Collaboration: The Vehicle For City Transformation
On March 5th of this year, I sat in a crowded auditorium in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by over 5,000 world-changing leaders, each of us preparing to return home after three informative and inspiring days of teaching and training around the theme of unity and collaboration.
On stage as the conference's final keynote speaker was Albert Tate, pastor of Fellowship Church in Monrovia, California, passionately describing why our world will only be transformed with the gospel when ordinary men and women like you and me take seriously the words of Jesus to work together in unified fashion for the good of our city.
Recalling Jesus' words in Matthew 9, Tate said:
Jesus says pray for laborers. Don’t pray for the harvest, the harvest is plenteous. I’ve already done that, there’s plenty of people. But I need people that have a burden. I need laborers. I need people that want to work. I need people that want to work in my field. I look at all of the pastors, all the churches and all the leaders, they want to sit around my table, but no one will work in my field. We need to get up from the table, feasting, filling ourselves, providing for ourselves and get out in the field. I need people that are willing to go get in my field.
You can’t do it by yourself. We’ve got to do it together.
That's powerful! And, in hindsight, perfectly timed.
Little did we know that days later, eleven to be exact, a pandemic of unforeseen proportions would radically alter our lives, families, jobs, finances, rhythms, rhymes and plans for the future.
Like you, I can now confidently say that EVERY plan I had for 2020 was altered as a result of COVID-19.
That said, amidst all the changes that continue to affect and even disrupt our day-to-day lives, TWO truths remains the same. One, we live and lead in a city that needs HOPE right now more than ever before. AND, we belong to a KING, Jesus, who came into our world to bring hope to the hurting!
That's why I'm excited.
I'm excited to stand alongside you in this place we call home, living out the dream of Jesus so that every man, woman, and young person has the opportunity to experience hope in Jesus.
I'm excited to learn alongside you! Which is why we've hosted a Summer Leadership Series of interactive conversations that exist to help sharpen our leadership edge at work, home, and in our communities.
Next Thursday (August 20) @ 2PM, we will be joined by Dave Ferguson, president of the Exponential Leadership Conference and founding pastor of Chicago’s Community Christian Church, a missional multi-site community.
Dave will be encouraging and challenging us to lead collaboratively.
You can REGISTER for the conversation right here.
Finally, I'm excited to serve with you!
City Serve is fast-approaching. From September 20-26, our dream is to mobilize 4,000 volunteers to unleash over 10,000 hours of unprecedented compassion across the Metro.
We're partnering with amazing organizations like The Open Door Mission, American Red Cross, Omaha Public Schools, Abide, The Hope Center, 712 Initiative, Mission Church, and many more!
To find out more about City Serve and join the movement, visit withinreach.com/cityserve.
As Albert Tate said, I'm looking forward to getting up from the table and out into the field to join the work that Jesus is doing around the city! And I'm looking forward to working together with you.
We thank God for you and your partnership in the Metro!
Grateful,
Jed Mullenix
CEO // Within Reach