What I Learned at Willow

This past Thursday and Friday I was extremely blessed to attend the 2011 Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit! If you have not heard of this event before, I suggest you check out this link: http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/ 

Brief introduction of the Summit from their website:

"Willow Creek Association recognizes that the leadership core of any church includes leaders from the business, education, government and social sectors. The Global Leadership Summit welcomes leaders from all these sectors and fully believes that the maximum influence and impact of the Church is felt when all of its Christ-centered leaders are at the forefront of establishing and growing well led local churches, companies, schools, governments and social enterprises. This is the Church at its best! This is when God's love and care inevitably spills out into our neighborhoods, towns and cities through acts of love, justice, mercy, service and restoration.

Each year, we do our best to provide a world-class leadership training event that challenges, inspires and serves the leadership core of every church"

The event has satellite campus's throughout the WORLD, showing the event through live video feed, the worship and speakers, the whole deal! Needless to say, I would LOVE to plan this event someday!! Until or if ever that day comes I will be grateful for any opportunity to attend! Most often its local church's that host the satellite campus's, I was at Canyon Ridge Church in Las Vegas, a sister church to Central Christian Church. I attended with two FABulous women, Jayne Post (Internship Supervisor) and Linda Miller (Christian Counselor and Pastor), who in addition to the Summit speakers, poured loads of wisdom into me the entire two days! I am blessed!

Ok now to get to the meat! Heads up this is a rather LONG post and at the same times its somewhat brief information from the 13 different speeches, but its the key points that made an impact on me! If you are interested in more information from a specific speech please email me!

What I learned from the 13 Summit speakers:

* Billy Hybels: Founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois

~"When leaders stop learning, they should stop leading."

~He talked about dealing with difficult employees at work. He provided 5 Critical Questions:

 1. What is there current challenge level at work? 

 2. What is your plan for dealing with challenging people in your organization?

 3. Are you naming, faming, resolving the problems in your organization? (Acts 2-4)

 4. When is the last time you re-examined the core of what your org. is about?

 5. Have you had your leadership bell rung recently? where is the BOLDness?

~ Book: "MOVE: What 1,000 Churches REVEAL About Spiritual Growth"

*Len Schlesinger: President of Babson College; Harvard Professor; Former Vice Chair of Limited Brands. From Boston, Mass.

~"Believe in a future by creating it first."

~"We are ALL entrepreneurs but only a few actually are utilizing the skill."

~"Treating an uncertain world as if it were predictable only gets you into trouble."

~ "Take small steps with what you've got at hand and then build off what you find from the small steps."

~3 Steps in the Right Direction:

            -"Start with the things you care about; what is it you would  like to do? What will get you what you want and what step do you need to take to get there?"

           - "Act with affordable loss"

           -"Bring people and resources along"

~"Failure means to try again with experience; You have just learned something that no one else knows!"

     1. Know what you want

     2. Stop obsessing

     3. Be alert about the reality

     4. Take steps with affordable loss (little bets, baby steps, small wins)

    5. Bring people along

~Book: "Action Trumps Everything"

*Honorable Cory A. Booker: Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Urban Reformer. From Newark, New Jersey

~"Stand Up for Something!"

~"I an a P.O., I'm too poor for the other two letters!"

~ "Injustice anywhere, is injustice everywhere."

~ "Good speakers barrow, great speakers steal."

~ "You can always go higher! Go to the roof!"

~ "Your attitude about the world speaks nothing about the world but about your character. The world you see outside of you reflects your insides. Do you see darkness or light with love and hope?"

~"If it is to be, its up to me! Chang begins from the changing of one."

~"Live and give before you preach and teach."

* Re. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil: Speaker; Thought Leader; Founder and President of Salter McNeil & Associates. From Chicago, Illinois.

~ Acts 1:8

~Catalytic events

~"Are you ready to break through your sound barrier?"

~She discussed three locations you can find yourself in life:

     -Jerusalem: this is your home turf; where you feel most comfortable; you have family, friends and your local church.

     - Judea: this is close to home but still not home; there are denominational divides, young and old; everyone is speaking a different language; here ministry is not simple.

     -Samaria: this is places you go and you are NOT comfortable; you must lock your door. Examples: prisons, places of high sex trafficking, child soldiers, facing corporate greed, and environmental injustice.

~How to break through:

    1. Pray for a Divine Mandate. Pray: "What things have my name on it?" & "God break our hearts for what breaks yours!"

    2. Name your catalytic event. How is the Holy Spirit moving? Bring people together.

   3. Mobilize people to go! Move from Jerusalem to Judea to try and understand other people! Dont stop in Judea, go to Samaria! Go and learn!!!

~Book: "The Heart of Racial Justice"

*Seth Godin: Bestselling Author; Squidoo Founder; Renowned Marking Blogger. From New York, New York.

~"The Industrial Age is dead! The new edge is the tribes/groups of people sharing in commonality."

~"Art will surpass the job- doing something for the first time; risky business."

~" Mass production has created a culture of interchangeable people."

~"Post industrial age- what are you going to do differently? Do something worth talking about!"

~"The world is turned upside down, what are you going to do that is important enough to be worth talking about?

~ Book: "Poke the Box"

*Steven Furtick: Lead Pastor of Elevation Church. From Charlotte, North Carolina

~ Joshua 10:12-13 (NIV)

~ "Protocol with God is not saying please and thank you but sayings thanks and then please."

~"Only God can make it rain!"

~"We have insecurities because we are comparing our behind the scenes to others highlight reels."

~ 2 Kings 3:9-20

~"Inspiration to implementation"

~"Difference between visionary and a day dreamer is audacity."

~"If the vision you have is not intimidating to you, its insulting to the Lord!"

~"If you want to see the land filled with water, dig some ditches! Faith believes before it sees!"

~Book: "Sun Stand Still"

WCA Global Leadership Summit DAY 2 

"Tough Callings"

*Wes Stafford from Compassion International 

~ He gave a compelling speech on Rev. Stephen Sundar, Founder of Tribal Revival Movement in North India. Similar to the great Apostle Paul, he has been tortured within inches of his life, thrown in jail and attempted to be killed via the electric chair for his constant preaching! God saved him from death by electric chair in the same way he saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego  from the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3. Rev. Sundar was unscathed after two attempts to murder him as an example to the other Christians. After the 2nd try, the government was so afraid they begged him to leave! This is a COURAGEOUS man! Wes shared a story of when he met Rev. Sundar, this was RIGHT after the Rev. was released from the electrical chair for the second time, the Reverend shared with Wes his prayers for America. He prays against the huge lack of dependence and true NEED for constant communication with God through both prayer and reading His word. Even though Rev. Sundar risks his life every day to share the gospel, he is praying hard for the West where there is too much comfort and instant access that leads to dead faith!

*Mama Maggie Gobran: Founder and CEO of Stephen's Children Ministry; Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. From Cairo, Egypt. 

~"To be elegant is on the inside, to love, give until it hurts and forgive.

~"The moment you die to your self interests, thats the moment you find your call."

~"When one has nothing, God becomes their everything."

*Bill Hybels 

~He spoke about Jeremiah (chapter 20), the powerful story of a man trying to follow his tough calling from God.

~ Read Lamentations, this is an account of him lamenting about his tough calling.

~"According to human scorecards, Jeremiah's ministry never went well during his entire lifetime. But he stayed faithful to his calling... He never lost his confidence in the faithfulness of God, "For [your] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3)"- Bill Hybels

* Michelle Rhee: Founder and CEO of Studentsfirst.org; Former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools in Washington D.C.

~ Utilized Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

~ "You can't lead if change is not happening"

~ "Experience God" workbook

~Book: "The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation's Worst School District"

*Dr. Henry Cloud: Clinical Psychologist; Best-Selling Author; Leadership Consultant. From Las Angeles, California

~ "God has called you to be a steward over a vision, don't let anyone stop you!"

~" You cannot lead or deal with everyone the same."

~ There are 3 Categories of people : WISE, FOOLS, EVIL. (Biblical Terminology)

~"Fools don't change unless they can feel the pain of not changing, there is hope for a fool!"

~Book: "Necessary Endings"

* John Dickson: Director of Centre for Public Christianity; Senior Minister at St. Andrews Anglican Church. From Sydney, Australia

~"Humility makes the great greater."

~"Humility is the reflection of the deep structure of reality."

~"Expertise in one area, counts for very little in another."

~"The humble life is in touch with reality."

~"Humility is the ability to hold one's power for the good of others, not personal gain."

~"Humility is common sense."

~"Humility is beautiful"

~"Humility is generative"

~"Humility is persuasive"

~"Humility is inspiring"

~"You don't need the key's to the Kingdom to make an impact in the Kingdom; You don't need the majority or authority to make a difference."

~"Real persuasion is invisible in its artistry; it just moves people... Humility in the leader exerts a powerful, if intangible, influence over those you lead."

~Book: "Humilitas"

*Patrick Lencioni: Successful Business Consultant

~"Vulnerability creates trusts that's rare."

~"Vulnerability is capable of being physically or emotionally wounded; attacked or damaged; liable to damage and great reward."

~"People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed."

~3 Fears that prevent vulnerability:

      1. Fear of losing the business or being rejected

      2. Fear of being embarrassed

      3. Fear of feeling inferior

~"We are called to be vulnerable!"

*Erwin McManus: Activist; Filmmaker; Innovator and Cultural Architect of Mosaic. From Los Angeles California.

~"We need a mind shift, reformation of your relationship with the future."

~Ecclesiastics chapter 1 "There is nothing new under the sun."

~Isaiah chapter 43 "I am doing a new thing."

~"When you are living on the inside of the presence of the Creator of the Universe, everything is new. Outside of His presence, there is nothing new."

~"Let's create the future."

~"When connected to God we become an instrument to create because we have been created in the image and likeness of the Creator."

~"The future is whatever we choose."

~Acts chapter 7

~"Spiritual leadership is about setting the human spirit free."

~"If we do something beautiful, the world will ask us for the hope we have."

~"Whoever tells the best story, shapes the culture. Star Wars and Avatar are currently more exciting that the story of Christ."

~" We need a Story Revolution!"

~"Its not hard to bring people to Christ if you tell them a story where they find themselves connecting to God."

~"Become the cultivators, stewards, nurturers and developers of talent and treasures."

~Book: "Chasing Daylight"

I hope you enjoyed my review of the Willow Creek 2011 Global Leadership Summit! I pray that you were able to glean and extrapolate some great nuggets of wisdom from what I was blessed with over the two days!! Again feel free to email or contact me if you are interested in diving deeper together on a speech or two! 

Thank you again my dear friends and family members for taking the time to read my post!

In Him and with LOVE,

Cariann xoxo