GlocalNet

I couldn’t wait to see Nikki yesterday. For a week she’s been in the Middle East in Dubai while I’ve been at home washing (only one temp) and cooking (cereal and pancakes!). These days, she has her own itenerary and ministry—from women in our church both in terms of speaking and mentoring to church planters wives—once again speaking and mentoring. She spoke at a conference with Ann Graham Lotz. I remember when we got married she let me know real quick she wasn’t going to be Mrs. Billy Graham and would freak out if she ever had to speak in front of her—wasn’t going to happen. Didn’t matter—I didn’t expect I’d be Billy Graham. She has no problem these days jumping on a plane and flying to countries without me, and I’m proud of her for it. She’s a tough cuss! You don’t want to tangle with her backpacking—she’s like that ever ready bunny—just keeps on tickin! If ever there were two people who didn’t expect to be doing what they were doing or defied their circumstances or context, that’s been Nikki and me. A quiet, unassuming, and in-the-background type person has grown into a still quiet, but very deep and great speaker, as well as a practitioner of “missional” living. Yes, as a pastor’s wife, and, yes, as a mother, but also with her job. This summer, without me, she’ll be leading a team to Vietnam to once again work on education projects at the University in Hanoi providing both curriculum and training for education on dealing with children with special needs. Nikki, I’m glad I fell in love with you young—grateful for all you have been to me and the kids. Excited about our future. I love you.

I was overseas recently and was watching CNN when a story came on about Bill and Melinda Gates. It showed them in Africa visiting children impacted by AIDS. You could see their passion and love for the children and the gratitude of people who were receiving the aid. Later, when I returned home I was watching the news here in the U.S. and it had another special on Bill and Melinda and what they were doing in creating a new kind of High School

for gifted inner-city children. Once again, they were walking around and interacting with people.

Just about the time we would “spiritualize” and “missionalize” all humanitarian behavior as “Christian,” someone like Bill and Melinda Gates comes along and winds up putting all of us to shame. (Of course, most of us don’t have their millions and billions to do stuff with.) They are, no doubt, being “incarnational” with people that are hurting and I would say they are definitely living a “missional” life compared to most wealthy Christians. Undoubtedly, they would also want to “transform” certain realities.

This forces us to ask the question, what makes our work different—really different? Because of globalization, or as I call it glocalization, the world is connected. When I was a boy, I never dreamed I’d travel internationally—just going to another state was huge. Man, was I in for a shock. But, as I traveled, it made me own it—everything I saw. Cultures, food, cities, different races, all infected me and expanded my view of the world, God, and even truth.

I think the difference lies in the process and what we believe is the end game. First, as Christians, we believe we cannot transform ourselves due to our sinfulness. Christ has to transform us. Anything less comes up short. Second, as Christians, we believe what we do has an eternal impact—not just as long as our money lasts or our efforts can be promoted among others. Third, there is a dimension of love that drives us to serve—not when we are the richest in the world but, frankly, the poorest in the world.

Bill Gates’ model is un-reproducible. It’s great for a billionaire. If we have to wait until we are the richest in the world (which by the world’s standards most Americans are) it will never happen. But, even with …

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You’ll want to read Mark Galli’s cover story A New Day in Vietnam in the May 2007 issue of Christianity Today Magazine.

Dear Bob,

I bought your book, “Transformation,” at a recent evangelism conference. I am already halfway through it, and am enjoying it very much. I was struck by your statement that (paraphrasing) the church should have the evangelical concern of Billy Graham, combined with the social service of Mother Theresa.
Amen!

I am a pastor and church planter in a mainline denomination, and struggle with our tradition’s lack of emphasis on evangelism. By the way some of us talk (all about social service, none about evangelism), we might as well be volunteering for the Red Cross. On the other hand, I am always puzzled by the evangelical tradition’s lack of emphasis on social concerns. At any large conference in my denomination this week, there would have been strong and sorrowful prayers, perhaps even liturgies or vigils, for the victims and families of the Virginia Tech shootings, as well as prayers for an end to war, poverty and oppression, requests for the Holy Spirit to guide us as we seek God’s call to us to bring the Kingdom of God into lived reality on earth, and inspiring stories of tangible social transformation as a result of the gospel. I have experienced this week at the evangelical conference a great deal of inspiration, but also a feeling of living inside a churchy bubble that has little relation to the real sorrows of the real world.

You understand that I am not saying that our tradition is better—I believe that we are horribly handicapped because we have lost the theology (and practice) of evangelism. I just want to understand why most traditions seem to fall into one extreme or another. Aren’t both evangelism and social action absolutely integral to our lives as Christians?

Thanks for writing the book, I am truly inspired by it.

Blessings on your ministry.

The Rev. Susan B. Snook

Thought you’d be interested in this article by Ron Kenner in the May 2007 issue of Church Executive Magazine.

Don’t know if you’ll hear much from me the next 8 days—but, then, you may.  It will be a whirlwind week.  This past one has been half a whirlwind. Several NorthWood meetings getting everything ready for the big move into our new building in a few months. One meeting with a group of pastors of influential churches that are starting their own church planting networks out of their local churches—man that was fun. A meeting with many of my heroes for the past several years, Loren Cunningham, Jerry Rankin, Avery Willis, Bob Cresson, and Paul Eshleman of the Jesus Film in Oklahoma. They were helping churches mobilize to engage the world—the pastors there were a blast. Services this weekend were awesome—a special guest was here from a very special place who has paid a dear price for following Jesus. Monday and Tuesday we’ll meet with v360 guys from across the US working on strategy. Tuesday through Thursday, I’ll be with Todd Wilson and Dave Ferguson at the National New Church Conference. Then Thursday through Saturday in DC—diplomatic meetings. Then not much!

It’s all related. NorthWood is a church with a kingdom heart and a glocal vision—it’s bigger than just Sunday and bigger than just “us.” That means we multiply churches and leaders and now help other churches and leaders who want to move in the same way glocally. Conferences are ok, but action is much better—so Monday and Tuesday is my “how we gonna reach the US meeting” and then Tuesday through Thursday is “so you wanna start a church—and that means . . . . ?” Thursday through Saturday is big picture in the global arena—“how does faith, government, and development all come together.”

It’s all related—what would really be cool is if all the people I’ll be with in all the different areas of ministry and life were together in one room for 3 days with one agenda—glocal transformation—wow what traction.  The only problem is, most people don’t see the big picture—they just get part of it.  So you have to start at their part and move them to the “whole.” 

What are we about? Glocal transformation out of local churches started for the entire world to multiply disciples and congregations to engage the big picture of God’s kingdom. What does it mean? Everything.

This week has been one of the busiest, most focused, and most productive ever on many fronts. The time with Loren and Leonard earlier in the week was great. Spent a half day with Erwin McManus. That guy is so smart it’s scary. I drove him to be taped on James Robison’s Life Today Program. Robison is a super warm guy.

Spent Wednesday afternoon with a group of pastors all wanting to start church planting networks. I loved their hearts and passions. Tomorrow I head for OKC to be with Avery Willis and a bunch of other people wanting to see this world reached for Christ. God is moving in powerful ways in our world. Loren kept talking about a word that I have been learning about the past five years—convergence. It’s what I’ve been doing all week.

Christianity Today is doing a cover story in a week or two on our trip last year to Vietnam for religious freedom issues. Faith, politics, kingdom—it’s all the same

For the past two days all of us in this picture, and Nikki my wife who took the picture, have been working very hard. We started Sunday after church, worked until about 8:00 pm and then all day yesterday. We took very few breaks—had too much to cover and we were really into what we were doing. Both Loren Cunningham and I have written books on engaging the world through domains. His is The Book that Changes Nations, mine, Glocalization. We are working on putting together a process and system for churches to engage major global cities through the use of every church member using their jobs. But, enough said on that for a a few months—more later. Each of us brings different things to the table and we were trying to see how we could better serve the world by serving one another.

Those pictured: Leonard Buhler, a very successful potato farmer from Canada and now President of Campus Crusade in Canada, their city strategist Norm Schulz, Loren Cunningham who started YWAM, their “global engineer” David Hamilton, me, Dennis Jeffares who has lived and worked in Nepal and Afghanistan and now drives NorthWood’s work in Vietnam, Omar Reyes who is head of our Glocal Impact Ministry at NorthWood, and handsome Ritchie, one of the coolest interns we’ve ever had!

I’m still overwhelmed and mentally processing all we did. Prior to the meeting, our staff had worked for the past few weeks in preparation for this meeting developing man models, etc. We will keep most of it, tweak most of it, but chunk some of it! But, more on that in a few months. It’s one thing to get to hear some of these men speak over the years, but what an incredible joy to sit down with them and pray and strategize on the world.

Here are some observations from and about Loren that I took away from the meeting:

This guy prays with his heart. I love to be around someone who, when they pray, you know there is intimacy. Any speaker can get up and “fire up” people. You can’t force prayer. It is what it is in the life of a person.

He sees the potential of the church. No, he isn’t a pastor and his organization started by being focused on young people. But, the reason we’re collaborating is because …

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It’s weird looking at my book in Korean. I can’t read a word of it! Good Life Publishing, Inc., 3880 Greenhouse Road #216, Houston, TX 77084, 281.398.6636, info@goodlifepubinc.com, has printed it in association with Zondervan. If you know of Korean speaking people who would like a copy, give them this information. The cost is $17.99. The Koreans are my heroes. We need to learn from them far more than teach them anything.

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