Leading in New Cultural Realities, Part 1 - John Burke

John Burke is the Lead Pastor of Gateway Community Church in Austin, TX and author of No Perfect People Allowed, and a new book, Soul Revolution.

- What kind of soil do people need in order to grow into the masterpiece God created them to be? Is it possible that God created leaders to cultivate that soil?

- We don't have to fix or change or grow people - that's not our job. That's God's job. As coworkers, our job is the soil.

- Are you willing to get your hands dirty?

- How many sexually active drunk atheists do you have in your church?!

- What does it mean if we call ourselves Christian leaders, but our hands are not messy in the lives of the people Jesus Christ came for?

- Grace is the environment where people grow best.

- Are we leading people to see others through the eyes of grace? If you saw a Rembrandt painting covered in mud, would you treat it like junk? No, you would take it to a (M)aster restorer who could restore it to the priceless work of art it was created to be.

- Too many times church people make it difficult for people who are turning to God (Acts 15:19).

- The core problem of humanity is not behavioral. The source of all societal problems is broken relationship with God and with others.

- The good news, leaders, is that we can stop hiding, pretending to be something we're not - that's Phariseeism.

- What if we bring people into our small groups and they never change? Then you'll be like Jesus. [Don't forget about Judas].

- The branch doesn't have to work real hard to bear much fruit - it just stays connected to the vine. (John 15)

- Stay connected. Fruit happens.

- We did an experiment (The 60/60 experiment) and set our watches for every 60 minutes to help interrupt the tendency we have to ignore God throughout the day.

- Are you willing to get your hands dirty in the soil of cultivating this emerging culture that is around you? Tilling the soil with grace and authentic community... it will be messy, but it will be beautiful.