“The truth is that loving our neighbor is not just a cross-cultural experience but an experience of the cross.”

Founder and Lead Pastor Newsong Church, Irvine, CA

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.

Dave Gibbons started with this message:

"Things aren't the way they appear to be".

Why is it that the commands in the scripture are so hard to follow?

1. Love the Lord your God.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

So I ask, who's the neighbor? McGovern said that, "likes attract". One of the reasons we join a church with similar beliefs.

- Demographics

- Consumeristic Church

God has called us to develop an "abnormal church" - the path of a third-culture (adaptation) (albeit painful adaptation at times)

It's normal for us to love someone like ourselves, but much harder, and much more beautiful to love someone unlike ourselves, someone we dislike, someone we disagree with.

- Margins lead movements

Steve Jobs understands that margins leads movements, and when Jobs makes a speech, zealots grab hold of his speeches.

"The fringe leads us", "the misfits", NOT the masses

*You can impact culture, right now!*

"The Third Culture leader has a different set of "metrics"

*Failure is Success to God*

Your failure is your platform to humanity, your way to resonate with this culture; God's gift to us, so we can help resonate with others.

Human Resources (typical things to look at)

Spiritual Gifts...etc.

How do we quantify vision?

- Human Resources Consultants

- Spend time at a retreat

- Craft nice statement

"Haven't we already been given the vision?"

- Love the Lord your God

- Love your neighbor as yourself

"I propose to you, that we need more relation-aries, and less visionaries"

Dave then went on to mention him and his team had went to buy a 50 million dollar building, but weren't able to get it. Dave then talked about how God spoke to him, and said, "Dave, it's not what happens inside the building, but outside." Dave then felt that his main task was to equip the leaders and so he moved on that mindset.

Dave would open his doors to anyone, he kept an open door policy.

"As you get multiple domains together, illumination occurs"

For a third culture leader - obedience is more important than passion.

There are four acts of obedience to start a revolution:

1: Deeper collaboration

- Not just a local church, but, city, or region, or nation, or more.

2: Communal Living

- Choose to live together, Love together, share

3: Prayer

*we don't believe in the power of the Holy Spirit otherwise we'd pray more often*

4: Radical Sacrifice [for the outsider]

- Would you die for, take care of, give up for, sacrifice?

Then Andrew Rugasira was introduced:

“Africa needs trade, not aid, to fight poverty.”

Founder and CEO Good African Coffee and African Trade Advocate

Andrew Rugasira is the Founder and CEO of Good African Coffee, an African-based social enterprise that brings quality coffees to the global market. Prior to founding Good African Coffee, Andrew was the CEO of VR Promotions, Ltd., Uganda's leading promotions and events management company, which was featured in president Bill Clinton's 1998 tour of Africa. Andrew was nominated the Young Global Leader 2007 by the World Economic Forum and remains an established leader in economic development. He graduated with honors from the University of London, and lives in Kampala, Uganda, with his wife Jacqueline and their children.

Andrew stared with a question for us:

Think of Africa, and tell me what you think of:

Do you think of poverty, HIV, Aids, death? Things like that?

If you were to ask me, I'd tell you that I think of opportunity. A while ago I went to a meeting in which I saw a group trying entrepreneurial things. For example: the occasion in which I went, the group was trying to use the convert solar power into energy using the sunlight in the Sahara Desert.

In Africa, back in history, the Conference of Berlin split Africa under colonial rule. Colonies were structured to export raw materials..

Integrity, to me is being truthful about things to get out of a difficult situation.

Africa, needs *trade, and not AID*.

People need to "lose bad perceptions and mindsets". Africa isn't interested or looking for pity, but trust and business. Africa needs a chance to become a trade world country.

After Andrew, Wess Stafford was introduced, and his story, was a very difficult one to listen to:

“Everything I really need to know to lead a multinational organization I learned from the poor, growing up in an African village.”

President and CEO Compassion International

Dr. Wess Stafford, President of Compassion International, is an internationally recognized advocate for children in poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion is one of the world's largest Christian child development agencies, partnering with more than 65 denominations and thousands of local churches in order to serve more than one million children in 24 countries. Though he’s earned degrees from Moody Bible Institute, Biola University, Wheaton College, and Michigan State University, his life experiences are what have uniquely prepared him for his role at Compassion International. He is the author of Too Small to Ignore; Why Children Are the Next Big Thing.

Wess began with this statement:

I say to you, that leadership without passion, isn't leadership at all. The gift of leadership is given to the leaders by those whom agree to follow him.

As a kid, I dealt with abuse in the mission house our missionary parents would leave us at while they worked for months at a time in Africa. At 9 years old, I had a moment of transition, from the loser, to the victor.

I would get abused physically, emotionally, and in other ways. For 9 months at a time, Wess and other missionary families children would stay in this place of abuse, before they were sent back to their respective families, but the missionary leaders in charge of this abusive mission's house told Wess and the other children that they were never to tell their parents, the parents missions would be negated, and lost. The leaders whom were placed in charge of the missions house were those sent because they weren't a good fit for missionary work, and so were put in charge of the children at this location, and through their resentment, would abuse and hurt the children there.

At 9 years old, Wess; before leaving his parents, after many years of abuse from the mission's house (under the belief he couldn't tell his parents, for fear of their work being for naught), Wess had held his mothers face in his hands, and his mother, knowing something was wrong with her son, asked him what was wrong? Wess replied in tears that he didn't want to forget his mothers face, and that he didn't want to be sent back to be beaten and abused, but before his mother had a chance to ask him what he meant. Wess was sent on the plane with the other boys, whom had noticed him telling his mother, and those boys went back to the mission house leaders and told them what had occurred, fearing for their own safety. Wess's mother was supposed to be on the ship en-route to Africa, but fell ill out of worry for her son, fearful and confused, she was sent back home to be cared for. Then, Wess told us about the discipline that he was put through upon arriving back at the mission's house. This was when Wess experienced his moment in which he overcame the great abuse he had been put through. Wess was told to stand on a chair in front of the other children, and then was given a candle from which both ends had candle wicks. Those ends were then lit and Wess was given the candle, and told to hold it; and as the candle ends started to burn his thumb and index finger, and his fingers turned red; the man whom had given Wess the candle told Wess that, since you have "told" your sins will cause a bunch of little Africans to go to hell. Wess then felt incredible rage, and at that moment, he decided he was going to hold the candle until it died out, to make up for all the abuse done to his friends, and to the children, and for the African children; he was going to win. As the flames licked at his fingers, and a blister started to pop, one of Wess's friends slapped the candle out of Wess's hand. Then after that happened, all the children scattered.

From there, Wess explained that an inquiry was made, and the mission's house shut down, and the people in charge stripped of their jobs and title, but because so much time had passed, unfortunately they could not go to jail for their crimes.

Forgiveness may not mean

Forgetting, or that it was okay

- Release from consequences of actions

- Reconciliation

Forgiveness does mean

Giving up the right for revenge

Wess was trying to make a point based on two things, redemption, and forgiveness.

Wess said that through God's love, he was able to forgive his abusers even though they would never apologize, Wess gave up his right to revenge. He said that giving up the right to revenge helps get burdens off our shoulders; otherwise these burdens are carried throughout life on our shoulders.

David Gergen was then introduced to us:

“A leader's role is to raise people's aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”

Political Analyst for CNN and PBS Former White House Adviser to Four Presidents

Editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and political analyst for CNN and PBS, David Gergen has served as a White House adviser to four presidents; Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. He is also a professor at Harvard’s School of Public Leadership. An active participant in American national life for 30 years, Gergen has a lifetime of experience in observing and participating in high-capacity leadership, which he’s distilled into seven vital elements needed for future leaders. The author of Eyewitness to Power, he firmly believes that by identifying the traits of other leaders (and learning from their mistakes), we can increase our own effectiveness and leadership potential.

David started with this statement:

Leadership is a journey, but that there are people who can help you along, and introduce you to the literature of leadership.

Begin to make people aware to the principles of leadership.

- Leadership in church = Teaching, and creating a culture.

- The exercise of leadership

- Leaders have to continually grow and get better

Reflective Practice = Learning through doing, leading, reading

"Not every reader is a leader, but every leader is a reader."

- Not many leaders reflect

Leaders tend to confuse motion, with progress.

As a leader, it's easy to fool yourself, so instead, be honest.

The admirable qualities of:

Nixon - The best strategist, see how history would unfold, and be able to change it.

Churchill (quote) - Someone who can look further back, can see further ahead.

Ford - The most decent of the president's he worked with, "didn't have to keep your back to the wall."

Reagan - Regarded by Gergen as the best President since Roosevelt." Reagan had this contagious optimism, and always encouraged people. He was a gifted communicator.

Clinton - Very intelligent, quick-minded, sharp. Clinton had a good resilience, and was always willing to get back up when he fell.

Then Gergen talked about the weaknesses of the four.

Nixon - All you saw was the brightside, and the veil would get unveiled when he trusted you saying you'd get closer to the inner cave. Nixon had inner demons that he couldn't control, Nixon was the author of his own tragedy.

Ford - People took advantage of him.

Clinton - Had cracks in his character, and made grievous mistakes, as he could have come clean and asked the American people for forgiveness, as the America people appreciate honesty.

Reagan - His weakness was detachment, trusting others to the point of detachment.

You should keep your hands on the wheel of your group, business, organization.

Great leaders have great flwas.

"All of us are flawed, and the maturity is coming to grip with your flaws".

- Self awareness

- Bright side + Darke Side

- Integrate both to be straight with yourself. Overcome your flaws so they don't de-rail you, and you don't hurt others.

"People who are good leaders can have very messy private lives."

For example: Martin Luther King Junior had a very messy private life, but never claimed to be a saint, but to atone for his issues, Martin Luther King Jr. would take more public risks.

"leadership doesn't have to be lonely"

- The days of a lone ranger as a leader are over.

"Now it's team leadership"

"If you want to go fast, you go alone. If you want to go far, you go together."

"Today's leadership is no longer ordering people, but persuading"

- People will always follow a good role model, especially nowadays, as they're rare.

1. Authenticity

2. Honesty

3. Well - Rooted

4. Communicates well

Keys to a good speech

3 elements - Retoric by Aristotle

Ethos - Personality and authenticity of a speech

Athos - Realistic and straightness of a speech

Pathos - The Emotion of a speech

The Flow of a speech

- Should be followed in this model:

Introduce should establish who you are

Introduce a little emotion

Break it up from time to time with humor

Body of speech, end with emotion

Finalize with a call for action

Personal Habits of Leaders

Self - Discipline is like self awareness about inner flaws, and how you lead your life.

1. Self - Discipline

2. Physically Fit

3. Endurance for hard tests in life

4 Building time into your day to reflect

5. Social Relationships

He was then asked what he hoped to find going into church?

As a parishioner he hopes for:

1. Inner peace, not about myself but about something large, and peace with the world.

2. Learn something, goes back and rereads the bible passages previously read, during collection time

3. Finding your moral compass

- Having good anchors in life. Religion gives you an anchor

- Religion

- Faith

- Family

- Friends

"Be the change you want to see in the world."

Then Chip Heath and Dan Heath were introduced:

Author, Consultant, and Co-founder of Thinkwell

Dan Heath is an insightful and engaging communicator, widely recognized business consultant, researcher, and entrepreneur. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and is co-founder of Thinkwell, a publisher of innovative textbooks.

Author, Consultant, and Professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Business

Chip Heath is an author, consultant, speaker, and popular professor at Stanford's Graduate School of Management. His unique research on what makes ideas succeed has been featured in a wide range of popular media programs and publications.

Chip began saying that, "there are certain kinds of changes that are easy to go through, and some that aren't."

- You need to focus on the strong areas, and ignore the weak spots

- Go with the bright spots in your life, and make significant change based on those bright spots

- Shrink that change, to re-moralize

For example, with the case of a young adults small group just starting up, start small! Get a day a week, like a Tuesday because people would want their weekends free, and get a convenient location.

Built into this process is a tolerance for failure, but Christian leaders equate failure with missing God. Failure, makes you stronger!

"Failure is an early warning sign for success"

"For instance: A guy goes to the gym to lift weights to build his biceps up, and he keeps doing reps until he can do no longer. He keeps going until he "fails". Does that mean he doesn't do it the next day? It's a process in which you fail, to succeed."

Failure is a necessity to create success, but through sculpting the path holes, you can create effective change as it makes that upward slope more of a downward slope, which is much easier to traverse.

After this, Bono was introduced:

Lead Singer of U2 and Activist in the Fight Against AIDS and Poverty in Africa

Bono is the lead singer of Irish rock band U2, which has sold more than 140 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys. A well-known activist in the fight against AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa, he co-founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) in 2002, The One Campaign in 2004, and Product (RED) in 2006, and was named TIME’s Person of the Year for 2005. Interviewed for the Summit in 2006, he challenged church leaders to mobilize against the ravages of global AIDS and poverty. Be a part of the continuing story, as Bono talks in an exclusive video about the church's inspiring response and about his continuing life journey as a "single issue protagonist."

Bono had been previously interviewed at a previous summit, and as such Bill had different questions for him this time around.

These are all quotes from Bono, based on questions he answered from Bill.

You said that you thought the church wasn't doing anything last time we talked, what would you say now?

"You've awoken the sleeping giant that is the church and I can't believe it can go that fast Bill. You've ruined my chance to poke at the church.

"Two pills being unavailable can kill a child, but now thanks to the church, malaria is 50% down."

"Had the church not woken up the issues on AIDS, we wouldn't have 1 million Africans with the medicine they needed"

"In the global village, Africa, is our neighbor, and we've been told to love our neighbors as ourselves"

"For me singing new music is a blessing, being able to come up with new lyrics although it becomes benign sometimes signing it years later; but sleeping in a tent in Africa, as the mist of the morning passed on, and seeing the African people walking, placing those who hadn't been able to make the journey, whom had passed away to rest, and it was astonishing and my song "Street with No Name" became so meaningful.

"Sometimes you don't know what you're singing exactly, and that's when things get interesting. I think U2's best work is when we didn't know what we were singing, as I think intuition is better than intellect; and have seen that in some of the songs we've sung without any formal planning.

"What bothers me is with this economic recession, politician could find money for bringing business back, but couldn't locate an increase of 25 billion dollars for anyone in Africa.

"I have a fear of denominationalism. I'm suspicious of it.

I've always been suspicious of it, but I attend any church,

and can get into the formality. What I really find hard to take

is a lifeless ceremony."

"I feel there's an honesty in humanity. I feel comfortable with people who don't care about looks, color, race, and so on. People want honesty, for you to tell them what's going on in your life."

"The church tends to separate itself from people." "

"I see grace as the way people behave in dire circumstances"

"I was walking across Central Park in a stink, thinking of giving up on charity, when I came upon a homeless man in plastic bags, offering copies of the Times. He offered me one, and it had the bold headline of, "Man on the Moon", and I looked at his bag as that had always been my motto, that if the men can reach the moon, we can do anything. So I took the rest of the newspapers in the bag."

"There's always resistance on the journey to equality."

"Does your sphere of empathy end with those in your denomination?"

"I challenge you to throw on your radar, and just do something."

Finally our last speaker was Tony Blair:

Former Prime Minster of United Kingdom

One of Great Britain's most internationally recognized statesmen, Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007. During his tenure he helped transform Britain's public services in education and health care and is widely credited for his contribution towards assisting the Northern Ireland Peace Process. He continues to be active in public life today, working as a key leader in the international community's efforts to secure peace in the Middle East. He also advocates on issues of personal interest, including Africa and climate change. In 2008, he launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which promotes understanding between the major faiths and increases understanding of the role of faith in the modern world.

Tony began by saying that he felt compelled to step out and lead. "I could see my political party going out in the wrong direction, and when I had to get up for the first time, they didn't want to hear what I had to say, especially as it was against the majority."

He says that politicians are like most people, they just want to be liked. Also mentioning that part of leadership is having that "irreducible core", something that can't be changed, or chipped away at. Something you would never yield on.

"He felt the final duty he owed to his country was to do what he thought was right, and that they could always judge him after, saying that, you have to be prepared to stand; or fall by what you believe."

"He also said that the position you're in should matter, but not to the point of stepping over your own beliefs, as that's when you should step away."

"Don't be afraid to change your mind and admit you're wrong. I also think doubt is best expressed as a deep reflection and consideration on what you're doing."

Tony was then asked this question, "Tony, your name has started to be associated with faith, how do you take that?"

"Faith has sustained me, giving me the courage to make my decisions." "Counting my blessings has helped me keep going, even through the pain and problems, I was lucky I got the darn job."

Tony ended with this statement:

"Leadership is a blessing, a gift you've been given which you can use to help others, no matter how hard it is; it's your duty to do it. Any organization, church, politics group, needs a leader, and without it, it just won't work. When you do something right, you'll find immense joy from your works. So if you can lead, it's a god given blessing, and you should take charge.

Bill then went to end the Summit, and gave us two bible versus to take home, plus a few statements and challenges.

Here are the bible verses he gave:

1 Corinthians 15:58 (New International Version)