Innovate
Oct/089
Perry Noble says that small church pastors are some of the most innovative people in the world. They have to be! It's one thing to be innovative with a monster budget and huge team of creative people to back you up. It's a whole new ballgame when you have a small budget and a small team.
I've known pastors in smaller churches who have used this as an excuse not to innovate. Creativity takes time. It takes effort and energy. And without all the "necessary" tools, a lot of guys just choose to do what they've always done. They know that they have the necessary people and budget to maintain the status quo, so that's what they do.
I don't buy that. Case in point…we recently completed a three week series at ACC called The Other Side. It was a three week focus on what happens to us after death. Now, we could have just sung a few songs. I could have preached three fairly standard messages. We could have gone that route and people would have thought that everything went fine.
But we chose to go big. We chose to innovate. And instead of doing what was "normal," we created three "wow" experiences.
Did it take work? You bet.
Did it take a lot of time? Heck yeah.
Did it take a lot of money? No! You know how much we spent to create these experiences? Nothing! Not one red cent. We had to be truly innovative. We created stage sets with stuff that we already had or stuff we could borrow from somebody else. And the sets turned out to be amazing! I think our church should be featured on Design on a Dime.
But here's the real point of all this. The point was not to make people say, "Wow!" (even though that word was said every week of the series). The point was to impact lives for Christ. And you know what happened? We had a baptism every week of this series.
It can be intimidating when you see what "the big boys" in the church world can pull off. Or, you can stop letting yourself be intimidated and instead allow yourself to be inspired.
I vote for the latter. Put in the time. Put in the work. Don't have the money? Put in even more time and figure out a way around it.
But whatever you do, don't use lack of manpower or resources as an excuse to be lazy. Do the very best you can with what you have…and then watch God work through it.
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8:32 am on October 30th, 2008
Mike, I enjoy your blog, that's why I stop by almost every day and read what is going on at your church even though I have never been there. I have even downloaded some of your sermons and had a listen.
I say that because I want you to understand that my question is an authentic question and not one of "let me attack the christian blog".
Here is my question – Why do we think it necessary to 'create an experience' at church?
I am going through a time of trying to understand why we do the things we do at church (yes, I know the rote answer – 'to reach people for Jesus'). But are we really doing the things that Christ meant for us to do as a church body?
9:33 am on October 30th, 2008
Tony,
My answer to your question is that Jesus created experiences for people. His parables were experiences. Or think about the time that he caused a fig tree to wither right in front of his disciples and then used it as a powerful teaching moment. That was a memorable experience.
This was a pattern throughout Jesus' ministry. So yes, I want our church to create experiences for people to encounter Jesus.
And by the way, we need to keep in mind that an "experience" is different from a "show."
I'd like to hear others' opinions on this, too.
11:40 am on October 30th, 2008
Mike, I think you hit the nail on the head. Sometimes just saying something isn't enough to drive a point home. We're stubborn, and sometimes we miss things. Sometimes it takes something more to make things stick with us and really understand it.
I think the important thing to point out is that the experiences you're discussing aren't done solely for the purpose of having an experience (i.e., a "show"). They're done in the circumstances where it is clear that something more will really drive things home.
There are a lot of instances where we could certainly add something more, and it might even go along with what we're doing as a church that day, but unless it really reinforces things, then it's not usually worth doing. I think ACC walks that line very well.
Great discussion.
1:16 pm on October 30th, 2008
Mike,
That is an answer that I can appreciate. Experience can and probably should be differentiated from a 'show'. My perception of the word experience has been colored by our culture that tries to market in a way that sales people an experience. They want to make drinking coke an 'experience'.
I don't know that a parable is an experience – maybe a metaphor. :) Withering a tree or healing people would be quite an experience…. but I don't think any of those things were meant to sensationalize the work that Christ was about. He did those things because they paled in comparison to the witness of Who conducted them. Standing in the presence of a living God in human form – that would have been a wild experience!
My fear is that we live in a time when people feel Christ's message needs some help…. it needs that emotional or sensational lift in order to make it palatable to the masses. ( I am not accusing you of doing this )
I heard Frankly Graham speak at Catalyst this year and what a cool message he had to deliver. He basically said that he is a terrible preacher but that it didn't matter because the gospel message had a power all its own. That when it was presented that the Holy Spirit would work and make what seems foolish to be the greatest answer to any need. That was pretty cool.
God Bless You
1:24 pm on October 30th, 2008
This is a super discussion.
I am a "gospel guy." I believe wholeheartedly in the power of the gospel to change a life. And I fully realize that the gospel doesn't need my help in any way.
Having said that, let me say this…
How we present the gospel goes a long way in demonstrating what we actually think about the gospel.
If we present it in a shoddy, unprepared, lackluster, or boring way, that says that we really don't believe the gospel is all that valuable.
But if our presentation of the gospel demands our very best in preparation, creativity, and execution, then that is a tangible demonstration of just how important that gospel message is to us.
3:27 pm on October 30th, 2008
I agree in spirit. The hard question is how is that carried out in actuality?
What does the 'best' look like? Isn't that contextual based on the presenter and on the beholder? I think its going to be tough to come up with concrete measurements.
I do believe that God wants us to be prepared (study to show thyself approved) and give our best (do all things as unto Christ). Creativity is definitely a cool thing – Paul used the Unknown god on Mars Hill.
This is really cool thing now that I am thinking about it… you are a pastor… so you may be able to answer one of the questions that I am struggling with. How do you know what is an acceptable way to present the message or to carry out what we typically call a worship service?
9:19 pm on October 30th, 2008
Well, here's the old guys input. One of my mantras throughout all my vast years of ministry, was simply the word balance. There is a balance between just trying to keep on manufacturing experiences versus ministering to the whole person with the gospel and getting right brained as well as left brained. I heard a worship leader speak one time and he said that it was his goal to get to the emotional jugular every week. That really turned me off and I felt it completely missed the point of worship. Not suprisingly, he had bought into some of the theology of Kierkegaard and Kant. There is a balance and at times it will be more emotionally high than at other times. Jesus was just as spiritual when he walked on water and fed the 5,000 as he was when he wept with loud cries in the Garden of Gethsemane or sat down for dinner with the 12. I think it comes down to examining our motivations and goals for what we do. If we measure the success or spituality of a worship service based upon the emotional response we can generate, we have already lost the battle. But if we can reach people by effectively engaging their emotions, we need to do so whenever we can. By the way, the latter is what I felt happened at ACC during that series. It touched me very deeply emotionally and intellectually and spiritually. We can prepare as best we can but that is where God comes in. Some might look at Elijah on Mt. Carmel as nothing but a big dramatic show as he soaked the sacrifice and let God do His thing. But that is not at all what it was about although it was in impressive show that deeply touched everyone's emotions. God seems lto like to have high drama. The danger of right brained worship only is that it can get off base doctrinally as the left brain is left out. In the past, we had the opposite problem in the churches where we were afraid and suspicious of right brain worship. There needs to be balance and consideration of the whole person when we plan worship. People are made up of physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social aspects all of which are valid means of ministry to that person. Well, it's time for my geezer nap. Can't take too much excitement at once.
9:42 am on October 31st, 2008
To me, we create a worship experience because we worship a living God. We aren't there to put on a show, but we are there to invite an encounter. If we can pull off a worship service that honors God while stirring hearts enough to embrace him, then why not? The danger comes in losing focus. When the "experience" is more important than the "message," then it is time to reevaluate. Until then, we will continue to measure the effectiveness of the experience by the lives being transformed. And while I agree that the scripture certainly speaks for itself, we have to communicate to our culture in a language and style that resonates. That is something that has always and will continue to evolve. The message never changes. But the methods must. Otherwise, we are just teaching a history lesson. And there's no life in that.
9:48 am on October 31st, 2008
Dave,
I appreciate what you have written and agree that there is balance (I like the two-ditch analogy myself :) )
Christ told the woman at the well that there was coming a day when the people would worship in Spirit and in Truth.
I have had several discussions with people over time on what those two aspects are. I think my question posted above goes to the Truth part because it implies that there is an ability to know the how, where, when, what, who, and whys of worship. Maybe I am offbase on that assumption.
Please don't get me wrong, based on what you and Mike have described, I think ACC had a great series and I would have enjoyed being part of it if I didn't already have a home church that I attend. (Of course the commute wouldn't be much fun either). And I truly respect that you all were able to do the presentations without investing a lot of resources. I think that is just good stewardship.
I ask these questions because I respect the heart by which you all have approached the whole presentation of gospel and worship.
Peace.