Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Wow!  That would best describe the Willowcreek Leadership Summit this week.   The morning got off to a bang with Craig Groeschel talking about “How Leaders can get IT and Keep IT”

Craig said he went to the Summit years ago and that is where he got the desire to start LifeChurch.tv.  When LifeChurch.tv started they didn’t have “much” but they had “IT.”

What is “IT?” It is the Holy Spirit but it is more than that.  He said it would be insulting to say that one church has the Holy Spirit and another doesn’t.  He was open and honest.  He said that all of the LifeChurch.tv campuses are growing but the one his family attends. (laughter)  But what is “IT?”  He said he doesn’t know but he is sure that the Holy Spirit is a part of “IT.”

1.  God Makes “IT” Happen

2.  We can’t create “IT”

3.  Rare that one person brings “IT” 

4.  One person can kill “IT”

Where ever we see “IT” people know “IT” because “IT” happens.  Sometimes “IT” doesn’t happen.  But the early church had “IT.”  They sold everything to get “IT.”  Acts 2:42-47 talks about how people were being saved daily.

4 Qualities when “IT” is present;

1. Laser focus-do a few things well

LifeChurch.tv focuses on 5 areas:

1. Worship

2. Small groups

3. Kids ministry

4. Student ministry

5. Missions

They do all of these with excellence but don’t have other ministries.

2.  Opportunities instead of problems

If you have everything you need you don’t need God

God often guides by what He doesn’t provide

What is God trying to show you through your greatest limitations

3.  Organizations that have “IT” are willing to fail–others play it safe

Failure is a necessity

Failure is the 1st step in seeing God

Look at Peter, lied about knowing Jesus, and messed up many times but he led 3000 to Christ

God may give you 3 steps of failure before you get it right

some of you need to shake off the failure and step up

Just because you fail doesn’t mean you are a failure

Those with “IT” are willing to fail

“What has God called you to do that you are afraid to do?”

4.  Led by people who have “IT”

you have to have “IT” for your ministry to have “IT”

Ministry started to kill Craig’s faith

IT is time to allow God to break our hearts

If you don’t have it where do you get “IT?”

Then he prayed the same prayer he did at Catalyst, “I pray you can’t sleep until you get it.”  Last year I didn’t sleep for a week and then I resigned a few weeks later.  I’m sure I won’t sleep for a week again.  We will see what God will do this time.  

Chuck Colson was next and talked about what Christianity is.  He is a great author and is passionate about his faith.

Catherine Rohr is a lawyer who is doing amazing things for God in our prison systems.  She is passionate. I heard her at Catalyst last year too.

Brad Anderson is the CEO of Best Buy and a follower of Jesus. He is a humble leader.

Finally Bill Hybels finished off the conference with an unbelievable talk about relentlessness.  He talked about the leadership and passion of Mother Teresa.   He read from II Chronicles 16:9 about God wanting fully devoted followers.

He asked:

• Am I the kind of person who will do whatever God wants?
• If I was God for a day would I pick me?
• Am I trying to balance Gods plan with my comfort?
• When things are way out of our control is when God goes to work
• How long are we willing to wait on God?
• Would I lay down my life for God?
• When a leader comes to a point that their life isn’t important that is when God goes to work
• How long should we wait?  However long it takes

I have been at the Willowcreek Leadership Summit all day at Mecklenberg Community Church in Charlotte.  I was very tired from being on a youth retreat so my mind was fried.  But I’m glad I came.

It started off with Bill Hybels saying Leadership highest usage is to advance the Kingdom of God.  He said leadership makes tough calls.  Here is how spiritual leaders have made decisions in the past:

1.     What does the Bible say?

2.     What would smart advisors say?

3.     What have you learned through the pain of past decisions? Gains? Experience?

4.     What is the Spirit prompting me to do?

He said when leaders make decisions they make Good and Bad decisions:

Good—thank the 4 above

Bad—take the blame

He said that great leaders learn to combine all four above into axioms which allows them to make quicker decisions.  Bill always does a great job and I enjoyed his talk today.

Gary Haugen is the president of the International Justice League.  I heard him speak at Catalyst 2 years ago.  He is passionate about human rights for people sold into sexual slavery.  He is a great speaker.  Here is what he talked about:

1.     How do you lead when it seems hopeless?

a.     Despair focusing what we can do

b.     Hope is what God can do

He spoke about the feeding of the 5000

It is God’s job to get it done not ours

2.     How do we lead when its scary?

a.     Jesus didn’t make us to be safe

b.     Safe= boredom

Jesus tells us to follow Him beyond what you can control

He wants us to go for a calling where we need Him.

3.     How do we get people to make the demanding climb?

a.     Choose not to be safe

b.     Choose deep spiritual health

c.      Chose excellence

d.     Choose Joy

Something is wrong if Jesus’ yoke is light and ours is heavy

The joy of the Lord is our strength

Bill George is a professor at Harvard Business School and former CEO of Medtronic.  He talked about finding your “TRUE NORTH.” 

He said the reason there is a leadership crisis is because there has been more Charisma and style and no substance.

Leadership is empowering other people to lead

Wendy Kopp is the Founder of Teach for America.  Bill Hybels interviewed her and I was impressed by her passion for making schools better in the US.

John Burke is the pastor of Gateway Church in Austin, TX.  He talked about getting dirty as believers.  He sad if we want to see lives changed we have to get dirty.  We have to cultivate the soil of Grace.  We have to cultivate with authentic community.

I was tempted to leave early because of crisis that I mention in tomorrows post.  But I’m glad I stayed.  Efrem Smith is a pastor of a multi-national, multi-cultural church in Minnesota.  Having tried to lead a church to become multi-cultural I was impressed with his success.  But they started their church from nothing so that makes it easier.  

He spoke from John about Jesus being the vine and we are the branches.  He said we must be:

1.     Loving leaders

2.     Abiding leaders

3.     Confessing leaders

4.      Pruning leaders

I can’t put into words how great his message truly was.  I can’t wait until tomorrow to hear Craig Groeschel.

Below are some pictures of Nashville. The bottom one was a sacred area (Baptist Vatican) that I was in.

I had a great time here in Franklin/Nashville area. I will have to take a few days to process everything I heard and learned. The People’s Church is truly impacting their community and the world. While I was with Rick White another pastor called asking for advice and just like he did with me Rick told the pastor to e-mail him in bullet points what is going on in his church and in his life. Rick is an amazing man. He truly has a passion for people. I don’t know if I have ever been around a more personable person than Rick. I am truly grateful for our time together. I can never repay him or The People’s Church but I hope to one day pass on whatever wisdom God has given me to others. This is what cooperation and being missional is about to me.

At lunch I was honored to share a meal with Rick and Ken Davis. You may know Ken from his radio spots called Lighten Up. Ken has known me since I was a baby. He and my dad worked together in YFC/Campus Life years ago. He told funny stories about my dad pulling pranks on him and I had fun making him feel old. Anyway, Ken is a funny guy who has a tremendous ministry. He fills in for Rick at the People’s Church when Rick can’t be there. What a blessed day I had.

I learned about lot about leadership, people skills and just a church that is being the hands and feet of Jesus. I can’t take and copy what is going on in Franklin because our church is in a different type of community. But I will forever be grateful to Rick White and the People’s Church for a great time.

Not really, but it sounds punchy. I’m headed to a undisclosed Southern city to spend time with a really cool pastor of a mega-church. I’m not saying who because I’m not sure if he wants me to say. I would hate for people to bombard him with requests for his time.  Plus I may ruin his reputation. As those of you who read here often know I have asked many people for advice and help and have been disappointed more than not. I guess perseverance pays off.

Under my new friends leadership his church has transitioned and is truly impacting a region. I look forward to learning some leadership lessons. I have lots of questions as I always do.  I won’t be live blogging but I will share what I can.  This church is a multi-site congregation that is truly transforming their city. I contacted him last year when I read about what God was doing in his church in a Christian magazine. He asked me if I was the same Kevin Bussey with a blog.  (I guess there has been some redeeming value to my writings.)  He is not a blogger but he does read them.  His church is in my denomination but he has managed to stay out of the rhetoric. He has been very helpful to me over the last year answering some of my questions and encouraging me. I am truly blessed.

I look forward to spending a few days with him and will share what I can.

I was teaching from Exodus 4-7 today and noticed how reluctant Moses was to be a leader. He was like your average American child or teen, he argued with God. He had every excuse in the book why he could not be “the one.” I can relate so much. I wonder why God wants me to do certain things. They take me out of my comfort zone. They are so not me! But my arguing with God hasn’t worked. Just like Moses, God has answers to my objections. Don’t you just hate that! I am not a reluctant leader. I’ve known for sometime that I am a visionary leader. I just thought I would be used in a more cutting edge situation rather than having to work thru tradition. Who am I to argue with God? I guess God wants me to be a change agent. Thanks to my dad, Jason, Rob, Thomas and other wise friends who have helped me wade thru my tough times and given me wisdom. Here I am, send me!