Redefining Experts

This blog post is going to be an event sandwich. I will start out telling you something I learned at the local Evangelical Press Association event last week and end up applying that lesson to the Lausanne Cape Town 2010 Congress starting tomorrow.

Well, I attended the regional EPA event last week with other media/communications/ministry people. It is always a good time to connect, brainstorm and engage with each other on key issues. One of the thoughts that came up was the question, "Who really is an expert anymore?" As we discussed and interacted the consensus was clear. The experts of today are not those who know everything about a particular subject. That is the 20th Century definition. Today's experts are those who can most effectively get the information needed on a given topic. They are the ones who know key voices on the subject, who have a solid foundation in the area and who can bring their knowledge and the information from others together into an answer to your question.

Wow, that is a huge shift isn't it. We used to think of experts as these eyeglass-wearing, socially challenged geniuses sitting in rooms with lots of books. But today an expert is ... well ... you. If you are involved in the community of people who care about an issue, if you have taken the time to build a foundation of knowledge and if know where you can look online and via different content streams for the right insights, then you are now an expert.

Now lets apply this very practically. Tomorrow the Cape Town 2010 Congress on Global Evangelization begins. This is the third congress - the first one in Lausanne was launched by Billy Graham and John Stott. This even brings together 4000 people from 190 countries in delegations. They have assigned tables and they are working on key issues that face the church today and in the coming years.

This event is your opportunity to deepen your knowledge, connections and information sources as an expert in various missions areas. By engaging in the event via the online tools I am going to share with you, you can tap into the key ideas and thinking that will allow you to be an expert for those in your sphere of influence.

Here is my challenge. I would like each of you to commit to listen/watch/read at least one piece of content coming out of Cape Town 2010 each day between the 18th and the 25th of October. Here is how you can do that:

Video:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/LGC_CT2010video

Podcasts:
http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/podcasts.html

GlobaLink locations:
http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/globalink.html

Online Participation:
http://www.lausanne.org/cape-town-2010/participate-online.html

RSS of CT2010 news (includes Lausanne blog)
http://feeds2.feedburner.com/lausannesite

Video Podcast:
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=397353785
direct link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/CT2010VideoPodcast
note: video podcast is not compatible with older ipods.

Audio Podcast:
iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=397353786
direct link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/CT2010AudioPodcast

All congress video will also be added to:
www.lausanne.org/conversation

Email newsletter (for daily news summaries/highlights):
http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=hr96nzn6&p=oi&m=1011244526119

You now have access to a flood of information that will help you to become an expert in key areas impacting the Global church. The only question is. . . will you take advantage of this opportunity

Every Discussion Counts

I don't know about you, but many times I do not see the potential in the people that God has placed in front of me. It is no critique of those around me at all - instead it is a critique on my own ability to see how God is working in other's lives.

So because of this struggle, I tend not to realize that those around me have so much to offer. Many times it is unintentional but it happens just the same. What I am realizing more and more as I go to events, work on projects and connect with new people, is that God has given each person we meet something to add to our lives, ministry and work. This is especially true of Christians who are listening to God and growing closer to Him, but I think God is even trying to teach us things through those people who don't know the Lord.

One of the qualities of an innovator is a person who is tuned in to what God is doing and saying through those around them. Innovators need new ideas, creative approaches and strategic thoughts if their ideas are going to be great. God is shepherding so many innovations towards reality through us and he is using these people to bring the creative solution together.

Do you listen to those around you? Do you pay attention to the ideas, talents and opinions of those that God has put in your life? Do you listen to those who are very different than you?

If you don't then you are missing out on one of the ways that God wants to communicate with you.