The Monkey and the Fish--BLOG TOUR

Dave Gibbons has picked here as one of his stops for The Monkey and the Fish blog tour. (Visit his other stops.)

As part of the tour, I got the chance to ask him whatever questions I wanted about his new book. I read his book. It's a rush. You should get it. I know you'd enjoy it. Sneak peak below.

ME: In essence, your book is based on the premise that the local church is full of a bunch of monkeys who have lost perspective. And, in their excitement, they’re getting caught in the evangelism rut of good intentions with disastrous results—we’re actually killing the people we’re trying to save.

Dave, I don’t want to be a monkey; but it’s overwhelming to think about where to start when we see how big the gap really is. What are three ways to start changing our perspective? Where do we begin?

DAVE: Kem, great questions! It’s a journey. This is not something that typically happens overnight. In consulting, one realizes that the shifts have to deal with mindsets, knowledge and skills. To change mindsets and perspectives are usually the most difficult because they deal with habits of belief. When push comes to shove, we often fall back on our default thinking and then methodologies.

Hence, to begin the journey here are some practical thoughts and actions:

• Live in intersections. Find places where cultures and domains intersect and stay there awhile. Every city has ethnic enclaves that are different than you. Walk these streets. Eat in their restaurants or from their food carts or if you’re in LA from the Kogi Truck! (If you don’t know what this is, Google it. You’ll love this new fusion food). Ask questions. Learn new languages. Regularly hang out with people different than you. Read authors outside the evangelical mainstream. Attend conferences that just don’t represent one culture whether that’s ethnic culture or sector related culture. The truth is our conferences have typically the same speakers and the same tone. The creativity actually comes from the fringe which includes voices and faces that are not in the public limelight. Look at the TED conferences (TED is a growing movement of thought leaders, creatives and innovators), the people who usually speak at TED are typically unknowns and the people in the audience are actually the famous ones like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. But who would we ask to be at our typical church conferences? This is where the monkeys learn how to swim. The more you cross domains the more you’ll be in the center of creativity, accelerated learning and innovation.
  
• Embrace painful adaptation... as a norm in our live. When we adapt to the “fish” in our cultures, it’s not normative especially if we’re land creatures. Consuming new foods, learning languages and customs is fun but is challenging. So while cross-cultural activity is embraced in theory when it comes to the relational, practical aspects it can be extremely difficult.
  
• Believe the locals know more than you do and God is already there. Who really discovered the West? Lewis and Clark. . . well, probably the Indians who guided them or upon whose trials they walked upon. The locals know more than we do. We don’t have to have the plan. They most likely already know the currents of their culture and possibly even ours! Our challenge is to discover the locals that God already has anointed and find how we can humbly support them. To become liquid requires an identification of the leaders God is already using versus creating a “unique” strategy to swim with the fish. It’s a willingness to be more of a support than a leader. Our adaptive, liquid teams see themselves as Special Forces Unit. Our teams go in and find the revolutionaries, support them, let them lead and take the credit, and then quietly leave. We’ve done this in multiple endeavors around the world.
  
• Be a listener more than a leader. Listening is a lost art especially in the West. Not just listening to repeat but listening to understand. Great listening demonstrates humility as a leader. As we listen we not only learn and grow we affirm the one we are listening to and honor them. The great leaders are great listeners. Ask someone close to you today if you listen well. Adaptation to the fish begins here.

ME: Where can I get some more of that spicy chewing gum from Thailand?

DAVE: I’ll get you another pack. Heading to that 7-eleven store in two weeks. . . but are you serious, my lips are still burning!

ME: Aw, yeeeaaah. I'm serious. That gum is a flavor adventure.

Comments

[Greg on the Run]

Check your links in your post. Too many http's.

[Larry Boatright]

wow Kem,
GREAT questions and great responses! I got to hang out with him some this past weekend and I think he is a brilliant, humble man and I can't wait to dive into the book! I'm copying/pasting your questions/his responses to this!

[Dan King]

I love Dave's point about living in the intersection! I've been a big fan of some of the TED stuff, but Dave's point here helps me understand just how important being immersed in those conversations really is. Good stuff!