Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Bush Reaches Out to Church Growth Experts

The Bush Administration announced that it has teamed up with church development expert Kennon Callahan to develop a new strategy for the war in Iraq. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been working closely with Callahan for several weeks using the methods Callahan pioneered in the 1980s with his book Twelve Keys to an Effective Church.

Gates said, in an interview on Meet the Press, that “discussions about Iraq always begin with ‘what’s wrong with Iraq?’ I realized this was the wrong tact. Callahan encourages us to begin with our strengths. He asks, ‘What’s right with Iraq?’”

Said Callahan, “Surely, many excellent mistakes were made in the first years of this war, but hope is stronger than memory, and there are plenty of reasons for hope.”

Gates and Callahan quickly discovered that Iraq already has many God-given assets, including some significant relational groups (Shi’a, Sunni and Kurds), open accessibility (particularly its porous borders with Iran and Syria), and adequate parking. The country can use these assets to grow forward its mission.

This is not the first time the Administration has turned to a church growth expert for assistance in Iraq. Shortly before the war began in March 2003, presidential advisor Karl Rove and megachurch pastor Rick Warren wrote a book titled The Purpose Driven War. Initially, it was a big seller, but sales fell off quickly when the war turned sour.
Gates and Callahan are also planning to write a book to chronicle their journey together and to help other war czars achieve success. Twelve Keys to an Effective War is due to arrive in bookstores this Fall.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting way to turn the question around. Indeed what is right with Iraq?

7:20 PM  

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