LeadershipConneXtions

Summit '08 "A Day Well Spent"

Well, we had a very good day this past Saturday at our Leadership Summit - Serious Leadership in Serious Times. (Mervin Charles speaking at the left)

I was not at my best in terms of being a host. I was feeling sicker and sicker as the day went on.

My apologies for everyone who was infected by your contact with me!  :-(

We had 13 different presenters doing 15 workshops. We've heard back from so many people that they truly enjoyed and learned from the presenters. The main complaint I heard is that you could have listened to any of the presenters all day. (Byron Borger speaking in the blue about discerning the times.)

PRESENTERS - Thank you for all your contributions to our Summit.

As you can tell, I've included a few photos from the Summit. (John Hilliard teaching on Time/Life/Priority Management)

That's a wrap until next year.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Whole Hearted Leadership (Steve Musser)

MOTIVES!

Why do leaders "fundamentally" do what they do? What drives us? How pure are those internal forces? Whole Hearted Leadership deals with the issue of motives.

I had known of Steve Musser for several years, but I just met him for the first time in the fall of 2006. At that time, he was the Executive Pastor for West Shore Evangelical Free Church and in transition to become the regional director (multi-state area) for the denomination. Steve had been a professor prior to that for many years. He has taught overseas. And he had his own consulting company.

Steve has devoted his life to teaching, training, and developing leaders. He has also devoted his life to serving both the church and its mission.

When I met Steve I found an enormously thoughtful and delightful human being who was just a lot of fun to be around. And, on top of that, he knew tons of stuff about leadership. Steve was able to work the Summit 07 into his schedule and the people who attended his workshop said it was outstanding.

So - we asked Steve to come back and do it again. And he graciously said "yes."

Please note - this is the only workshop offered that is a two-part workshop. Steve needed that time to go into depth with the model he will present.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Leaders on the Couch (Rebecca Rice)

SELF-AWARENESS!

It is a core value for the leadership development ministry of both LCI and LWCC's Leading Edge team. It is imperative that leaders learn who they are and learn how to take a look within, even if they don't like everything that they see there. Leaders must do this because they will inevitably "imprint" others from out of their inner life.

Becky Rice has worked in the mental health and counseling field for over 25 years and knows how to help leaders take the inward look and do the hard work about what they then discover. One of Becky's areas of expertise is the developmental side of leadership. She enjoys the mentoring process of working with leaders, helping them reach their fullest potential. Becky has been a college instructor as well as an organizational leader in the field of brain injury rehabilitation.

Here is a description of her seminar:

Leadership . . . it's not just about what you do and what you know - but who you are and how you relate to others. Perosnality dynamics, emotional intelligence, and one's "shadow side" fundamentally shape how an individual leads. This session will take a reflective look at the leader's inner world.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Training Leaders Through Athletics (Greisler and Claybaugh)

LEADER - ATHLETES!

This year's Summit has several workshops that are targeting "niche" groups and specialized interests. This workshop is one of them.

The realm of athletics has always been a "training ground" not only for athletes, but for leaders. Some of my favorite biographies have been about coaches and athletes who have exemplified not only dedication and excellence in their sport, but also displayed leadership, on and off the field.

Dave Greisler and Tyler Claybaugh will be co-leading a workshop on how leaders can be developed in the context of athletics.

Dave worked in the healthcare industry for 22 years. In his last five years with WellSpan, he was the COO of WellSpan Medical Group. After that Dave left to get his doctorate in the field of Public Administration and is now on the faculty of York College. He has published extensively in his field. Dave serves as a consultant in a variety of fields and provides executive coaching as well.

Tyler Claybaugh is the founder and director of Training Leaders Through Athletics and is currently finishing an MBA in leadership studies. He has worked with D.C. International where he was a regular speaker at conferences and seminars. Tyler is also working in El Salvador, leading an initiative focused on both ecomonic and leadership development.

This workshop will be a very interactive session that explores issues of personal identify, self-image, commitment and the "bigger issues of real success" as both athlete and leader.

A note to parents - this workshop may be of interest not only to you if your teenage son or daughter is an athlete, but they might want to attend it as well. If you do want them to attend, you'll need to register them as well.  If this is the only workshop your teenager will attend, then there will be NO RESIGTRATION FEE for them. If they want to attend the entire Summit, then the registration fee will need to be paid. If your teenager is mature, the Summit could be a great time for them to learn a lot about leadership.  If you have questions, give us a call.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Knowing the Times and Knowing What To Do (Byron Borger)

KNOWING THE TIMES!

In 1976, a very important book was published by Francis Schaeffer. It's title was as captivating and asked the provocative question:  How Should We Then Live? it was a study of our western culture and a recommendation for faithful and fruitful ministry in that culture.

Byron and Beth Borger, owners of Hearts and Minds Bookstore in Dallastown, PA, have been my friends for about 25 years. I am very serious when I say this - Byron is one of those rare individuals who has had an enormous influence on my life... how I think and how I process things from a worldview approach. There are very few people who have influenced me as much as he has.

And over the years, he has sold me a few books as well!

Byron is always asking the question - How Should We Then Live? Byron has an encyclopedic understanding of culture. And that is one of the reasons why I asked him to talk about discerning the times in which we are called to live and lead. Byron is relentlessly engaged with studying and interpreting the events of our times and then encouraging God's people to faithful response to those events.

If we live in serious times (which we do) and if we are called to lead well in those serious times (which we are), then we must first be equipped to understand those times. This workshop will equip you for faithful and fruitful leadership in our serious times and give some answers to a slightly reworded question - How Then Should We Lead?

By the way, be sure to visit Byron's website at Hearts and Minds.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Leading in Extreme Crisis (Brian Newman)

CRISIS!

Not something most leaders enjoy, or even feel comfortable dealing with. Yet, it is the stuff of leadership. (It is also one of the reasons why there will always be a need for leadership!) Sometimes the crises that we deal with go to even higher levels of difficulty. Brian Newman is well qualified to help leaders deal with crises in ministry and work.

Brian Newman is my very good friend and colleague in LCI. Brian is currently the Executive Pastor of Lookout Mountain Community Church in Golden, Colorado. Before that, Brian was a senior pastor of a very "culture-engaging" church in Amsterdam. And before that, Brian was the European Director of Christian Associates. In that role, he worked to develop "high impact leaders" who will plant and grow "high impact churches" in post-modern Europe.

God has used Brian in several situations where church or missions organization were in times of serious crisis. Brian says, "Sometimes leaders are called to stand in the gap when it is a matter of life or death for a church or organization. Nobody chooses such a calling, but God uses leaders to bring swift change to accomplish His purposes."

Brian is calling this seminar, "Re-arranging the Chairs on the Titanic: Leading in Extreme Crisis." This seminar will focus on four key dimensions to leading in the midst of a major crisis. If you are in an organization or on a team that is dealing with crisis, this seminar will give you insights to engage and turn around that situation.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Leading in the Marketplace (Dave Neupauer)

MARKETPLACE! The word is used to refer to the broader world of work in which we spend so much of our time and energy. The marketplace is as varied as the number of jobs we have. All of us want to make a difference for Christ in the marketplace. But we don't always know how.

You meet Dave Neupauer and you quickly discover there are a few things that are VERY important to Dave. Christ, his family, serving the people of God and reaching out to the world - Dave's life revolves around those things.

Dave Neupauer has extensive experience (35+ years) in both the business and non-profit world as well as the church and missions context. Dave was the General Manager for Sight and Sound and most recently is the CEO for Bareville Design. Dave is also ordained as a pastor/teacher and has ministered in fifteen different countries (with a special focus in Brazil, Russia and Scotland).

Dave is passionate about mentoring leaders and empowering them for their vocation in the marketplace. And that is the theme Dave will be speaking about at our Summit:  Leading in the Marketplace. 

Dave says it this way . . .

Full-time ministry . . . if you're a believer, then you're in it. There's no part-time classifications when it comes to being involved in ministry. Our service/vocation occurs exactly where our feet are planted. This seminar will look at our work in the marketplace as a calling, vocation and vital place of extending God's kingdom.

If you want to learn how to have a greater impact for Christ as a leader and servant in your place of work - this seminar will be both challenging and encouraging.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Lead On (Jon Byler)

LEADERSHIP! What is leadership? What kind of leadership is effective for our world today? What does Jesus have to say about leadership? And what difference can leadership actually make? There are foundational and fundamental questions about leadership that all leaders need to think through.

I was really glad when Merv Charles (a friend of mine and another presenter for this year's Summit) encouraged me to meet Jon Byler. We are very like minded in our passion for leadership development and for training processes that are contextualized for developing leaders in a global context. Jon travels quite a bit around the globe in the ministry of leadership development. And even from a brief time together, it was obvious that Jon is a person who thinks about leadership all the time.

Jon is the international coordinator for Global LEAD Alliance, an emerging alliance of leadership development programs. Prior to 2004, he lived and worked for 13 years in Kenya, where he helped develop the Leadership Training Institute. He has a passion to see leadership training programs developed around the world. He has published two books:  Seven Keys to Financial Freedom and The Heart of Christian Leadership.

For our Summit 08, Jon is doing a workshop titled - Lead On! that looks at foundational principles of Christian leadership. Jon will clarify the nature of Christian leadership and the signficance of leadership in organizations. Jon will also present a model for effective Christian leadership and provide a challenge for leaders to be highly intentional about personal growth.

Check out Global LEAD Alliance to read more about Jon's organization.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Excellence in Leadership (Steve Shank)

EXCELLENCE!  It is a theme that I have been "preoccupied with" for many years. I find that the best leaders think about excellence a lot. How can we lead better . . . more effectively . . . more fruitfully . . . doing the best we can with what has been given to us? This is the pursuit of excellence.

Steve Shank has a wide and varied leadership background. Steve has planted three churches in Latin America and two churches in Pennsylvania. For over ten years, Steve was a consultant helping churches and networks of churches develop missional outreach and church plants. Steve has taught in missions training schools, colleges, leadership training centers, and graduate schools in the areas of missions, church planting, and leadership development. Steve continues to travel and develop leaders globally, but especially in Latin America for Eastern Mennonite Missions.

Steve is passionate about excellence. His workshop will take a look at the "essential components" of excellence and how a leader commits him or her self to the pursuit of an excellence that honors God and inspires people.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Keys To Thriving (Merv Charles)

How do leaders not just survive but even thrive in leadership?

When the challenges are great, the resources few, and the consequences great - how do leaders thrive in those messy and complicated situations?

In this workshop, Keys to Thriving, Merv Charles (see the post from yesterday) will take a very practical look at four influential biblical leades (Esther, Peter, Abraham and Sarah) and discover how they not only survived, but did indeed thrive. They led and lived to tell about it.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Partnering With God for the Impossible (Merv Charles)

VISIONS AND DREAMS!

Vision has certainly been a "buzzword idea" for the last fifteen years. And for good reason . . . for leaders are those who dream great dreams and envision new and powerful possibilities, and then devote their lives to achieving those things.

So - how big is your vision? How expansive is your dream? Do you have a God-sized dream? And perhaps even more important - do you have a God-originated vision?

This is the focus of Merv Charles' seminar. Merv will help you navigate the waters of pursuing a God-sized dream in God's way. The challenge for leaders is to be highly responsible in the pursuit of the vision and, at the same time, allow God to be in control of the dream becoming a reality.

Merv has been involved in pastoring, church planting, cross-cultural church planting, teaching, strategizing with church planting teams, leading and developing leaders - both locally and globally. Merv is currently the Director of Global Ministry for Eastern Mennonite Mission.

Merv is one of those friends I really enjoy hanging out with. His insights are always thoughtful. He is transparent about his journey. His faith in Christ and energy for Christ are tangible. He is thoughtful and reflective and a stimulating communicator.

And, Merv adjusted his schedule and is leaving another engagement one day early so he can be with us.

Special Note: Merv is doing two seminars for this conference. They are seperate seminars and you can attend one or both of them. Each one stands on its own. Tomorrow's post will tell you about his other seminar.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Savoring the Scriptures (Deb Turnow)

READING THE BIBLE IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY CHANGES YOUR LIFE!

We all hold the Bible in high regard. We acknowledge that it is the Word of God and that it has power to change our lives. Yet, all too often, we know much of the information that is in the Bible, and yet our lives do not seem to be "all that transformed."

Leaders must know how to nourish their souls, fill their hearts, and invigorate their minds through regular engagement with the Scriptures. Leaders must also know how to create "encounter places" where followers are able to meet God in the Bible.

Deb Turnow is the Director of Spiritual Mentoring at LWCC. Deb is a spiritual director who is involved in the devleopment of spiritual directors, as well as the wider ministry of training people in the practice of transformative spiritual disciplines.

Deb has recently completed a module and curriculum called Savoring the Scriptures which is designed to teach people the ancient spiritual discipline of "lectio divina" or "sacred reading." In her workshop for this conference, Deb will be teaching leaders how to create small group environments where participants can encounter God, discern His presence, and engage with the Bible in a very intimate and transformative way.

Her workshop is especially designed for those who are working with small groups, but it is open and applicable to every one.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Time, Life and Priority Management (John Hilliard)

MANAGING ONE'S LIFE!

• Time - we all have a precious and brief amount of it.
• Life - we all have great expectations for how it will work out.
• Priorities - we all have trouble keeping them straight.

Last year, John Hilliard walked a lot of people through this workshop and we heard feedback from a lot of other people who couldn't make it to that one - PLEASE OFFER IT AGAIN!!  So we are doing that.

This workshop looks at the realities of time, life, and priorities and will provide you with a VERY PRACTICAL and IMMEDIATELY USEFUL approach to managing your life. You will come away with ideas, practices, and tools that can help you.

John has been a leader in the insurance industry for many years. Due to frequent moves in his life, John has been involved in many churches, worked in many ministries, and offered leadership guidance in many roles over the years.

John has a heart for developing leaders and is very gifted in the field of mentoring. John is on the core team as a trainer/mentor for the Leading Edge Ministry of LWCC. John also has a passion for missions and is involved in developing leaders in Latin America as a partner with LCI.

Hang out with John for even a short amount of time - and you are going to find yourself in a conversation about how you can grow and become all God has for you. One of the lessons John has learned is that the best leaders are highly intentional and wisely strategic about their use of time. He will share with you many of the insights he has gained over the years of his own leadership journey.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Finishing Well (Connie Milchling)

FINISHING WELL, FINISHING STRONG.

Jesus said we were to bear much fruit that lasts. That's a pretty good description of finishing well. Yet the sad reality is that too many leaders do not finish well. There are many that finish "so-so" and many others that don't finish at all.

To finish well and to have a legacy that is worth leaving, a leader needs to pay attention TODAY and live and lead today in a way that has the end in mind.

Connie Milchling is absolutely dedicated to finishing well and, therefore, living and leading in a way today that will make it possible to finish well.

Connie worked for many years in the business world, working as a  Vice-President of a local company before she took a position working at LWCC. Connie has had many roles at LWCC, but currently is part of the senior leadership team as well as the Creative Arts Director of LWCC. Connie has many different areas of expertise and has spoken at national conferences and church conferences on the themes of assimilation and people development. Connie has been a part of the LWCC Leading Edge team as a trainer and mentor.

In her workshop, Connie will provide biblical and practical guidance in finishing well and leaving behind much fruit that lasts.

Brian Rice

Summit '08: Leadership in the Classroom (Dave Vodila)

TEACHERS!

I bet that right now, if I asked you to, you could very quickly remember a good teacher you had as well as a bad one. And you could pretty easily describe what made the good teacher a good teacher and the bad teacher a bad teacher.

Teaching is both a high calling and a challenging vocation. The needs of students are higher than ever before. At times, the resources and support teachers need is terribly lacking. There are always plenty of critics to not only criticize, but suggest the "right way to do it."

This workshop is one of our "niche" workshops and is designed especially for teachers (and anyone else who works in the public school system) and aims to equip you for maximum leadership influence in the lives of students.

David Vodila has spent a career working in the context of the public school system. For 32 years he was in the leadership role of a secondary school principal. David's mission was to create the right kind of environment that teachers needed so they could do their work well. As the president of the National Principal's association, David has been an advocate for education on Capitol Hill, as well as a speaker internationally in many countries.

David is convinced that teachers can not only teach, but have a leadership imprint on the lives of their students. In this workshop, Dave will set forth a model of character sustained teaching (using the Fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23) and illustrate the growing need for students to learn from a caring, Christ-like teacher/leader.

Brian Rice

PREVIEWING Summit '08: Serious Leadership in Serious Times

The annual LWCC Leadership Summit is fast approaching.

Every year, either the end of January or first thing in February, the Leading Edge Ministry of LWCC sponsors a day-long event that is designed to encourage, teach, and empower leaders.

The theme for this year's Summit is:

Serious Leadership in Serious Times

The day of the Summit is Saturday, January 26, 2008.

We will have the same format as last year's Summit. We have invited sixteen presenters to come in and teach on a wide variety of topics concerning leadership. We have some old friends returning to teach once again, and we have a lot of new presenters, who we think you will really enjoy and learn from.

For more information and to register online for the Summit, go to LWCC website and click on the 2008 Leadership Summit icon at the bottom of the home page.

Also, beginning tomorrow, each new day will bring a complete description of each of our workshops, as well as the person who is presenting at the workshop. I encourage you to check out those posts in the days to come. Since there are 16 workshops, the descriptions will stretch out over two weeks.

Brian Rice