I just came back from a strategic leadership conference held in the southern part of Spain. It was sponsored by Next Wave International, led by Mal Fletcher. They were specifically strategizing to reach Europe with the Gospel.
It was an invitation-only conference therefore I was humbled when Pastor Robert Barriger asked me to join him. It was pretty intimidating and overwhelming to interact with people of their level and caliber. There were pastors and leaders that were reaching their whole nation for Jesus Christ. Many of their churches were engaged in their local government, schools, businesses, media and the arts.
For three days, all we did was talk about the future. We had some of the top futurists in the world come and share some of their thoughts. We focused on the importance of the emerging church and the influence that churches need to have to make a difference for the Kingdom. I was greatly challenged as I realized that many of the issues that the Europeans faced are the same ones that we are facing in the States.
The Church needs to rise up and meet the challenge or we will lose our calling as the salt and light to the nations. We must be the city on the hill that cannot be hidden. It was encouraging to discover that HMCC is heading in the right direction as we are committed in the next 1.5 years to become the “Missional Church: The Church Beyond the Walls.”
Two verses that stuck in my mind throughout the conference were:
I can’t wait to share some of the blessings with all of you. Here are some pictures:
Overlooking Malaga from Mijas, Spain
Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea with the guys
The Mediterranean Sea w/ Pastor Robert Barriger