Lausanne World Pulse – Communications among International Christian Leaders
By Phill Butler
Where Do We Go and What Do We Do?
So, what do we do about the Bombay dock syndrome? How do we capture the richness of the “intellectual capital” God is giving his global Church each day? Then, how do we share it, learn from it and do better because of more effective sharing among leaders? What will it take?
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More and different kinds of meetings?
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More essential information passing through varied, alternative communications channels?
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Who will work on the vocabulary we need?
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Once we assume faithfulness, who will candidly explore the question of performance standards that empower comparison and communication?
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Is there a forum where these issues could be explored and new directions charted?
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Who sees this as a priority and will take the initiative?
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Who will put up the money and what will be “the business plan?”
What happens today in the Muslim communities of the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan has high relevance and learning potential for those working five thousand miles west in Islamic West Africa. What is being learned in efforts to “re-evangelize Europe” has high relevance to America’s secular cities. What God’s people are doing in the slums of Manila could be very important to those working to hold up the light in the favelas of Rio.
The ability to share information about God’s work across these boundaries is no longer a question of communications capacity. The Internet has forever put an end to that excuse. It really is not a question of money. The vast discretionary money held back by Christians and their declining giving percentages in the West make that clear. No. It is a question of will—and leadership: leaders committed to strengthening the way we communicate and work with other leaders for change. As that occurs, the kingdom will advance with greater energy and effectiveness.
Endnote
1. For more on this, see Moreau, Scott and Mike O’Rear. 2007. “Missions-related News On The Web.” Evangelical Missions Quarterly. 43(2); 244-248.
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Comments on this article
Phill, I echo your concerns about the importance of sharing quality information at the top leadership levels, although the deficit of good communication at other levels exerts a high price, too. There is no durth in the number of meetings, but we need to improve their productivity, not only for those who attend but for others who could benefit from a summary (indexed, please!) following. More organizations need to task a gifted communicator to attend key meetings where their role is to identify and summarize key information (doing so requires both background and skill). Then ask, “Who inside and outside our organization could benefit from this?” Most of us are at or beyond capacity in the quantity of information we are offered, but we all need better communication. Keep pushing us!
Ellen :: 2 Jun 2007