The theme of the 2005 Vanguard Ministries leadership summit, held in Virginia Beach, was "The Present Future: Prophetic and Passionate Leadership for Today's World." The conference featured as speakers leaders in education as well as cultural and church transformation. A team of GDI leaders enjoyed and participated in the leadership of this conference.

The theme of "taking the 7 mountains" that Lance Walnau introduced at last year's summit continued to be a focus this year. The 7 mountains represent areas of cultural influence: family, church, government, education, the arts, media, business and commerce. Last year a challenge was given to the Vanguard to become people and organizations committed to bring God's Kingdom to each of these areas of culture rather than only focusing on saving souls and building churches.

This year the challenge became more specific: God gave the network an invitation through Cindy Jacobs to do whatever is necessary to glean the principles and find the Biblical foundations that will allow Vanguard to truly become a cutting edge network that can serve as a model for other networks to follow. The network was warned that this invitation comes with a price. In part this challenge was articulated by educator Flip Flippen, founder of the Flippen Group, who participants to identify their constraints since "no organization can rise above the constraints of its leadership." He declared that "those who are unwilling to address their personal constraints are unfit for leadership." This strong challenge raised the bar for relationship and accountability.

Reggie McNeal (a third keynote speaker) challenged participants to "tend to their own souls," to slow down, and to find safety in community rather than by trying to "balance" oneself, which he said was impossible. Reggie's speaking style was humorous, organic, and strategically unstructured, embodying elements of the postmodernism that he has dedicated much of his life to understanding.

GDI's Greenhouse Project members helped lead corporate worship for the conference. In the ministry team context they modeled community and vulnerability during practice times. They also pushed out themes of creativity, collaboration and open space by including improvisational music, the reading of scripture within songs, and original compositions in their public worship leading.

The Greenhouse also helped lead an art-focused community leadership luncheon and a forum, both of which Doug and Charlene Fike hosted. At the luncheon Vanguard and community leaders heard from three different sources what God has been up to in the area of the arts. Marie Umidi (founder and president of TMCJ International Productions) shared about her journey as a leader called to unite qualtity drama with effective evangelism. Annabelle Wallnau talked about television and the prophetic gift, and the strange and exciting synergies of that combination. Jonathan Reuel, Eric and Wendy Good, and Mark and Christi Bovee talked from their experiences and struggles in networking artists and building community. They raised a vision of equipping Kingdom-focused, communal, God-centered artists working in different mediums to establish God's heart, mind and ways in the arena of the arts.

At the forum participants were encouraged to interact about the challenge and privilege of equipping and releasing artists into their calling. Spirited dialogue between church leaders and arts leaders followed.

All this served to raise awareness and interest in the wider Vanguard network about the arts. More evidence that God was highlighting this issue was the prophetic word given to Mark Neubauer, the graphic artist responsible for much of Vanguard's design work over the past several years. He was one of a few people called out in the public session by Cindi Jacobs.

Business and the marketplace callings continued to be encouraged and called out as well, with our own Eric Dombach receiving a leadership award.

Charles Buller also received an award for his role in birthing an innovative move towards Jesus among the Wolof of Senegal, West Africa.

It's been encouraging to be recognized as innovators within a network of leaders called to innovation.

The conference provided a venue for many leaders in the GDI cluster to gather, reconnect and learn from each other. Doug and Charlene gathered "the cluster" on Tuesday evening for a time of introductions, updates, encouragement and prayer. Included in this group were leaders from churches (like New Hope in Texas, LifeSpring in Indiana)the arts and the marketplace. Doug and Charlene encouraged cluster members to engage God expectantly and take risks by following the Holy Spirit, meeting people, and being ready to serve as well as learn.

Photographs: Photo 1: Jonathan Reuel, copyright 2005. Photo 2: Doug Fike, copyright 2006.