~~ Written by Willow Creek Association ~~
More than 20 years ago, Bill Hybels founded The Global Leadership Summit with a vision to bring the best of leadership learning to the local church. Fast forward to 2017. The event has grown to become one of the premier leadership conferences in the world—attracting a global audience of more than 400,000 people with a world-class faculty.
USA Today ran a story one time about a guy who slipped into a coma on the heels of a terrible auto accident. He didn’t stay there for 19 days or even 19 months, but rather for 19 years. They interviewed him right after he awakened from all that unconsciousness and asked, “How is it that you finally were able to start talking?”
“Well,” he said, pausing to consider it for the first time. “I just decided to start moving my lips.”
As I read the newspaper article, I couldn’t help but think, “If all it took to break out of a 19-year coma was to start moving your lips, why didn’t you give that a shot 10 years ago? You might be giving public speeches by now!”
Personally, I’ve never understood inactivity. Why a person would sit when he could soar, spectate when he could play or atrophy when he could develop, is beyond me. I feel sure Jesus felt the same way. A lot of adjectives might describe Jesus’ time here on planet Earth, but comatose would not be one of them. In the span of three years in “vocational” ministry, he performed dozens of miracles, healed hundreds of people, catalyzed thousands of conversations, set the stage for the most ambitious church plant in history and died for the sins of all humankind. He was the epitome of action-orientation.
What’s more, he sought out followers who shared his bias toward action . . .
Luke 5 says that one day Jesus was standing by a lake, preaching to a group of people. Needing a little distance from the swelling crowd, Jesus decided to continue his sermon from the water. He saw a couple of boats along the shore, left there by fisherman who were washing their nets, so he hopped into one and asked its owner—Simon Peter—to row him out from shore. Once in the waves, he resumed his talk.
Certainly Jesus possessed the skills necessary to row himself out to sea. But taking matters into his own hands that way wouldn’t have yielded any new information about the person he was thinking about drafting onto his team. Jesus wanted to find out what would happen to Peter when struggles or challenges came his way, so he put Peter to the test.
“Give me a hand here, would you, Peter?” That was the request Jesus made. And without so much as a second thought, Peter said yes. Of course I’ll help. Of course, I’ll spring to action when a need arises that I can help meet. Absolutely, yes!
More important even than the apostle’s yes though, was the motivation behind it. Pete’s yes oozed out of his wiring, not out of obligation. He didn’t know he was being tested. All he knew was a need had presented itself and that he was perfectly equipped to meet. So he met it.
Because of his solid bias toward action, Peter passed the test. Jesus finished the sermon, and kingdom gains were netted.
The whole thing seems so simple, so elementary, but be honest: Do you screen for action-orientation when you want someone to join you near the center of your cause? Are you intentional about seeking out the ones who, by virtue of sheer wiring patterns, will say, “Your dilemma is my dilemma, too”?
I was helping a Willow Creek Association church with a building initative a few years ago, and en route from the airport to the church, the senior pastor and I talked about this “bias toward action” concept. He told me that whenever he’s considering hiring someone new, he gives the person a driving test. Are they looking for the fastest lane? The shortest route? An edge on nearby drivers?
We happened to be sitting at a stoplight while he was telling me all of this, and somewhere mid-paragraph, the light changed from red to green. I waited a few seconds for him to notice, but no such luck. Finally, I couldn’t choke it back: “It’s as green as it’s gonna get. If you’re so action-oriented, then step on it! I’m dying here!”
Friend, it’s as green as it’s gonna get in our world. The doors are open, the path is clear, the harvest is huge and the time to act is now. I believe God is looking to pour out his favor on those who are hopping out of bed each morning ready to further the cause for his glory. Lead with a bias toward action. You will never regret it.
To hear more from Bill Hybels and 12 additional world-class faculty leaders, register today to attend the Global Leadership Summit at Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women!
I love the analogy with the driving test!