Just returned from an overnight staff retreat (Yes, just a few days after returning from the Children’s Retreat). Oh Lord, Kumbaya. (Emphasize any word you’d like in the sentence to the immediate left.) I work with an amazing team. Thirteen of us went to a Christian resort in NY and spent twenty four hours listening to God, goal setting, worshipping, and playing together. Some of my take aways:
1) We discussed the importance of inviting Millenials into key leadership (not just volunteer positions, but volunteer leadership positions). We need to stay young. (I feel like we had just gotten young 10+ years ago when they hired two punk twenty-something kids, Derek and I, to run the youth and children’s ministries, respectively. (I turn forty in July)). I looked around the room at the retreat and realised that we had late Xers and Millenials on the staff– lots of them. I spoke about the opportunity to recruit Millenials at Willowcreek and some of their characteristics. I had a first hand reminder at the retreat as to what that looks like.
2) We opened the retreat by being given three questions to ask God, a Bible, and 1.5 hours. During that time I was confronted by 2 Corinthians 6:11-13. Paul confronts the Corinthians that their lives feel constricted because of where they invest their affections. They felt like they had small lives because they had small love.
3) I blogged a while back about finding opportunities to embody Jesus while going to bars listening to my wife sing in her trio. I haven’t done that in a while do to this crazy month of speaking, retreats, and launching our family ministry. It’s time to get back to that.
4) Chris Yount Jones told us about an exercise her team to sharpen their vision. It was good, so we stole it. We had to write a six word memoir about where we came from and then where we are going.
Here’s my group’s results:
Our Past: External focus makes Grace vital again.
Our Future: Cross-shaped lives will transform Erie.
5) A prediction: The words “mentoring” and “missional” are going to transform our culture.
