Anthropology For Leaders

Last week leaders from 41 WCA Member Churches gathered with Gary Hamel for a 2-day workshop about church innovation.

“If we can learn from some of best minds in the world we can spark continuous change and innovation,” said president of the WCA, Jim Mellado, “Transformation and leadership development doesn’t just happen two days at the Summit; it happens over a the course of a year.”

One of the unassuming topics at the event was the idea of leaders as anthropologists. While engineers are working on concrete ideas, anthropologists go out and sit by streams, think, and then discuss their thoughts. Anthropologists see what humans really do and develop a deep understanding of them.

Pastor Elliot W. Sands from Church on the Hill in San Jose, CA wrote about seeing his world though anthropology:

“The gathering with Gary Hamel was another outstanding event offered by the WCA. I left encouraged to come back and look at our church with fresh eyes. One aspect of the event that settled in with me is the need to see the world through the lens of an anthropologist.

“As a Pastor I often think I know what is best for our people, but I haven't asked them. I haven't stood in their shoes. Being an anthropologist allows me to bring different perspectives into the conversation. When change happens, it's from the top and announced to our congregation on a Sunday morning. If we can bring people into the conversation early, not only is there a better chance of acceptance toward change, there’s also a higher likelihood of getting it right.

“We want to do everything we can to communicate Jesus’ Word and help people live out what it means to follow Him.”

All church leaders can learn from Hamel’s latest thinking on church innovation, when he joins Bill Hybels and Jim Mellado for the Leader’s Gathering webcast on March 17, 2010. You can participate at a Summit host church site in your area, or view via the WCA website.

by: Nancy Gruben (@NancyGruben)

Communications, WCA

(photo courtesy from @gerrytrue)

Aid vs. Trade

At the Summit, you may have heard Andrew Rugasira give a talk on an important issue of ‘Aid vs. Trade’ as it relates to African development. Rugasira gave an incredibly compelling argument in favor of Trade as what will be the key to Africa’s future, economically and otherwise.

There is no question that Trade is key in Africa’s future. But, as a counterpoint to this discussion, we would like to present another perspective to spur your thinking on the subject.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the first female finance minister of Nigeria, working to combat corruption, making Nigeria’s finances more transparent, and instituting reforms to make the nation’s economy more hospitable to foreign investment. She has a somewhat different perspective on the ‘Aid vs. Trade’ debate, and we thought it could be valuable to present that here.

Listen to this short talk with a critical ear, let it sharpen and hone your thinking on this subject. Leave your thoughts on the issue in the comments section. Our hope is to foster dialogue. We know that there are many differing opinions on this topic and we want to hear what you think.

Dialogue around these issues is so valuable in helping us crystallize what we believe. When we have clarity on what we believe on a subject like this, we have the foundation to take meaningful action.

Check out the TED talk: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Aid Versus Trade

by: Alex Scott (@xandy_scott)
International Coordinator, WCA

Welcome Home

I have always loved culture. Always. Although my love for technology is in its embryonic stage, I’m drawn to anything that speaks in the native language of culture- hence the beginnings of a blog.

The team working on this blog started meeting six months ago. Our dreams were rooted in becoming an authentic online voice for the WCA. With a deep desire to see the Church become increasingly connected in an even more increasingly fast paced culture, we decided to blog. We want to stir up and call out leaders in the church for the sake of leadership development and spiritual transformation.

You may think this blog is no big deal. But for us, it’s huge.

We can’t wait to share the wealth of information that WCA has access to. We can’t wait to tell you our story and what’s going on with leaders around the world. We can’t wait to hear your feedback, listen to what you’re saying, and serve you better.

Let the conversation begin.

by: Hanna Koenig, @hannaksays
Marketing, WCA

Give... Save... Live on the Rest

We live in a greed-obsessed-must-have-more-now culture. In biblical times, if you had extra you were considered rich and blessed by God. In our time if we have more, we consume it…or at least we did until recently.

When guest speaker (and 2010 Summit speaker) Andy Stanley spoke at Willow on Sunday I was suddenly abruptly reminded that I am (gulp) greedy. Andy said:

According to Jesus, greed is defined by what you do with your extra. Greed is the assumption that the extra is for my consumption. As our income increases, our consumption increases. We buy new stuff while our closets overflow with stuff. In the parable of the rich landowner, Jesus cautioned those with extra not to be greedy. (Luke 12:13-21)

What do you do with your extra?

You can check out Andy Stanley’s message here.

by Hanna Koenig @hannaksays
Marketing, WCA

What would you do if you ran the world?

What would you do if you were to run the world? After taking advantage of flextime and leaving work earlier than I should have, I thought about what I would do if I ran the world.

Build into the next generation. End world hunger. Stop human trafficking. Eliminate barriers to education. Love my neighbor, really.

I came up with a few cliché things but I wonder: what stops a person from acting on the things they would do to change the world. Queue the quote from Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has”. Does this mean changing the world is up to each of us?

In typical millennial fashion, I obviously expect that I will make a difference (and be famous while I’m at it). But how does a person move from being immobilized by the enormity of the problem to actually solving it? I’m pretty sure this is where leadership comes in.

Bill Hybels has said, if you’re a leader, for God’s sake lead. So to the leaders out there, what’s stopping you from acting on the things that would change if you ran the world?

Inspired from IfWeRanTheWorld

by: Hanna Koenig, @HannaKSays
Marketing, WCA

I Am a Potter

Narelle Fulwood attended GLS events in Australia for several years, and always arrived fully expecting God to work. But even she was surprised by the spectacular way that expectation was filled in her life as a result of last year’s event.

In the session with Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission, Narelle watched the video footage of the emancipation of girls from sex slavery. She felt “a dam wall burst inside” of her. As she describes that moment, “I at last became aware of my “holy discontent, as Bill Hybels would call it. It broke my heart to see those girls coming out of the cavernous hole of their dungeon.”

The session focused on courage, something Narelle felt very lacking in. Then Haugen asked the question, “How is the world to know that God is good, if we don’t show them?”

“When Gary mentioned that there were still about 27 million slaves in our world today, I was shocked,” she says. “I don’t know what planet my brain dreamed I was on, but I had absolutely no idea that slavery had NOT been stamped out in the American Civil War! When thinking about the enormity of this, I felt very puny, too small to face such big issues. Then Gary spoke of Jesus feeding the 5,000. When the disciples tried to explain to Jesus that there was no way they could possibly have enough for so many, Jesus replied with, ‘Well what DO you have?’

“At this moment in time, it felt like God was asking me, ‘Narelle what DO you have? And all I could think to reply was, ‘I can make pots.’ ”

Among her other skills, Narelle is a potter. She had moved cross-country the previous year, and had been waiting for direction from God on the “potter part” of her life. Her initial thought was, “What would a slave want with a pot?” She then realized she could make pots to sell in order to support an anti-slavery ministry.

She soon felt God give her the ‘green light’ to begin a new series of work. She believed that what she was to make should have something to do with the Summit, but had no idea what. After working on pots for six weeks, she received permission to sell them at the GLS site in Perth.

The pieces she made are based on the words from Psalm 126:5, “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.” Teardrop-enclosed forms emphasize one of God’s mysteries, how He can make good things come out of bad situations. The rough and uneven rims depict the cavernous hole of the dungeon of slavery, while the lustrous Mother of Pearl over the blue glaze is an image of the hope of God’s good things to come.

At the 2009 GLS, Narelle reports, “It was a spiritual joy to stand behind my table of God-led pots, knowing that I was standing exactly in God’s will for me.”

by Narelle Fulwood
Global Leadership Summit Guest

Chinese Economist Argues for Christianity

I am absolutely fascinated by the possibilities of what we will hear at the Summit from Dr. Zhao Xiao, a leading Chinese economist who argues that China’s economy would benefit from the spread of Christianity. His public bios and story only give us a sneak peak of this incredible journey Dr. Xiao has been on.

To think that leadership in China has heard the “Word”, or at least heard about where moral fiber in a western society comes from, is an “only God” moment in our lifetime. Strap your seatbelts on- this should be great!

PBS Frontline interview with Dr. Xiao


Eric Hood (@EHood1)
WCA, Church Relations Field Team

Change with No Regrets

Just over a year ago, James Harris was working at a senior level for one of the largest PR firms in the UK, forging a corporate career and fitting in a few volunteer activities, including a role on his local church’s leadership council. Sitting at work, he turned the page of his office diary to see that he was due to attend a Global Leadership Summit with other members of his church in Bristol. Though he was pleased to have been asked, he had no idea what this was about or what it entailed, and thought to himself, “Who knows? I might learn something useful about leadership for my work.”

Instead, he started on a path that has been nothing short of life-changing.

During Bill Hybels’ closing session, after two days of information and teaching, Bill asked for attendees to stand and pray to give their lives over entirely to God’s purpose. As James describes this moment:

“Bill explained that this was not to be taken lightly and there would be those of us who felt unable to make the pledge. As a rational, practical sort of a person with a secure job and responsibilities (including a wife and mortgage) I was pretty sure I would be one of them. However, before I knew it, I was making that very pledge and asking God to show me a way to work for Him in the context of everything else going on in my life. Bill closed by praying we would all have many sleepless nights and, boy, was he right.

“After much deliberation, prayer, a few dead ends, and many long discussions with my wife (unwittingly involved in the adventure but blessed with outstanding gifts of loyalty despite what must have been fairly strong misgivings at times) I have ended up quitting my job in the middle of the worst recession for generations, becoming self-employed, and taking on a challenging role which is central to the growth of my local church. And did I mention, my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child just as I was quitting work? Not bad for a year.”

James is now working three days a week raising funds for the purchase and restoration of a vacant building as a part of the community outreach program at St. Mary’s Church—with no regrets. As he shared with us, “I can no longer imagine returning to my former way of life and my faith has been justified and increased exponentially by the positive outcomes of a huge leap into the unknown. Thank you for your spectacularly inspiring ministry.

Story from James Harris
St. Mary’s Church, Shirehampton
Global Leadership Summit Guest

No Borders

Did you know that each Summit session is translated into 31 different languages? In 2010 the Summit will be videocast to more than 50 countries and 200 cities striving to equip leaders in challenging environments with training that might not otherwise be available.

Prayer For Jordan and Israel

Bill Hybels, Aliece Hendricks, and I were in Israel and Jordan last week, so I would like to share some of the details of this trip with you.

If you look at map you can see that it is only about 60 miles from Jerusalem to Amman, Jordan, and yet we were recommended to fly rather than use road transportation. It is only a 20 minute flight, up and down, but it is the preferred way to travel between these two countries. Unusual, but that is how it is in that part of the world. There were other things that I did not expect. For example, when we arrived in Amman it was comfortably warm, and later the same day they were forecasting snow for that night.

We had lunch with a number of church leaders from Jordan and one from Lebanon, and it was so incredibly encouraging to hear the commitment of these people in a country that makes Christian witness a challenge and the Christian life an adventure. There are only about 60 evangelical churches in all of Jordan, with approximately 6,000 believers who attend, and others who are believers, but because of their backgrounds consider it too dangerous to attend church.

We found a similar situation in the three cities we visited previously. We met with church leaders in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem. In Bethlehem, we met with Palestinian Christians who are prevented from traveling to Israel, 20 minutes from our hotel in Jerusalem. They talked about the situation of the evangelical Church in the West Bank. Very challenging and in need of our prayers and support. In Nazareth we met with mostly Arab Israelis who are building evangelical churches in the northern region of Israel. We had 80 people attend the meeting where Bill spoke, almost the entire leadership of the evangelical churches in that part of Israel. In Jerusalem, we met with a group of people that represented primarily Messianic Jews and some foreign missionaries. Three very distinct groups, all Christians redeemed by the blood of Christ, but there are significant differences between at least two of the groups that cause friction and make working together a challenge.

Bill's messages were extremely well received by all of them, as was the presentation of the GLS. There is a good chance that we will be able to have a GLS in these four cities we have visited. The hunger for leadership development is as great here as anywhere in the world, and just as badly needed.

My prayer is that we will see that kind of impact in all of the countries where we are present, and that God will grant us the resources and wisdom to continue serving the Church, even if results are not readily seen and the going is tough. It is worth it.

by: Gary Schwammlein

Executive Vice President
WCA International Ministry

Stop Trying to Solve All Your Problems

I can write with 100% certainty that change will happen at some point in your life. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said the only constant is change. Even though it’s obvious that change is all around us, we still thrive in our routine, in our regular life, in the normal steady flow of what we can expect.

I know, though, that without change, I’d be completely and wholly lost in the oblivion of boredom and the despondency of an unchallenged mind. So I entered the Blue Sky one-day event with Chip Heath eager to explore my own passionate love-hate-somewhat-obsessive relationship with change.

Like most love-hate relationships I found myself both encouraged and exhausted by Chip’s incredible insight throughout the day:

• · You don't need a title or specific position to make change happen at every level in your organization.
• · To lead change, you have to prepare people to fail because failure is a part of every project.
• · In order to create change, tweak the environment.
• · Failure doesn’t mean you aren’t good at something.
• · People may look like they're resisting change when they actually have no clue how to change.
• · Spending 1 hour at a time with a small group of people can form free spaces to start transforming identity

On Monday, I’ll enter the office as usual but something will be different. I’ll stop trying to solve all my problems and focus on the one that is already showing potential glimmers of success.

Big change can happen, but it starts small.

Hanna Koenig (@hannaksays)

WCA, Marketing