The Leadership Summit

Every year I go to a conference called The Leadership Summit. It has been in existence for fifteen years and I think I have been to twelve of them. It is the most growing time of the year for me as a pastor and leader. It is a ‘can’t miss’ event on my calendar. Bill Hybels from Willowcreek Church in Chicagoland is the founder of this event. In the early days we had to go to Chicago for three days to see this event. It has now been trimmed down to two days and it is simulcast all over the globe.

Each year they bring in seven to ten of the world’s top leaders to speak. This is far from just a church event. They have brought in former presidents like Clinton and Carter. They have brought in other political figures like Collin Powell. This year they had Jack Welch from General Electric and Jim Collins who wrote, Good to Great. They also have various pastors who come and talk as well. It is all aimed to make leaders stronger and more equipped to take their leadership to the next level.

I came away from my two days away with more than 20 pages of scribbled notes. I am literally on information overload. I realize that moving into a permanent facility is heavy on my heart right now, but I couldn’t help but believe that God took me to Bloomington to hear the Summit to talk to me regarding that very issue. I believe now more than ever that it is God’s will for our congregation to take this uber big step of faith. Jim Collins would call it a (B-HAG) ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal.’

Here are some quotes that I scribbled that I am trying to process…

“Good is the enemy of Great. We don’t want to settle with just being a ‘good church’”.
“You can be sick on the inside and still look very healthy on the outside.”
“Bad decisions taken with good intentions are still bad decisions.”
“Jesus Christ is the hope of this world and the local church is the vehicle He uses to bring people to Him.”
“Hope fuels our risk-taking.”
“Stubbornness is a virtue…if you’re right!”
“The church exists for broken people.”
“Final word of the church must be grace.”
“My role as a pastor is to leverage tension for the benefit of the organization.”
“Understand the upside of the opposite side. Then speak into value of both sides.”
“We must differentiate between tensions and problems. They both are a part of the process os any organization.”
“I need passionate people who will champion their cause. I need mature people who will help us to live with needed tensions.”
“What if God still provided today like He did for Moses?”
“Discipline is inflicting pain for redemptive purposes.”
“When you run out of food, money, resources, etc… You need to trust Me.”
“Trust evicts complaints. They are incompatible roommates.”
“It’s an amazing feeling to be willing to give.”
“Giving is a good business decision.”
“Be authentic. Don’t try to be someone you’re not.”
“If you can energize people with your vision, they will follow you every time.”
“Energy is not hyping people. It is getting them to feel what you feel.”
“Unless a leader feels the fire, it is impossible to pass it on to others.”
“Leaders learn from their people. Strong leaders hire smart people and learn from them. Weak leaders hire dummies and no one grows. The leader does not have to be the smartest person in the room.”
“We must do everything humanly possible to stop those meetings that happen after the meetings.”
“I must read in order to be a growing leader.”
“Passion is the fuel that makes the engine go.”
“If the pastor has high passion, the people will have high passion. If the pastor has low energy, the people will have low energy.”
“You cannot be led by someone you cannot read. We must be willing to be transparent.”

This is just a small portion of the things I scribbled on my notebook this week. It was a tremendous learning experience for me. I am so thankful to the Northwestern District for investing in me and allowing me to go to this. They have been very generous to me and to my church. Thank you.

Here are several books on my wish-list that I am saving up to purchase. These books were recommended for me to read at the Leadership Summit…

1) The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels
2) The Core Issue by Christine Caine
3) How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins
4) The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel
5) Drive by Daniel Pink
6) The Land Between by Jeff Manion (I can’t wait for this one!)
7) Winning by Jack Welch (Also excited to read this one too!)
8) The Menor Leader by Tony Dungy (I purchased this and have already began reading it!)
9) The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley (I purchased this and read it last night!)

In closing these thoughts I would like to give you a challenge. Why not take a few moments tomorrow at church to ask your pastor if he went to the Leadership Summit. If he did, ask him what he learned. If he did not, ask him if you could help him attend next year. Friends, this is really good stuff. You do not want your pastor to miss out on this tremendous resource. It is not cheap, but nothing truly worthwhile is. I can’t wait for August 11-12, 2011!