Monday, August 1, 2011

COUNCIL - 1

For the rest of the week, this blog will focus on the happenings at our biennial General Council of the Assemblies of God in Phoenix, Arizona. Our church, KFA (www.kenoshafirst.com) is part of the Assemblies of God denomination (I say that proudly, but without sinning). We gather with over 20,000 pastors this week to do the business of our growing National fellowship.

I look forward to this time every two years - not only to see old friends and to vote on important topics that affect us as a denomination, but also to see and hear what God is doing around our country in churches everywhere.

One thing is sure -- we need our younger ministers grabbing hold of the vision and running with it. When I stride down the hallways of Council, I see them everywhere -- 20- and 30-something pastors in their shorts and long sideburns and scruff and tattoos -- and it gives me hope.

This is a generation hungry for something more than the Top 15 Leadership Principles to Make you a Better Pastor -- they want something other than the 21 Reasons you should do ... Anything.

They want more. I know this in particular because I work with 7 other pastors in that generation every week of my life who tell me this. They want more.

They want a voice. They want influence. They don't just want to hear about the vision, they want to help create it. T. Friedman calls it 'open source' influence. He explains that past generations went to the Encyclopedia Brittanica for information and answers or to a trusted friend. The present generation logs onto Wikipedia, an open source directory for information that doesn't just provide answers, but lets users contribute their knowledge as well.

This is new thinking for my generation and it translates like so: Do I create just enough space for people to feel part of the team, or do I actually give real authority to shape the direction and look and future of ministry? That's the difference between leading via task force and leading via open source.

I'm leaning strongly toward the latter these days.

P.S. It's supposed to hit 105 degrees every day this week here.

And be blessed?

Be encouraged to take the poll at right - based on last Friday's blog posting.

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