Nov10 Next-Wave – Living Open Develops Community by John C. O’Keefe (Excerpt)

An Excerpt from the book “boneYARD; creatives will change the way we lead in the church,” by John C. O’Keefe

When we put our time into the lives of others and when we are open about our lives, we build lasting, open community. When we invite others into our lives, we naturally form community, but when we invite people into our Open lives, we find so much more. When we are closed we shutdown the possibility of any community. Sure, we can build a church, but we can never have true community.

Any time we become open and honest with others we are generous with them. Generosity is not based on money; generosity is based on time, on desire, on care, on empathy, it is based on being Open with each other. We find great opportunities to minister and care for others, and have them minister and care for us. To form community one must be Open; and when we form this community, God is in the middle insuring that grace walks with us.

How do we do this? How do we Open to others? The answer is simple; spend time with each other in life. Learn to love each other and ask questions, and accept the honest answer you receive. Do not judge or condemn, no matter what is shared, no matter how horrid you may think it is. Be available to others; make time to be with others. You see, if we are afraid to share our lives we risk the chance of closing people out. Jesus says, “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.”1

When I was serving at Fellowship, a woman came into my office. As she sat down, she just started to cry. You should have seen the office go crazy trying to figure out the issue. Finally, after several minutes, she composed herself and shared why she was crying.

She said, “In my old church, to speak with the pastor I needed to run the gauntlet to make an appointment. The pastor’s secretary would ask all kinds of questions to see if the reason I needed to talk with the pastor was a ‘valid’ reason. If she felt that the pastor did not need to be disturbed, she would forward my call to a secretary for one of the other pastors to handle and the gauntlet would start again.

But here, I just walked into your office – right past two other pastors and another person who just asked me who I wanted to talk with. When I said ‘Pastor John’ they just pointed to your office and said ‘go right in.’ I did. No one stopped me, and you were willing to talk with me, no matter what you were doing.”

When we are Open, when we love the people we serve, we desire to hear from them. We enjoy how our lives connect – in that, community is born. Think of it this way, community is simply a common unity. We have a point in which we find our common unity. While we do find that common unity in Christ, in the divine, we must also find that common unity in grace, in forgiveness, in Openness. Keep in mind, when we are Open we are set free.

John O’Keefe is the author of “boneYARD; creatives will change the way we lead in the church” (available on Amazon.com) He is a pastor, author, speaker and consultant. He is the founder of ginkworld.net, a place where our ancient faith meets the 21st century.

John holds a BA in Business from The University of Nevada at Las Vegas, an MDiv Drew University and is working on this Dissertation for his DMin in Leadership in the Emerging Culture, Future Studies from George Fox. See more at www.boneyardbook.com

1 Matthew 10:26 MSG

Tell a Friend About boneYARD; creatives
will change the way we lead in the church

By John C O’Keefe

Use this special code to receive a 15% discount: SEF3KC6C
Purchase on Amazon.com (search “boneyard; creatives”)
Website: www.boneyardbook.com

ASK yourself, what does it take to lead the church in the 21st century? Will the same skills used during the
Industrial and Information Ages work in the Conceptual Age? What personality treats of a conceptual leader will
invite the church to move past its current place, to be where God is leading? With churches closing faster that we
can plant them, is there hope of moving forward in the 21st century?

WITH the shift from the left brain dominance of the Industrial/Information Ages to the right brain dominance
in the Conceptual Age “church leadership” needs to redefine what it means to be a “leader.” Long gone are
the days of “Jesus as CEO” or “Pastor as CEO.” Long gone are the “Maxwellian” views of leadership and
the left brain dominance of such teachings. This book is designed to invite you to explore your right brain
and invite others to explore a right brain personality to bring the church back to life.

HOW do we make that shift? This book addresses some very important questions. Where are we now? How
did we get here? Where do we need to be? How do we get there?

The boneYARD takes you on a journey of leadership from the Industrial Age, to the Information Age, to the
Conceptual Age. The boneYARD is designed to help you, as a leader, understand this shift and gives you insight on
how to reach this generation for Christ.

What Others Are Saying About boneYARD

O’Keefe offers hope for the Church, but not the hope found in the cliches of the past, rather in the hope of the future. He challenges the dated misconceptions of the institutionalized versions of Church and calls into the future, to inform our now. He invites us to question the evolution of leadership throughout the history of the Church and to seek more influential alternatives. This book is a caffeinated clarion call to something better, an informed and insightful engagement that is a must have page-turner.
George Elerick,
Cultural Theorist, Human Rights Worker
Author of Jesus Bootlegged

If O’Keefe ever changes careers, he should consider bartending. He’s a storyteller, but also pulls a story out of you.
He has advice, but it’s the kind that makes you think for yourself. He invites you to sit, stay for a bit, release your
inhibitions, be honest, enjoy the company, and talk about what really matters. I want more. I hope he sticks with
writing. But, if he ever opens that bar, I hope it’s in my town. People need real bartenders who know the real Jesus
here.

This book does not suck. Thanks, John.

John Voelz
The Curator; Westwinds Church, Jackson, MI
Author of Broken Record: Enjoying the Music of Relationship Through the Hisses, Pops, and Scratches

I’ve been in church leadership for over 16 years and for the first time in a long time I’ve found a leadership book that speaks my language. boneYard challenges church leadership here in USAmerica (no matter how big or how small your faith community) to explore healthier ways to engage the culture of the here and now by inviting a left brain institution into a right brain world.
Phil Shepherd aka Whiskey Preacher
Co-pastor/communal architect of the Eucastrophe in Fort Worth TX.

“John O’Keefe has crafted an insightful argument for living into a both/and world of what is becoming a conceptual age. He invites his readers to see the church not as a static organization but as a living organism that can bring people to life. He suggests six personas for living into God’s creativity and grace that will transform and bring life to the church. This is a must read book for someone looking to step out into a radical way of doing church and life.”
Jonathan Brink,
Author of Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole New Christianity

John O’Keefe’s “Boneyard” will delightfully and convincingly educate readers on the recent shifts in the cultural
mindset and how Christians must comprehend and adjust to those shifts in order to communicate the gospel
effectively and intelligibly.
Frank Viola
Author of From Eternity to Here, Reimagining Church, and Finding Organic Church, www.ptmin.org

Albert Einstein observed, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created
them.” Insert John O’Keefe and his book, Boneyard: Creatives Will Change The Way We Lead In The Church.
John represents a different way of thinking that no longer sees church as a business to run but an experience to
live, a tribe to belong to, and a creative reality that spontaneously unfolds along the everyday paths of life. John
O’Keefe’s mind runs on a MAC and he is more likely to find Burning Man as a relevant model for being the church
than a Fortune 500 company business plan. What do you get when you combine a poet, choreographer, tattoo artist, photographer, and adventure guide? The Kind of thinking John says will revolutionize what church is. John O’Keefe may be the Pierre Omidyar (EBAY) as it relates to the way church exists in the future and the good news is that you will find this genius his book Boneyard.
Jim Palmer
Author of Divine Nobodies, and Wide Open Spaces

What Other’s Say About John

“Not only does John have a bright vision of the church; he has initiated strategies and networks to help the church
itself become visionary. One of the consultants out there I trust the most and learn the most from.”

Leonard Sweet, Senior Professor, Drew University

“I met John through his superb web site, and have interacted with him on e-mail. John is highly thought of, and
quoted and referred to regularly. As a person and for his web resources I recommend him regularly, and highly.”

Jason Clark, Founding Pastor, Vineyard Church

“As an entrepreneur, leader, and communicator, John is a catalyst for the kingdom of God in our emerging culture.
His unique and trusted voice has been highly influential in my own life and countless others.”

Jim Palmer, Author

“[Lindner] offers examples of prominent EC [Emerging Church] bloggers: John O’Keefe, founder of
www.ginkworld.net, “an emerging/postmodern site exploring what it means to be a follower of Jesus in today’s
world…”

NCC’s 2006 Yearbook {cites two 21st century trends: blogging and the Emergent Church}

Print PDF