A couple years ago Tony Danhelka pulled together a group of eight key spiritual leaders in Chicago and called them Gatekeepers. In the group was Bill Hybels, Erwin Lutzer, James Meeks, James McDonald, Mark Jobe, John Eckhardt, Carlton Arthurs and Wilfredo DeJesus. This group initially got quite a bit of press but has been pretty low-key since then. 3 months ago I got a call from my friend Mark Jobe, who is a part of this group telling me that they would like me to join them. Being a leader and getting the opportunity to connect with guys of this caliber was too good to pass up. I told him to count me in.
Friday was the first time I met with these guys. We met at Crusaders Church and will continue to meet once a quarter with the next meeting at CCC. I don't feel at liberty to say everything that we talked about. They probably don't know I have a blog and would kick me out if I started publishing minutes from our meetings! However I will say this: at the first meeting I was impressed with their humility, their desire to learn and their passion for the church and God's Kingdom. As you are reading this I would love to have you pray for this group. The potential of this group to do something significant in the city of Chicago for Jesus is staggering!
Dave,
I remember talking with Tony D. about this group about a year ago when we met for lunch at Portillos. We sat and prayed for that group of pastors and I remember thinking how awesome it would be for CCC to be a part of a group like that. Thank you for adding one more thing to your already overflowing plate to join these guys! I would love to hear more about what the group is dreaming about!
Kirsten
Posted by: Kirsten | March 19, 2007 at 08:34 AM
Kirsten, one of the suprising things about this group is that they have yet to really find a purpose to put thier energy and influence behind. They believe that God is drawing them together relationally first.
Posted by: Dave Ferguson | March 19, 2007 at 09:52 PM
Why all the secrecy? What is the purpose of the meetings and who are the new members? If it is glorifying to God, then there is no need to hide, right? A couple years is a long time to be meeting with no purpose. Seems to me, some of these churches may have differing theology. Would that be correct? Thanks for your response.
Posted by: Jackie | March 30, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Jackie - it's really become more of a support group than a task-oriented group. So, we aren't really hiding anything. We just get together and talk about our lives and ministry. However, I believe God is going to use this group in the right time to do something together of significance. Yes, these churches have some differences in theology.
Posted by: Dave Ferguson | March 30, 2008 at 12:26 PM