Come, gather around for some New Wine...

...however cheap and awful it may taste. Enjoy a big helping of wisdom from M & P and see all their old doctrines go out the door in a desperate attempt to save the sinking ship:

THE CHANGE JOURNEY
By Peter FD/MM/FM 3737 12/08
1. Happy Feast 2009, dear Family! Mama and I are excited about all that has happened since Feast 2008 and what this Feast and this year ahead of us will bring. It's an incredible time to be serving the Lord!
2. The visual presentation of the progress made last year was so inspiring, wasn't it? Hearing about all the victories won, the advancements, the newly implemented ideas, and how the Family overall is moving forward is always a great uplift to Mama and me. It's amazing how much we as a Family collectively accomplish throughout the world in just one year! It makes Mama and me so proud of each of you, and we know the Lord is wonderfully proud of you as well.
3. We are now one year into our Offensive campaign, and even though we're just getting started, Mama and I are pleased with the progress made thus far. As a Family, we have successfully launched the Winning Offensive, which was one of our main goals for this past year. We're not completely out of the launch period yet, but it's going well so far.
4. You're starting to turn your focus outward toward reaching the lost and caring for the spiritually needy; you're setting your sights on those fields that are white and ready to harvest, and you're becoming more professional in bringing in the sheaves and building greater flocks. You're letting go of the past and changing your mindsets; you're getting more of the picture of how the Lord wants His Spirit to flow during the Offensive. You're getting into place for more of those golden opportunities and open doors that the Lord has promised to drop into your laps.
5. Things are changing within the Family, and that's a huge positive. We see that good things are happening, and we're looking forward to greater strides of Offensive-related progress as we keep up the good work, and get into the groove of the Offensive. The topic of this GN is change within the Family—specifically, the change process that the Lord kick-started with the launch of the Offensive.
6. Throughout 2008, the Lord led Mama and me to focus mainly on one major matter: the Family's future. While we had a multitude of other matters to take care of throughout the year, our main focus was, and continues to be, the future. And when we refer to "the future," we're not just talking about the next few years; we're talking about the long-term future of the Family.
7. Our 40 years of Family history have produced a very successful new religious movement when measured by the success rate of new religious movements (NRMs). We've successfully moved through the various stages that NRMs go through, including the pioneering stages; having and raising a second generation (and now moving into a third and even a fourth generation!); the transition of leadership after the death of the founder; incorporating the next generation into leadership positions, etc. From a sociological perspective, we've been a great success, and that's something we can be very proud of. An academic recently wrote a paper that focused on three religious movements that are considered successful in their outreach and evangelization methods, and the Family International was one of the three mentioned (along with the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses).
8. We are extremely successful in terms of our spiritual wealth, knowledge, and the discipleship and missionary training we've received. We have an understanding of and relationship with the Lord and the spirit world that very few Christians do. We have pages upon pages of training and practical instruction on how to utilize the spiritual wealth and power we've been given, and how to teach others to do the same. As such, we have a terrific and unique message—and not just a message of words, but a message that is backed up by personal experience and proof that the Word and Jesus work, and that the spirit world is real. It's a message that people desperately need and want, especially once they realize how much it will change and benefit their lives, and replace their emptiness with something of lasting value. We are proud of our spiritual heritage and what we have to offer the world.
9. In saying that we have been successful as a Family, we don't mean that in every prong of Family life, we've been an absolute success for 40 years. That isn't the case. In some areas, we haven't succeeded as much as we should have. But we have been successful in many arenas throughout our history; we've definitely hit high points of success in important areas. However, our past successes are not enough. The Lord showed us very clearly through the counsel that He gave us at Feast 2008 that in order to successfully continue on into the future, in order to fulfill the mission He's given us of reaching the world with the Gospel and making disciples of all nations, we need to make changes in the way we do things.
10. This is one of the foremost reasons why the Lord led us to launch the Offensive. There is much more success to be had. What we've done and accomplished so far is good and has brought us to where we are today. But we can't be satisfied with those accomplishments. Success is not a plateau for us. We intend to scale much higher peaks, to reach the new and greater levels of success that the Lord has for us. We need to do not only what is tried and proven and God's will for today, but we need faith to try bigger and better things for bigger and better results, greater steps for greater success.
11. Productive corporations and organizations come to pivotal points when they realize that, if they want to not only consolidate their achievements but keep gaining new ground, they have to be willing to change. They have to look at the plans and ideas that have run their course and are ripe for change. They have to look at ideas that have played out differently than they anticipated and make adjustments. They have to look at even their current successful methods, initiatives, and good ideas, and examine if they're really still the best for the present, not to mention for the future.
12. As a result of doing so, sometimes they have to change the methods and mechanisms that have brought them to where they are today. That's hard to do, because it's difficult to see that some of those past good ideas and past successful methods need to be changed when they did, in fact, work very well in the past. But that's the point.—They worked well before, yesterday, but as the market and environment change, as people change, the needs also change, and the ways for meeting those needs change as well. Relying on past methods alone will not continue to bring success today, much less tomorrow.
13. The Offensive is a catalyst for change within the Family. It has clarified the need to be more professional in our witnessing and winning methods and in every other aspect of Family life, as much as possible. We see that we need to be more methodical in our calling of winning the world, more organized, and consistent. It has shown us the need to strategize and plan ahead, to truly think long term, to be more targeted.
14. While we have had a great deal of success throughout our history, our future success—and the greater success we need to achieve—is strongly tied to reaching the goals of the Winning Offensive. The Lord has shown us that reaching those goals will require great strides of progress on our part, so that we are better able to witness, and to win and train those whom the Lord is calling to serve Him in the years ahead. We need a great multitude of partners to reach our Offensive goals, and in order to inspire them to join with us in our mission, we need to make some changes within the Family.
15. In launching the Offensive, the Lord has brought us once again to the point of change in order to continue to progress and meet the needs of the world today. In order to do that, we need to upgrade our mindsets and outlooks. We need to become more adept at sharing our spiritual wealth and the strengths of the Family with the world. We need to find new ways to make the message and example of the children of David more sought after, more current and relatable to those we are trying to reach and minister to today. We need to better utilize the methods and tools we already have today that the Lord wants us to continue to use to bring forth more fruit than before. We need to do a better job of caring for our flocks and spiritual babies, so that they grow to where they're helping us to get out the message and win others, thereby expanding one of the Family's most valuable resources—our manpower.
(Jesus:) Your past methods or priorities were My plan for the time. ... But My work and My counsel to you marches forward and changes with the times because I am ever changing. I'm not satisfied with what we've achieved so far, and I'm raising My sights higher and shooting for more ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:59, GN 1247).
16. The actual witnessing and winning-related goals of the Offensive are not new goals. What is new for today is the focus, the professionalism, the structure that we need to have in reaching these goals, and the priority that we must give to doing so. The Offensive has required that we change our focus and our mindsets. As we've told you, we can no longer be on the defensive; we can't be narrow-minded in our thinking or hesitant or afraid to step out and try the new; we can't have predetermined ideas about what the "Lord's will" is or isn't; we can no longer give the lion's share of our focus to our own Homes and our own lives.
17. We can't default to doing things the way we did them before—even if they did work well—because we aren't living in those days, or in that world climate, or in that social environment anymore. Things have changed a great deal, even within the last few years. We're living in today's world, we're seeking to follow God today, and we're also looking to the future to find out how the Lord wants to prepare us for tomorrow.
18. The Lord is breathing His Spirit into the Family in new and greater ways, and there is nothing better than to be totally powered by the Lord and moving forward on the currents of His Spirit. We haven't found every key to success yet, we aren't in full Offensive swing yet, but we're thinking outside the box more and trying the new, we're obeying the Lord, we're stepping out by faith, and we're sure to hit winners.
19. And, you know, the keys to tomorrow's success will also change as we keep moving forward into the future. So we have to keepseeking the Lord for how He wants us to follow Him today, to discover what will bring about the success and fulfillment that He's promised us—and that we firmly believe is coming. We have to keep revoluting, because revoluting—making major changes in our thinking, approaches, and practice—is part of the cycle of forward movement and growth.
20. In launching the Offensive, we are taking a big step forward as a Family. However, we haven't by any means completed the journey; in fact, we've just started. In this GN, Mama and I want to give you a preview of the next round of changes that the Lord has shown us will be necessary to making the Family, and the Family's outward mission—fulfilling the Great Commission, fulfilling the goals of the Offensive—a lasting and greater success. We want to share with you some of what the Lord has shown us about the Family growing into our future.
[W]hen we use the term "the Winning Offensive" or "the Offensive," we're not talking about our all-encompassing Family lifestyle. "The Offensive" refers to our commission to win the world.
"The Winning Offensive" is the handle that the Lord is using for the specific aspect of our Family life that focuses on reaching, winning, and training others to join us, to help us carry the load of preaching the Gospel to all the world. It's our "great commission," our lifelong job, to witness and win the world. Collectively as a Family, it's our career.
When we say "the Winning Offensive," we're talking about witnessing to and winning those outside our Homes ("Baby Boom!" ML #3679:145-147, GN 1240).
21. We will talk a fair bit about change in this GN, and specifically about the kind of change that is needed to help us to be successful in the Offensive and as the Family overall. We aren't presenting a brand-new direction or vision that the Lord has given. The focus remains the same: the Offensive. We've only just begun the Offensive; we aren't even through the Offensive launch period yet. And when the launch does come to a close, we will continue to focus on our Offensive goals and making them a reality, because the Offensive is here to stay! It's our future! It's the Lord's will for the Family. Making the vision of the Offensive a reality is "the mark" that we're pressing toward. Staying on target as a Family means continuing to carry out our Offensive strategy plans. Fulfilling your Home's Offensive-related goals and pushing forward to make the Offensive a success is exactly what you need to be doing right now.
22. Meanwhile, the Lord has led Mama and me to seek Him as to what comes next. What do we have to do in order to facilitate the Offensive so that it will be successful over the long term? The Lord has given us some interesting concepts and new ideas, which we will share with you. The purpose of this GN is to provide you with information and an overview of what's ahead, but it doesn't come with a to-do list of new points to give your attention to, nor does it instruct you to head off in a new direction. We want you to keep focusing on the Offensive.
23. Mama and I see the change ahead as being exciting and thrilling, because it's just what the Lord knows we need to move into the future. We hope that talking about what's ahead for the Family will inspire you about our future, as it has inspired us. Change is coming! In fact, change is absolutely necessary to propel us into the successful future we all want. Of course, any significant change brings with it some adjustment or stretching; the changes that the Lord has ahead for the Family are no exception. But change means growth, and that's a good thing, because growth is something we're after in the Offensive.
24. This GN will give you information about some concepts that Mama and I have been discussing and seeking the Lord about. It will tell you about some projects that Mama and I plan to undertake and work on over the coming years that will facilitate the Offensive and Family growth. It will touch on change that will become clearer with time, and happen down the line, not immediately.
25. In the meantime, your "marching orders" are the same: to focus on the Offensive. We've only just begun our proactive assault on Satan's strongholds, and you need to keep working to implement your Offensive strategies. The things we share with you in this GN are not meant to distract you from focusing on your goals, but rather to share the vision of where we're headed in the years to come.
26. We will cover a number of points and concepts throughout this GN. (Some points will be covered a few times, from various angles.) Because of that, you might not immediately see where one piece of the puzzle slots in with something else, or understand it right away. But keep reading, and by the time you get to the end of the GN, I think you'll have a pretty good grasp of the main points and the overall direction the Lord is pointing us in.
27. When Mama and I, along with Family leadership, were preparing for and planning the launch of the Offensive (Feast 2008), the Lord showed us clearly that the Offensive would be a catalyst for change in the Family. We knew that the Offensive would result in many changes, not only directly in the Family's witnessing and winning and outreach, but in other facets of the Family as well.
28. Fulfilling the goals of the Offensive is how the Lord has instructed us, as a Family, to fulfill the Great Commission. But implementing the Lord's counsel about the Offensive—doing our part so that He can fulfill His promises—affects many other aspects of our Family life. I'm sure that you understand this in principle, and you're probably starting to see it play out practically too. As the Offensive gains momentum and becomes firmly rooted in the Family, we'll see its ripple effect very clearly, on a wide scale. So we have to be proactive; we have to be thinking ahead.
29. In the 12 to 18 months leading up to the launch of the Offensive, as Mama and I and leadership discussed the changes that would need to happen, or that the Family would need to make in order to launch the Offensive, we realized that massive change would also be required in order to be ready to deal with the effects of the Offensive when it came to full fruition. Fast-forwarding to that time in the future, we looked at questions such as:
30. > When we have thousands more members, what structure and mechanisms will we need to properly care for them and train them?
31. > How will present Family policy and legislation need to change in order to accommodate a greatly expanded flock? Will the present parameters of the Charter enable us to take the steps and make the progress we need to?
32. > Will our present leadership setup and board structure be sufficient for the expanded Family of the future?
33. > Do Homes have the tools or the training they need to care for flocks of hundreds or more? How will such large flocks practically affect Family Homes?
34. > What is the right balance between caring for our outside flocks (especially when they're so large), and the other important things we have to do as disciples—such as caring for, training, educating, and raising our children and teenagers, our "in-house" flock, and strengthening our spiritual lives?
35. > When we have scores of Active members and their families coming over to our Homes regularly, and interacting with us and our children, what issues will that raise as far as our children's and young people's upbringing and education?
36. > What further new thinking will we need to take on, what other mindsets will we need to let go of, what other changes will we need to make, so that we are truly cutting edge, and have a proactive plan for caring for the fruit we are reaping in the Offensive?
37. Mama and I knew that these and many other things would need to be looked at. The Lord made it clear to us that in refocusing the Family's vision for witnessing and winning, and making our mission much more prominent in our lives and Homes, we would also need to bring a variety of other facets and aspects of the Family up to speed as well. But we couldn't do everything at once, and the Lord showed us that the most important thing to focus on initially was the launch of the Offensive. That was step one.
38. After the launch of the Offensive, the Lord spoke to Mama and me personally about preparing to take the next step: that of looking at the Family as an organization, looking at the various facets of Family life that the Offensive has an effect on, and getting things into the right gear for our progressive future.
(Jesus:) The Family needs to continue to move from the old to the new. ... You've made great improvements and strides forward. That's a beginning. Now, more change is needed ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:80, GN 1247).
39. The Offensive is an integral part of our lives now and in the future, and will last until the Lord's return. The Offensive remains a priority focus. We will all have to continue to work hard to get unstoppable Offensive momentum going throughout the Family. But by itself, the Offensive is not the sum total of the Family's future. Witnessing and winning is a major part of what we do and who we are, but it's not the only thing we do or are. We are a family, with precious children to love and care for and educate; we have moms, dads, grandparents, friends, loved ones, aunts, uncles, each with their own unique needs and dreams. We're spiritual warriors, with awesome spiritual powers and gifts at our disposal, and a unique message to share that makes us radical and sets us apart from the average Christian. We are a community, a society, and there are many elements and dynamics that go into those aspects of our daily lives. We're also a religious movement, a "new nation," and it takes a lot of work to keep a nation going strong.
40. You could say that the primary purpose of the Family, as an organization, is to reach the world. In today's terms, that means implementing the Offensive. That's the fundamental reason we exist as a movement. In a sense, witnessing and winning is like the soul of the Family which, when put together with all that we are and everything else we do, makes up the totality of the Family. Without the success of the Offensive, we would not be able to continue on as a successful Family. And the Offensive won't last or work if the Family—all aspects of it—is not successful.
41. The mission of the Family, the Offensive, is like the engine behind the change and freshness that the Lord has begun to bring into the Family. The success of the Family and the success of the Offensive go hand in hand. The first step of making the Offensive successful was getting it started. The next step now in making the Family—and through that, the Offensive—a success in the long term, is that of bringing the Family as an organization up to speed so that it's complementing and adding to and facilitating the success of the Offensive. So we have to look at the following things pretty much parallel to each other.
On one side:
* Generating strong, unstoppable Offensive momentum.
* Keeping the Offensive on course, moving in the right direction.
* Making the Offensive successful over the long term; planning ahead for Offensive progress.
* Preparing to manage the success and effects of the Offensive (such as increased membership), so that we are using the fruit that the Offensive bears to generate more progress and growth.
On the other side:
* How the Offensive affects other aspects of the Family as an organization and our way of life.
* How to keep the other elements of Family life and structure steady enough to provide the support and framework that the Offensive needs for progress.
* How to keep the other aspects of the Family strong and developed in proportion to the growth and success of the Offensive. In other words, making all major facets of the Family successful and progressive; building the Family of the future right—to last—and in conjunction with the development of the Offensive.
* Planning for the Family's long-term future.
42. The Offensive is launching us forward into a new era, into an outward, on-the-attack mode. But the changes we are beginning to make in the Family in order to facilitate the Offensive aren't enough on their own, because the Offensive on its own doesn't have sufficient thrust to carry all the other parts of the Family forward.
43. Looking at the Family as a vehicle, and the Offensive as the engine, our commission from the Lord to witness and win is the driving force of our movement. But the engine isn't the only important component of a vehicle. If you have a powerful, raring-to-go engine, but no wheels or steering mechanism, well, you won't get very far. If you hope to make forward progress, it becomes obvious fairly quickly that every aspect of your vehicle needs to be up to par and functioning well.
44. This is why the Lord has shown us that there will be even more changes ahead when it comes to the Family as a movement, and as relates to our lifestyle and practices. The Family has to change for two reasons: 1) in order to generate, support and sustain the success of the Offensive; and 2) in order to continue to progress and thus succeed as a Revolution.
(Jesus:) The Family needs to change in a variety of ways to be successful in the future, to play the role I have for you. These changes will make you look very different than you look today, because you will be doing new things and you will be accomplishing My will in ways that I haven't asked you to before ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:79, GN 1247).
45. In many ways, the launch of the Offensive is like a "new broom" sweeping clean. That freshness is giving us a powerful boost into our future as a Family. But it's only the beginning. The Lord intends for the Offensive to deliver a tremendous amount of freshness and new opportunities. But if our collective receptacle, as a Family, isn't fresh and new as well, then we won't be able to sustain that newness and freshness that we want so greatly, and that is evidence of the Lord's Spirit moving through the Family, and the key to greater miracles and fruitfulness than we've ever seen before.
46. So, once the Offensive launched, Mama and I began thinking and praying about and discussing together, along with our co-workers and Family leadership, the other facets of the Family that are ripe for change. We had some previous ideas about what those might be, but in the course of discussing this topic throughout 2008 and beginning to seek the Lord about it, we were surprised at the extent of the change that lies before us! We've come to realize that there will be a tremendous amount of things to change in order to build for the Family's success into the far future, and for the success of the Offensive.
47. Many of you have probably had this same evolution of thought and have come to similar realizations or conclusions, as a result of thinking about the Offensive and the fruit that the Lord has promised it will result in.
48. In the rest of this GN, we will talk about the nature of the change that's ahead for the Family and give you some of our initial thinking.
49. The changes the Lord has in store for us will represent several years' worth of work for Mama and me and Family leadership. It's going to be a challenge. But Mama and I are thrilled about it! We're revved up and raring to get started on the mountain ranges of work that are ahead of us, because we know that it's going to redefine the Family and make our good into better and our better into best.
50. That's been our focus for the last year: the Family's future. With the Offensive, we've started a new phase of the journey into our future. If you give that some thought, questions probably come to mind such as:
51. What is the future that the Lord has for the Family? Exactly where are we meant to be journeying to? Where, more specifically, are we headed with the Offensive? How will we get there? Aside from the three main objectives of the Offensive (cultivating a flock; winning live-in disciples; building a solid, follow-up-funded base of support), are there other specific goals we are working toward? How will we know if we've succeeded in reaching our main objectives? How long will it take? How long do we have? What does the Lord want the future of the Family to look like?
52. Also, when we started to talk about changing and building for success in the long term, and planning for the far future, a few key points came up on the radar. These are:
* Our present Family culture.
* The context that has shaped Family thinking and culture thus far.
* How far into the future does our vision need to extend? What is the time frame that we're looking at or planning for?
* What type of future do we envision for the Family?
* The topic of the Lord's return.
* Preparing the second and third generations, as well as disciples won, to more fully take on the weight of the responsibility of operating and leading the Family in all spheres, and to carry the flame of Revolution forward.
* What aspects of the Family—whether in terms of application of the Word, practice, mindsets, or policy, etc.—need to be looked at or updated, against the backdrop of the Offensive's progress and building for the Family's long-term success?
53. The preceding points are cornerstones of the changes ahead, and we'll keep coming back to them. You might not see quite yet how they fit together, but as you keep reading, I think you'll get the idea.
Context
Definition: the set of conditions (time period, place, circumstances, etc.) that surround a particular situation, or in which an event develops or occurs; the events that form the setting or environment in which something takes place and that give additional meaning or perspective to the situation.
"[Context is] the underlying assumptions and invisible premises on which [a group or an organization's] decisions and actions are based…; the sum of all the conclusions that members of the organization have reached…; the product of their experience and their interpretations of the past."
Family context is the byproduct of our 40 years of history, and the beliefs, literature, events, and mindsets that have shaped our outlook and formed us into the Family of today. Family context is changing with the development of the Offensive.
On an individual level, context can also be shaped by personal experience, background, where and when you grew up, age, family and friends, etc. When you add new factors into the mix or conditions change, it also begins to change the context.
Culture
Definition: the customs, beliefs, social forms, and traits of a racial, religious, or social group; the characteristic features of a way of life shared by people in a place or time; the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes or is associated with a particular institution or organization.
Our Family culture has developed over our 40 years of existence, and is built on the combination of our shared faith, beliefs, doctrines, practices, lifestyle, our common literature, music, and language, etc.
(Note: There's more on context and culture later in this Letter.)
When we talk about the "second generation" or "next generation" in this GN, we are generally referring to Family members who are in the 18-40 age bracket today, whether they were born in the Family or joined the Family.
That's an extremely broad cross-section of the Family. Some of you are YAs; some of you are parents with children; some of you were born in the Family; some of you have been in the Family a short while; some of you are in this age bracket but have been in the Family for several years or more, and are no longer "new disciples." And even though you might be younger than some other Family members, you're not all necessarily "young people" either, so that's also somewhat of a misnomer.
So the terms "second generation" or "next generation" and some of the related points in this GN won't exactly fit each of you. That's not ideal, and we're sorry about that. We're using these terms as handles for this particular GN, because it gets quite wordy to say, "if you were born in the Family, or if you joined the Family with your parents, or if you've joined the Family yourself but are X age," at each mention.
In this GN when we talk about the "second generation" or the "next generation," we are using these terms to refer to those of you who are in the 18-40 age bracket today, and who (along with our children, teens, and members to be) will be key players in leading and carrying the Family of the future.
54. Mama and I are thinking and praying about the future of the Family. We are thinking about the Offensive. We are thinking about the obstacles we face today, both the ones that we hear about from you and your Homes, as well as from the regional councils, and the challenges that exist in the lifestyle, and in the administrational and structural side, of the Family—particularly when we look forward in time to a greatly expanded Family.
55. We've thought a great deal about the fact that things in the Family need to change in order for us to achieve new and better results, ongoing, enduring, and greater successes—both practical and spiritual —in the years ahead. We've considered what might happen in the Family if we don't make the changes that are needed to carry us into the near future and beyond. We're thinking about what the outcome of making those changes will be, how they will affect the Family, what repercussions they might result in.
56. We're thinking about how to do our part so that the Lord can do His when it comes to the future fruitfulness of the Offensive and of the Family as a whole. We're also thinking about what types of new challenges or obstacles we could face in the future, particularly as the Offensive develops, and how we will meet them. We're thinking about what will be needed when the various categories of our membership dramatically increase, and what mechanisms we will need to capitalize on that increase.
57. We're thinking about what we will need to do, or do differently, in order to take good care of our flocks, and to be an all-around example of Jesus' Spirit, truth, and love to our new members, and to the world. We're thinking about what changes need to be made in order to create, or to open the door to more opportunities for individual members to feel fulfilled, happy, and at peace in their service for the Lord. There are a monumental number of questions that Mama and I are asking ourselves and the Lord, and that we're putting forth for discussion with Family leadership.
58. When you get in depth and down to business on these topics, they're major, they're huge! We've only just begun to scratch the surface of identifying the basics of what we need to discuss, developing some initial suppositions, and taking some preliminary thoughts and questions to the Lord. We don't have all the answers yet, but we have enough guidance from the Lord to begin sharing with you the direction that He is leading us in. It's good, it's positive, and it will result in improvement!
59. This GN doesn't contain details on specific changes that might happen or how they might come about. We're not that far along yet in discussion and hearing from the Lord. But it does contain important information that will broaden your thinking and begin to set the framework for the changes that are going to come in the near and far future.
60. While we've known that change is needed—as I'm sure you will all agree—Mama and I have been following the Lord step by stepand taking care of the priorities He has given us: First, by directing our attention and efforts to training and strengthening the Family in order to launch the Offensive; then by preparing for and launching the Offensive; and now by taking this next step of looking at the other aspects of the Family and making sure they're on par with each other, and seeking the Lord for what the Family of the future should be and what changes need to be made to get us there.
61. The Offensive is bringing change to the landscape of the Family. Some of the things that came up in our discussions last year would not have even surfaced five years ago, because the environment of the Family was different. The Offensive is helping to create a new environment within the Family, and we have to look at everything else now to make sure it fits and works within this new environment, and that it will help us to continue on the path toward our future.
62. Change is certainly needed, but we don't yet know what all the changes are; we don't have all the answers or solutions. But Mama and I felt led to share with you the ideas and concepts that the Lord has been speaking to us about, as a result of the topics that we've personally discussed together, have heard from the Lord on, or have counseled about with leadership.
63. Even though we don't have a concrete plan, and our discussions and thoughts are in the extremely initial stages, we're sharing some of our thinking with you, because it will give you an idea of what's to come for the Family, and the work that's ahead for Mama and me and Family leadership—and all of us, really. Acquiring the understanding that the Lord wants us to have at this important time in our Family's history will be the foundation for grasping and making whatever changes are sure to come down the line.
(Jesus:) My commission to you is to leave the past behind, to embrace the new, to expect change and variance and adjustment—true revolution ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:76, GN 1247).
64. Creating the next stage of the Family's future together is a process, and every process has a beginning. For us as a Family, this current phase started with the launch of the Offensive. As I'll explain more later, it's very important that Mama and I invest the needed time now to pray about, plan, and prepare for the longer-term future. That includes the success of the Offensive, and managing the outcome of that success—which, as I said, involves looking at all the other aspects of the Family as a movement.
65. As Dad said almost 40 years ago in "So You Want to Be a Leader?":
Behind every great creation there has to be unseen worlds of work, planning, preparation, invention, discovery, exploration, organization, and cooperation in order to produce the finished product—the thing that's seen! ...
Nearly every great building, every great accomplishment, every great movement, or every change in society takes months and years of advance planning. …
…It's the invisible, the below the surface, long hard hours and days and weeks and months and sometimes years of planning that are the hardest. This takes the most time ("So You Want to Be a Leader?" ML #31:16,8,9).
66. Mama and I know that the Family of the future is going to be one of those great creations. We are committed to doing everything necessary to make that future all that the Lord wants it to be. But it's not as if we have everything figured out, and while the Lord has promised to give us a workable plan, it won't be one that will ensure quick or easy success.
67. The truth is that no success comes easily. Success is the product of hard work—and usually a lot of hard work over a prolonged period of time. Creating the Family of the future is going to take the Lord's miracle-working power, abundant spirit help, and significant investments of time and hard work on our parts.
68. It's also going to take change—lots of change! Not just surface change, but deep change. Not just change in what we do and how we do it, but in how we think, how we act, how we relate to others, and who we are—as individuals, and as a Family.
69. We're going to have to dig deep to find those things that are part of who we are as an organization, as a religious movement, that need to change.—Not just for the sake of "making changes"; not merely changing surface issues or changing something because it seems convenient today, but change for the sake of keeping the Revolution for Jesus alive and current and cutting edge, on an ongoing basis, into the distant future; something that we can continue to successfully pass on to others and share with the world in a way that inspires them to join us or help us.
70. Our ultimate goal isn't only to be a successful NRM. Our goal is to be hugely successful in our mission of preaching the Gospel and making disciples of all nations. That's why building a greatly expanded army of trained witnesses, winners, and trainers is one of the overall goals of the Offensive, because we know that in order for us to truly reach and win the world, we need more laborers. (See "Liftoff!" ML #3678:14, GN 1239.)
71. However, the overall long-term success of the Family requires success both in the Offensive and in other very vital aspects of Family life. We need to be successful in the Offensive as well as in a variety of other ways. For example:
72. We want Family members of all ages to feel fulfilled in and proud of being part of the Family. We want Family members to be able to use the gifts and talents and potential the Lord has given them to the full, and to have room to continue to develop their skills. Family parents should feel confident that the Family offers their children an excellent lifestyle and environment. Our children and teenagers deserve a quality education, and we want to give that to them. We want to create opportunities for individuals to be successful in their ministries and in their contributions to their Home and to the Family overall. We need to maintain good unity, the right spiritual standard, and stay militant against compromise.
73. These things are important, but as I said earlier, reaching such goals requires hard work, time, sacrifice, and change. Perhaps the most difficult part of reaching such goals is going to be in the change department. Why? Because as a Family we need to make some fundamental changes in our thinking, our mindsets, our actions, and our outlooks.
74. We've started in this direction through implementing the counsel the Lord gave in the Feast 2008 GNs on mindsets and change.We're making headway, but it will take time for us to fully adopt all of the "fresh new mindsets" that we need to, and to make the practical changes that go along with them. Mama and I are happy about the forward movement so far, but we realize there's still a ways to go. If we hope to achieve the success we're after in our Offensive goals and in other aspects of Family life, we need to make some significant and very practical changes in the culture that we have built up throughout our history.
(Jesus:) The future will be quite different from the present. You need to make changes now, in the present, so that you will be ready for the future. Many Family attitudes and mindsets need to change, because they won't serve you well in the future. Many ways of doing things need to change so that they will be up to date in the future ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:90, GN 1247).
75. The Family has a very deep, very rich culture. Our culture, which has developed over 40 years, is one of the things that has made the Family special and unique. It's part of what holds us together. Our culture is built on the collective combination of our shared faith, beliefs, doctrines, goals, practices, lifestyle, our common literature, music, and language.
76. Regardless of where we live—whether in South Africa, Colombia, Taiwan, the U.S., Ireland, or Russia—we all have many of the same things in common. Sociologists of religion who have visited extensively with Family Homes around the world have commented that, while Family members in different countries take on some of the local culture in an effort to become one, the feel and atmosphere of Family Homes around the world is very similar, no matter where they live or where the Family members are from.
77. We are joined to the rest of our Family through our common culture, heritage, faith, and the Lord's Spirit. No matter where in the world you go, if you visit the Family, you find them to have the same spirit, the same terminology, the same beliefs, etc. Well, that's all part of our Family culture. Our culture, which is largely built on our faith and way of life, strongly exists in Family Homes, no matter what country we live in or what our native culture is.
78. That's something to be proud of, as it shows that our faith, our spirit, our sense of Family identity has taken precedence over our individual nationalities and the culture of the nations we live in; yet at the same time, we are able to easily mix with and even become one with those national cultures, in order to win those people. Our culture has many very beautiful aspects within it, and, as I said, we should be proud of it.
79. Culture is developed over time through the collective experience of a nation or an organization. It's the accumulation of the history, the shared experiences, the education or training, the mindsets, and a multitude of other factors that shape how a nation or an organization develops and how it collectively thinks, acts, and reacts. That's why the culture of many countries is so deep, because it has developed over hundreds and hundreds—even thousands—of years, and everyone within that culture knows the nuances of the culture. We have a culture, too. That's not a bad thing; it's just a fact.
80. However, just like the culture of nations of the world, or large companies, parts of our culture that affect our way of life, how we think and act today, are anchored in our past. Within our culture we have developed certain mentalities, certain ways in which we collectively think, or relate to or do things, and patterns in how we approach situations.
81. Because these mentalities are part of our culture, part of our history, part of who we are, it's often very difficult for us to think, act, or respond in new and different ways. That's one of the reasons why making the kinds of changes we are talking about can be difficult, because much of what we do and how we do it, even what is collectively acceptable to us, is based in our culture. And in our case, because we are also a religious movement, of course much of our collective mentality is also rooted in our theology. Again, this isn't bad; it's just the way it is, and it's normal for any culture.
82. However, because our culture—or certainly some aspects of it—is rooted in the past, it can tend to tether us to the past, and that's where the potential problem lies. We need to identify those things within our culture, within our mindsets and the "way we do things," that are no longer applicable to today or the future. Some parts of our culture that are rooted in the past or that developed many years ago will continue to be good and current. But there are some elements of our culture that we need to leave behind, and new aspects that we need to add to our culture that are more up to date and relevant to reaching the world we live in today with the Gospel, and to what the Family needs to become in the future.

83. Over the years we have used the army analogy when explaining the direction the Lord was leading us in, and it's a very apropos analogy which we will continue to use. But thinking of the Family as a multinational company is another suitable analogy in looking at our future and the need for change that we face—change that will be to our benefit as individuals and as a Family, and vital to the success of our mission.
84. To go back to the example I gave earlier, we are in the position that many successful major companies face after a period of time. They've been successful for many years, but they eventually come to realize that the market is changing, that there's new competition, that new products are out there, that they'll lose market share if they proceed as they always have, and therefore that they can't continue on business as usual.
85. In the business world, you either succeed or fail. Successful companies are those that stay current. For the companies that realize this, making whatever changes are necessary is a matter of business life or death. There are many companies that fail, because they don't change at all, they don't change enough, or they don't change at crucial junctures. Successful companies recognize those times when comprehensive change is needed, and then they basically re-create their company so that it meets the needs of the current market.
86. In making that change, they often become a very different company, because they change how they operate; they focus on new markets, new products, new methods, and on reaching different goals. They become innovative, more flexible, they take risks, they are willing to make difficult choices and hard calls in order to succeed. To put this in scriptural terms, they become "new creatures," old things having "passed away" (2Cor.5:17). That is what we as a Family must become: new, innovative, creative, change champions.
87. What is a change champion? A change champion is someone who champions (defends, supports, promotes, backs, campaigns for, fights for, stands up for, advocates, agrees with) the change. It's someone who embraces the change, talks about the change, lives the change, makes the change in his own life, and helps others to change too. Being a change champion means being excited about the change, having faith in the change, promoting the change, liking the change, enacting the change. It requires dedicating time, energy, prayers, and action to the change. Each of us must be a change champion.
88. We must realize that while we have achieved success many times in a variety of areas over the last 40 years, the methods and modes of operation that brought us past success won't necessarily bring us future success. Our journey is to find those new things that will help to bring about our successful future and then to apply those things. In order to thrive in the future, we need to change, we need to become new.
89. Of course, we're not going to be markedly new overnight. This point is very important to understand. The kind of change we are talking about—change that will transform the "company" of the Family into one that continues to be successful and progressive in the present "market," and for years to come—will take time. Not every single change will take years to materialize; some things will be tangibly different in a shorter time than that. But some changes will take a few years to come to fruition and to become part of the fabric of the new Family of the future.
90. You know, as a Family we're often rather impatient when it comes to change. We expect quick victories, quick miracles, quick change. If we pray for something and the answer doesn't come right away, we wonder what's wrong. Generally speaking, we often have unrealistic expectations when it comes to how quickly things can and should change. We've heard from some of you who are wondering why you don't have large flocks already. Or you might wonder why, a year into the Offensive, you still struggle to make ends meet sometimes, or haven't met as many new supporters, or won as many new members as you'd hoped.
91. This unrealistic expectation that we have as far as how quickly things should happen, how quickly prayer should be answered, how quickly the Lord's promises should come to pass, how quickly we expect to see results is something that we need to change. We need to adopt a more mature outlook and have a better understanding of what it takes to succeed. The fact is that it takes time, hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, and holding on, as well as enacting significant change to achieve the kind of success we are looking for.
92. Something else that we need to develop within the Family is a genuine long-term vision. I think that many in the Family tend to feel that looking at the next three or five years is having a long-term vision. Well, that's a start. We do need to look further than the next few months or even a year; it's important that we're looking to and thinking about a few years into the future. That's part of being proactive. But when successful companies and movements talk about long-term vision, they're not only thinking 3 to 5 years forward; they're thinking 10, 20, even 50 years ahead. As a Family, we need to develop a long-term vision that goes beyond just the next few years. (Later in the GN, we'll talk more about this point in relation to the Endtime vision.)
93. A while back I came across a magazine article about investments. One of the principles of investing is building capital, which is not spending the increase that your investments make, but rather reinvesting them—the idea being that, if you do so, over time you will build wealth. Of course, saving and investing to build capital is very different from spending whatever new money you make. Building capital requires sacrifice, because you have to save the money you make today in order to build wealth for the future; but if you do so, you will, in time, build up wealth.
94. In a sense, the "building capital" approach is the one that we need to take in our outlook and in our work. We need to steadily and wisely invest our time, energy, finances, prayers, and actions into building up our local and regional works now in order to build "wealth," in terms of our effectiveness and stability, as a Family, for the future. To do this, you need to have long-term vision.
95. We need a new outlook on our expectations. We need a larger vision of who we are and what we want to become as an organization. But perhaps most of all, we need to understand that the success we want will come in stages, over time. The overall success of the Family will be the result of the accumulated success of each individual, each Home, and each region. This is similar to how a multinational company is successful overall, because itsindividual branches are successful in their cities and countries on an ongoing basis.
96. Our future success will be the sum of our daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly decisions and actions. It will be the product of our diligent labors, as well as our patience, to let our "wealth" build. It will take time, hard work, sacrifice, and change.
97. When we prayed about how to explain all of this to you, the Lord showed Mama and me that the most effective way to do so would be to share with you portions of letters we sent to executive leadership (the RSs and IBCs, who are also part of the Family Policy Council) throughout 2008, developing the theme of change and talking about the future of the Family. (We also shared many of these letters with the regional councils toward the end of 2008.)
98. The Family Policy Council (FPC) comprises all the regional shepherds and international board chairpersons, and a few others appointed to the FPC. (As a note: 53% of this body are FGAs, and 47% are SGAs.) The FPC helps Mama and me to determine Family policy, and we also counsel with them on a variety of matters pertaining to the administration and leadership of the Family.
99. In the year prior to the launch of the Offensive, these folks not only did the difficult jobs of running their regions as RSs, and/or their boards as either regional or international board chairpersons, but they also spent a great deal of time helping us to plan for and to execute the launch of the Offensive. Since then, they and the regional councils have been working hard to advance the Offensive in their regions, in addition to keeping up with their other duties, Homes, and lives.
100. The FPC has also continued to be involved in formulating Family policy and helping us to think ahead, and we will be relying heavily on their help with the Family's change program for the future. It takes a tremendous amount of their time and energy, as there's a lot of reading, praying, and communication involved in this process. Mama and I are very thankful for their counsel, their diligence in their jobs, and the hard work they do in serving you, our precious Family.
101. We're going to share excerpts of these letters to leadership with you in order to explain the exciting journey into the Family's future that we are all embarking on together. This will give you a synopsis of the background that has led us to the point we're at today. It will give you a good idea of what Mama and I are thinking about the next step of the change program that needs to happen in the Family. Our goal in sharing this is to impart to you what the Lord has shown us thus far.
102. As you'll see from reading the following excerpts, not only do your RSs pray and counsel with the regional council about how to move your region forward and facilitate progress in the Offensive, not only do they host or attend regional events, administrate and facilitate regional services and fulfill their RS duties, and do a great deal of work to benefit the Homes and boards in your region, but as part of the FPC, the RSs and IBCs also have to give a lot of thought and time to the needs of the overall Family, what's ahead for the Family, where the Lord wants us to go, and how we are going to get there. They have to absorb and apply the leadership counsel that Mama and I give them, which takes time and effort, just like it does to obey and implement the counsel that goes out via the GNs, which they do also, just like you do.
103. In sharing these letters to leadership with you, besides giving you important background thinking, we're also giving you a little peek into the workings of executive Family leadership, which we pray will be interesting and give you a broader understanding of what your leadership does and is concerned about. It also shows you a little bit more about what Mama and I do in addition to working on the pubs and other counsel we send your way.
104. Mama and I, and all of Family leadership, take seriously the weight of responsibility that rests on us to find the Lord's direction, and to help the Family to change so that we will be ready to take on and to become what the Lord has for us in the future.
105. At the same time, it's not as though we in leadership can make all the changes or do everything ourselves—we can't. All of us—every single Family member—will need to work together to make change happen. It's our Family; it's our future; it's our lives and service and love given to the Lord; it's our discipleship and commitment; it's our children who we want to provide for and care for and raise in the best ways possible; it's our calling to win the lost, teach others, and reap the harvest. We're all in this together.
106. Following now are the letters from Mama and me to Family leadership, sent throughout the latter half of 2008, on the topic of change, the development of the Offensive, and the Family's future.
107. These letters were originally written to Family leadership for the purpose of formulating our thinking in relation to the seven major points I listed in paragraph 52 (GN 1267). The following letters will give some body to those points.
108. We're leaving the text as it was originally addressed, but now that we're sharing it with you, this vision and broader thinking is for you too. So please don't just read these letters as information for someone else, but rather as information for you personally, and for you as a Home.
109. Ask the Lord to help you to start to get your mind and heart around these concepts, and to catch the spirit and vision of where we're going to go as a Family.
Note to Family: You'll see that there are some mentions of a book that the Lord led Mama and me to read. These mentions are all in reference to the same book—a collection of papers and articles on the subject of business and companies that had to change in order to stay afloat and succeed—which we read over a period of months. It was interesting to see that many of the things the Lord had already shown us to do or spoken to us about doing in relation to the Family and change, were the equivalent of things that the companies in the book had done.
110. It's going to be extremely important for the success of the Offensive that we don't lose momentum as the years go by—but particularly in these initial years when the Offensive is getting off the ground.
111. The Family has been in existence for 40 years; we have a very strong Family culture, which plays into who we are and how we act and think. There are many things in our culture and mindsets that are deeply rooted, and many of them need to change. However, because they are mindsets, because some of these things have been in play for 40 years, it will be very easy for us to slowly slip back into them, because they're the comfortable rut we're used to, they're the "way things are always done."
112. Right now changing things is key to moving the Family forward. Holding on to the past, clinging to the way things were, and slipping back into our old habitual ways of doing things is our enemy.
(Jesus:) You may be comfortable with the past, with the way things have been done and the way they're done now. But My mind is so much greater, so much broader! There are things that need to take place for the sake of your future ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:96, GN 1247).
113. In one article I read on change, the author said that it often takes up to ten years for overall changes to become embedded in an organization's culture. That doesn't mean that the change itself takes ten years to happen, but that to embed it into the culture of the Family, in our case, is going to take time. In order for major change to take root we must diligently fight against losing momentum. We can't get complacent, or be satisfied with a few victories, or be fooled into thinking that, after some measure of victory, we have achieved total success.
114. We need to transform the Family so that it will be successful in the future and will carry on in our mission of reaching the world with the Gospel until the Lord returns. The change the Lord is bringing about must become part of "who we are," part of our culture, and the way we do things.
115. It's important that we understand that it's going to take many years for the needed changes to take full root within our Family culture. We have a huge task ahead of us, which is going to require monumental change, flexibility, new thinking, and an incredible amount of hard work.
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116. The Lord has been impressing on Mama and me the need for us to spend time focusing on the far future so that we can more wisely direct the Family today. If we have the Family's future in mind, it makes it easier to make decisions or to set goals that will lead us to that future.
117. Our goal is to work toward both the soon-coming future by putting our focus on the launch of the Offensive, and on the long-termfar future by doing what we can to generally strengthen and prepare the Family for the years to come. We want the Family of tomorrow to have what they need in every way to meet whatever challenges they will face once the torch is in their hands.
118. Preparing the Family for the far future will be a long-term ongoing "project." We will need to look at our policies, at things that have become part of our Family culture and application of the Word over the years, and ask ourselves:
119. "Which parts of our culture are outdated and need to be changed? What new culture points need to be taken on? Are some of our outlooks and points of view on varying topics linked to past decisions that are no longer valid today? Are there aspects of our Family beliefs or lifestyle that need clarification or explanation, or that need to be applied differently? Do we have practices or do we apply some of our beliefs in a way that prevents the Family from moving forward? With regards to the tenets of our faith and our policies, do our SGAs and incoming members who will play a bigger role in leading the Family ten or more years from now have a complete enough understanding and background on these matters to understand why we do or believe them, and to support them, teach them, and pass them on to others? Is there anything that needs to be done or changed in order to make it easier for SGAs and up-and-coming leaders and pillars to take up the torch of the Family and the Offensive in full? Are they getting what they need today in order to carry it in the right way, in the right direction then?"
120. There are many aspects of Family culture today that are directly or indirectly based on decisions and policies made a long time ago. There may be portions of our theology that need to be updated, enlarged upon, or more fully and deeply explained. In some cases, perhaps theapplication of our theology needs to be looked at and adjusted. There are collective Family mindsets that need to be examined and changed. In numerous aspects of Family life, our past influences our present outlook and sometimes our decisions. We need to look at those matters to see if our way of looking at things is anchored to our history, and as a result, is holding us back. Perhaps those matters are still valid today and may still continue to work in the future, but perhaps not. We need to look at them and decide if they should remain part of who we are or if they should change.
121. We need to work toward upgrading the Family to meet the needs of the future. We have to look at how our culture has developed and identify what mindsets, attitudes, and outlooks entered the Family, in the Family's different eras, which may no longer be valid. We will need to decide what is needed and what should be jettisoned because it's based on outdated thinking or factors and will stifle needed change.
122. We need to have some discussion about this, so that we can identify what needs to be changed. Otherwise, those things will never get changed and will hinder us—or rather, the next generation—in the future. Or worse, they will keep us thinking with an old mentality—which, when translated into making decisions, would mean that we're basing today's decisions on mentalities of the past that are, in fact, holding us back instead of propelling us forward.
123. We previously touched on the need to think about our longer-term future in order to help us to make decisions today that will bring about that future. If we know where we want to go, we can map out how to get there. We can make plans, create a strategy, work methodically toward reaching our goals, and finally arrive at the desired destination.
124. The Lord has shown us that we need to change aspects of our Family culture, our mindsets, and how we react to things in order to reach our destiny. While the final goal is a successful future, part of the path to reaching it is by looking at our past and letting go of any ideas or methods we've had, or aspects of our culture, that are no longer the Lord's plan for us for today. We need to unshackle ourselves from the past in order to gain the faith to implement the changes that will ensure that the Family has success in the years to come.
125. We have numerous collective mentalities that need to be uprooted, in order to make the necessary changes in our culture. In "Fresh New Mindsets" (ML #3682, GN 1243), we identified some of the mindsets that the Family needs to change. Until they are changed, it will be very difficult for Family members to have the faith to sail in uncharted seas. Instead they will adhere to a "safe haven" frame of mind, because they will measure their ideas, desires, and decisions against what is culturally allowed and acceptable.
126. One way to cut through the mindsets and cultural restrictions is to identify the "context" of our culture. In the case of the Family, our context is the result of the beliefs, literature, events, decisions, mindsets, and practices that we've had throughout our 40 years of history that have shaped our outlook and the way we think and operate today. In the book about change that Mama and I read, the author touched briefly on context and made a point that we felt was important. The author said:
When a company reinvents itself, it must alter the underlying assumptions and invisible premises on which its decisions and actions are based. This context is the sum of all the conclusions that members of the organization have reached. It is the product of their experience and their interpretations of the past, and it determines the organization's social behavior, or culture. Unspoken and even unacknowledged conclusions about the past dictate what is possible for the future.
To reinvent itself, an organization must first uncover its context. … When an organization is … eager to break new ground [it will] confront its past and begin to understand why it must break with its outmoded present. And only then will a company's employees come to believe in a powerful new future, a future that may seem beyond the organization's reach.
127. In thinking and praying about the Family's 40 years of history and the beliefs, events, and mindsets that have shaped us into the Family of today, Mama and I aren't looking at our past to negatively judge it. What we did, how we reacted to the events of those years, and how we enacted our beliefs has produced the Family of today.—And thanks to Dad, we have a Family, a revolution for Jesus!
128. Dad was incredibly innovative when it came to changing the Family to meet the needs of the day. He preached and practiced fighting today's battles with today's battle plans, and when the Lord called him Home, he had successfully brought the Family to where it was meant to be at that time.
129. In looking at our context, we need to identify those things from our past that, while logical and fitting for then, tend to hold us back now. Or those things that have shaped our outlook that are either no longer valid or should no longer have a place in our present thinking, as if they do, they will keep us tethered to the past.
130. I'll give an example: In the '70s the Family believed the Lord would return in 20 years, in the early '90s. This thinking shaped our thoughts, plans, and actions for many years. If we were going to be raptured in 20 years, what type of education would be practical and relevant for our children (most of whom were not even born) to receive? Was it necessary to financially invest for a longer-term future when the then young membership of the Family would only be in their 40s or so? The context of "Rapture in 20 years" framed our decisions and actions. We thought and acted based on the context of the time.
131. Note to Family: One very positive result that came from this context was the much-needed impetus to go out into all the world to witness and win souls. We were very clear on the responsibility we had to "deliver our soul," as per Ezekiel 3:17-19. That motivated us to give everyone we met the opportunity to receive salvation. This is still our responsibility—to be instant witnesses—and we should have that same commitment and perspective today.
132. Another example would be our outlook on authorities, persecution, fleeing when there was trouble, and security. Much of that thinking was formulated in the late '70s, around the time of Jonestown, after which there was a strong negative sentiment toward NRMs in general. Dad was concerned that the backlash against NRMs like ours would be severe, and he hoped to avoid the Family being targeted by authorities who were on high alert or suspicious of any NRM being dangerous, due to the Jonestown incident. In early 1979, he counseled the Family to "go selah," to be more low key, to be wary about their security, and the Family went underground.
133. That may have helped us at that time, but that approach then worked its way into our collective mindset and culture, and brought with it a sort of distrustful, even fearful, attitude that at times made the Family seem unapproachable to the world. Thank the Lord, we have made progress in this area, and the Family today is different than it was in the '80s or even the '90s. We need to continue with this outward shift, in order to make the Family open and relatable to those who want and need to get to know us better.
134. There are many examples of context affecting our thinking that could be discussed, but hopefully these two give some practical understanding as to how context, culture, and yesterday's thinking can affect present outlook and action.
135. Perhaps the most important point about context for the Family today is that operating as per past context severely limits the Family's collective faith and the faith of individuals. Context and culture, in a sense, set parameters on what people feel they can do, on what they consider possible or allowed.
136. Of course, there are also specific rules and guidelines in place that do set boundaries, but there is often some degree of latitude when it comes to the application of those rules—and that's where the parameters of context and culture come in. People are not likely to consider possibilities outside of those parameters, and as a result can be stifled in their thinking, and consequently in their faith. But changing the context can have the effect of almost instantly reshaping thinking and faith. I'll give an example. It's an old one, but it makes the point.
137. In 1972, Dad published the Letter "Your Declaration of Independence" (ML #173), which, in short, told people that, if they wanted to go to the mission field and not remain in their present Home, they could go out to wherever they wanted and be free to preach the Gospel; that all they had to do was report and stay connected by mail so they could get the Letters.
138. Before reading that Letter, Family members who wanted to head to far-flung fields had to wait for their local leadership to give the okay. Some leaders were slow or reluctant to give permission, which meant folks with the burden to go couldn't. In those days, leadership had a lot of authority, and obedience to leadership in matters like this was the modus operandi of the Family at the time; in a sense, that was the context at the time. However, once the Family read that Letter, the thinking and context rapidly changed.
139. Once people realized that they were free to follow the Lord's call to the mission field without having to wait on anyone, their thinking and actions completely changed. Something that they didn't have the faith for prior to reading that Letter, they did have the faith for afterwards. Their thinking changed, their faith changed, and their actions changed. Within a short period of time, many members of the Home I was in left to new fields.
140. The change of context opened new horizons. People weren't bound to the past modus operandi; they realized they could step out and do new things, and as such, they had faith for new things. The day before the Letter, they didn't feel the freedom to go off on their own like that, so they didn't have the faith for it; and even if that's what they wanted to do, they probably wouldn't have had the faith to pray about it, or to receive from the Lord that that was His will for them, because it wasn't the norm. The culture and context of the day more or less dictated what was and wasn't acceptable. But by simply changing the context, by opening that door, by creating new thinking, many were freed to try new things.
141. It would be advantageous for us to look for and seek the Lord about the context and culture that holds us back today and to change that context and culture.
142. Note to Family: At many points in our history, the elements of our context and culture that developed were largely influenced by the Word for the day, which was to be expected. In some cases, the tone or message or direction of the Word then changed a few months or years later, but the context or culture it gave rise to often remained. We will also have to look at these aspects of our context and culture, those that developed around application of the Word, and seek the Lord about what perspective and counsel He has for us for now and the future.
143. We may need to make changes in our application of some of our beliefs, particularly if the basic principle or instruction of that particular Word is an important part of our theology today, so that we remain current with the Lord's plans for us for today, and are not going by yesterday's battle plans. One of the main reasons for doing so is that, if the Family doesn't change, then we won't be able to move into the successful future the Lord has for us.
144. At some point we must articulate what we see the future of the Family looking like so that we can actually make decisions today, and in the years ahead, that will put us on the path to reaching that future. Past context and culture, as well as our present culture, can hold us back from even visualizing our future. Those parameters won't allow us to think beyond today. Our vision will be narrow, our faith won't be large enough, and thus we'll be very limited—so much so that we could get stuck to the point that we won't become what we want and need to become.
(Jesus:) Revolutions bring change. So if you see the current of My will turning in a new direction, don't worry or fear, just dive in and enjoy the ride. Know that you're exactly where you were meant to be, as the past that has formed you is also the past that I intend to play a major part in your future ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:71, GN 1247).
145. I'll use an example of context and culture that needs to change: The Lord has shown Mama and me that we need to set goals up to 30 years or even farther into the future, and make plans to reach those goals.
146. We don't know when the Lord will return, but in the back of our minds, I think that most of us harbor the possibility that it could be earlier than in 30 years. This makes it difficult to set truly long-term goals and to work to reach them. However, if we change the context in regard to when we surmise the Lord might return, then we will have a change in our thinking, our planning, and our faith.
147. Now the fact is, the Lord hasn't told Mama and me when He's going to return. We don't know when it's going to happen. But the Lord has told us that when it comes to our preparations for the future, we'd be wise to plan as if it were later rather than earlier. It's prudent for us to be prepared for the possibility that the Lord won't decide to return at the time we hope or think He should return.
148. If we think His return will be later, and we make plans and set goals accordingly, but then the Lord comes back earlier, we'll be in Heaven, and our preparation will not have hurt us. But if our general mindset is that the Rapture is going to be in, say, 10 to 15 years, then we'll plan accordingly, and if we're wrong, we'll be found wanting.
149. If we set a new context in our outlook on the Lord's return, for example, then it will change how we think, how we plan, the goals we'll be trying to reach, our long-term strategies, and a variety of other things. If we set a new context that the Lord may not return before 30 to 50 years from now, then we will look at things in a completely different light.
150. For example, if we have another 30 years, then Mama's and my 13-year-old grandchildren will be 43, and could possibly have 20-year-old children themselves, and for that matter their children could have babies, so they could be grandparents. Realizing this will most likely reframe our thinking and discussion in regard to our children and their education, preparations for their future—including if they decide not to stay in the Family—and a variety of other things. It opens the door to thinking more about long-term training for the second, third, and even fourth generations. It brings in the question of financing and care for aged Family members, etc.
151. Just changing that one context opens up a variety of possibilities and needs; it changes our vision for the future and reshapes our long-term goals. It will change the things we have the vision and faith for. It will change our future.
152. Again, Mama and I don't know when the Lord will return—no one does. We're not preaching a "30 -years doctrine," and we're not asking you to go out and "spread the word."
153. The point isn't when the Lord returns. We don't know when the Lord will return. It might be in 7, 10, 30, 50 years or even more. The point is the context that we need to set in order to make the right kind of progress that is necessary for our future success, and the outlook, vision, and faith that will be generated as a result of having new contexts. Identifying the culture and contexts that hold us back is very important for the future. Exploring these matters is preparation for the Family's future.
154. The purpose of looking at context is to pave the way for whatever changes need to be made to reach the goals we're aiming for. That brings up the question: What are our goals?
155. We want the Offensive to be successful. We want to reach the world by winning converts who become members and who witness or help us in some way to reach others. We want all Family members to be proud of their mission, confident in their beliefs, happy in their life and relationship with the Lord, and fulfilled in their opportunities to use their gifts, develop their potential, and carry out the Lord's will. Those are goals that we need to reach.
156. Mama and I are also asking ourselves these questions: Where would we want the Family to be in 10 years? Or what would we hope the Family would look like in 30 years? What is, as one author puts it, our "envisioned future"? In time, Mama and I will pray about where the Lord wants us to be at in 10 years and in 30 years and what steps we'll need to take to get there. We will need to discuss this topic in detail at a later point. Once we've put time, thought, and prayer into our "envisioned future," and have received the Lord's direction on this, we will be in a position to know, in more detail, what our future should look like, and we can begin moving in that direction.
157. Of course, planning for what the Family will look like in the future and actually getting there as a Family are two different matters. Some of the goals can be reached in a relatively short time; others will take longer, and some will take much longer.
158. Reaching such long-term goals is like scaling mountains in the Himalayas. Climbers on mountains of such heights have to set up a base camp and then numerous camps along the way. While the final goal is reaching the summit, there are intermediate goals that have to be reached first. There can be a number of camps set up on the ascent to the summit, and each one is a goal that must be reached before the final goal is attained.
159. Our journey into the future will include "camps" along the way that will serve as stepping stones, and take us closer to our goals year by year. A "camp" may be a five-year goal, which, when reached, will be the platform for attaining the next five-year goal, and so on.
160. All of us will need to participate in the shaping of our future and in helping the Family to attain that future. We will need to pray desperately for the Lord's guidance. We will need to maintain the vision over many years while working hard to make that vision a reality. Success won't come cheaply—it's going to cost us all—but it's a price worth paying to achieve the Family's destiny.
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161. In order for the Family to reach its goals, the change of vision, focus, and action that the Offensive has brought—and will bring, as our flocks grow—must become part of our Family culture. Changing some aspects of our culture and interjecting new aspects altogether won't be an easy task. However, we have achieved it a number of times within our history. Here are two examples of times our culture changed in a new and positive direction.
162. —The Love Charter. When the Charter was given to the Family and went into effect in 1995, it was a momentous development. It articulated the rights and responsibilities of individual Family members, gave more autonomy to individuals and Homes, and set limits on leadership's authority. We had never had such a document that codified all our Family policies, rules, rights, guidelines, and essential beliefs in one place. Just that factor alone took some time for people to comprehend. It seemed almost overwhelming! How could we remember all those requirements and rules and points? But with time, as people kept going back to the Charter, researching their questions, and made the effort to apply the Charter to their lives and decisions and interactions, theCharter was integrated into our Family life. The Charter no longer seems like a radical departure from the "norm"; it's just how the Family operates and is governed today. What once seemed to be such a drastic change has become deeply rooted in our Family's foundation.
163. —The wide use of prophecy. When the Lord began emphasizing the importance of prophecy in our everyday lives, it was something very new and different. It was a struggle for some. It took quite some time before people began to understand that prophecy was something we needed to use for everything. It was a huge change. However, over the years the use of prophecy within the Family, within the Home, and as part of decision-making in each individual's life, has become a common occurrence. It has become part of our culture and how we do things.
164. The changes we're enacting in the Family now are based on spiritual principles—those of reaching the world and feeding the sheep—but they're also heavily geared toward the practical—being methodical and professional in aspects of outreach, follow-up, teaching and training others, and in all aspects of our service for the Lord. The outcome of making these changes will not only result in spiritual gains (greater happiness, fruitfulness, inspiration, fulfillment, the freedom of the spirit flowing, etc.), but they will also be very measurable and tangible in the practical. They're far-reaching changes, because they involve a great deal of both spiritual and practical change.
165. The Lord has helped us to insert new aspects of the spirit into our culture before, so there's no reason that the changes we face now can't in time become part of our culture as well.—And they need to. But we must understand that it's going to take time for this to happen. We can't get discouraged that it takes time, and we can't lose heart that the full breadth of the Offensive will take years to come to full fruition.
(Jesus:) Revolution by its very definition means major change, dramatic change, transformation. If you're interested in preserving the Revolution, you won't want the way things were done in the past. You'll know that to remain a Revolution, you must find out what My plan is fortoday! ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:56, GN 1247.)
166. When thinking about the Family and our future, and when applying the principle of "if we keep doing the same things the same way, we'll have the same results," the evident truth keeps shining through: We must change the way things are if we are going to succeed! Change is often risky, but without risk, great gains can't be made. We need to take risks in order to change the strong culture that exists within the Family.
167. The success of the Offensive, the success of the Family, hinges on change. The implementation of that change hinges on our ability to figure out what needs to change, to work through those changes, and to clearly articulate them to the Family in order to free them to make the changes.
168. We will need to create both the atmosphere and the mechanisms (via Charter or other changes) for Family individuals and Homes and the Offensive to succeed. We expect, and the Lord has promised, that we will have a multitude of new members. The Lord has said, "If the Family remains faithful, each one will bear fruit one hundredfold, and those again one hundredfold, and the ranks of the Family will swell until they do become a power on this Earth" ("A Fantastic Future," ML #3624:96, GN 1198). Can you think of a way that we are going to be successful in caring for, shepherding, and managing this multitude by continuing our present methods and modes of operation?
169. We will be faced with the challenges of increased membership and will have to work to help Homes to deal with that increase. We will need to give further education to the Homes regarding how to overcome these challenges, and how to properly care for new members and greater flocks. We will need to develop programs to raise up new leaders from all sectors of the Family, live-in and live-out. We will need to create tools that help the Family's ministries succeed. We will focus on making the Offensive Family succeed by giving them the help, assistance, training, and whatever they need to do the job. We will facilitate their success.
170. Right now it is up to us to seek the Lord very carefully as to: What is the essence of the Family? What are those things that are so core to who we are, to what we believe, to what God has made us, that they can never and must never change? We must then articulate these things to the Family in a manner that clearly relates how important it is that we never stray from these bedrock principles. And then we must encourage the Family to cut loose from the shore and head out into open sea.
171. For us to become a highly effective religious organization, a known force for good in the world, a major developer of active Christians and disciples, God's power must move freely within each Family member.
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172. The Lord has shown Mama and me that it's important to focus some thought, prayer, and attention now toward any existing major issues (especially in relation to present-day application of our beliefs) that need to get settled and established for the sake of the future.
173. Identifying these issues, praying about them, discussing them thoroughly, determining if they are meant to be a permanent part of our culture and practice, or if they can be changed or are no longer applicable, is going to be a major undertaking that will take a great deal of time, effort, and energy. It's not something we can start work on years from now, because it will take some years to fully complete the task.
174. Besides the fact that it will take quite some time to work through this process, and that starting soon is better than waiting, the Lord showed us that we have a window of opportunity now in which to begin the process. This is because we're just at the start of the Offensive and haven't yet experienced a large influx of new members at all levels.
175. Massive flocks and increased Family membership will come with time, and with that will come the challenges that having larger flocks and more members will bring. At that time the focus will need to turn more fully toward meeting those challenges. Of course, we are putting time and prayer into this aspect of the future, but it's not occupying our time in the same way that it will once our membership expands significantly. We aren't yet experiencing the full effects of the Offensive, and so we don't have to manage those changes just yet.
176. As such, during the next period of time we have the opportunity to devote time and attention to addressing some of the needs of the far future. Soon enough we'll have to focus on the effects of the Offensive, but because we have a chance now to leapfrog into the future, we feel it's wise to use this present opportunity to focus on matters which will affect the long term.
177. The next few years are going to be very important for the Family's future. Working to make the Offensive a success is of vital importance, and preparing the Family to effectively handle that success is equally important. Much about the Family will need to change to accommodate a vastly larger membership. Also, some things will need to change, or at least be looked at and prayed about, in order to equip the next generation to lead and run the Family of the future. What does or doesn't need to change, what is fundamental and can never change, what is deeply embedded in Family culture and should change, all of this will have to be prayed about and discussed—and it will be vital that we get it right.
178. We are a high-commitment religious group with the aim of expanding our membership. Generally, it's easier to gain new members if the group isn't so high commitment. However, our high-commitment characteristics are, in large part, what make us who we are. We're disciples, and discipleship costs and will never be an easy or cushy lifestyle. We have some radical beliefs for a Christian organization, and certainly we could gain more members if we ditched those beliefs, but then we wouldn't be true to the Lord, we would lose some of who we are, we would become an easy-belief church.
179. So one of the challenges we face in redefining the Family is making it what it needs to be for today and the future, while keeping the Family true to the Lord, the Word, and the truths He's given us, the children of David. It's a very important and delicate matter to: 1) help the Family to change, while at the same time not losing the essence of who and what the Family is; 2) become more relevant to and able to meet the needs of the lost; and 3) help our next generation of members to be more confident in taking up the torch of the Offensive, running the Family, and preserving the tenets of the Family.
180. To do this we'll need to identify what things are the "ballast" of our faith and of the Family that can and should never change, what things should change, as well as what things need further explanation to deepen the understanding and faith of the second generation and new members.
181. Mama and I feel—and the Lord has confirmed—that over the next few years, we need to give attention to looking specifically at the main issues and matters that have to do with doctrine, policy, or practice as relates to the Family International as an organization and religious movement. That doesn't mean looking at "doctrine" such as our belief in salvation, for example. It also wouldn't necessarily include anyand every possible issue or "problem" that relates to the Family, or that a Family Home might have, or anything that an individual doesn't particularly like.
182. It has to do with trends that Mama and I and Family leadership can see surfacing, or that the Lord shows us have the potential to hold the Family back, or to impact the progress of the Offensive, or that affect the Family's future; or matters that need clarification, because they affect people's faith and ability to trust the Lord, or to put their faith into action, or they affect the next generation.—Issues that are easier for Mama and me to identify because they're widespread or bigger picture, and we see the effects they have from our unique perspective. Not every Family "issue" or "problem" is major or would fit this description.
183. Our general projection is to first work on identifying and prioritizing these issues (we have begun discussing and seeking the Lord about this already), and then, in the second half of 2009, Lord willing, begin to work our way through these issues one at a time. (Once we're able to put serious work into this, it will still easily be six months or more before we will be able to present the Family with the first round of concrete details/conclusions.) Between now and then, we'll try to do some preliminary thinking, discussion, prayer, information-gathering, and brainstorming.
184. This is going to be a long-term project, but we wanted to tell you this now, so that you're aware of what we're thinking and praying about. We see this as being something that is very worth devoting time and prayer and lots of hard work to (which it will certainly entail), because it's very much for the future, for the sake of the Family 10, 20, even 30 or more years from now. It's really for the sake of the next generation being able to carry on the Family, when the FGAs who are in leadership today, and the bulk of the FGAs in the Family, are not here, or are not able to continue to carry the same load in the Family, and the weight of the torch and the weight of making Family-wide decisions is in the hands of the Family leaders of tomorrow.
185. While it will be a ton of work, it's proactive and something that Mama and I are inspired about. It will have a lot of positive effects, both today, for our SGAs and young people, as well as for new members who will join—all of whom will benefit from having much more clarity on what we believe and what we do and why, and how to pass on these principles to those they're witnessing to and their own children. It will strengthen and enhance the Family's personal beliefs, their personal conviction, their personal understanding, their personal faith. And for the long-term future, it will pare down any unnecessary facets that could actually keep our "building" from remaining strong and standing tall and being a safe haven to the spiritually hungry of the world.
(Jesus:) When you do things the way you've always done them, you'll get the same results you always did. I don't want that for the Family, and you shouldn't either. I want more, and so should you—and "more" isn't going to come through fending off change because of what might get lost in the process. "More" comes through embracing change while being faithful to ensure that the most important core elements get worked into every change that's made and that each improvement is made for the right reasons and with the right counsel ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:61, GN 1247).
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186. Our goal is not just to create change for the sake of change alone. We aren't thinking that we should "throw the baby out with the bathwater," or toss everything up into the air "and see which way the wind blows, and that will separate the 'wheat' from the 'chaff.'" The goal is to identify the things that genuinely do hold us back from being successful in the mission that the Lord has given us, or that will hold us, or the next generation of Family members, leaders, and pillars, back in the future.
187. Then, keeping the "Builders Beware" principle in mind, we have to look at those things and decide which things we should change and which should not change (but may need clarification or explanation, to pass on more of the background and thinking), because they are very core to who we are and the Lord's will for the Family, and need to be preserved and kept.
188. We've got to identify the things that are holding us back, whether in our minds, or spiritually—either because the Family today doesn't understand them well enough, or because they're based on older thinking and culture that is unclear or no longer relevant, and has left questions as a result.—Also, in the practical, if there is anything physically or logistically holding us back from making the changes needed, or that is no longer applicable today. We need to redefine, refocus, and redirect.
189. Our focus is now in the process of shifting outward, to the world and the lost. The goal is to continue this outward focus into the far future, and that it will become deeply embedded in the Family's culture.
190. In line with the need to propel the Family forward, we need to determine if we have hitching posts or "sacred cows" that are based on old ways and old thinking, and if so, then we need to identify them and get rid of them. If we don't, we'll be dragging them with us, and they will hold us back from moving forward. If we don't identify what cumbersome, unneeded things might be holding us back spiritually, physically, or mentally today, and pray about them and change them, then not only is our work today harder, but we'll be leaving the Family of the future with those burdens and weights to carry around or to sort out.
191. Carrying unnecessary weight may be difficult for us today, but it will be all the more so for the SGAs and new members and leadership of the future, who don't have the same history and experience and understanding and immersion in the Family culture of the past 40 years that those in Family leadership today have.
192. So Mama and I feel that, because we're entering into a new era of Family history, there is no better time than now to start looking at our policies and practices in order to reshape Family culture and policy for the future. Today we have around ten thousand Family members, but the difference between the Family of ten thousand and tens of thousands some years from now will be vast! In order to be ready for then, we must begin preparing now.
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193. Besides focusing on the soon-coming needs of the Family in the Offensive, it's imperative to put time into preparing the Family for the longer-term future. There are certain inevitable realities that need to be factored into our vision of the future.
194. Increased membership is one of these realities, for example. We realize that this is going to happen, and we see the need to start thinking and planning for that.
195. Another example is the aging of our first generation, and the need to provide care for them, as well as to prepare the next generation of Family members for their future role of carrying on the Offensive and upholding and leading the Family.
196. [At the time of writing this—2008] it's been 14 years since Dad's Homegoing. Fourteen years from now [2008] the average age of our first generation will be 66, which means that many will be in their 70s by then, including Mama and me.
197. It's not that the first generation is at an age when they won't be able to successfully contribute to the Offensive or to leadership.Many of our FGAs are still going strong today—even if they aren't as energetic or physically active as they were in their younger years. The FGAs still have tremendous capacity to give to the Family, and we desperately need them. We value the wisdom, maturity, understanding, experience, and skill that the years have given them. However, as the years pass, the first generation will gradually slow down, they will age, and the second generation and younger disciples won will need to more fully take the reins of Family leadership and operations. This will be a process; it won't happen tomorrow, but it will happen, and we must be thinking, praying, and preparing for that day.
198. We must make sure that the "house" of the Family is in order so that our next generation will have the faith, the training, the know-how, and the courage to take charge and to lead the Family with conviction to where the Lord will want them to go. Our second generation has questions; they face issues which affect them differently than they affect the first generation. There are a number of matters that need clarifying, which need to be looked at in light of the Family today, and the world today. We need to identify these issues, address them, and settle them so that our second generation and new members will be in a position of strength, a position that enables them to stay on the offense, both now and when taking on the leadership of the Family more fully.
199. Today we have a number of SGAs in leadership and many in pillar positions throughout the Family. We can't do without our second generation members. In the years to come, we'll need the second generation to take on even more leadership and pillar positions and responsibility. There will also be new blood coming in by way of those who join the Family who will participate in tomorrow's leadership.
200. It's inevitable that our first generation will eventually pass on the torch/responsibility of leadership to the next generation more completely, so we want to look at these issues from the perspective of the needs of our second generation and new members. We want to know what the issues are that they need addressed, what their concerns are, what future they can expect the Lord to give them, and how to work toward achieving that future.
201. We want to look at these matters against the backdrop of preserving the Family's future usefulness, and the need for the Family to be in good shape as we pass it on to the next set of pillars and leaders.
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202. Mama and I believe that at this juncture of our history we must begin to very seriously think further about and act upon preparing our next generation for the future roles they will play within the Family. Of course, having SGAs in leadership and in other positions of responsibility, and working toward this more concertedly is not a new idea or "to-do." We have had this vision for a number of years, and we have many SGAs who are leaders and pillars in all spheres of the Family.
203. What does give a new edge to the vision of the torch of the Family's future being in the hands of our second generation is that we now also have the Offensive to propel forward and to make successful—and the next generation (SGAs and other disciples in the 18- to 40-year-old range today) plays a pivotal role in this. We are talking about planning for a genuinely long-term future. We must think about this in light of our first generation members getting older, and the vital need for the body of our next generation and younger to middle-aged incoming members to take on the weight and leadership of the Family.
204. As the years pass, this will take concentrated effort and action to make sure that our second generation and new members are fullyprepared to take the Family of the future beyond the first generation, and to accomplish more and expand even farther than the first generation did. If we don't properly equip them for this, then the longevity of the Family will be in jeopardy. Not preparing the next generation for their future as the leadership and pillars of the Family would be irresponsible on our part.
205. We need to work hard to bring the Family to a point where it is successful, financially stable, strong and settled in faith, and with any major issues, both theological and structural, settled and established, so that we're passing on the Family in good shape for the next generation to take forward.
206. We need to do all we can to bring the Family of tomorrow into being. We need to do our part to make the Offensive successful. We need to strive to bring the needed change into the fabric of the Family so that it doesn't merely survive, but thrives in the future.
207. Family leadership today needs to remain on the lookout for those who are part of the next generation of Family leaders and pillars, so that they can be prepared for tomorrow. We need to keep our eyes out for up-and-coming pillars and leaders, those who are getting the spirit of the Offensive, who are becoming the vanguard of the future Family, and cultivate them, train them, and help them along the path of being pillars and leaders at the various levels needed throughout the Family, including in top leadership.
208. Generally speaking, our SGAs today have had years of training from the Word and through a variety of life experiences. Many of them are parents and have children. Many are shepherds, managers, leaders, teachers, pioneers, and bellwethers in some form or another. Cumulatively, the ability and potential that our SGAs have to take the Family even further than the first generation did, to do new and outstanding things for the Lord, to truly rock the world, and to reach society today, is staggering. It's not that they haven't received training or that their potential is lacking; it's that we need to build confidence in the amazing potential and training and experience that they do have. We need to find ways to tap into and channel that creativity and potential more successfully, in bigger ways that bring genuine satisfaction and fulfillment, and that significantly expand the Family's witness. We need to create the environment, the space, the impetus that enables our SGAs to truly break the box and let the gold roll, to be world changers and pacesetters for the future.
209. We need to strengthen our overall body of SGAs, help them to settle whatever issues they need settled, answer whatever questions they have, and help them to build confidence in themselves and their ability to reach, win, and train professionals from their generation, as well as to take up the torch of the Family. We must also give attention to those coming into our ranks, and help to raise them up as well, so that alongside our second generation members, they too can help to carry the Family forward.
210. We must continue to concentrate on fully preparing both the first generation to pass the torch and the second generation to take it on. We need to be consciously looking for those (including those joining the Family) who show the ability to be leaders and pillars, and invest in them.
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211. Something that's becoming more and more clear, and that I believe we all feel strongly is necessary and right, is that the Family of the future is going to be different from the Family of today, just as the Family of today is so very different from the Family of the past. That's the long and the short of the magnitude of the changes that we are hoping to make in the Family today.
212. When you look at the difference between the Family of the '70s and '80s and the Family today, it's almost like two different organizations. Of course, the basics of our beliefs remain the same, and our conviction to witness, etc., but much has changed. We look at and do things very differently than we did then. So many of our attitudes and mindsets, and many aspects of our culture are very different now from what they were in the past.
213. To bring about that degree of difference today, we need to create a new atmosphere within the Family, one that is more broadminded and accepting, more inclusive of not just others, but also of new ideas, innovative ventures, and expanded faith for the untried and unproven. Minds, hearts, attitudes, culture all need to change.
214. The challenge we face is changing these without losing the essence of who and what we are as the Family—what the Lord has called us and wants us to be. As Dad would often quote, "We need to change the things that need to be changed, and not change the things that don't need to be changed, and God help us to know the difference."
215. At this point in time, Mama and I don't know definitively what needs to change and what doesn't, but we've started the conversation. We've held some meetings on the subject [including a meeting with several RSs in late 2008], many of you [RSs and IBCs] have commented on this in your reports, and we have been thinking and praying about it for a while now.
216. It's going to be a challenge. It's going to take work—lots of it. It's going to take faith. It's going to take changing the things that need to be changed, and not changing the things that shouldn't change, and being very in tune, very desperate, and very connected to the Lord in order to know the difference between the two.
(End of excerpts of letters to Family leadership.)
217. Mama and I pray that reading those portions of letters originally sent to executive leadership has given you some understanding of where the Lord is directing us to lead the Family.
218. As you can tell, these letters deal with conceptual ideas that aren't by any means fully developed. Although they present concepts and principles that are helping Family leadership to change and broaden their thinking, they're not instructing anyone to do anything specific at this point. But they do contain the initial thinking and basis for change that needs to happen.
219. Generally, Mama and I don't publish the initial thinking on new ideas, plans, or programs for the Family until the plan is complete and ready to be implemented. And when we present to you the plan for implementation in your Homes, then we include the thinking in the presentation of the plan. However, this time the Lord showed us to start by sharing with you the initial thinking so that at the onset of this exciting time of change, you can start to have an understanding of the spirit of how the Lord intends to move the Family and where we're going.
220. One of the downsides of giving you the thinking in this very initial and conceptual stage, before being able to hammer out and articulate all the details of the actual plan, is that human nature is such that people will draw their own conclusions of what it all means and how this thinking should be implemented. That can result in drawing the wrong conclusions and coming away with the wrong attitudes or taking the wrong action. Another potential downside is that you will let the thought of new changes on the horizon distract you from strongly focusing on fulfilling your Home's Offensive goals. Building Offensive momentum and progress is a priority goal that the Family must give concentrated effort to.
221. On the other hand, the advantage of knowing this initial thinking is that, starting now, you will begin to understand the spirit of where things are headed. It also gives you some time to personally reflect on and pray about these changes, and to ask the Lord to help you to align your faith and spirit with where His Spirit is guiding. You (and we) don't know all the details, you don't know exactly what's going to change or how or when, but you clearly know that there is change on the horizon, and that we are headed into a very new and different future. Having this information can then broaden your view of the future, which can increase your faith for the present. That's what we're hoping for by sharing this information with you now.
222. It's risky for Mama and me to present to you such a wide spectrum of possibilities for change, and in such a broad and theoretical manner. But we think that the benefits of doing so outweigh the risks.
223. We want you to know that change is coming. We feel that it's important for you to know that we're going to be looking at and addressing some major Family practices and mindsets; that we will be working toward identifying and changing those parts of our culture that hold us back; that we're going to change the context within which the Family operates—all with the goal of making it easier for you, for your Home, and for the overall Family to be successful in the near and far future.
224. It's our hope and prayer that knowing that these changes are on the horizon will be an inspiration to you and increase your faith for the future, resulting in a positive effect on the present. We have faith in you that you will understand that you're being brought in on the ground floor of these changes, and that it will be clear to you that we can't afford for the Family to go haywire with everyone trying to implement their own interpretation of what they feel is the "new direction" of the Family. We can't sustain a year or two of chaos. As I said before, we have to work to build up our Offensive momentum, and to capitalize on the progress we've made since the Offensive launch.
225. We know that the thought of big changes coming may cause some of you to feel fearful, or you might worry that a wrong decision will be made, or that change will make things difficult for you or your loved ones, or that something you want to see changed won't change, or that we might lose something important in the process of making these changes, and so on. Mama and I pray that you will not allow the Enemy to get you down with his fears, worries, and doubts about what might or might not happen in the future.
226. The thought of implementing far-reaching change in the Family is one that Mama and I always take very seriously. We have to seek the Lord very desperately for His will; we have to hear from Him in prophecy many times to receive His confirmation, as well as use the other ways to know God's will, including counsel with others. We have to ask the Lord to infuse us with great faith for the changes that He will show us to make, and for the amount of work that this will involve. We also have to think and pray about other things that such a change will affect, and then determine whether those things need to be addressed, and when, and so forth.
227. But we believe that the changes that the Lord will lead us to will be very beneficial ones that will make the Family more fruitful and stronger for the long-term future. We're trusting that the Lord will lead us and do His part, and we're trusting that you will do your part by continuing to move forward with your Offensive strategies, and by understanding that it will take some time before the nuts and bolts of the changes are articulated and can be implemented.
228. So if you're feeling shaky because of this news of change, please go to the Lord and ask Him to speak to you about this, so that you can have His assurance and promise that He will perfect that which concerns you, your loved ones, and our whole Family, as well as those whom the Lord has destined to work with us in the future. We know that the Lord never starts us down a path or asks us to do something that He doesn't also give us the grace, strength, faith, and guidance for.
229. Although Mama and I are desperate with the Lord—as are all of Family leadership—about what's ahead and the decisions that will need to be made, we aren't fearful about what the Lord will ask us to do, or what changes might need to be made. We have faith that the Lord will give us sound counsel and understanding about what to do, strength and faith to implement His plan, and abundant joy and fruitfulness as we obey and trust Him.
230. Mama and I sincerely ask that you please keep us in your prayers as we discuss these matters with Family leadership, and hear from the Lord about the direction we need to take. We need to make the right decisions for the Family, and we'll be counting on your prayers.
231. Things are going to change! There's no doubt about that, as our success as a Family depends on it. But our success also depends on us making the right changes, on knowing what needs to change and what doesn't, and by God's grace, knowing the difference. Determining this and finding the Lord's will on the many matters we'll have to look at will take time, counsel, prayer, desperation, and clear articulation of what does and doesn't need to change.
232. That's ultimately Mama's and my job: to get ahold of the Lord and to decide what aspects of the Family need to change, what parts of our culture hold us back, how we should address and solve the major issues, what new context we should operate under, what changes can be made that will free you, the Family, to do your job more easily, and how we should prepare the next generation to take their place in leading and maintaining the Family of the future.
233. These are incredibly large issues and it will take us time to get the Lord's mind on them. Mama and I are making this a top priority, and we are willing to work very hard on it, but even at that, it's going to take us a few years to work through it all. (Not to mention that we still need to keep administrating the Family, passing on the Word to you, and keep the Offensive going and growing.) That doesn't mean that it will take years beforeanything changes; it simply means that the process of change will be ongoing, and that some changes will take a number of years to complete.
234. Every large multinational company that has undertaken a major change program with the goal of redefining and redirecting itself has needed years to accomplish the task. If the Family International were a corporation, we would be a multinational one, with branches in 88 countries. We can't expect overnight change nor overnight success. This will be a process—it's starting now and will continue into the future.
235. What's the goal of this process? There are a number of goals, but, in broad terms, the ultimate goal is success in our mission of reaching the world with the Gospel. But in order to achieve that ultimate goal, we must create a new mindset or culture within the Family wherein new ideas and new methods and means of accomplishing the mission flourish.
236. We want Homes and individuals to branch out, to try new things, to develop new methods and ministries, to follow the Lord's directions on how to successfully reach the people in their city and country and minister to them. There's no "one size fits all" when it comes to doing our job. Every country is different, and what works in one country may not work in another. For that matter, no two Homes are exactly alike. Each one is made up of different people with different gifts. As such, there must be diversity in order for us to be successful, and we must learn to accept and embrace that fact much more deeply and boldly than we have up till now.
237. We also need to determine the core components of what the Family is—and what we need to be for the future. What that means is that we need to identify those things that we will never change because they're part of the core essence of the Family, and if we were to change them, then we'd no longer be the Family.
238. As long as we're not changing the things that can't change—because they are the essence of who we are and the unique calling the Lord has given to the Family—and as long as what we do, as far as the methods we use, is lined up with what we fundamentally do as an organization, and as long as our methods are working to take us to our envisioned future, then the sky is the limit!
(Jesus:) Not only does the Family need to continue to change to fit the needs of today for the sake of those you are trying to win and reach, but you need to do it for those within the Family as well. You need to feel part of a fresh, new, forging ahead movement ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:85, GN 1247).
239. This process of change is ultimately intended to make it easier for you to follow where the Lord is leading you in your work and service for Him. It will hopefully allow more flexibility within the Family, resulting in more possibilities and opportunities for trying the new and different.
240. The eventual success of this change program is predicated on the fact that we're all disciples who have a heart for God's work.It's based on the belief that all of us will apply whatever changes come for the betterment of the Lord's work, and not with selfish motives; that we will continue to act responsibly, manifesting the type of integrity, example, and connection to the Lord and His Spirit that make others—whether or not they're Family members—proud to be associated with us and part of us. Mama and I are trusting you, knowing that you've all had good training for many, many years, you have the Word, you know what the Lord expects from you, you're dedicated, willing, and able, and you know what you're supposed to do.
241. Mama and I will continue to pass on the encouragement, guidance, and instruction that the Lord gives us for the Family. But from here on there's not going to be a lot of handholding, and we won't be continually cajoling you to be what you're supposed to be as a disciple, or to grow the way you're supposed to grow. Many of you have been in the Family for a quarter of a century or more, but even if you haven't been around for that long—if you've been serving the Lord for several years now, and obeying the Word, then you are trained. Or if you lack some training, you are capable of getting it on your own—either from the existing and new Word, from the Lord in prophecy, or in counsel with your co-workers and shepherds.
242. If you've made the choice to be in the Family, at whatever level of membership, then we're assuming that you've decided that serving the Lord is your calling in life, and that you're dedicating yourself to being the best you can be at it. We figure that you are, or plan on being, a professional, acting like a professional, and succeeding like a professional—and we're going to treat you like one!
243. If you're not planning on being a professional, with a professional's commitment, then the Family is going to be difficult for you.If you are a professional, or want to become one and are willing to put in the work and sacrifice to become one, then the Family is going to be a place where you can be the best at what you do.
244. That's where we're heading; that's our future—a future as a professional organization, with professional members doing a professional job of reaching, teaching, loving, and winning the world, and making the Family all it's meant to be in every way. Our prayer is that this future is one that you will want to dedicate your efforts toward bringing about, and that you will be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to bring that future into being.
245. Based on the premise of becoming more professional as an organization in order to do the job we need to do today and in the future, we are going to be looking at what needs to be changed in our culture, context, rules, restrictions, attitudes, and application of our beliefs, our relationship to society, lifestyle, and the care and education of our children, etc.
246. The following are some of the points that came out of our brainstorming meeting with some of the RSs toward the end of last year. The list that follows is not a complete one, nor does it indicate an order of importance or a "clue" as to what or how the changes ahead might develop; rather, these are some of the things we're going to be looking at and asking the Lord about in the months (and years) ahead:
* Examining our guidelines regarding secular education for Family children, and the Family's overall outlook on education.
* Exploring avenues for preaching the Gospel that haven't been considered or tried yet; business opportunities that further the Offensive; breaking into new circles of society in order to spread the Gospel.
* Generating income for the Family's work/Family Homes on a large scale through fundraising ventures and business methods.
* Creating an environment for individuals to fulfill personal dreams and goals for serving the Lord; develop their unique gifts; become more confident and professional in their ministry.
* Reassessing our views on former members; developing a positive transition process for Family members who choose a life outside the Family.
* Issues that concern new/second generation parents.
* Old age and the care of aged members; intra-Family options for retirement from active service.
* The application of "going for the gold."
* Sex between FD and MM/FM circles.
* Family membership circles.
* Charter rules related to our internal lifestyle and time-based requirements, which might need to change in order to more practically sync up with/help to facilitate Offensive progress.
* Mindsets/education on health/medical matters/the medical profession (including consulting doctors, regular checkups, operations, immunization, medication, greater health/medical awareness, etc.).
247. Please understand that just because something is listed here does not mean that it will definitely change, or that it will change for the opposite; it means that it will be looked at and prayed about. Also, these aren't the only points that will be considered; there will be others.
248. We're not including this list so that you can start changing what you do in these or other related areas. The Charter holds, and remains the standard for FD Homes, as is the case with the MM Statutes for Missionary members, and the Statement on Fellow Members for Fellow members.
249. We're including this list to give you a sampling of the types of things we're going to be looking at, to show you that we're seriousabout change. But as I said before, we need to decide what needs to be changed and what doesn't. And if something does need to change, then Mama and I need to seek the Lord and decide in what way and to what degree it needs to change, and that's our job, not yours. It's a job that Mama and I, with the help of executive leadership, are already working on and will continue to work on over the next several years, until we get it done.
250. The responsibility that Mama and I bear before the Lord is to make sure that whatever changes we make within the Family are the right changes both practically and spiritually. While we are like a multinational company, that's not all we are. We are also a religion, we are a people of faith. Companies can make decisions based on their bottom line: making money. But our bottom line is much more complex, because while we want to be successful in our mission, having the wherewithal to fulfill that mission involves numerous facets, including giving attention to both practical and spiritual matters.
251. We can't just make changes in the practical without taking the spiritual into consideration. For us both faith and works, so to speak, come into play. We need to make practical changes and ones that result in tangible differences and progress, but, very importantly, we need to make sure that those changes align with our faith and with the Lord's will and the spiritual principles that we live by.
252. When it comes to making changes, we need to seriously consider the theological and spiritual side as well as the practical side in our decision-making. We can't make changes based only on what seems good, practical, or convenient, or think only about what's happening right now. We have to factor in the spiritual side as well. We have to think proactively about the far future, and doing so takes time, thought, counsel, prayer, and hearing from the Lord.—Lots of it!
253. Mama and I feel very responsible to get this right; hence, we know that it's going to take time—a few years—to work through the list and to make the necessary changes. Please keep us in your prayers.
(Jesus:) Your job is to have those attributes which make following Me, being My disciple, and giving your all attractive today to those who are searching for it today, so that they have a chance to become hooked on the Word, to grow into the disciples that I am calling them to be ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:102, GN 1247).
254. Now I'm going to jump back to something that was brought up a few times in this GN, and that's the topic of the Lord's return and the question of how many years we have ahead of us.
255. The simple fact is that none of us know when the Lord is going to return. Of course, there are signs we can look for that point to His return. In fact, there will be a time when we will know the exact day of His return. We know that from the time the Abomination of Desolation (Mat.24:15,21) is set up, there will be 1260 days until the Lord comes back (Dan.9:27; Rev.11:3, 12:6). But until the Abomination is set up, none of us know, and the Lord hasn't revealed, exactly when He will return.
256. So Mama and I don't know when the Lord will return, and neither does anyone else, to our knowledge. What is it that we do know? We know that many of the signs of the times predicted in the Bible are indicating that the Lord's return is closer than it was 20 years ago. The technology for what could fit the bill of the Mark of the Beast exists today. Given the financial crisis and the overall world situation, it certainly seems that things are heading toward the very Last Days, the Endtime, and the Lord's return.
257. Taking into consideration the signs of the times, the Endtime events we know need to happen before the Lord's return, and the Lord having said that some of our FGAs will be alive at His return, and that some will have already gone Home to be with Him before the Rapture ("The Endtime Series, Part 2," ML #3279, GN 887)—that could put the Second Coming somewhere between now and about 50 years from now. In other words, it's probable that it could happen in your lifetime, no matter what age you are today.
258. If you've been thinking that Jesus would return in the next 10 or 15 years, then considering the possibility that we might have more time than that may make you feel like we have a lot of time, therefore what's the rush? Well, even if we were to have 50 more years, that still isn't very much time!
259. The fact is that we have a massive commission given to us by the Lord of reaching the world, winning disciples, and sharing our unique message and spiritual wealth with the world. Aside from that, we have a lot of changing to do and a lot of work to put in, to make the Family what it needs to be in this modern day, and for the future. No matter how you look at it, we don't have a lot of time.
260. We need to use all the time available to us wisely, and part of using the time wisely is developing a vision, and a strategy of how to get where we need to go. Mama and I will be praying and seeking the Lord about this in the months to come.
261. What we can all do today is use our time wisely. Now, more than ever, we need to be motivated to plan for the far future so that we can successfully fulfill our mission. The changes that we plan to make within the Family are to that end. To do the job properly, we need to plan for the genuine long term. That's why we're talking about planning for 30 to 50 years into the future.
262. Making plans into the far future doesn't contradict our faith in the Lord's return or that we're living in the Last Days. It simply means that we are planning to do the job until the very minute the Lord returns, no matter when that is. If we're planning for 50 years and He comes back in 10, then we'll be on the job when He arrives. Whether He returns in 15, 30, 45, or more years, whether you might be one of the ones called Home before the Lord closes the curtain on this stage of Earth, we'll know that we've been faithful and have done the best we could.
263. So don't let the thought of long-term planning throw you for a loop or make you lose faith in the Endtime message. The Lord is going to return in His perfect time, and when He does, we want to be doing the job, fulfilling our mission, so we need to plan for that today and into the future.
264. Given the unsurpassed spiritual wealth and truth that we have, and the fact that so many in the world still sit in darkness, and/or don't have a personal relationship with the Lord, it would be unacceptable for us to not redeem the time when it comes to witnessing and winning. We would be failing if we were to lose sight of the urgency and importance of our job of sharing the Lord's salvation, love, and truth with others.
265. Even in adjusting our context to thinking that we still have a number of years on Earth, we must continue to "pray the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth laborers into His harvest" (Mat.9:38)—and then work hard to help gather them in.
266. Our motivation for working hard, redeeming the time, making effective plans, and working those plans shouldn't hinge on the Lord coming back within a certain period of time. Our motivation is based on Jesus' commission to us to win the world, to make disciples of all nations, to be His hands and eyes, His feet and mouth, to give His love, truth, and salvation to the lost and spiritually destitute.
267. We give our lives to Jesus and burn brightly on the altar of sacrifice because we love Him, because we're passionate about winning the world, because it's a personal plea from Him to us. Our motivation springs from our love for Him that compels us to obey the call to preach the Gospel and be instant witnesses, so that as many as possible have a chance to know and serve the Lord on this Earth.
268. We do believe that Jesus is going to return soon, and the signs of the times point to that, but "of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Father only" (Mat.24:36). Wanting to get the job done before the Lord's return is definitely a powerful motivation, and we're by no means tossing that out. But in the core of our hearts, we do the job and live for Jesus, because that's what we've given our lives to, and we'll witness, win the world, teach and train disciples for as long as we live and are able—no matter how little or how much time we have.
269. Making plans for 15, 30, or 50 years from now is wise thinking on our part. At the same time, projecting and planning for the long term doesn't mean that we can do nothing for 15, 30, or 50 years—or even 1 year—and think that we will somehow wind up at the end of the journey with our goals accomplished. Long-term success comes from working day by day, and making our goals happen year by year, getting to the summit camp by camp.
270. It's unprofessional to be haphazard. It would be slothful to not "shtick," to not see through the things that are the Lord's will and plan for us—either because we think the Lord will return so soon that "it doesn't really matter what we do now," or because we think that we have so much time that we can while it away in an undisciplined, non-diligent manner. Whether the Lord returns in 5 or 50 years, we must work with the same level of motivation, dedication, love, faithfulness, obedience, and urgency. That's what will make for success, both in the short and long term—especially in the long term.
271. As the Bible says, "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods" (Mat.24:44-47).
272. In one of the letters to leadership that I shared with you earlier, I talked about the need to look at and make changes in the right context for the Family of today and taking into account the Family of tomorrow, so that we aren't making decisions for the future with outdated thinking.
273. The good news is that this is something that we've already done in large part—with the Offensive! The Offensive is now a heavyweight in our Family's context.
274. Whereas before you might have focused on spiritual feeding for the sake of getting stronger personally or having a happier Home, now you need to also look at doing that in the context of the Offensive. You're fighting to stay strong spiritually—not only out of personal obedience to the Lord and for the sake of your growth and happiness, but so that you can reach others and help them to grow too. You want to have a happy and united Home for the sake of being an example of Jesus' love that others can "come and see." As you raise your children and young people and teach them to know the Lord and give them a quality education, there's their training as missionaries and soul doctors, and the vision of the Offensive to keep in mind.
275. It's like Mama has talked about in the "X Factor" series—that our days of training with the spiritual weapons, our grounding in the Word, and the experience we've had over the years were in preparation for now, for the Offensive. Now our relationship with the Lord, our spiritual growth and strength, our discipleship, our Home and personal family life, our use of the spiritual weapons, etc., all need to be an integral part of our outreach and winning efforts. You should be applying your training, your skills, your strengths, and your vision toward fulfilling the goals of the Offensive.
276. The Offensive is one of the main new contexts of the Family. And because the Offensive will last until the Lord's return, it's a context that will help us to think and to plan for the long term. It's a context that will help us to keep our focus outward, on our mission and unique calling while we're here on Earth. It's a context that provides some solid touchstones and goals that we can refer back to and measure other decisions against.
277. As I explained before, in addition to the Offensive, there are many other things in the mix that make up the Family and that factor into context—our spiritual lives, and the care and education of our children and young people being two of the majors. But the Offensive is a huge factor in the Family now, and we will be looking at future change in the context of the Offensive.
(Jesus:) The battle for today's souls and disciples must be fought today, with today's methods and today's messages. Yesterday is past. Today and tomorrow are what are important, and your calling is to reach those of today and tomorrow. To be successful in this you must change, grow, do new things, have new outlooks, and most important, not be bound by the past. Today is the day to reach today's lost. Today and tomorrow must be your concern, and you need to do whatever is necessary to be successful now and in the future—for the sake of the lost and for the sake of fulfilling your calling ("The Ride of Your Life!" ML #3686:105, GN 1247).
278. So, as you can see, change is on the horizon. In fact, we're creating revolution! It will come about through gradual and steady change over the next few years, and it will be change with a purpose: that of redirecting our efforts toward the success of the Offensive and the far future of the Family, which will result in the overall success of the Family.
279. We have a mission—the mission of reaching the world—and we know that we can't complete our mission without the help of more witnesses, teachers, and disciple winners. The task ahead of us is to become an organization that effectively finds, wins, and trains such people. We've made some encouraging headway in this since the Offensive started, but we need to find new and better ways to achieve this. Our past methods need upgrading; we need to experiment with and utilize new ideas, new means of reaching others.
280. We have the greatest product in the world, Jesus and His life-changing Word. Our product offers what no other product can: eternal life, as well as a better life here and now. Like the salesman who went to Africa and saw that everyone needed shoes, we realize that everyone needs our product: Jesus!
281. The market for our product, however, has changed over the years. While desperate times and catastrophes on the world scene do cause some people to be hungrier and open to the truth, overall, the world has become more skeptical, more materialistic, harder in heart, more selfish, less believing, all of which makes it more difficult to market our product. So what do we do? We find new and better ways to market! We work harder, we work smarter. Like good salesmen, we follow up on those who've already accepted the product, we give them more, we encourage them to share the product with others, we get referrals, and we test new markets. We change tactics, we redirect our efforts toward current spheres of interest and need, we adjust our methods and modes of operation so that the way we share our product is relatable to today's market.
282. As Dad said many times, you can't fight today's battles with yesterday's battle plans. As a Family we need to change in order to effectively and successfully complete our mission. As Family leadership we are going to do our part by initiating change that will hopefully make it easier for you to have room enough, time enough, and the flexibility to experiment, to try new avenues of winning, teaching, and training, to develop your potential, and to make leaps of progress personally, as a Home, and as a Family in our Offensive future.
283. There are a number of new concepts in this GN and new thinking to branch out into. It might take you some time to get a good grasp on all of these points, and that's just fine. You can read this Letter as many times as you need to, hear from the Lord about it personally, and ask the Lord to begin to broaden your mind with this vision and increase your spiritual flexibility. We understand that this Letter will generate a number of questions, because it's a conceptual Letter, with the purpose of giving you some foundational thinking, and it doesn't cover every angle or point from A to Z. There will be more GNs to come on the topics we've mentioned in this Letter.
284. But if you need something to get your footing on to start with, the main points that Mama and I want you to get from this GN are the following:
285. > Continuing to build momentum for the Offensive and striving to reach our Offensive-related goals (as Homes, as regions, and as a Family) so that the Offensive is an ongoing success, is one of the main things that you need to focus on. Increased fruit and success resulting from the Offensive is a central theme to the development of the Family's long-term future. Working to make the Offensive a success is of vital importance, as is preparing to effectively handle that success.
286. > Mama and I and Family leadership will continue to give time and effort to the direction and success of the Offensive. We will also look at other aspects of the Family as an organization that need redirection, change, or professionalizing in order to complement our new Offensive context and goals. We will seek the Lord about other changes that we need to make—in our culture, context, practices, and mindsets—while still preserving the tenets of our unique calling and mission, and not losing the essence and spirit of who and what we are as a Family. We will do our best to receive and follow the Lord's instructions for bringing this change about. This part of our "change program" will take a lot of work and a number of years to complete.
287. > Change is coming! As a Family, we will redefine, refocus, and redirect. We must do this in order to: 1) create unstoppable Offensive momentum, support and sustain the success of the Offensive, and become more relevant to and able to meet the needs of the lost; 2) update our culture and context for ongoing progress and success as a Revolution; 3) equip the second generation and incoming labor leaders to more fully take up the torch of the Offensive, and to lead the Family to even greater successes; 4) broaden horizons, expand faith, and create more opportunities for trying the new and achieving the dreams and goals that the Lord gives to individuals or Homes.
288. > In addition to carrying out your Offensive strategy plans, continue to give emphasis to taking on the new mindsets we talked about in "Fresh New Mindsets" (ML #3682, GN 1243) and in other GNs throughout 2008. Taking on this new thinking and becoming more open and limber in spirit are among the most important spiritual changes we need to make as a Family.
289. > Mama and I want to ask for your prayers for the Lord's divine wisdom and anointing in seeking Him about what aspects of the Family need change or adjustment so that we are building to last for the long term. Please pray that the Lord will give us the time and strength we need to focus on these important matters, and to make the right decisions, through the power of His Spirit, the keys, and our heavenly helpers.
290. Mama and I believe that we have a great future ahead of us as a Family. But this great future isn't going to just drop out of the sky; it's going to take hard work, time, and sacrifice, coupled with prayer, teamworking with the spirit world, miracles, faith, faithfulness, and the willingness to change.
291. We need to build this future together, one day at a time, every day. It's a process which starts today and will continue until our wonderful Husband returns to take us Home to live with Him forever. So let's build it together, shall we? Let's start now. Let's embrace the change that's ahead, knowing that these changes will contribute to our successful future.
292. Mama and I love you deeply, and we're so happy that we'll be working toward our successful future together!