Global Retreat…Well, Via Zoom Anyway
Taking New Ground and our partners are in various stages of movement development in over 40 countries around the world with active network structure in over half. It’s fascinating how the movement leaders in each of these countries are so similar in drive, passion, humility, and strength of purpose. Despite their different contexts they face many of the same challenges, and they can relate to one another as high level leaders in a unique way.
This month we gathered for two days with some of our key movement leaders from the US, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico, Albania, Macedonia, England, Australia and the Philippines. We talked about the situation on the ground in different parts of the world, and we learned how each region is doing in terms of stabilizing and mobilizing their churches. We shared with one another, we learned from one another, and we prayed for one another. The sense of community among these regional movement leaders was palpable.
A Shared Optimism
In spite of the challenges the Church faces around the world, I noticed a common theme of optimism. These leaders were not beaten down or discouraged, they were seeing opportunity in the midst of the chaos and crisis of the moment. There was a shared belief that the Church could come through this pandemic stronger than it was before it began, and these leaders were intentionally looking for strategic opportunities to help make it happen.
Where fear sees a crisis, faith see’s an opportunity!
Dave Ferguson
In some countries the focus is on meeting basic needs like hunger, in others, it’s finding ways to equip their churches to gather via technology. In most, time spent has transitioned from a weekend centric ministry model toward training leaders and decentralizing ministry for optimal impact amidst current pandemic restrictions.
Looking Beyond the Crisis
During our global gathering this month we began to loosely set goals for the next 2 years. Most churches are struggling in the here and now, and they find it challenging to look ahead, but we wanted to encourage a forward looking, offensive posture, even in the midst of the current battles they are facing. Interestingly enough, looking forward helps. It brings us out of the crisis of the moment and gives us hope and a goal to plan for.
An “Archimedic” Model of Ministry
During this global retreat, and throughout the year via coaching calls and event based gathering, our focus is to build into, coach, and equip the movement leaders in a given country. They in turn transfer knowledge, DNA, encouragement and accountability to their network leaders. The network leaders do the same for the churches in their networks. We call this “Span of Care” and It assures that every church in our movement structure has someone investing into it.
This structure enables a greater decentralization and acceleration of the mission, but it maintains the encouragement and accountability needed to push things forward at every level. It many ways it is a highly “leveraged” form of ministry. We are able to accomplish much for many with a concentrated focus on the few.
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
Archimedes
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