“In 1975, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade and Loren Cunningham founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM), developed a God-given, world-changing strategy. Their mandate: Bring Godly change to a nation by reaching its seven spheres, or mountains, of societal influence.”
The words above come from “The Seven Mountains” on the Generals International website.
The concept of the existence of seven mountains in society and the need to change our nation by influencing each and all of the mountains has been around for a while. These seven mountains are delineated as religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment and business.
“In order to truly transform any nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ, these seven facets of society must be reached,” Generals International further states.
“How effective have we been in doing this?” is an appropriate question given our recent questionable election and the behavior of the media in recent years. Is the effect of the presence of Christians felt to a strong degree in media, business, government, the arts, entertainment, religion and family? Or are we still just huddling behind church doors and having little or no influence at all?
In fact, the irony is that we can’t huddle behind the church doors at the current time as the government has locked us out of our own houses of worship—at times, it seems, with a sinister purpose.
The seven mountains influence was a brilliant and beautiful concept. To influence and transform the nation and the world, most Christians must and will work in the secular world and not in the church. Ministry is most often all about the streets and the marketplace—it is about doing it in the way Jesus did.
Jesus walked and traveled. He met people in their homes, in the streets, in different regions. He was itinerant; his manner, bold. Jesus did not sit in a temple porch day after day waiting for the world to come to Him.
How critical it is to recapture, perhaps reignite and further pursue this idea of seven mountains influence for critical times such as these in which we live. {eoa}
Mimika Cooney is a leadership mentor and an entrepreneur as well as a Christian author. Her life and ministry revolve around influencing the marketplace. For more thoughts about transforming the world for Christ by being deeply involved in so-called secular settings, listen to this episode of Rooted by the Stream with Dr. Pam Morrison.
