In His Grip

 

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision for a seminar title. Having seen it as a popular salutation in letters from friends, I thought it might perfectly fit the theme of the leadership seminar we were being asked to prepare for two different venues in Africa: In His Grip—Leadership Strength in an Insecure World.

It all began with a request by my friend, Austen Ukachi, Senior Pastor of He’s Alive Chapel in Lagos, Nigeria to return after seven years and conduct a second strategic planning review with his leadership team. He explained that the first review in 2016 had resulted in a new vision and mission along with inspiration that fueled planting daughter churches in Benin, Togo, Ukraine, England, Canada, and even Dallas, Texas, not to mention fifty other locations around Nigeria! But with COVID and other significant world trends, it was time to regroup and consider what the next seven years should bring. Knowing the executive consulting experience of my friend, Todd Ostlind, I asked if he might like to come along and help me out and was delighted when he accepted. Not wanting to waste a trip all the way to Africa, I also talked him into extending a second week so that we both could provide a leadership seminar for other Nigerian church leaders as well. That is how In His Grip was created.

The two of us took off from Spokane on August 30^th bound for United Airlines’ new non-stop flight from Washington DC direct to Lagos, Nigeria. We never made the connection! Severe thunderstorms along the way resulted in a two-day delay. So, our strategic planning retreat had to begin with an all-day Zoom meeting conducted from our hotel rooms in DC followed by two more days of live presence once our eventual overnight flight got us there in-person. Surprisingly, the interruption was minimal, and the team seemed thrilled with the final three-day results of strategic review, SWOT analysis, and new goal creation. I can’t wait to see what these energetic, mission-minded folks will produce now in the next seven years!

After a lively Sunday at He’s Alive Chapel’s main campus, where both Todd and I were pressed into preaching roles plus attending a colorful, hour-long graduation of 100 young people who had completed their six-month discipleship course, it was time for our first of two In His Grip seminars—one in Lagos and one in Abuja, an hour’s flight north.

The motivation for creating the new seminar came from a sense that so much has changed in the world during the past three years that many in leadership positions simply may not know how to adjust adequately to the new normal that now defines the world. As our promotional flyer stated: Moral Relativism, Gender Identity, Radical Political Movements, Technological Tsunami—how should leaders navigate this time of global culture transition? We organized the two-day seminar around several plenary presentations by Todd on global trends and me on missional trends interspersed with small group discussions on local impact and application. We wrapped it all up with “Six keys for standing firm as God’s leaders in today’s world.”

We didn’t really know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the overwhelming affirmation received in both venues!

Averaging 125 participants each time, Todd and I were amazed at the passionate responses from young and old alike claiming they had been blown away both by the seminar content and our delivery style, which featured highly interactive PowerPoint presentations along with audience participation. “We normally go to seminars and simply listen to lectures,” several told us. “Having a chance to be so engaged in the subject matter is quite new for us. We truly have been challenged to consider how our leadership needs to change in order to remain relevant.”

Needless to say, we now have plenty of invitations for follow-up from this trip including continued consulting with Austen’s church, interaction with several church mission pastors, and dialogue with those who participated via WhatsApp social media. One thing is for sure, knowing how to respond with appropriate effort and wisdom is certainly going to require firmly remaining. . . In His Grip!