Craig Groeschel Responds to Session 6
Craig Groeschel, senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, is at the center of so many innovations in church life, it's easy to see why he has been invited to be a speaker at The Leadership Summit 2008. If you know Craig at all, you are following that Summit '08 link to sign up now. My first exposure to Craig was watching the DVD of his riveting session from Willow's A2 Conference 2006. I've recently had the privilege of getting to know Craig a little bit, and I've been struck by his humility and desire to do whatever it takes to build the Kingdom.
Under Craig's leadership LifeChurch.tv has grown from its beginnings in a borrowed dance studio to serving more than 21,000 worshippers each weekend as one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America with 12 locations in Oklahoma, Texas, New York, Arizona, Tennessee, and Florida. (Did you read that? 12 locations!) The Church Report named LifeChurch.tv in the top five of America's 50 Most Influential Churches.
You may have already read some of the innovations happening at LifeChurch.tv, in Bobby Gruenewald’s response to Session 2, including an Internet campus for the church and another in the more immersive 3-D environment of Second Life. (You may have seen NBC’s Nightly News report on this groundbreaking move last spring.) Craig and Bobby also have a blog named swerve>> that is among my all-time favorites.
A dynamic teacher and speaker, Craig is also a continual student. Here’s Craig’s response to the teachings from General Powell:
General Colin Powell is a leadership genius. I’ll summarize his main thoughts, and then comment on what I think can be most impacting for a ministry leader.
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Promote a clash of ideas.
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Encourage a noisy system.
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Only people get things done.
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Maintain an open door policy.
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Probe organizations.
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Reward high performers. Remove those not getting it done.
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Be prepared to disappoint people.
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Check your ego at the door.
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Have fun in your command.
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Fit no stereotypes.
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Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
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Things always look better in the morning.
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Avoid war at all costs.
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Be prepared to be lonely.
Several of General Powell’s leadership statements could be summarized in a single statement: "A great leader must simultaneously lead aggressively and humbly."
I loved his concept of promoting a clash of ideas. He said, "Let a lot of flowers bloom." In other words, let different people express different ideas. Don’t be afraid of arguments. Some of our most innovative ministry ideas have come after aggressive clashing. I cannot imagine how much more productive we could be as church leaders if we stopped copying the latest success story and instead brought a collage of ideas to the table … allowing the God-ideas to rise to the top.
General Powell modeled strong leadership in his deep desire to hear from those around him. I appreciated the details he shared in his thought process when he invited younger leaders to offer their insight. The general would intentionally dress casually, sit at a round table, and remove as many barriers as possible to encourage honest participation. He talked about the importance of an open door policy and the need to probe effectively. Our ministries would be so much more effective if the pastor/leader wasn't seen as a dictator, but instead as a humble servant leader, willing to listen. Once the leader assimilates the information and decides the direction, then he or she expects others to follow as if it were their own idea.
I loved Bill’s question, "How does leadership change on the battlefield?" General Powell immediately responded (I’m quoting as closely as I can remember), "Everything gets compressed. We must go through the same process of analysis, but it must be done quickly." I relate this to leading in the church. We are leading on the battlefield. We must be able to analyze quickly and prayerfully make wise decisions.
On a personal note, I loved hearing the general say that he doesn't want to be known by the color of his skin, but measured by his performance. When I listened to Bill and General Powell, I didn't see a white man and a black man. I saw two brilliant leaders.
