On Leading Well

Author: Ken

  • My Top Five Takeaways from Cape Town 2010

    Lausanne 3 ended with an amazing, Christ-honoring two-and-a-half hour liturgical praise session last night. You could tell we were on Africa time and not on Western “got to get home to watch the NFL game” time. I have many been to many multi-national gatherings of Christ-followers and have enjoyed them all. But this felt different. The emotions flowed freely as we recited the Nicene Creed, confessed our sins as a global body of Christ, prayed for ourselves and for the nations, worshipped Jesus and took communion together. When we closed with “Crown Him With Many Crowns” I think I heard angels singing.

    This was a very full and long week. We gathered to engage the whole church in taking the whole gospel to the whole world. I came in a spirit of prayer, not knowing who I would meet or how I would contact anyone. God connected with many humble, extraordinary people, far beyond what I asked or imagined. There will be a lot to sort out over the next few weeks and months, but here are my top five takeaways right now:

    1. Christ alone: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most wonderful message in the world. Jesus stands apart from any other religious leader of any culture at any time. He is the One True God. He created all and is Lord over all. He humbly came to live among us. He suffered a sacrificial death to satisfy our needs for justice and mercy before a holy God. He was buried for three days, then rose again in power. The gospel – the good news – is that Jesus lovingly offers relationship to God and freedom from sin and shame now and for all eternity. The resistance by popular postmodern culture of Jesus’ exclusive claims is nothing new: proclamation of truth has never been easy throughout the history of the church. Our first three mornings in Ephesians 1, 2 and 3 undergirded this conviction.

    2. Integrity: As disciples of Jesus, we must walk worthy of this gospel. The next three mornings in Ephesians 4, 5 and 6 hammered this point home. As evangelicals (the word literally means “people of the gospel” and has been used since the 2nd century) we must walk in love, humility, integrity and simplicity. A skeptical world wants to see authentic faith in which our private and public lives align. One notable implication is that denominations, mission agencies and donors are shifting their emphasis from decisions to disciples.  We must incarnate passion for Christ and compassion for people.

    3. Suffering: Christ’s church is invincibly strong amid unspeakable suffering. “God appoints suffering and prayer as a means of revealing the unsearchable riches of Christ for the nations. The infinite wisdom of the cross is revealed not in our prosperity but in our pain.” (John Piper) There are two types of suffering that the church must work to alleviate. One is suffering on earth, which includes those afflicted by HIV/AIDS, extreme poverty, sex trafficking, abuse and persecution. The other is suffering for eternity, or dying without an opportunity to know Christ. There still remain 692 UUPGs (Unengaged Unreached People Groups) of more than 50,000 totaling 350 million people without one single book of Scripture translated into their language. After 2,000 years, how is this possible?

    4. Globalization: “Globalization is the process through which our human interconnectedness has now reached truly global proportions.” (Os Guiness) The deepest driver in globalization is information technology which accentuates three “S forces”:

    • Speed: communication is nearly instantaneous
    • Scope: we can communicate with the entire world
    • Simultaneity: we expect to communicate everywhere at the same time

    This global communication revolution is as significant as the rise of the wheel, the invention of the alphabet, human writing and the printing press. It is transforming human experience at all sorts of levels from identity, to families, to work, to communities, to nations, to notions such as evil and religious meaning. One local Kenyan pastor who faithfully prepares a sermon for his church of 150 each week finds himself being compared with T.D. Jakes podcasts downloaded on iTunes. Globalization is the single strongest face of the world in our time. We will wrestle with it throughout our lifetimes as the context for our living and witnessing. Don’t fear it, but engage, assess, discern and act.

    5. Partnership: The global church is far stronger than I imagined.

    “The day of the single superstar leader has passed. The day of full partnership is here.” (Patrick Fung – Director of OMF Intl from Singapore)

    “Hard-headed evangelical entrepreneurs can cooperate and partner in a common mission.” (Ramez Atallah – General Secretary of the Bible Society of Egypt)

    The global church has spoken clearly this week: It is not looking for large western churches, denominations, megapastors or institutions to roll out their ten-year strategic plans to reach the world. However, the church of the global south and east is searching for mutuality with the church of the north and west.

    Reconciliation is the foundation of all Christian partnership. This will involve sharing leadership – mutuality – between generations, genders and geographies. Reconciliation in Christ always results in more fruitful service for Christ. This message is foolishness to the world, yet this is what the world most wants (expects?) to see within the church: bold, humble unity.

    The cross is at the center of reconciliation: death to self. True biblical partnership requires an aspect of death to self. This may mean death to my own ambition thus allowing others to succeed, death to my position thus allowing another to hold it, or death to my own opinion which, in turn, allows others to speak powerfully.

    Enough for now. Selah.

    Apply: View, listen or download presentations from the Third Lausanne Congress here.

  • Getting Christian Leaders Around the Same Table

    What if the entire evangelical church were to gather 4,500 key leaders from 200 countries and all walks of life who minister to rich and poor, educated and illiterate, widows and orphans, politicians and generals, and put one question in the center of the table?

    Well, it is happening next week.

    The question: What will it take for the church to finish the task of Jesus’ Great Commission while living out the Great Commandment? That is an important question because ultimately God’s purposes will be fulfilled. All of history is heading in this direction. We know that some generation will actually witness this fulfillment take place.

    This Thursday I fly to Cape Town, South Africa, to join the 3rd Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. It’s a huge deal because many missions leaders believe with deep conviction that we may be within a generation’s reach of completing the church’s global task. I am also growing to believe this. It’s a privilege for me to attend, as only 400 invitations were offered to North Americans. My confirmation letter urged me to arrive a bit early to the opening session, as we will be seated in 759 tables of six. Conversations, not just presentations. Cool.

    The Lausanne Movement traces its roots to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in the late ‘60s. Graham perceived the need for a larger, more diverse congress to reframe the Christian mission in a world rife with political, social, economic and religious upheaval. The first Congress was held in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974 with 2,700 participants from 150 countries. From this gathering the soul-stirring Lausanne Covenant was forged, unifying key doctrinal and visionary elements of Christ’s global church. Manila hosted Lausanne II in 1989, and various working groups have carried missional partnering forward over the last two decades. This week begins Lausanne III.

    If you want some fresh wind in your sails, read the Covenant or engage in the Cape Town conversation here. You may be surprised to discover that the conversations you’re having with friends about social justice, kingdom partnering, emerging leadership and balancing the Great Commandment with the Great Commission actually started before we were born. It’s a healthy reminder that missional church didn’t just begin a few years ago with guys who wear distressed jeans, heavy black shoes, horn-rimmed glasses and untucked shirts.

    Jesus’ church is an unstoppable movement. If you’re a praying person, please pray that Jesus would do far more abundantly than we can ask or think. Also pray for my personal networking with other missions experts who share my burden for college students and for internet evangelism and discipleship. Thank you.

  • A Fresh Dose of Humility

    Ann and I recently celebrated two major milestones – 25 years of marriage and a newly emptied nest – by taking a week on the Greek island of Kos. It was so awesome that I think we’re going to start taking silver anniversary trips every year. You can view a few pix here.

    It costs time and money to celebrate well. Each day we did something special that reminded us of fun activities we’ve pursued at different times in our lifelong friendship. We rented mountain bikes, sailed a catamaran in the Aegean Sea, strolled on the beach, hiked in the hills and ate lots of great Greek food. Near the end of our week we took in the island’s breathtaking views by moped.

    A nearly perfect day concluded with a small blip. While climbing up a fairly steep hill, the switchback was too slick and I laid the bike down on our turn. Bam! I vaguely remember apologizing to Ann on the way down: “I’m sorryyyy…” Though we weren’t moving fast we landed hard. Picture 450 pounds of bodies and bike simply falling over in your driveway – you get the idea. Ann bunged up her knee. I absorbed most of the impact with my right shoulder and a split second later felt two dull ‘pops’ in my chest. Thankfully I walked away with only bruised – and extremely tender – ribs. The doctor said they would be sore for 2-3 months.

    “I Need Help”

    Those three words are some of the most difficult for independent, healthy, self-sufficient people to say. Yet, they have come out of my mouth more in the past week than probably in the past six months. Bruised ribs hurt. They hurt when I stand, walk, turn, lie down, sit up, sleep, eat. Shoot, they hurt when I breathe.

    So, it’s easy for you to picture us traveling through five airports on the way home. I have to ask for help. Ann has her knee bandaged up and limps through the airport, hoisting our luggage onto the check-in scales. I, the ever chivalrous husband, deftly handle the tickets and passports. When we board, Ann takes off my backpack and puts it in the overhead bin because I can’t lift my arm that high. I am hyper-aware of people looking at us, probably thinking: What a jerk. Dude, help your wife. All I want is a t-shirt that reads “I have severe internal injuries – you just can’t see them.”

    Of course this doesn’t end with our trip. Yesterday I went to Lowe’s to buy two 40-pound bags of salt for our water system. Dani, a very friendly young cashier, takes my credit card. I find myself saying those three words again to her: “I need help. Can you call someone over to help me get these bags into my car?”

    “Don’t worry,” says Dani. “Just back your car up and I’ll get them for you.”

    Ouch.

    Lesson: True humility flows from a sense that I need others. People can’t read my mind and often can’t see where I hurt. I need to verbalize my need and ask for help.