Jesse Phillips
Calvary Bible Church,in Boulder CO, came up with a creative strategy to catapult their congregation into becoming an externally focused church. It was a series of projects called "Kingdom Assignments." They started these back in June of 2003, there were 5 projects:

1) They gave $100 to 100 people and directed them to use the money to raise more money - based on the parable of the talents. Their $10,000 was multiplied into $50,000, which they donated to local charities. The bigger message was for the members of the congregation to go out and serve others.

2) From Luke 12 - a man's life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. They challenged people to live radically and de-accumulate possessions, and give to the poor. Thus the project was for 200 people to sell $200 worth of their possessions and give it to the poor. $84,000 of possessions sold went to local community organizations. And the congregation was encouraged to live with less and be more kingdom minded.

3) "the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." They challenged people to serve "90 minutes in the next 90 days" in the community. They brought in non-profit orgs from outside the Church, community organizations like Red Cross, SafeHouse, EFAA. They had like a ministry fair, where members would sign-up to serve with those organizations (instead of for parking ministry or whatever). This encouraged Christians to go out and serve outsiders and created positive relationships between the church and the orgs. And members who had served were encouraged to serve further. This got Christians out into the community, being salt and light.

4) They challenged people to invite one person to church for Easter, and they grew the Easter attendance by 30% (ok, everyone does this).

5) Finally, the big thing that they've continued to do every year: Sharefest. Starting in June 2004, on the weekend of Sharefest they gaveup the offering from Sunday to the local public schools, and 650 members served for a day and a half doing work projects and maintenance at the schools. They took a weekend and blessed them. This is based on Jeremiah 29:7 "seek the peace and welfare of the city to which I've carried you into exile."

The Sharefest program has grown such that this last June 32 churches worked together to to serve 35 agencies and schools.

Today, the church has grown significantly and is now well known for serving their community and has positive relationships with government and social organizations. They did all this by getting the members of the body of Christ to work together - they empowered them and facilitated opportunities for them to sacrifice themselves.

What have you done to increase your church's outward focus?

By now many of you would have heard the news that Michael Guglielmucci, the worship leader who wrote the song 'Healer', has been living a lie for over 2 years. It turns out that Michael has not been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and that he managed to decieve his church, friends, family and even his wife into believing that he was terminally ill.

Given that Michael is Australian, and that the song is currently being sung all over the world, it might be worth getting up to speed...

REPORTS OF THE STORY
> Adelaide Now
> The Australian

THE SONG
The song can be streamed here

SOME RESPONSES

David Chatelier said...
"I am not surprised by deception and I wouldn't try to guess the
true reasons behind it. I know the brokenness of people, the pain that
often lies hidden within, the issues of pride and ego, the downward
spiral when one lie leads to another...I am sad for Michael, his
family, his friends, the people who have trusted him...But where were
the people who know him well? How can deception of this scale
continue?...Where were his friends, his confidants, his mentors, his
spiritual advisors?"

Mark Conner said...
"Having read the myriad of comments on my and other blogs, it is clear that there is a diversity of thoughts and feelings on this issue. I think the challenge for us all at this time is to seek to find a balance of Grace AND Truth, two things that Jesus was filled with (John 1:14)...Mike needs both Grace and Truth now. Grace comes in response to a repentant heart. Truth means that there will still be consequences for his actions and reconciliation to be worked towards, especially for those he has hurt through his actions. Mike, and the leaders he is accountable to, will need to work these things through appropriately. Because Mike was a leader given a platform of influence, the consequences are much greater. With great power comes great responsibility".

Carlos Whittiker said...
"Please pray for Michael Guglielmucci and his heart...Know 2 things for sure...God can anoint any song with or without the messenger and I believe the song is annointed. God is a God of second chances. Pray for the hearts of those able to not forgive".

MICHAEL'S ONE AND ONLY INTERVIEW

> Jesus focused on spiritually lost people over and above Christians
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4).

> The whole of heaven stops to celebrate whenever someone comes to faith
"There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

> God is ready & waiting to forgive even the worst of sinners
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20).

> Christians can sometimes feel neglected when spiritually lost people get all the attention
"The older brother became angry and refused to go in... ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders...But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'" (Luke 15:28-30)

> God really values the needs of Christians. But his heart breaks for spiritually lost people.
"‘My son,' the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found'" (Luke 15:31-32)

John Sweetman
I hope you've done some thinking about vision in your context. Vision is often a combination of the passion God has placed in your heart, the opportunities and resources God has provided for you, and God's whispered words to you (and others) about his plans.

Let me illustrate with a couple of visions that I believe God has given us. One is for neoLeader and the other is for the Malyon Centre for Christian Leadership of which neoLeader is a part.

neoLeader

Our vision is: "To build a web-based community of new Christian leaders being equipped for effective leadership and ministry."

At first we thought of a monthly email, but as we talked and prayed a bigger vision emerged of a website with loads of resources for Christian leaders (we're getting there) that will form the hub of networks of young Christian leaders all over Queensland (and maybe beyond).

The first step towards the network/community concept will be a neoLeader Retreat on Nov 14-16. Churches can send a mentor and up to four young leaders to this retreat. This Retreat will facilitate the development of a range of networks for young leaders.

Long term we see every young Christian leaders being part of network with other young leaders led by experienced facilitators/mentors. The neoLeader website will provide resources and coordination for these networks.

Malyon Centre for Christian Leadership

Our vision is: "The spiritual growth of God's church and kingdom in Queensland through developing effective Christian leaders in all spheres of leadership throughout society." To do this we are supporting the development of Christian leaders in Queensland through networking, resourcing, mentoring and equipping.

neoLeader focuses on young Christian leaders in churches. The Centre is targeting Christian leaders of all ages and of all callings whether that be leadership in the community, the church or the workplace.

Your God-given vision

So what is God wanting to do through the leadership call he has given you? Even if you can't write it down, do you have a picture of what could be?

The Willow Creek Leadership Summit is attended by over 100,000 leaders at more than 200 satelite sites around the world. This year the summit included several Q & A sessions featuring...
> The REVEAL study
> Chuck Colson
> Craig Groeschel
> John Burke
> Bill Hybels
> ...and others

You can stream the videos here.

In his current book It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It, Craig Groeschel asks three questions worth pondering...

1. When is the last time you've had a lost person in your home? (The plumber who repaired you sink does not count)

2. How many meaningful conversations did you have with non-Christians this week?

3. Who are the non-believers you prayed for today?

HOW DID YOU GO??? LEAVE A COMMENT?

This might be of interest to some of you. Rick Warren recently interviewed Obama and McCain. Various issues were covered. 

From a leadership perspective, it was interesting to note...
> Obama's intent to try build a bridge to those who disagree
> McCain's ability to be decisive and clear on where he was heading
> Warren's attempt to raise the issues of faith, integrity, leadership, morality and social justice without endorsing one candidate over the other.

Warren may very well serve as an example of how to deal with politics in the church (?) 

Read the transcript

Watch the video

In this interveiw, Driscoll's take on...
> Secular style music
> Dreams and Visions
> Reaching Australians
> Targeting Young Men who live in the City
> Length of Service
> Observing Communion every week

Watch the Video Here

Read the Summary Here

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Scot McKnight

N.T. Wright and Christopher Wright show the future of theology.

Recently I was asked where theology was headed. I assured my reader that I wasn't "in the know" but that I would hazard a guess or two. First I thought we were likely to see a more robust Trinitarian theology, one deeply anchored in the great Cappadocian theologians like Gregory of Nyssa. But in some ways all the main lines of Trinitarian thought have already been sketched by great theologians like Karl Barth, James B. Torrance and others. With this first idea now set aside, I had a second idea of where theology is going: "The Wright Brothers."

No, not those Wright Brothers, but another set of Wrights (who aren't even brothers, except in Christ): Tom and Chris. Even if they don't map where all of theology is headed, these two scholars and devoted churchmen, both Anglican, do set before us two words that have become increasingly fruitful and I think will be the subject of serious theological reflection in the future. The two words are "earth" and "mission." Each scholar discusses both, but I will focus in this post on Tom Wright's focus on "earth" and Chris Wright's focus on "mission."

Increasingly we are seeing more and more Christians own up to the earthly focus of biblical revelation-the claim God makes upon this earth through his Eikons (humans made in his image). We are seeing a deeper reflection on what it means to participate in the historical flow, in government and politics and society and culture, and we are seeing a renewed interest in vocation and work. One of the more striking elements of this new surge is that theologians who are deeply anchored in the Bible also see our eternal destiny having an earthly shape.

CONTINUE READING HERE

John Sweetman

So far I've emphasised the importance of vision in leadership, but the big question is, how do you get a vision?

There's no easy answer to this. Sometimes your vision is more or less given to you because you are part of an organisation with a clear vision. You don't really have much choice. It's easy. (Though you will need to personalise it for your leadership role.)

• Sometimes it just comes from God out of the blue. A number of times I've been walking and praying and suddenly it has just hit me.

• Sometimes it comes through a long process of consultation and prayer. You talk to stakeholders, pray with others, discuss possibilities, and gradually discern the vision.
• Sometimes it's provided by a mentor. Someone wise who knows you and your leadership role well suggests a vision for you.
• Sometimes it emerges from a team as you dream together.

I'm sorry - there is no formula. But if you are leading then you need to be leading somewhere. If you don't know where you are going, how can people follow you? You need vision.

Here are a few ideas if you are seeking vision:

1. Pray lots. Vision has to come from God and is most likely to be discerned when you are praying. You want to know where God is leading. That way you won't waste time chasing something unimportant. Fasting can also be beneficial. Look for God's wisdom and direction in Scripture.

2. Be brutally honest. Be aware of both the potential and failings of your organisation/team. Admit your own strengths and weaknesses. Be honest about the challenges. God-given vision emerges from reality not pretence. You don't have to be afraid of the present. Any vision has to start with what God has given you now.
3. Talk to people. The vision doesn't have to come from you. Where do your team members think God is calling? What do your mentors say? Toss around ideas.
4. Dream. What are your passions? What could God do? What do you dream of?

If you have any practical questions about discerning your vision, don't hesitate to put them on the blog and I (and others) will have a go at answering them. It's easy to theorise about vision, but it's tougher when it comes to actually nailing a vision down.