Fly Out Front

You Got to Be a little bit Crazy to Fly Out Front

You Got to Be a little bit Crazy to Fly Out Front: Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement

© 2018. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved.

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The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 East 13th Street North Wichita, KS 67208

Published by TUMI Press A division of World Impact, Inc.

The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bible. A division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents

There’s No Right Way to Use This Book . . . . . . . 7 Be a Prisoner and a Fool for Christ: Sin Boldly as the Lone Screwball . . . . . . . 10 “You Are Here”: Sketch Out Your Place on Your Movement’s Profile . . . 11 Hide in Plain Sight: Be “Certifiably Identifiable” . . . . . . . . 12 Fly Out Front for All to See: Incarnate the Vision . . . . . . . . . . 13 Gather Disciples: Earmark and Celebrate the First Followers . . . . . 14 FormYour Own “Round Table”: Put Together Adhoc Teams for Maximum Impact . . . 15 Give a Certain Sound: Talk Up the Movement with Everyone, Everywhere. . . 16 Show before You Tell: Embody the Movement in Its Mantras, Images, Themes, and Stories . . . . . . . . 17 Recognize and Release Movement Leaders (i.e., ThoseWhomPeople Actually ListenTo and Follow!) . . . 18 Create Templates That Work: Standardize Everything That Makes Multiplication Efficient . . . . . . . . . 19

Collaborate by Adhocracy: Push the Movement Forward by Initiating Strategic Projects . . . . . . . 20 Use the Right Tools at the Right Time in the Right Way for the Right Reasons. . . . . . 21 Ensure That Your Movement Can Be Freely Expressed and Contextualized in People Groups and Cultures . . . . 22 Recruit, Select, and Empower Movement Ambassadors to Represent Its Interests and Issues . . . . . . . 23 Franchise the Movement Wherever You Can: Multiply Strategic Outposts Everywhere . . . . . 24 Let Freedom Ring: Catch the Wind of the Spirit . . . . . . . . 25 Connect with Movement Allies and Link to Broader Networks . . . . . . . . 26 Set Outlandish Goals: Don’t Be Squeamish about Going Global . . . . . 27 Be Neither Stingy Nor Patronizing: Share the Wealth of the Movement Throughout the Entire Movement . . . . . . . 28 As Your Days So Your Strength Must Be: Bide Your Time as You Endure Challenging Situations . . . 29 Mix and Combine Metaphors for Maximum Impact: Go Viral, and Never Stop Fighting . . . . . . . 30

There’s No Right Way to Use This Book

This little pamphlet represents some of the things I have learned as I have sought to steer and feed the wild and amazing people in the TUMI movement. Much of this is neither profound nor new, and I claim no wisdom in learning many of these lessons late. More than anything, they affirm my belief that if God is calling you to “fly out front” in a new enterprise, endeavor, or effort, you will need to “chillax” (“chill” and “relax”). You have to be aware of your need and desire to control, and you have to let it go. You must learn to be free, to experiment, to try stuff, to fail, and to be loose. You must learn to “fly out front.” God has used remarkable people to do incredible things for the sake of his glory, and often those chosen to do so must learn to be a little crazy, to actually fly out front, to be the first person to dance, to move, to act, to go forward. More often than not, movements occur because courageous people full of conviction venture forward, not knowing what they are doing, and if it will work. Despite fear, criticism, and ridicule, they stay with their dream, their idea, their burden, and determine to keep going, even if at first (and fifty-first) they don’t succeed. Sure, there’s a time

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8 • You Got to Be a little bit Crazy to Fly Out Front

to call it quits, but not after a healthy dose of trial and failure! God will lead us, so we need not fear failure. Often, to win the fight, all you have to do is to stay in it. As such, this is simply a collection of random ideas I have seen in working to make movements and enterprises come to life. There is no right way to use this book. Start at the beginning, at the end, or in the middle. Stay on a page for a month, write a paper on a principle or two, or argue with the advice offered everywhere. Better yet, start to write down your own insights into the movements you see that are growing, and incorporate those ideas and insights into your life and work. God is calling us to start new things, try different directions, and begin new journeys. You can do it, you simply have to begin the first steps. So, don’t be afraid. Take a deep breath, say a prayer, and mount your wings, like eagles (Isa. 40.28-31). You don’t have to agree with the thoughts here; test them against your experience, your insight, and the truth of Scripture. Start thinking about your idea, your passion, your desire. Begin where you are, take your dreams seriously, and recruit other folk to your burden and challenge. Who knows, God may use you to spawn a movement that goes on to solve some tough problem, free some broken folk, even change the world. Start small. Start today. Begin with this pamphlet. By the way, the lines of advice in this pamphlet do not end with punctuation. I think that only one line actually ends with a period or exclamation point. That exclusion was done deliberately – it emphasizes that more is yet to be written here–add your own endings! How ought you to use this little booklet?

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 9

• Use it as a devotional guide for reflection • Use it as an idea hunter for innovation • Use it as a dialogue starter for discussion • Use it as a heuristic device to interpret your experience

• Use it as a yardstick to measure your efforts • Use it as a goad to prompt you to action

10 • You Got to Be a little bit Crazy to Fly Out Front

Be a Prisoner and a Fool for Christ: Sin Boldly as the Lone Screwball

• Dance to the music you hear God playing • Be a prisoner of the Lord: commit yourself as a servant of Christ and his Kingdom • Be a fool for Christ: take no stock in or fear what people may say concerning you • Be true to the Savior, in all things he declares • Loneliness is intrinsic to heroism • Don’t be ashamed to be on the dance floor alone • Recklessly advance your cause (be true to self) • Ask God for thick skin and a tender heart • Follow God’s leading, no matter what

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 11

“You Are Here”: Sketch Out Your Place on Your Movement’s Profile

• Make sure your movement is worth reproducing • Demand fidelity on essentials • Participate in the biblical narrative • Create a constellation of your values • Begin with Sacred Roots • By any other name: what is your movement’s name? • Write your story in 300 words or less • Guard your mission statement carefully • Distinguish the essentials from the non-essentials • Select your Bible translation wisely • Sharing a spirituality together: ritual, liturgy, process • Get the story straight before you get it out • Trumpet with moxie and mojo • Know your movement’s story, and plot its place in the tapestry of the cosmic Story

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Hide in Plain Sight: Be “Certifiably Identifiable”

• Don’t be ashamed of your movement and its mission • If God has given you a burden or an idea, don’t hide it; start sharing it with others • Sign “on the dotted line” for your idea and movement; be open and public about it • Embrace your movement’s motto; wear its mark/logo; get the virtual tattoo • Ritualize entrance into the movement; make it a big deal for folk to join your community • Welcome all volunteers, recruits, and donors to your cause; beg them to go get others • Speak the same language in your movement; use the same words to mean the same things about the same stuff • Wear the same uniforms and apparels in the movement – remember and wear proudly its colors • March to the same beat (even if you dance your unique dance to it) • Produce stuff that movement leaders will be proud to show

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 13

Fly Out Front for All to See: Incarnate the Vision

• Help others see what the movement entails by your life and mission • Draft and apply your movement’s code of honor • Represent: serve as an agent of Christ in all your movement affairs • Get your pretense on: act as if your movement has already attained its great burden and end • Be the archetype of your own movement: serve as the plumb line of what you stand for • Guard your reputation (for the movement’s is intertwined with your own) • Who you are is more important than what you do or what you got

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Gather Disciples: Earmark and Celebrate the First Followers

• First followers are priceless: welcome them, and study their reasons for joining you • Identify the hangers-on and -around, and cultivate friendship with them • Shamelessly recruit everybody to the dream and cause (not simply to the movement itself) • Fly out front, but never alone • Make a big deal of those who initially catch the vision and risk being associated with your movement • You can’t plow and sow in asphalt • Remember: if no one’s followin’, you ain’t leadin’!

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 15

FormYour Own“Round Table”: Put Together Adhoc Teams for Maximum Impact

• Every Camelot needs Knights of the Round Table: identify and acknowledge your movement’s best leaders • Put out fleeces – pray bold requests for your movement’s success and progress • Make your most sincere pitch to your best and brightest to be leaders in your movement • Be plain on what it means to join, to be a part, and to work in the movement (for now) • Meet briefly, regularly, purposely with others who support your movement, and an awful lot in the beginning • Lead the movement; don’t pretend it will thrive without deliberate work and effort • Draft as much of the vision as you can; have dream sessions, and hold no bars! • Welcome defectors and curious folk; don’t try to socially engineer who comes; God will lead the right folk at the right time

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Give a Certain Sound: Talk Up the Movement with Everyone, Everywhere

• Identify the watering holes, and set up a soap box (virtual or otherwise) • Invite interested folk to come and chat • Train members to clearly, concisely, and powerfully communicate the vision • Convene your movement members often for inspiration • Set quotas for contacts: get your first 100 appeals in • Master the 30-second appeal: train yourself in all ways to be concise and incisive about your movement’s great burden and vision • Adopt and use selectively social media as the new megaphone • Pursue good leads rigorously; be skeptical of things too good to be true • Learn from the stories of others • Put it all on the table; then take it off as you come to agreement with others

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 17

Show before You Tell: Embody the Movement in Its Mantras, Images, Themes, and Stories

• Draft a movement motto and mascot • Testify of your best people and practices • Alumni gatherings count • Gather the pictures and the dramas

• Make it loud, simple, and bold • Say it with song and symbol

• Build godly tradition: it is not a dirty word • Earmark representative authors, folk, groups

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Recognize and Release Movement Leaders (i.e., ThoseWhomPeopleActually ListenTo and Follow!)

• Create transparent processes to acknowledge movement leaders • Respect levels and contexts • Blend a commitment to both hierarchy and consensus • Movements are fluid: go with the flow • Create a round table of stakeholders and key players • Acknowledge spiritual gifts • Allow for healthy experimentation • Hold everyone accountable to Scripture and the Great Tradition • Make room for the unorthodox and oddball, too • Coordinate around a big theme and controlling idea

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 19

Create Templates That Work: Standardize Everything That Makes Multiplication Efficient

• Create franchises, charters, and chains • Set up systems for empowerment, not for nitpicking • As much as possible, keep decisions as close to the field as possible • Use templates and protocols • Replicate what works; reject all else • Beware of privacy dragons • Backline support does just that; frontline workers do the job • Learn from the pros; but put your own spin on everything you accept

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Collaborate by Adhocracy: Push the Movement Forward by Initiating Strategic Projects

• Place a priority on managing by projects • Establish gauntlets for all potential projects • Make sure that all your projects flow downhill: focus on static-free events • Create on-the-spot ministry teams: celebrate adhocracy • Encourage all leaders to take risks for change and advance

• Embrace the power of one-time affairs • Put your money where your heart is

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 21

Use the Right Tools at the Right Time in the Right Way for the Right Reasons

• Find the right tools to strengthen your movement • Always explore and revisit the reasons for using your tools • Discover the right time to employ them • Use them in “the right way” (which means, the next, best way you-can-think-of to move your movement forward) • “Plunder the Egyptians” (Exod. 12.36): use anything you can to help you acquire the leverage you need to move your movement forward • Rent-to-own your technology; use technology, don’t let it control your movement • Distinguish axes from the arms that swing them; use stuff but depend on your peeps

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Ensure That Your Movement Can Be Freely Expressed and Contextualized in People Groups and Cultures

• Don’t feel guilty for effective work among homogenous groups • Expect dynamic, diverse groups to relate in unity together; let the receiving culture embody your movement in its own unique way • Remember that difference, in the end, will make all the difference for those in your movement • Encourage culture to display itself; let people be who they are • Accelerate contextualization in every way in everything • Share a spiritual identity and direction • Distinguish between conformity and congruence

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 23

Recruit, Select, and Empower Movement Ambassadors to Represent Its Interests and Issues

• Credential everyone who represents you officially • Provide folk with the authority they need to carry out their responsibility in your movement • Create boot camps for new recruits • Provide refresher workshops/events for ongoing sharpening • Supply resource kits which actually help people do what they need to do • Establish internships for apprentices and junior officers • Take the risk of representation • Give all soldiers their rations and munitions; don’t charge soldiers for fighting – give them what they need

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Franchise the Movement Wherever You Can: Multiply Strategic Outposts Everywhere

• “Teach your children well”: equip children to share the movement’s story • Encourage a “locally owned and operated” mentality • Restore a parish-oriented approach to representation: regional issues matters • Train all members to multiply themselves in the place where God has placed them • Create a simple protocol for starting new outposts, new officers, and new projects • Give freedom for folk to try out new stuff; reward the crazy • Denominate the phases of assembly inclusion into the movement • Start your own academies to credential your leaders • Make room for all types • Allow for various levels of participation • Train your own coaches and mentors • There’s no place like home: strategize to reach your Jerusalem • Go visit your folk often: plan to travel to Judea and Samaria • Look for wild opportunities to broaden the impact of your movement

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 25

Let Freedom Ring: Catch theWind of the Spirit

• Set aside time for listening, exploring, dreaming • Invest in “research and development” initiatives • Create a virtual suggestion box that you take seriously • Don’t take yourself so seriously: explore the ridiculous and impossible • Welcome tinkerers, newbies, and all skunkworks; reward exploration and innovation wherever you find it • Expect God to go before you • See what fires God is setting ablaze, and lay dry wood on them • Experiment, experiment, experiment!

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Connect with Movement Allies and Link to Broader Networks

• Pile-on! with go-getters • Follow the trail of new connections

• Invite allies over for “tours” and “pow-wows” • Find ways to support and help sister movements • Follow and track associations connected with your movement’s mission • See who is doing the same stuff, and plagiarize their best stuff • Co-sponsor: try things together with other folk like yourself • Don’t claim credit for stuff; share all victories, own all defeats • View no sister movements as competitors, but rather as allies

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 27

Set Outlandish Goals: Don’t Be Squeamish about Going Global

• Talk to every interested party willing to sacrifice • Visualize your movement as a worldwide movement • Adopt a concentric strategy: Break your state, region, nation, and continent into workable parts • Delegate responsibility to leaders according to vision and ability • Let every locale grow at its own pace • Encourage your sharing of an essential identity and spirituality

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Be Neither Stingy Nor Patronizing: Share theWealth of the Movement Throughout the Entire Movement

• Give stuff away • Reward duty and diligence with resources and authority • Create “hospitable” policies among all movement members • Support and underwrite select movement ministries • Establish projects to express generosity • Create supply lines of support • Boast a common pot; own the adage “One score, one team” • Bless initiative and industry that affirms our unity

Proverbs on How to Start an Enterprise or Lead a Movement • 29

As Your Days So Your Strength Must Be: Bide Your Time as You Endure Challenging Situations

• Choose your battles wisely • Expect things to be chaotic in battle; stay calm • Don’t force commitment from anyone; be an all-volunteer army • Allow for the right time for everything • Let the pot simmer, but don’t watch it boil; learn patience • Pray and wait for things to bubble up; don’t try to force critical mass

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Mix and Combine Metaphors for Maximum Impact: Go Viral, and Never Stop Fighting

• Know your history if you intend to make more of it • Expect (and encourage) spin-offs, offshoots, and tributaries • Plagiarize effective movements everywhere • Don’t fear “hostile takeovers”; anything started will change over time

The Bottom Line Trust in the Lord and wait on his leading; in the end, that is all your movement needs to attain his will (Prov. 3.5-6)!