By Tim Schraeder from Leadership Summit 2009
Dave Gibbons is the founding pastor of Newsong Church, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, multi-continental, multi-site church in Irvine, CA, named as one of the most innovative churches in America by Outreach Magazine. Gibbons also leads the Newsong Global Alliance, a catalytic church organization with expanding, worldwide reach into Asia, Central America, and Europe. The author of The Monkey and the Fish, Gibbons is a vision-oriented leader known for his insightful thinking on the future of the church. He brings expertise on “Third Culture” leadership and the top skills and experiences every leader will need to reach our global culture with the gospel.
> Sometimes things aren’t always what they appear to be.
> Two Greatest Commandments: love God, love your neighbors as yourself.
> There’s a problem with our interpretation.
> Who is our neighbor?
> We’ve defined it as being someone like us.
> Although we might say differently, our practice reveals it.
> McGavern said: “Likes attract.”
> We came up with demographics and targeted people that are like us… resulting in our churches growing and developing a consumeristic church.
> God has called us to develop a church that is contrarian.
> It’s not normal, it’s abnormal.
> It’s the path of a third culture leader
What Third Culture?
> Third Culture is adaptation
> It’s painful adaptation, it’s not easy.
> Third culture is the mindset and will to love, learn and serve in any culture, even in the midst of discomfort
> We tend to orphan ideas which leads to personal discovery.
> Jesus told stories that seemed simple but they were truly explict.
> It’s normal for us to love someone like us.
> Our call is to love people who are not like us.
The Third Culture Leader is Focused on the Fringe
> Focused more on misfits, not the masses.
> Most of us focus on those who are like us.
> In order to make a change in culture, you need to focus on the early adopters.
> The people on the fringe tend to be the ones who set trends.
Example: dooce.com
> If there’s ever a time we can impact culture, it’s right now.
> Those on the fringe and the margin lead movements.
> Vision typically starts in the center and moves outward.
> In God’s economy, the misfits on the fringe push vision inward.
> Jesus was the greatest misfit… he didn’t go to the city center, he went to the fringe.
> Who’s the outsider in your community?
> What Hinders Us from Loving on the Fringe? Our metrics.
Third Culture Leaders Have Different Metrics
Failure is success.
> Failure is our platform to humanity.
> It’s our resonance.
> It gives our voice quality to connect with our generation.
> Our weakness and failures are gifts from God so we can make a difference in the world.
> Most of the world doesn’t understand success, but they understand failure.
> We shouldn’t just look at financial resources, we need to look at human resources.
> How do you assess people’s talents?
> There’s more to people’s strengths… there’s their story.
> The most important thing is people’s story… do you have time to listen to them?
> When you walk through big crowds, walk slowly. See the people.
> We need to start seeing people with the eyes of the Father.
Our calling is lovely to us, but we need to see the beauty of it.
The world will take notice of our great God if we embrace the vision of adaptation.
