Lynne Hybels' Reflections on Global Poverty and AIDS

I've gotten to know Lynne over the past year, and she would immediately compel you by her kind and thoughtful presence. But don't let that make you think she is not a warrior. She has an unmistakable passion for wholistically serving people who suffer in the most desperate, poverty-stricken regions in our world. She is convinced that God has given the local church a clear mandate to address the needs of "the whole person in the whole world." And her passion has moved Willow into action. Writing has been a means for Lynne to honor her love of words and solitary hours, as well as being an avenue of activism. She is the author of Nice Girls Don't Change the World, and coauthor of Rediscovering Church and Fit to be Tied.

Here are Lynne’s reflections:

How inspiring to hear the stories of the incredible churches honored in the session this morning! Thank you, World Vision, for making the Courageous Leadership Award possible and for the example and inspiration that you are.  

I think the importance of the Courageous Leadership Award is that it highlights something that gets lost in most discussions about major global issues: that scattered across this broken world are groups of Christians actively fighting injustice of every kind. These little communities of faith, local churches, are like a network of “unterror” cells (I’m borrowing this phrase from Brian McLaren), each living out the gospel wholistically in order to be a blessing to their communities and to be living signs of the Kingdom of God.  

Years ago the leadership of Willow Creek was gripped by the realization that God’s redemptive plan is not just to satisfy the needs of the soul, but also the physical and material needs of every person in every corner of this world. As we sought God’s direction for the best way for us to respond to that global calling, we were led to partner with local churches in under-resourced communities in Latin America and Africa. On October 25, Willow is hosting a Global Poverty and AIDS Forum, to share the mistakes we’ve made and the lessons we’ve learned from our church partners. The injustice causing extreme poverty and disease is heartbreaking and overwhelming, but God’s agents of transformation, our brothers and sisters throughout the world, are offering hope where there has been despair. Join us on October 25 to find out how you and your church can join the network of “unterror cells” that God is using to bring healing and wholeness to his world.

And now we want to hear from you! What are some leadership insights or lessons you have learned on your journey of responding to global poverty and AIDS?