Nothing else compares to it. The very sound of its name inspires awe and wonder. In layman’s terms, (if indeed laymen were ALLOWED to access it) it is referred to as the Integrated Strategic Planning Database – the most sophisicated, comprehensive missions database on the planet, located in Richmond, Virginia, US of A. There are many missions databases in the world, each one a great and lingering temptation for any missions hacker. But the ISPD is the mother of them all.
And i am going to hack it. At least, I am going to try.
MY MISSION: to get close enough to the ISPD database to insert my USB 2.0 128 Meg flash drive (a puny grey stick that doesn’t even play MP3 files) into their database and transfer some juicy data. I know there is stacks of information on unreached people groups in the jungles of Colombia, or how many of the Massai in Kenya follow Jesus (15% of 600,000) but I am hoping to get something a bit more quirky, more FUNKY . . . something like, lets say . . .
1. How many churches have been planted among white-trash mullet-haired Rednecks in the trailer parks of Houston?
Which reminds me, Chris Seay, how is your family? Those of you at Ecclesia, Houston this morning, say hi to Chris for me. tell him i was talkin’ trash about him on my blog.
or 2. How many Left-handed-Vegan-Punks who listen to Swedish Trash Metal living in Llubliana, Slovenia still need to hear about Jesus?
ISPD: Do you mean Stockholm Skool Soft Trash Metal, or Norwegian Re:mix Hard Trash Metal?
TALLSKINNYKIWI: dude . . i’m impressed!!
How will I do it?
Well, on Tuesday I will be in Richmond for some meetings with a number of organizations from around USA who are interested in missions. We are meeting at the IMB headquarters where the ISPD is located. They have asked me to speak on “emerging church” and they might even give me an official looking badge . . ..
A badge with ALL ACCESS PERMISSION.
All I need to go with my badge will be a geeky lab coat and some black rimmed glasses. If all goes well, I will walk in with my Flash drive empty and walk out with it full.
Wish me luck!
and while i am on the subject, i should ask you the question . . .
if you could hack the ISPD, what question would you ask it?
wow – you are like tom cruise in mission impossible going to get the other part of the NOC list!
i would love to know ‘what one people group/segment could be the largest growth for the church exponentially and the long range projection for this growth?’
hacking the ISPD? if there would be any information on the freaks of germany, who would go for it – wanting to connect somebody who is a connector, somebody who’s goal is to help people get, where god wants them to be. getting all the information about “the hidden art-people of south-west-germany” – access-codes to all the non-churchy-guys in the black-forrest/baar area … andrew, go 4 it … why getting just a bit out of it? hack the system and public the access-cod, make it public, on the net, to all fax-lines, picking up your phone, hearing the info you need, having it in every mailbox at every door – who cares about hidden information? it is dead if its not spread!