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A Prevailing Voice Emerges for Canada’s Prevailing Churches

June 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Bill Hybels has noted that God is always in the business of building, and re-building teams.

This perspective is helpful when it comes to a staff person who leaves the employment of a local church to take up a position at another church.

But every now and then the powerful reality that God sometimes orchestrates the moving around of ‘Kingdom players’ is particularly noteworthy.

Tim SchroederIn that spirit I simply can’t contain my excitement in letting you know that, as of August 1st, Tim Schroeder is joining The Leadership Centre Willow Creek Canada team as a national spokesperson.

For years Tim has embraced and embodied the values of this ministry. As a board member of our ministry he has provided national leadership, helping churches across Canada to ‘prevail’.

Now as our national spokesperson, Tim will be able to take his contribution to this movement in Canada to a whole new level.

What does this mean to you, your church and to Canada?

  • You will now hear a compelling Canadian perspective as to how God is at work in our country.

  • As a Canadian pastor for more than 30 years, Tim’s voice will resonate with your cultural reality.

  • Tim’s voice will be that of a practitioner, not a theorist. He will continue to teach at Kelowna BC’s Trinity Baptist Church; the church he helped to build from a congregation of about 400 to a thriving faith community of 2500.

Watch for Tim’s voice to be heard this September 29-30 at the Global Leadership Summit!

What do you believe is the most important message Canadian church leaders need to hear today?

Filed Under: Community, Leadership Summit, The Global Leadership Summit Tagged With: , , ,

Random Thoughts from a Week in Atlantic Canada

November 2, 2010 By 3 Comments

Wrapping up a week connecting with church leaders, I’ve jotted down a few reflections…

  • Looking for a sterling example of a leadership transition? Check out the baton pass from Ted Yuke to Russ Conway at Rock Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • When you think of innovative churches, you might not think of one that looks like this. But this is Brunswick Street Baptist Church in the heart of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and they are doing some cutting edge missional ministry for the homeless.
  • Brunswick Street Baptist ChurchAtlantic Baptist University in Moncton recently changed their name to Crandall University. But that was just the start of the innovations for this landmark school. Now they’re talking about taking advantage of the fact that the Global Leadership Summit in Canada will now be in late September. The dream? To leverage the Summit as part of the school curriculum.
  • One of the most effective ministry partnerships I’ve ever seen is between two leaders from different churches, different denominations and different generations. But what Laurel Buckingham of Moncton Wesleyan church and Jerry Reddy of Hillside Baptist Church have done is nothing short of remarkable. Between these two leaders and their churches they have simply resolved to work together until the Moncton region has been reached for Christ. Inspiring.
  • Richard Jackson, senior pastor at First Baptist Moncton, is the kind of guy you want to connect with if you’re looking for straight-forward yet effective bridge-building ideas. Deep Water ChurchWhat these people recently pulled off with a simple neighbourhood barbecue is impressive.
  • If you’re ever in downtown Halifax and are looking for a church willing to do almost anything to reach their community for Christ, check out this place; Deep Water Church, and meet their pastor AJ Thomas. He’s quite a guy.
  • Apohaqui is a small, picturesque rural area about an hour’s drive from Moncton, Atlantic Community Churchbest known as the birthplace of Frank McKenna. But it’s also home to a dynamic growing group of believers, Atlantic Community Church, led by a great leader, Kevin Vincent.

Driving through this part of Canada on a beautiful autumn day, you realize you’re truly in one of the most breathtakingly beautiful parts of our country.

Filed Under: Canadian, Community, Joy, Leadership Summit Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Preparing to Pass the Leadership Baton

March 10, 2010 By 4 Comments

Last week I was privileged to take part on a panel of ministry leaders organized by Alpha Canada. The event took place just outside Vancouver, and was simply entitled “Join the Conversation.” Six of us “older leaders” (ouch!) were invited to engage in leadership discussions with about 25 leaders under the age of 35; and we had a ball!

In no particular order, here were my highlights and key learnings:

• Young leaders crave mentoring
  o My generation (the boomers) has tended to process leadership development as a solo sport – not so with the emerging generation. They process in community and deeply desire to be mentored by those who have gone before.
• Many have felt rebuffed by older leaders
  o One young person shared how an elder in their church had stated publically, “No one should have a voice in leadership until they’re over 30 years old.” While all agreed that we become more seasoned as leaders with life experience, such attitudes may be driving our best and brightest young leaders away from the Church.
• “The day of the expert is sooooo over!”
  o I busily scribbled down this quote from one sharp young leader. He spoke in response to a question about the difference in how the emerging generation learns, compared to “boomers.” My generation has tended to develop most readily by listening to or reading the words of leadership experts like Bill Hybels, John Maxwell, Rick Warren, and other proven leaders. Young leaders do learn from those who have gone before (see note on mentoring), but this flows from relationship, not merely professed expertise.
 

As I drove home to Kelowna I found myself both excited for the future of the Church in Canada, and at the same time challenged as to how to connect young leaders into meaningful mentoring relationships.

If we can do this, I’m convinced the greatest days for the local church in Canada are still before us.

How are you equipping young leaders in your church?

Filed Under: Action, Canadian, Community, Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Canada’s Secret Olympic Formula

March 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Like almost every other Canadian, I find myself scrambling to share my post-Olympic reflections. Everyone, it seems, resonated with a different element of the Canadian Olympic experience, whether it be the exuberance of the downtown crowds, the compelling stories of perseverance or the new-found confidence Canadians seemed to develop in themselves through this experience.

But for me my single overwhelming takeaway can be boiled down to a simple yet profound formula.

“5” multiplied by “X” equals “26”.

Let me unpack this.

The “5” represents the total medal “haul” Canadian athletes achieved the last time Canada hosted the winter games, back in 1988 in Calgary. The “26”, of course, is this year’s medal count.

“X” is whatever happened in the intervening 22 years to produce this five-fold increase in results.

Let’s be clear. Canada didn’t drift into that increase. Canada was not “lucky” this time out. Something very deliberate took place to see us go from 0 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze in 1988 to 14 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze in 2010.

In a word, it was leadership.

It took leadership to declare that 5 medals was unacceptable.

It took leadership to set a goal to see an increase in medals.

It took leadership to put together a plan to achieve those results, then to cast the vision, secure the funds and ensure execution.

Can you imagine what would happen if we saw that level of leadership multiply over and over in Canadian churches?

With the power of the Holy Spirit infusing fired-up, well trained and equipped Christian leaders, the results would far surpass just a few Olympic medals. The results would be a Church against which the gates of hell could not prevail.

What is your leadership development plan, and what results do you hope to achieve?

Filed Under: Canadian, Development, Joy, Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Oh Canada, What a Responsibility

February 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As I prepare for the last leg of my journey, which has seen me connecting with international church leaders in Frankfurt, Germany and here in Atlanta, GA, I make my way home with two powerful symbols dominating my thinking.

The first, and by far most important, is the cross. At every turn I was confronted with compelling reminders that we live in a world in desperate need of the gospel. From the passion of Christian brothers like Oscar Zamora from Peru, Gerry Couchman of South Africa and Karlheinz Zimmer of Germany, I was reminded over and over that in every corner of the world the message of Christ’s love is needed now more than ever.

But another symbol has taken on a new importance for me too. That is the Maple Leaf.

The warmth and respect with which Canada’s reputation is received worldwide is striking. As an American friend involved in international ministry said, “How I envy the way Canadians are received in every part of the world.”

But then he added seriously and, I believe prophetically, “You have a great responsibility to steward well your nation’s international reputation. You must use that reputation to advance the gospel.”

We may be citizens of Heaven, but temporarily God has given us a Canadian passport. As I hold this passport in my hand, about to board my flight home to Canada, I find myself asking “How is it that God would have me steward the symbol of the Maple Leaf in order to advance the powerful symbol of the cross?”

Has God ever stirred within you a sense of responsibility to leverage your Canadian citizenship to advance the gospel beyond Canada’s borders? How?

Filed Under: Canadian, Community, Joy, Leadership, Missional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,