By Jon Hietbrink

We can’t lead movements the same way we lead organizations.

Many organizations run like machines–they thrive on alignment, order, discipline, and consistency, but movements are like organisms–they feed on change, complexity, empowerment, and freedom. Mechanical organizations can be directed by insightful strategic planning, consistent management and disciplined execution, but it’s debatable whether organic movements can be led at all–like a swelling ocean wave, movements are something we catch, not something we create. So the question becomes, “How do we lead in such a way that we’ll be ready to catch the wave when it comes?”

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This summer I have had multiple conversations with long standing people in ministry about the word and calling of the “apostolic”. People that genuinely didn’t know how to talk about it. They were great conversations because the people were open and curious…not hostile. They really wanted to understand and know how we define apostolic on this blog and what we really mean here when we say this word and push people towards it.

But it made me think about many of you and the friends you have. It makes me ask this question,

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By Chris Nichols

Recently I got into a rental car that had every electronic innovation you could imagine.  I usually love gadgets on cars, but it was late at night and raining, and as I drove, the sheer number of buttons and special functions made it difficult to drive efficiently and safely.  Simple functions like turning on lights, windshield wipers, and adjusting mirrors weren’t intuitive.  They were obscured by other gizmos that had been added, piled onto the steering column and dashboard. The complexity of the car’s gadgetry interfered with the car’s foundational purpose and its effectiveness on the road.   This wasn’t the result of thoughtful design but someone’s decision to add every new idea engineers had devised into one vehicle.  It just didn’t work as well as it should.

The car was for me a symbol of what happens when leaders decide to accommodate change rather than lead it.

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You are an important piece in the mission.

By Brad Brisco

In regards to the cultural challenges that the church in America faces today, I am often asked, “What does the church need to do differently? What is the appropriate response to the rapidly changing culture? What is the first step the church should take towards having a real influence in the community?

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