What Would Happen if Leaders Took a Different Approach to the Summit?

George T. Cook is an institutional consulting director responsible for shaping strategic policy in market trends. He has been attending The Global Leadership Summit for 15 years. “The Summit offers some of the best leadership principles and has impacted the way I think about leadership,” he says.

Recently, George was interviewed on the Salem Radio Network, and asked about how the Summit has impacted his life.

“I asked myself why I wasn’t bringing all my clients to the event?”

Years ago, he says he only invited pastors and friends to attend the Summit, until the year he invited one of his clients—the CEO of a large, national company. The CEO attended and was “blown away.” George has seen the Summit through a different lens ever since.

“I asked myself why I wasn’t bringing all my clients to the event?”

George has taken steps to make sure others can benefit from the GLS.

Now, he brings approximately 350 to the live event.

He put together teams of business leaders and clients from different industries with different faith backgrounds. They sit together, have lunch and dinner together, spend time during breaks together—processing what they’re learning.  At first the teams were small—10-12 people. Now, he brings approximately 350 to the live event, and in many cases, he has paid for their registrations himself.

George said that most of those who attend don’t want to keep this to themselves. They say if their boss or team could participate in this, things at work might be different. Most who attend want to come back—and bring a team. And most do.

As George has witnessed the effect of the Summit on people he knows, his vision for what could happen at the Summit has grown to include reaching those who are far from Christ. “I wonder what would happen if someone challenged pastors’ marketplace leaders to bring a seeker with them?” he asks. “It might change everything.”

Recently, he says he was with president of a large evangelistic movement who wanted to put together a global gathering of workplace and ministry leaders to figure out how to reach the world through lay leaders. “I asked him to give me the names of 5 North American business leaders who are trained and supported by their church to have an effective marketplace ministry. He couldn’t name five. How many pastors could?

Marketplace leaders are encouraged to invite their seeker friends to church, but most of those friends aren’t interested in church. They are interested in becoming better leaders and motivators and communicators. And the Summit is neutral ground.  “They would love the GLS!” says George.

What would change if we started expanding our thinking about the Summit?

What would happen if we had a 50-50 mix from each church represented? Half figuring out how to lead the operations of the church and half figuring out how to help their leaders engage the Kingdom in the marketplace?

“Everywhere I go, I share with my cohorts that the Summit is the easiest place to invite a Seeker and an easy way to bridge the conversation between the secular world and the plan of God for our planet,” says George.

What do you suppose might happen if this idea caught fire?