I like expanding horizons. I like challenging other people to think and rethink. I like pulling people out of their comfort zone and showing them what else can be possible if they would only be a little courageous. In my 13 years of ministry I have done a lot of this with mixed results. In some cases people become defensive and claim that they are just fine where they are, thank you very much. In other cases they look at me as though I'm entirely a crazy man. And yet in other cases, they cautiously test the waters to see if it's worth the risk. Only a few occasions have people jumped up and ran into the unknown seemingly uncaring as to what might happen.

One sign of a progressive church is when people try to outrun the visionary. My strength is in visioning.....dreaming of a preferred future and structuring the church to pursue it. So what happens when I suddenly find myself in a group of visionaries wanting to dream with me and pursue along side of me. To go a step further, what happens when people in the church ask me to expand my horizons; challenge me to think and rethink; pulling me out of my comfort zone and showing me what else can be possible if I would only be a little courageous?

For the most part, this would be a whole new dynamic for me. But I can't help but think that if I'm up to it, this dynamic can catapault the church further than even I can dream. It's a scary and yet terribly exciting prospect. I suspect it would be even more challenging to keep the church focused on the purpose of making disciples of Jesus. And yet, if the focus can be maintained, the potential for living into being God's people is limitless.