partner Jay Gary serves on the board of the alliance. Jim Harries serves as the chairman of the alliance is a Church of God Missionary in Kenya, Africa.

In light of globilization and the advance of the church in the southern hemisphere, I believe it is important for the missionaries and the mission projects that are coming from the "economically developed" nations to review their future mission efforts to ensure that our good intentions are measured by the effects of our presence on the mission field. We must move from positions of "power" to to a position of "presence" with humility.

A series of meetings have been arranged in the USA and Europe in 2009 to further discuss the issues raised by the alliance. These one-day "conferences" are open to anyone interested in better understanding "vulnerable mission." While oriented especially to the mission specialists of churches, denominational mission leaders, mission professors, mission agencies and so on. The conferences have been arranged on a regional basis to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. I have agreed for Global Service Associates to serve as the coordinator of the meeting in Colorado Springs on Friday January 16 at the Penrose House. To register your attendance you can follow the link to http://www.regonline.com/Checkin.asp?EventId=653538

The 4th Gathering of the Atlanta EFCLC

I am very excited to be a part of the 4th and final gathering of the Atlanta Externally Focused Church Leadership Community. The gathering will be at Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, and our topic of discussion and action will be RECONCILIATION. Chip Sweeney the community director writes, "Obviously, we will undergird our time with the truth of our reconciliation with God and then we will dive into reconciliation as it relates to the different ethnicities and cultures that we represent AND practically how we can work together and be a model for the rest of Atlanta. This will truly be an inspiring time that you and your church will not want to miss!"


We will start at 7:30 am on Thursday January 15th, and we will go through dinner and into the evening with a fun activity together – maybe bowling? On Friday, the 16th, we will start at 7:30 am and we will be done by 4:00pm.




It has been a great ministry opportunity to serve as the facilitator of these gatherings. I believe that the spirit of love and comraderie will continue to mark the relationship of these ministry leaders as they trust the Lord with a "2020 Vision" to see the city of Atlanta transformed by the mercy and grace of God.



To learn more about the Leadership Community format and how to faciltate the gatherings feel free to e-mail me and let me know how I can be of service to you.

A Vision Large Enough to Encompass a Whole City

One of the most enjoyable ministry opportunities in the last two years has been to visit the ministry leaders in Mexico. I continue to hear the good reports of how God is blessing the service of those leaders that I had the privelege of spending time with. One of those leaders is a man named Joe Cross.

He recently wrote this update, "Coming to Mexico City over two years ago I had no idea what to expect. (And the unexpected certainly has happened during our time here, perhaps even on a weekly basis.) But I did have one clear objective upon arrival: Help lead an effort to start Christ-centered movements on more than 400 university campuses. At the time, I felt that was a “big” dream, and one that would involve a lot of people and resources and a whole lot of faith. But as our group of leaders stared at this awesome possibility placed within our small hands, God lifted up our chins ever so slightly and helped us see a broader horizon. What I beheld caused me to tremble. God wasn’t just asking us to seclude ourselves to the safe confines of the college campus, but He was requiring our participation in an effort already long underway – the transformation of His supercity. I won’t ever forget that gut-wrenching moment when the Lord spoke His will so clearly. We would launch movements on every college campus, but we must also focus our attention on the pressing needs of the whole city.

Fortunately for us, this really wasn’t so much of a pioneering effort as it was a collaboration effort. Without much ado, God opened up doors that would connect us with the rest of His body well at work within the city, and other believers from outside that would aide the venture. And in a short time, miracles happened as literally thousands of laborers mobilized together to raise up a network of over 50 campus movements and numerous other initiatives that encompassed everything from assisting the poor and caring for street children to engaging business executives and high-ranking government officials."

Please pray for Joe as well as other "kingdom-minded" ministry leaders to have a vision that grows so large that the only way to work is in collaboration. Thanks Joe for embracing the vision and know that your work for the Lord done in faith and the power of the Spirit is never in vain. The great thing that God does is change your way of thinking, relating and planning that will affect you for the rest of your life regardless of which city you live in or which path you may take.

Leadership Models

Models are important way of thinking and discussing any issue. This is particularly true of leadership. Some models are complex while others can be very simple
The test: "If some idea is Biblical then it should transcultural. It should be easy to translate into many languages." I never forget when I was in Cyprus and I was having a discussion about vision with a group of middle east leaders. Often in America we embrace the importance of a group of leaders developing a shared or common vision in a collaborative way and then write a simple vision statement to communicate to our "followers." We were looking at a well known verse, Proverbs 29:18 which is translated in English, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law." NIV "Where there is no vision, the people perish (scatter): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." KJV Even in the English context "vision" is associated with "law." What came as a surprise in Arabic this verse is translated, "Where there is no seer (or prophet) (literally a person who gives the law of God) Vision is not simply a statement of direction to communicate to followers to motivate them toward a common purpose, it is very personal. The question then become if a leader listens to God then why should they work with other leaders to develop a statement of vision, are they not the vision and would they not speak for God?

Do You Need and Executive Coach?

This is the title of an article that appeared on Forbes.com written by Hannah Clark dated 01/12/07. Some of the highlights:

"You may be a brilliant negotiator, a financial whiz or a technical genius. But do you have what it takes to manage other high-level employees? If your communication skills have been a sore spot during your annual reviews, a leadership coach might be able to help. Once a tiny industry, dominated by boutique firms, leadership coaches have moved into the mainstream."

The trend is driven partly by demographic shifts. In North America and Europe, the executive-age population--i.e., baby boomers--is nearing retirement. Companies need to start focusing on developing internal leaders, rather than just recruiting from the outside.
"There is going to be a real premium for companies to try to retain talent," says Mark Marcon, an analyst with Robert. W. Baird. "And the talent out there to replace the people retiring is going to be scarcer and scarcer."
Meanwhile, India and China are growing faster than their business schools can churn out candidates. While the twin tigers are developing a large class of professional workers, the executive ranks are still thin.
"It's going to take another generation before they have enough management talent," says Peter Felix, president of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, which recently published a survey about the executive job market worldwide. "It takes a whole generation to train effective, modern management."
Leadership coaches often work with managers who have been highly successful, but see barriers preventing them from reaching the C-suite. Some are technical whizzes who don't have the interpersonal skills to manage a large staff. In other cases, coaches are called in when there has been turnover on an executive team, and the senior officers need to get to know each other. Leadership coaches can help a new CEO adjust to his or her position, or aid a board trying to develop a succession plan. The price for such leadership insight can vary, but it's not for executives with low bank balances. LeaderSource charges anywhere from $25,000 to $65,000 for a coaching engagement, which lasts a year or more and involves 20 to 30 sessions."

I believe that more and more leaders in new missional efforts will require a leader coach to help them make sense of themselves because most of the traditional support systems friends, family, traditions, experience can be relied on to continue to give encouragement to move ahead.

Coaching Leaders

One of my favorite ministry activities is helping those in ministry think through their gifts and passions and find the right place at the right time. Here is an encouraging note from Angie Dexter who is a missionary in Mexico with Campus Crusade for Christ. "I happened to be in Puebla this February when Rich was doing some team building/evaluating using the Birkman with the Mexico national team. I was able to meet with him and receive some much needed direction regarding my future. Rich helped me understand why I was feeling “burned out” and ineffective in my prior job. It was a tremendous blessing and God-send for me to meet with Rich. He really understood me and gave me advice based on who I am… I’ve since decided to change ministries in Mexico and do something that’s more in line with my abilities and personality. I’m currently in Colorado and have been able to peak into Rich’s office and talk with him. I know I can trust him to give me good, solid counsel. He’s so good at ministering to people in ministry and speaking truth into our lives....Thanks Rich!"

Transforming Cities/Transforming Lives

The great cities of the world are the greater context for individual people who live, work, study, shop or play in that city. When I think of tranforming a city it is both about the context and the individuals. In the past I have thought that if there are a sufficient number of individuals who are transformed by the power, presence and purpose of God that they would somehow be able to transform the environment of the city and the city would reflect the power, presensce and purpose of God. But as I look back over more than thirty years of service to transform individuals, the environment of the city has not improved. The approach of missional leaders today must face the reality that our cities and the underlying problems in the cities are overwhelming individuals who many times feel powerless to change things.

As we continue to focus on transforming individuals we must also create collaborative missional leadership communities that will focus on transforming the city in which they live. As I have spent time in Atlanta that is what I see these 40 to 50 men and women from 15 different churches seeking to create. They have developed a 2020 vision for the city of Atlanta and the relationships that they are forming will be a basis for the ongoing deliberate actions to see transfromation. I hope that other missional leaders in the great cities of the world would begin to work in this way.

Restoring The Soul of the City

Many people think that if you help someone get a new haircut, a new wardrobe and/or a new job you’ll transform a person. But those barely scratch the surface of what is really going on deep in a person’s soul; hurt, loneliness, pain, anxiety, and confusion. Yet to be able to love and care for your friends who are hurting we must listen, spend time and learn all that is going on deep in their lives.
When I was in Mexico struggling to communicate with an interpreter I realized that just as God has created a person with a soul, He has created cities with souls. I believe that the millions who live in our cities are shaped by the “soul” of the city: the cultural and ethnic heritage, the industry and commerce, the history, the art and education, the spiritual life, and the social life of the city. The soul of the city also bears the hurts, the crimes, the loneliness and anxiety. In order to see a city-wide supernatural, spiritual and physical transformation we must take seriously "restoring the soul" of our city. A recent UN report states, “In 2008, the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone: For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas.” We’re doing our best to learn, listen and observe the soul of a city. Our dream is to bring together the whole church to share the whole Gospel to the whole city. We believe this city transformation will take humble and collaborative partnerships with civic, social, business, cultural and religious leaders. We’re trusting God that in the next 12 years our ministry will instigate movements of city transformation in 20 cities around the world so that more people will experience the love of God.

Prayer One Denver

Monday Morning at 7:30 I gathered with 15 church and ministry leaders to connect and to take a helicopter ride over Denver Metro. Over the last two years a business man who loves to fly and his pastor have ministered to others by flying them over the city to gain a new perspective on the city and of God’s heart for the city. This ministry is known as “Prayer One.” For 25 minutes we flew 500 feet over Denver. As we flew we prayed and ask God to use us to transform the city. I was struck by how small Denver looked and was reminded that ministry is not about us; it is about God. He has always cared for cities and most importantly He cares for the people who live there. Pray with us that God will connect us to the right leaders, partnerships, ideas and plans that will leverage our efforts.

Team Consulting with CCC Mexican National Team

On Monday I traveled by bus to Puebla. At the invitation of the Mexico National Team of CCC, I was there to help them work together more effectively. They have some significant challenges both internal and external. Kim Cranson had made the arrangements and set up the schedule for my time. As I have gotten to know Kim and her husband Robin, I have a great appreciation for them. It was great to be back in Puebla. I meet with the team on Monday night and I enjoyed seeing Carlos Miranda, Steve and Terry Morgan again. On Tuesday I met non-stop with team members individually or as couples to review their Birkman report. On Wednesday we meet as a team for twelve hours. Thursday I meet with the Campus Ministry team and then after lunch I continued to meet with individuals and follow-up appointments from the day before. Friday at noon back by bus to Mexico City and then a flight home. I pray that the Lord will use my time with these wonderful people to be a blessing to them.

City Transformation Minatitalan, Veracruz

Early Saturday morning Agustin and I were off to Minatitlán, a city in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Veracruz. A pastor of a church and Agustin's good friend named Ceasar invited us to come and a lead a pastor's conference on Saturday and speak in his church on Sunday. We flew to Villa Hermosa which is the capital city of the state of Tabasco where the floods had occurred in the fall. It appeared as we drove through the city that most of the commercial center had recovered, but many of the poor who lived along the river banks were still in need of assistance.

When we arrived there were 80 to 100 people gathered for the meetings. They had actually come from several surrounding cities as well. One of largest oil refineries run by PeMex the national oil company is near Minatitlan. We met in a facility that was owned by the PeMex workers union. After an early lunch, Agustin and I made our City Transformation presentation. It is always a challenge when you are tired from traveling to stay sharp in speaking and then Agustin had to interpret for me, but the Lord was with us and we delivered a strong challenge. We ending the meeting in prayer for the city by having everyone in a circle face outward. That evening we had a great dinner with Ceasar at a local cafe (Sea Bass "VeraCruz" style and homemade corn tortillas!) That we evening we had a great time of fellowship in the Lord. Ceasar told me his life story and what God was doing in his life and ministry. What an encouragement it was to me. God used that time to give me some deep spiritual lessons, but I will save that for later. Sunday morning we had a great time of worship and then Agustin and I gave a message on "The Kingdom." What a great response. A couple from the church drove us back to Villa Hermosa for our return flight to Mexico City. (After really bad service on American Airlines it was a pleasure to fly Mexicana Airlines.)

Mexico City "Enfoque Mexico"

I have continued a ministry friendship with Agustin the former national director of CCC. Agustin also attended the Global Learning Community that Eric Swanson and Sam Williams hosted at the Lost Antler Ranch in Estes Park. Together Agustin and I have been presenting a message of City Transformation to ministry and church leaders in Mexico City. We met the first time in the fall, and on the 24 and 25th of January we made a second presentation in Mexico City. Jorge Dorcas, Jose'(Joe Cross) and Eduardo (Craig Joring of Camp Ed renown). The first day we discussed launching a movement of City Transfomation in Mexico City. We shared some of the lessons we are learning in other cities, we discussed a Biblical framework for working together and for setting a course of direction. Most were very excited. The second day we sought to create an experience of a Leadership Community gathering with both presentation and interaction. It was interesting to watch as these leaders responded to a different way of "meeting" and to a different style of communication. We were encouraged. We also meet several leaders who want to follow through on our time by sharing these ideas through their relational network and to continue to meet with Joe and Craig to discuss a plan for the city!

Denver Student Conferences

There were two student conferences in Denver from January 2 - 6. While the students were meeting I was ministering to the staff leaders of Campus Crusade for Christ and Campus Ventures, a campus ministry in Wyoming and South Dakota. I use the Birkman Method® as a tool to assess strengths, interests, needs and spiritual gift patterns. The individual appointment issues ranged from personal and leadership development, marriage, and ministry career coaching. I also spent time with 25 year CCC staff veterans to discuss the next 25 years of life and ministry.

Global Service Associates

I am a member of Global Service Associates, which is an association of "leaders in mission." We are a non-profit missional order who are followers of Jesus who desire to live and serve our world in a way that reflects the grace of God at the dawn of the 21st century. As a community of leaders we want to experience a common vision, a common commitment, and an uncommon comraderie. We desire that our ministries would overflow from our life of faith, our hope in the reign of God, and our love for God and others. As each member-leader seeks God's direction and blessing for various ministry initiatives we expect the result of our ministries will be greater innovation, collaboration, and inspiration. As an organization we want to be known for financial integrity, authenticity, shared responsiblity and goverance by an independent Board of Directors. Our ministries may have different names but our foundation is the same. Currently I manage our order of global servants and Jay Gary is the Chairman of our Board.

Calling

One organization that I am a member of is the Colorado Career Development Association (CCDA) is a state affiliate of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), and a division of the Colorado Counseling Association (CCA). The organization exists to serve those who have an interest in career and workforce development issues in Colorado. I have found this to be good experience that has put me in contact with dedicated career counseling professionals.

On April 20th CCDA has invited Gregg Levoy to be the keynote speaker for its annual conference. Gregg is the author of "Callings: Finding and Following An Authentic Life" (Random House). The conference brochure says, "His writings and workshops focus on the idea that any significant change you want to make in your professional or personal life will align or re-align you with your passion and sense of purpose, with your deepest values, with a fit between who you are and what you do. This then is his definition of a calling. That calling could be to make a career change or creative leap, take on a new role or let go of an old one, launch a new venture, or simply make a course-correction in your life or work. Levoy's seminars take a creative approach to the challenges of listening and responding to those calls. The result of engaging your deepest passions-----and thus motivations-----will show up in your work and in your life as greater enthusiasm, creativity and health." Unfortunately I will not be able to attend because I choose to attend the City Impact Round table in Texas, but his description of calling is very compelling.

For leaders in mission knowing God's calling has always been an important motivation for getting involved in a mission effort, launching a new mission, or making a career decision. As a college student the call of Isaiah in Isaiah 6 was an important step for me to make in realigning my life and career with what I believe to be God's will for my life. How do we know God's calling for our lives? It begins with surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. As the good shepherd in John 10 Jesus goes before us and call us to follow, as sheep. "the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out... his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10: 3-5.

From my experience it comes after we have made some decisions and begin to act on those decisions then God "confirms" His call. Isaiah writes, "you will hear a word behind you when you turn to the right or to the left, 'This is the way walk in it." Ephesians 2:10 provides assurance that because we are God's workmanship He will guide us to the good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I also believe that God's calling will always be consistent with our design. As we recognize our strengths, our interests, our spiritual gifts, and our abilities that are demonstrated through life, these are guideposts to know God's calling. John WP Oliver was my pastor when I was a college student. I met with him to discuss my future. He gave me some advice that I have never forgotten, "Discerning a need does not constitute God's call. In life you will be exposed to many needs but you will have to choose which need God intends for you." This took the pressure off of me and caused me to look to the Lord to direct me.

City Impact Roundtable - El Paso Texas

This is the first time I have attended the City Impact Round table. I decided to attend this year because of the invitation of Glenn Barth who serves as the convener. This year's focus is The Dynamics of Transformation, A Consultation for City-Reaching Practitioners. Glenn has recently agreed to serve as the president of the ministry that was founded by Jack Dennison known as CitiReach International. Sam Williams and Eric Swanson of Tango have been working with Jack to launch a "Good Cities" initiative which Glenn will lead.

Another reason I wanted to attend is that I am gathering information about city reaching so that I might use that information in resourcing the growing number of city reaching movements including the growing Denver Metro movement where I live. My interest has been growing because of my relationship with leaders from around the world who have been part of the Global Learning Community at the Lost Antler Ranch in Estes Park, Colorado. Another reason my interest has grown is because I also served as the lead facilitator in a Leadership Network Leadership Community on the Externally Focused Church that Eric was directing. I sense that God is working in the lives of the leaders and churches to bring about a new way of communicating the person, presence and power of Jesus Christ to the unbelieving world.

I have often thought that the Old Testament example of Israel when they were in exile is the example for the church in a "Post-Christendom" world. Therefore, the words of the prophet Jeremiah serve as a statement of mission for the church "...seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:7.

Leadership in Short Term Missions

I prepared a paper for a recent meeting of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Evangelical Missiological Society on "principles of partnership" that were important to the success of the Short-term Mission efforts of the US Campus Crusade for Christ. I hope to continue to develop this "case study" of a successful mission effort from 1980 through 2000. In sharing the story I hope that some of the lessons we learned can be instructive to the next generation of mission leaders. Here is the link to the paper:

http://www.christianfutures.com/shortterm.shtml