Regional Synod News March 19, 2018

It happened again the first weekend of March Madness.  Donte Ingram has the ball, he dribbles…three…two…one…Ingram shoots and scores.  Loyola-Chicago wins the game!  The first bracket-busting upset of the tourney.  Ingram’s last second shot has won the game.  With hands raised and the excitement and thrill of victory the other players jump on Ingram, their new hero.  I’m certain that if you ever played basketball there were times when you dreamed of that moment of becoming a hero yourself.  If it wasn’t a last-second game winning shot, how did you imagine yourself as a hero somewhere?

Two weeks ago I attended the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida.  The theme of the conference this year was Hero Maker.  Over 5,000 people were in attendance as we engaged in listening to main stage speakers and then were given the option to participate in different workshops such as:  Pursuing Multiplication, Church Planting, Healthy Ministries, Mobilization, Discipleship, Missional, Leadership, Marriage and Family, City Movements, Urban Planting, Multi-Ethnic, Multisite, Revitalization, Personal Calling and Holiness.  Dave Ferguson is the Exponential president and co-author of a new book entitled:  Hero Maker: Five Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders.  The book focuses on at least five practices that derive from the characteristics seen in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Jesus was the ultimate hero maker as he stretched out his arms and gave his life for us on the cross.  In obedience to his Father in heaven he said, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  Throughout his ministry Jesus was not only a hero but he invested his time and energy to being a hero maker.  Whether he was speaking to the crowds on the Sermon on the Mount, or feeding the five thousand or spending time with the twelve disciples he was teaching and modeling hero making.  Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matthew 23:11).  One Bible researcher reports from the Gospels that the ratio of time Jesus spent on training his twelve disciples versus time spent with the many was almost three to one.  The point is that Jesus’ ministry focused on mentoring his twelve “apprentices” to do “greater things” (John 14:12) by making other disciple makers to share the Gospel.  Here’s the paradox:  If we focus on being a hero, we may do some great thing on this side of eternity.  However, if we focus on being a hero maker, we’ll see the fruit of greater things happen through the people we mentor or coach or invest in through other ways.

In his book Ferguson shares five essential practices of Hero Makers:

·        Multiplication Thinking – “Think it!”  Hero makers practice the shift in their leadership from thinking the best way to maximize ministry in through their own individual efforts, to understanding that effective ministry actually happens through developing the leadership of others.  Jesus casts vision for sharing the Gospel to the ends of the world as he tells his followers, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).  Mission happens when others, equip others, who continue to equip others.
·        Permission Giving – “See it!”  Hero makers take the focus off their leadership and begin to see the potential in people around them.  They begin to say yes to leaders in development and give new leaders permission to fully engage in the mission.  Jesus said to a ragtag group of guys, “Come follow me” (Matthew 4:19).  They never saw in themselves the potential for teaching and leading, but Jesus saw people who could change the world.
·        Disciple Making – “Share it!”  Hero makers not only share what they know to help others follow Jesus but also share their life and begin to invest time in the development of leaders who will do the same for other leaders.  Jesus spent three years of his life primarily with twelve people (John 3:22).
·        Gift Activating – “Bless it!”  Hero makers not only ask God to bless the gifts he has given them, but they also ask God to bless the leaders they have developed and sent out.  Jesus turned over the leadership of a movement to his closest followers and tells them, “I have all authority and will use it through you as you go!” Matthew 28:16-20)
·        Kingdom Building – “Count it!”  Hero makers are no longer only concerned with who is showing up at their thing; they also count who is doing God’s thing.  Jesus told his followers, “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33 RSV).  The disciples listened to these instructions, and all that mattered was what God was keeping track of as Jesus mission was being advanced around the world.

What kind of hero maker are you becoming?  Are you mentoring or coaching or investing your time, energy and knowledge in developing an emerging leader?  Who is he or she?  Could it be that “greater things” will happen in the church or ministry where you are serving if there is a greater mobilization of leaders as more leaders today make heroes of others?

— Wayne Van Regenmorter