I hope you found my Summit talk stimulating - now I'd like to hear from you. I've posted some process questions and am hoping to get a discussion started around each one. I'll check back often and throw in any comments that I think might be helpful. You can also find resources and information about a workshop I'll be doing.
- Gary




Bonus Footage from Gary

Gary had planned a 45-minute talk and only had 35 minutes to deliver it. Here's what he didn't have time to say:

(Click the button with the four arrows to view in full-screen mode.)

08/11/2009 12:27 PM

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Comments
Roy 08/25/2009 10:39 AM
Is anyone else having trouble playing this video? It's crashed Firefox and IE on my computer.
Rahab 08/28/2009 09:59 PM
Gary~thank you for the re-cap of information in which i feel strongly as well needs to be embraced with openness to several options-but, rather proof of the facts through observances and education consistents. My question is this....How on earth do you supply leadership with the importances of learning to cope with New unpresidential strategies to help increase peoples interests--without at all well evolving hardship of any concerns and/or direction that the Leadership is NOT as strong as it should be? It seems that when parishioners 'at all' witness any type of non-excellences in stellular behaviors within the leadership itself---this event can take a rapid and vigorous down fall on the Faith and Strrength, and TRUST these folks have within a church setting to stay focused and not hindered. What steps do we need to proceed in a direction of thriving honesty and openness without shown desfunction and /or weaknesses in mega church organizations? Deleicate Subject I think.... ie. example: When NOT SO STRONG nurturing behaviors are shown in a previous church system that I attended ,and was a member of for 33 years..I'm only 46 yrs of age--so i witnessed much i did!! It takes a heated toll-and the desire of focus and trusted belief and visions become severely stagnent as well. I'm just curious......"Rahab" Our days are of vulnerability...and lay in the hands it seems of paper-glass canopies....interesting huh....???
Van 08/30/2009 06:32 PM
Excellent thoughts. Already Willow uses the model of supporting small, effective, underfunded organizations to deliver services to the under-resourced. This is obviously a better use of the power of our support than (for instance) starting our own missionary arm. Most of the efforts in this area so far seem to be in the DR and Africa - though on the North Shore campus we are partnering with schools, other churches, soup kitchens etc. to deliver services. How many other ways could we sue this model to evangelize, educate, teach and support the Gospel?
Bill 08/31/2009 06:03 PM
I attended the summit principally to learn how i could think outside the box in encouraging my students to do better in the classroom and develop perhaps best practices that could help my fellow teachers. I am teaching in an underperforming h. s. school with many students arriving here reading below grade level and not motivated to do better. My communication with the parents about their children's activities and performances has improved as a result of what i have learned. We have been asked by adm to look at each child's numbers to identify his or her strength/weaknesses. This has changed the way i look at the class, not as a group but as individuals in designing the instruction. Much in the way, one might give a micro loan to a specific individual for his or her business to thrive, i think now about what is it that each individual needs to succeed. Does this make sense?
Brent Mitchell 09/01/2009 09:28 AM
Gary, Your comments are needed and valuable. I am wondering if a culture change is not required that moves us from the inherited and endlessly refined leadership/management/heirarchy models that most organizations use as an operational platform. How have other organizations made this shift? Was it through crisis or incorporation of these principles at start-up? When something seems to be working based on current measurement criteria (which actually may represent a future crisis) how does the leadership -under the direction of a Board or other stakeholders lead towards embracing a new paradigm? It seems that it has to start at the top level.
Trish 11/02/2009 03:22 AM
Gary, I am listening to your comments not from the point of view of church as such but as a Christian school. I like the way you challenge us to be distinctively different from those around us - that is the main reason we established our school. But as we have expanded in size so we also have taken on the characteristics of the normal school organisation. Thank you for helping me to be aware of the antipathy we are currently failing under. I will seek God's will to deconstruct what we are doing and find new ways to bring God's love and nurture to the children in our care.
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