The slaughter of nearly 6,000 people on September 11, 2001, and the related economic disruption, has moved most of us from our accustomed place on a continuum where order is on one end and chaos the other. Against our will we have been shoved away from a place of predictability and moved further toward real and perceived uncertainty. We simply don't know what an active war on terrorism looks like, in a postmodern culture, in a time of economic recession, nor what impact these forces have as they converge in the months ahead. Futurists have headed for deep cover. Suddenly predicting or making assumptions with confidence is risky business.

The challenge is to lead our organizations to keep moving to the center on the continuum below. Centering our organizations doesn't just happen. It takes leadership.

Passive——X——Reactive
(Denial)——Responsive——(Anxious)

Ministries and churches have the opportunity and challenge to actively synthesize the events ...