Category: Mergon Foundation

By Neil Hart

More than ever in South Africa we need active citizenry. When individuals and groups come together with the purpose of creating beneficial, lasting, Kingdom transformation in the lives of communities, it allows for the peace and prosperity of the majority.

At Mergon Foundation have the great joy of working with over 100 ministry partners across Africa and the Middle East whose deep desire it is to bring this kind of change. But how does lasting change happen and why does it take so long?

Commodification

The reality is that we live in an era of the commodification of civic participation. We sign up for an online petition, we buy from certain stores that we believe do good, we give to charities, we stand at a comfortable distance. What should be the beginning of our involvement is often the end. We need more deep involvement.

Worldview shapes how we think about change. This year, I’ve been in the US, China, Africa and the Middle East, four distinctively different worldviews. Theorists have created many assumptions on how worldview influences social change. Some of them are:

1. Progress – shaped by the futurists, the forward thinkers, humans who want to improve their future. Optimists, individuals who have control over their destinies.
2. Cycles – as seen through the eyes of historians. Predicable patterns have emerged through time and we will repeat these cycles in a way that shapes our future.
3. Ideas – clear and compelling thoughts as disseminated by visionaries and articulated through the media. Ideas like ‘abolish slavery’ or ‘Marxism’, which are seeds planted in minds of the masses and frequently watered until change begins to happen.
4. Conflict and power – two ends of the same continuum. Conflict stemming from uprisings, activists, struggle and justice advocates. Or power from the elite few with money and position who dictate progress or change.

On the African continent, we live in a power/fear worldview, which means we often swing to different sides of the pendulum. Many will believe that they are simply powerless to effect change, yet we also see power-fear manifest as religious control, leading the congregation masses astray. We see the unassailable ‘man of God’ syndrome. In politics we see fear-power as social authority – hierarchical and patriarchal. We suffer the consequences of unaccountable leaders.

Kingdom transformation

At Mergon, we are compelled by the idea of Kingdom transformation. We believe that Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God to earth and that His Kingdom is advancing through all the difficulties of human living on planet earth.

Systemic change, the kind of deep transformation that Jesus started, happens slowly. Sometimes I think the church suffers from short-term thinking. We are looking to the next conference for change, or the launch of the next worship CD or to our slick media channels. While we can celebrate all these things temporarily, they fall hopelessly short of what the Bible calls us to: “Seek first the Kingdom of God…and all these things will be added”, Matthew 6 refers to a group of people who are un-anxious, have all their basic needs taken care of and who live with the right heart perspective towards money (and by association, power). Contrast this with our present South Africa with the highest Gini coefficient in the world (the measure of income inequality in a nation), people lacking basic needs and such high levels of anxiety that women and children cannot walk the streets in safety. Something must change.

How does Kingdom transformation happen?

1. We know from the New Testament that Kingdom transformation starts bottom up and not top down. Jesus said the least will be the greatest, that the foot-washer would be the most influential. Therefore it starts with the common individual and not the president.

There are various entry points that I see in Kingdom transformation:

• The Heart – God touches my heart and moves me deeply. I respond to His love by opening my soul to His influence.
• The Head – God overwhelms and eventually wins my intellectual arguments and I decide to trust His cosmic sovereignty, placing my future in His hands.
• Power – I see His power at work, either through a healing, a deliverance or the enormity of creation. It confounds my reasoning and I decide to bow my life to His almighty hand.
• Follow – I start to follow in obedience. The simplest of beginnings. I watch a friend or a friendship group and I grow in my relationship with God. Jesus’ first instruction to His disciples was to follow. Dramatic change happens through simple obedience.

2. Kingdom transformation happens when changed individuals bring cultural change. When a tipping point of families transforms the atmosphere of a village, or when a number of skaters or lawyers influence the heart and mind of their urban ‘tribe’.

This seldom happens fast and it seldom happens in the church. It mostly happens slowly and happens in life. This is the long game and it requires us to take a long-term view.

A recent National Geographic article tells of how Christianity overthrew the Roman Empire. This secular source does not refer to any individual leader or political party with means. Rather it alludes to a groundswell of change. The most powerful human empire that the world has ever known was toppled by transformed individuals bringing cultural change!

I can tell many stories of this kind of change. Of ex-prostitutes bringing transformation within their ‘tribe’ in China or Uganda. Of an adult orphan who is raising funds to build orphanages so that those without parents will feel the love and care that He did not know but found later in a loving Father. I can tell of entrepreneurs who work with other entrepreneurs across many African cities to disciple them to have maximum impact through their business resources, bringing generosity and change. There are so many stories of hope in the nations.

3. Lastly, Kingdom transformation accelerates through unity. We have seen the biggest, most catalytic change happen when people and organisations intentionally unite themselves across boundaries to be of one mind and heart to bring change. This is seldom easy. It requires trust that is given and not waiting for trust earned. Ephesians 4 urges the unity of the saints for the purpose of the maturity of the church. When a united, mature church hits the streets, nothing will hold it back. It will bring the light of deep kingdom transformation into society.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2018 Mergon Group.

Keri-Leigh Paschal – Executive Director, Nation Builder

Every generation has called for more leaders – courageous leaders – who will stand up for good, wholesome principles that have the betterment of people and planet at their core. We do know we need them, across all sectors of our society. But do we need to define that they are ‘courageous’ leaders? Or is courage a given character trait of good leadership?

Courage is a vital virtue of good leaders, “those who would rather challenge what needs to be changed and pay the price, than remain silent and slowly die inside” (Andy Stanley). Yet every situation that calls for courage involves some kind of uncertainty and some kind of risk, which in turn implies vulnerability. Not a characteristic most would associate with courage, but one that Nelson Mandela intimately understood: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

It takes courage to see challenges as opportunities, to address injustices past and present, and to shape society’s future direction. And the courageous pioneers who do, share these three main characteristics: They have deep conviction, they can effectively tap into unrealised opportunities, and they view themselves with humility.

Deep Conviction
Leaders of businesses that make a tangible difference in society – while also making a profit – have a passion for the wellbeing of people. This deep conviction leads to a business approach that is centred on being a force for good in society, a selfless and authentic motive outside of profit.

Profit is essential – because without profit a business would not be sustainable, and the passion to make a difference, would remain a mere desire and not become reality – yet the conviction to be good and do good determines the ultimate end of the business, by shaping both the day-to-day decisions and long-term investments that together ensure a lasting positive impact.

Unrealised Opportunities
Courageous leaders view the world differently. They see frustrations, constraints and differing perspectives as fuel for innovation that drives solutions.

They are curious and can be found immersing themselves in new contexts to give them a broader understanding of and insight into their ever-changing landscapes. This enables them to identify where pain points exist and drives their passion to engage more effectively through their business to provide a different service or offering and thereby turn unrealised opportunities into real gains.

Humble Approach

“True humility, scientists have learned, is when someone has an accurate assessment of both his strengths and weaknesses, and he sees all this in the context of the larger whole. He’s a part of something far greater than he. He knows he isn’t the centre of the universe. And he’s both grounded and liberated by this knowledge. Recognising his abilities, he asks how he can contribute. Recognising his flaws, he asks how he can grow.”

(Ashley Merryman, The Washington Post).

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is having a right view of your skills, character and position. It takes a courageous leader to not have all the answers and to see the skills and understanding of those better equipped to meet the challenge. It takes vulnerability to seek assistance, ask good questions and build partnerships to achieve the greatest possible outcomes.

The three characteristics briefly described above are simple, yet require authenticity in heart and approach to truly be a force for social good.

In the social development landscape, we often see business people impose their views and preferred solution on those in the development sector. However, there are many credible social impact groups who have already learned the hard lessons and therefore understand the landscape. The key is to find the right partner and have the humility to trust their judgement on how to engage constructively in building the social fabric of our nation. Those investing in these partnerships experience greater joy with each life that is transformed.

Within our local business community, where the economic and social realities are challenging, courageous leadership is the only approach that can ultimately redefine our society.

Let us engage our entrepreneurial spirit, let us think creatively, and let us work together in finding solutions to the unique complexities that our colourful nation presents us. Let us find the courage in each of us, and let us lead.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2018 Mergon Group.