Thanks Andy for this very concise and easy to incorporate idea. Charity:water really does an fantastic job of engaging their supporters and giving them the tools and motivation to go from supporter to evangelist.

Gordon, great call to action! I really appreciate providing steps that people can take even those not directly in their church leadership. Do you have any samples or particular ideas for a vision statement for communications excellence? Are their any other ideas you have for lay members not directly involved with the decision making that can help bring this to their leaderships attention? Have you thought about maybe setting up Firestarter discussion groups through a service like meetup.com so that local, state and region discussion groups can network and share best practices?

Mike great interview, thanks for sharing it!

"If you take a trip up a mountain by yourself, you’re not a leader; you're an achiever. A leader takes people somewhere. And they take the people not only where they want to go but also beyond where they believe they can go."

It is amazing to me just how simple a concept that is and how in spite of having a dearth of "institutions of higher learning" how foreign this concept seems in our culture not just in business or politics, but across the discipline spectrum. Really, leadership it seems to me is guiding your tribe and other tribes to achieve what could not have been done individually.

Tim very cool blog. One of the biggest struggles I’ve had with faith is how to share it without being a “bible thumper” not because I’m afraid of upsetting or offending someone, but I’ve always struggled with out to do it authentically. I have no problem taking a stand pro/con etc. for something I authentically believe in but only if I can do it respectfully.

This reminds me of video clips I watched earlier this week for Dan Merchant’s "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers” documentary. In one part he manned a confessional at a pride festival and “confessed” the sins that Christians had exacted on LGBT people. I still don’t agree with many socio-political goals of the stated LGBT “community” but why are they individually any less worthy than God’s love and grace than I?

Awesome that you're doing this! I think it shows a real passion and leadership! I think as long as the core values and vision stay consistent and members really want to live them out, a bright future lies ahead!

Great insights Tim! As a big fan of Seth Godin, I think that the problem isn't so much with shifting paradigms but with how churches and their members see themselves. I know there is pushback happening against the happy feel good trend of Christianity-lite (as I personally think there ought to be) but the problem is with church (by way of their leadership) is a sense of institutionalism. Institutes don't react quickly; they flail about and die a long, slow death (see traditional media outlets evening news, NY Times etc.) Tribes are vibrant and dynamic and adaptable and can do these things even in the context of institutional idea (the Gospel). Jesus had a tribe and sparked a radical movement. I think it comes down to churches needing to be more tribal, less institutional.

We're currently doing a book review of Delivering Happiness the new book by Tony Hsieh CEO of Zappos. One of their key, self-identified successes and core values is delivering WOW through service. That's what this video does; it boils down to the most personal reason to wear a seat belt. What if we spent more time as Christians, delivering what it means to receive God's love by pouring it into the lives of others? Think about it this way. The Gospel is the Good News, why aren't we living it out more, delivering it in actions? Why are we content to let it sit in the news rack next to USA Today in the lobby of the Denny's? Are we fulfilling our potential in delivering God's WOW?

Tim great post! The Right Now! Vision is a nonprofit that is in its startup phase and from our experience so far, from the standpoint of communicating who we are and what our brand is about, I think having a Passion Statement is a fantastic idea and worth considering implementing. I believe ours would read something like: Passion Statement of The Right Now! Vision: We love teens! As unlovable as they may seem sometimes, God’s love, in steering them through the challenges they face is indispensable. Our passion is to share with teens the truth that God’s love, His eternal grace and mercy are unconditionally available, Right Now!
Please feel free to check us out! You can find our blog at www.rightnowvision.wordpres.com or follow us on Facebook at http://bit.ly/aP7gfs. We’d really appreciate your taking a look and letting us know what you think about our Vision!