Friday, June 29, 2007

Buzz Conference - Friday 29 June 2007 - Mark Batterson















Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, DC closed out the Buzz Conference with his final talk.

Mark continued his earlier talk on The Spy Rules:

  • Spy Rule #5 - Assume you are under surveillance.

    • people will only be as vulnerable as their leader.

    • the greatest freedom is having nothing to prove.

    • don't be afraid to cry publically (john 11:35)

    • quit trying to be a pastor and start being yourself.

  • #6 - Blend into the Crowd

    • We are to incarnate Christ into our neighborhoods

    • There are 4 potential responses to culture

      • ignore it
      • imitate it
      • condemn it
      • redeem, engage, and create it

    • Jesus didn't hang out at synagogues; he hung out at wells.
    • Coffeehouses are the postmodern wells.

  • #7 - Avoid Defensiveness at all Costs

    • it can be detected.

    • stay in the offense

    • The enemy uses guilt and fear to put us on the defensive.

    • When you are criticized, it's easy to spend too much time on defense.

    • Erwin McManus says that we should not let criticism penetrate our hearts unless it's processed through the filter of Scripture.

    • Criticism should be regarded in proportion to the degree to which the criticizer is close to you relationally.

    • Don't allow negativity to take root in your staff or in your church.

    • Start every meeting with sharing wins.

    • You cannot preach out of your discouragement or an angry spirit.

  • #8 - Be Aware of Your Environment at all Times

    • Be a first class noticer of groups and of individuals (e.g. Genesis 40:7 when David notices the dejection of Pharaoh's officials)

      • Read minds and read rooms

    • We grossly underestimate the way that subtle differences in our environment can affect us.

      • When we think of the DoubleTree Hotel, the first thing that we think about are the cookies!

      • What stands out about the Fractured Prune is that when you visit the first time, they offer you a free donut of your choice.

      • Many chapters of the book of Exodus are devoted to the details of the interior design of the Temple.

  • #9 - Never Go Against Your Gut

    • "I'd rather be biblically correct than politically correct."

    • We live in a culture where it's wrong to say, 'It's wrong.'"

    • We need more guts in

      • preaching
      • evangelism
      • leadership.

    • "The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the difficult decision that you refuse to make."

  • #10 - Don't look back!

    • We need to be casting vision more frequently.,

    • NCC does this in a number of ways

      • Leadership Retreat for all leaders (including Small Group Leaders) at the beginning of the year - paid for by NCC

      • Quarterly Leadership Summits

      • Monthly podcasts

      • Etc.

    • RK Kendall's book The Anointing: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow asks if we are living under the anointing today or are we living on the momentum of yesterday's anointing?

      • If we don't experience an anointing every day, then it's only a matter of time before we become yesterday's man.
- Metapost to all Buzz Conference posts

- graphic by kind permission of snaptography

No comments: