My Jerry Maguire Memo to Influencers by Bryan Craig

     You may have seen the movie, Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise, the overly zealous Sports Agent who wakes up in the middle of the night with a clearer vision of his purpose and mission.  He types out a memo and feels compelled to share it with every person in his company.  Of course, what seemed like an epiphany to him fails to resonate with his co-workers and he gets fired.  But in the end, he doesn’t regret fighting for his vision.

          I feel similarly inspired to write this memo.  I sit in the seat of Executive Director of this growing ministry, Influencers Global Ministries.  From Day One, I’ve felt a bit overwhelmed at what this position is supposed to look like and what I’m supposed to do.  Some have considered me to be Rocky’s successor, which I reject, for there is only ONE Rocky.  Some have considered my role to be the Organizational Leader, helping to undergird the Organism with organization.  I receive that.  The clearest directive I received was a few years ago, when God helped me see our org chart as an upside-down org chart, with the Vine, Jesus, being the CEO, and all the Branches coming off of Him.  In that understanding, He told me the Global Office was NOT a Branch, but rather, my role was to be an Assistant Gardener, assisting Him in assessing Branch health and working the garden with Him.  I like that.

          As I look over our Garden, called Influencers, I see lots of things.  I see all of these Branches trying to figure out what they are supposed to look like.  I see the battles between form and function all the time.  I see different personalities of our leaders, each approaching their Branch based on their experience, their giftings and their perspective.  In these unique approaches, I’ve seen some who love Events and some who don’t, some who love Women’s ministry and some who don’t, some who love the local Church and some who don’t.  I see some who seem to draw big crowds and some who do not.  I’ve seen some who welcome the input of the Global Office and some who think they are just fine on their own.  We are planning a movie to reach more people for Christ, and that is being called into question by some.  All of this is fodder for Division and Diversion, which Rocky has warned us about from the beginning. 

          As I’ve observed our leaders, including our Guides, I’ve seen lots of attacks and many of them feeling isolated.  I’m not sure we really know what’s going on with many of them.  Sometimes, I wonder how is the ministry really doing?  How are our leaders really doing?  Where are we vulnerable to Satan’s attacks?  What might change when Rocky, our founder and our DNA Rock, is not here any longer?  As I write this, it has been a week of deep concern for some of our leaders.

          Somewhere in my searching with the Lord, I feel like he communicated something loud and clear.

Influencers Global Ministries exists to take people through The Journey so they can find an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ.  PERIOD!

Why and when did it become more complicated than that?  It doesn’t matter if someone is part of our 501c3 or not, on staff or not, whether their preference is for events, or women’s ministry or couples’ ministry or just men. 

Influencers is unique because of The Journey process and what it does in the lives of men, women, couples, youth, prisoners, Costa Ricans, Egyptians, Brazilians, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, those in the church, those out of the church.

When I was in Tulsa, and I found The Journey, I knew this was the missing link in my attempts to make disciples.  My goal, from that day on, was to take every man in Tulsa through The Journey.  When I finally surrendered to my call to join Influencers full-time, God had to show me that there had been NOTHING more powerful in my life than The Journey, so if I could help every person in the world go through The Journey, I was in.

This is why we exist. 

I’m convinced that the Enemy would love for us to do anything BUT The Journey.  I’m convinced he would like to make us believe that it was just for a season or that we should change it to be more relative or easier to complete.  I’m convinced that other ministry activities might have more appeal because of the apparent transformation of a mountain-top experience, whereas walking steadily, faithfully, unwavering in the trenches with a Journey group might appear too difficult or even boring.  As we have seen, even some within the church misunderstand our calling and intentions and want us to cease and desist.  I think the Enemy might want to downplay all the transformation we have seen through The Journey, some of which may be hidden from our sight, in an attempt to stop us from doing groups. 

So, as I see all sorts of complications and challenges with all of our Branches, I think the answer for this ministry should always be The Journey.  Just do a Journey Group and follow the process as God revealed it to Rocky, a process that has been battle-tested for 22 years.  If The Journey is done the way we believe God inspired it, it should bear fruit. And this is because it guides people to God’s Word and helps them apply God’s Word to their lives, and then they begin to hear from the Holy Spirit and understand their place in God’s kingdom. It bears transformed lives who will be motivated out of their abiding relationship with Christ to go and help others find what they have found. And as you guide Journey groups, it helps you in your own abiding relationship with Christ.

I think our Staff should be leading Journey Groups, our Board members should be leading Journey Groups and most all of our efforts should be about supporting Journey Groups, whatever that looks like.

Again, this is why we exist.

Not all will be called to our mission.  It is difficult.  It requires patience, perseverance, faithfulness, strength, focus, grace, love.  But make no mistake.  This is what God called Influencers Global Ministries to do.

So, I’m raising The Journey banner, because it is the banner of Abiding in Christ.  It is the most important mission I’ve ever been on, and I’m called to it for the rest of my life.  Some of you are called to it, as well.  Some are called elsewhere and that’s ok.  But there are millions of men, women and children who need to find out how much the Lord loves them and wants to Abide with them, Who wants to set them free, Who wants to give them purpose, Who wants to give them an abundant life.  I’m fighting for those people. 

Will you join me in this mission?  It is the mission of Influencers Global Ministries.