We can’t just acknowledge that the world around us is broken, we must engage and use the God-given influence we have to live out a better way.
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It was our first week in the office together, and Dave Dummitt and I were already talking about what succession might look like at Willow Creek. We both acknowledged we are in temporary roles. Hopefully, it will be 15-20 years before the next transition. But however long it is — it will eventually happen.
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I think authenticity is a commodity that people crave now more than ever. The more human, the more raw, the more we lean in. And the opposite is true as well—the more polished and scripted and produced…the harder it is to relate.
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Rebuilding Willow is not the goal. The goal is to continue the building of a thriving local church where people can take their next step toward Jesus; where those far from God can begin to find their way back; and where the love of Jesus becomes real for people as their human needs are being met.
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Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; building teams, collaboration, and developing leaders, these are a few of my favorite things.
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I wonder how many people are actually enjoying this forced stay-at-home season so they don’t have to feel guilty saying no or not showing up. We’ve been known to ask way too much of people. They keep trying and trying, doing and attending, but then life catches up and they feel like they can't ever keep up with our expectations. They feel deflated.
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As recently as January of this year, I was asked, “Do you think you’ll ever be an Executive Pastor again?” Without hesitation, I replied, “No, I really don’t see it. I’m enjoying what I’m doing too much.” I can’t explain it or pinpoint it, but that began to change a couple months ago. Something was awakening deep inside me that others noticed before I did.
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You've all met the fool. At times they are fun to work with, but other times they suck the life out of the team because of the way they respond to feedback. When a fool runs an organization, people just stop trying to offer feedback, as they know it's futile.
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The coronavirus is a new reality and whether your church has 18, 180, or 18,000 every week, your leadership should focus some time on talking about how to help your congregations both practically and spiritually face the fears and realities of this virus.
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