It Takes a Network

I taught this week on Building a Network, also subtitled “More than you ever wanted to know about Al Qaeda.” I used Al Qaeda as a case study for a “starfish” network that works–although its goals and methods are obviously way out of whack. Held together really only by ideology, not needing a membership form or official uniform, and not co-dependent on any other nodes in the network. At G42 we are building a network of churches, ministries, and businesses devoted to one thing: bringing the love and message of Christ to dark places and hurting people around the world.

A sketch of the G42 Network There’s power in a network that is built around a vision for a Greater Good. Where each node is working together to help each other, not in competition or in a strict hierarchy, but cooperating, working together and using our resources to benefit each other. It doesn’t matter whether you want to start a church in a South American village, an NGO providing clean water to communities in Africa, or a retail business creating cool shirts and surf gear. It doesn’t matter if you are a skilled entrepreneur, accountant, public speaker, or simply can befriend and show love to people on the street. We’re all part of the same network, with the same goals. So we can exist together, and we are stronger together, as a network, interconnected and working together.
So what’s your dream… your mission in life?

Do you want a team that will provide support, advice, assistance, and united towards a vision to bring light to this world? Then drop me a line, we’re willing to work with you and talk about where we can partner.

I got the idea for the title of this blog from an article about networks by Gen. Stanley McCrystal in Foreign Policy.
In my teaching, I talk about how the general’s ideas of combating a network with a network led to the defeat of Al Qaeda in Iraq.It’s a great article if you want to read it.