Living Hope Team Challenged at The Global Leadership Summit

On Thursday and Friday, August 11-12, Pastor Sam Hamstra and Pastor Chris Cano, along with Ann Payne and Melissa Holtrop, joined a worldwide gathering of 150,000 leaders in more than 80 countries for The Global Leadership Summit at a satellite location in Matteson, Illinois. The Summit, developed by the Willow Creek Association and hosted by Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, exists to transform Christian leaders around the world with an injection of vision, skill development, and inspiration for the sake of the local church.

“Here at the Summit, we believe that leadership really matters,” began Pastor Bill Hybels, founder and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. “Everyone wins when a leader gets better—and we believe that every leader can get better—if they want to. Your presence is proof positive that you want to get better.”

As part of the first morning alone, leaders were: provided wisdom and advice by Hybels to deal with the challenging people in their churches and organizations; challenged to “believe in the future by creating it first” by Len Schlesinger, president of Babson College; and, encouraged to “stand up on your blessings and move forward” by Mayor Cory Booker (Newark, New Jersey). Other speakers for the two-day event included Seth Godin, Mama Maggie Gobran, Michelle Rhee, Dr. Henry Cloud, John Dickson, Patrick Lencioni, and Erwin McManus.

The final speaker on the first day particularly spoke to the Living Hope Church staff. Steven Furtick, lead pastor of Elevation Church, planted his church in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2006. His message, titled “Audacious Faith,” challenged everyone to dig ditches, referencing 2 Kings 3:16-17, where God spoke through Elisha and provided water for the armies of Judah and Israel on their way to Moab.

“And he said, ‘This is what the LORD says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink.’”

Furtick emphasized, “if you want to see the land filled with some water, dig some ditches. ... Faith believes it before it sees it.”

“It was an encouraging and inspiring time with my co-workers,” said Pastor Hamstra. “Personally, I was encouraged to ask God to make the next five years of my pastoral ministry the best of my career. I hope He answers that prayer in ways beyond my imagination.”