Leaders! Thanks for the read. Any platform to crack open my thought eggs and fry whatever comes out into an omelet for people is always a huge risk for somebody! Just kidding, I hope you’re blessed.
As a church leader in 2020, it’s likely that part of you role includes creating messaging, events, media, culture, values and/or environments.
I want to talk about Pastoral Creativity in our cookie-cutter, comparison driven ministry climate.
“We won’t be like Jesus if it’s more important to us to be like each other.” – Bob Goff
This is a topic I’m passionate about and am wired for. My Enneagram Type is 7, The Enthusiast (“a hungry-ghost with a monkey-mind, craving experiences”) and my deepest StrengthsFinder themes are Ideation and Significance.
That means, I hate doing something twice – even if it was something successful.
I tend to feel that the best idea is the one we haven’t tried yet! Which fosters a high-tolerance of risk-taking and a” what’s next” culture.
Also, I hate doing something that’s stale to me, even if it’s exciting for others.
I really struggle “going through the motions” with a sermon, service or event.
I need to feel personal meaning in what is happening. There are times when I’ll burn oil
on ministry prep, that “no one sleeps til we get this thing out on the shelves” energy,
and Kandace will say, no one’s even going to care about that detail! And I’ll say, “I know. That’s for me. 🙂
Regardless of your personality type, no one wants to look back at seasons of ministry and say, “we just did what everyone else was doing.” I believe we can all be odd, game-changing, and irregular leaders that make people see the Savior (and ministry) in a different light.
I’ve noticed that whenever we make inventive, purpose-driven ministry attempts with people, God blesses it. I think we get the Creator excited.
AND The Originality demand is growing.
The way the world works, changes from generation to generation, so we adapt emerging mission paradigms
constantly to seek and save the lost. The mission remains the same, the methods HAVE to progress.
NextGen New Math
Original/Unique/New > Good/Talented/Expert
Gen Z appreciates weird things, craves the whimsical, and thrives on change.
- That’s how Pooptity Scoop (“Lift Yourself,” Kanye) got 54,000,000 Spotify plays. (And more students can quote that whole gibberish rap to you than can quote 5 Bible verses.)
- That’s how the Spongebob Squarepants nonsense random humor has REGULARLY beat out sports games, news programs and late night tv in ratings over the last 20 years. One week in 2009, Spongebob episodes were 9 of the top 20 highest ratings on cable TV. Right now, *45 million different people watch 1 Spongebob episode a month.*
Students that grow up on unpredictable, fast-paced, bumper car culture of random silliness, need a church that expresses the creativity of Christ; that can engage and captivate youth culture right where it’s at. We know that Christ shocked, disrupted and disturbed hearts that were being numbed into apathy so that they could be transformed.
You can’t be in awe of something that never surprises you.
So why do we so often present our marvelous, scandalous God in such repetitive, unsurprising ways?
Why do we program our calendar with the same things other ministries do or whatever trends in Christian culture?
What do people say of your ministry that they can’t say of anyone else?
Here are 3 thoughts that I believe are at the heart of this issue today.
- You’re calling is as unique and original as you are.
Sure, we are all called to, “Come, Follow Me.” But I know that If you were the one to help Christ carry his cross all the way up to Golgotha, you would purposefully fight and struggle your way along different than me. Our footsteps wouldn’t be identical. It’s not important that our footsteps would match, but rather that we would be in step with Christ.
In college, a friend told me that she was called to be the next Joyce Meyer.
That God had specifically spoken to her that she “was going to be the next Joyce Meyer.”
And, while I don’t presume to judge anyone’s discernment of special revelation from God, I was kind of disturbed by the inference of another person. So I asked, “God called you to be like someone else?”
What if JM robbed a bank? Was God calling her to follow in her steps?
I wasn’t trying to tease, and that really wasn’t what my friend was saying (more of a standard for her future teaching work?),
but I was bothered by the notion that God would direct our paths by name-dropping someone else.
The point being, it’s harmful to think that God looks at us with anyone else in mind but Christ.
It limits us, because…
You’re called to be the next you.
The Lord will compare you against his plans for you, and whether or not you’re keeping in step with his Spirit.
Not how well you can run the course marked out for someone else.
If God needed another Stephen Furtick, Craig Groeschel, Kari Jobe, Lisa Teurkeurst, Robert Madu, Rick Wilkerson Jr. or Chad Veach he would’ve made another one of them. Instead he called you. He needs a you. He needs you to be you. If you’re getting frustrated that you’re unfulfilled making your ministry a cookie-cutter copy of a growing church with an effective strategy, it’s because God has called you to be a leader and not a cloner. Don’t let your screenshots become your source. Ministry will flow through you uniquely, not around your uniqueness.
- Creative sparks come from the fire of the altar.
I’m not saying that every pastor is a creative, artistic Enneagram 4.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t glean every effective ministry strategy we can.
I’m saying that there is a God-made space inside of you for Divine inspiration.
I’m going to take a scripture out of the context of its main thrust to highlight another Biblical truth.
Matthew 16:15-18 NLT
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
When inspiration comes from God, it’s blessable and buildable.
Now the full force here is that Peter’s faith response (internally) and confession of faith (outwardly) is both blessable and buildable. However, I would also say, that there is Kingdom building power in every stroke of divine inspiration.
What Peter said about Christ:
A. Didn’t come from another follower of Christ (you didn’t learn this from any human being).
It would not have been an incorrect answer if Peter had received this truth about Christ being the Messiah from another person, however, Christ is saying you’re blessed because you are receiving directly from God.
B. Didn’t come from his own feeling/opinion. This conclusion was not from his own flesh and blood. Christ was not commending Peter because of his Sherlock Holmes “cracked the case first” intellect.
His understanding and faith came in response to divine revelation, and contained a kingdom building power.
There should always be an altar experience between the door of your church and the platform.
We know that.We’re not tossing untransformed lives into a spiritual fight, or putting new wine in any old creations, right?
But we forget that there should be an altar moment between us and all of our ministry.
Is there an altar between us and our messaging, events, media, culture, values and environments?
And you should always have a journal at the altar… Writing about Gods conviction, spiritual burdens, changes, needs and IDEAS!
Your altar journal is not just a photo album of your growth, it’s the blueprints for what God is inspiring.
The Spirit anoints your preaching when the message-making come straight from the Spirit’s illumination of the Spirit-inspired Word.
Creative messaging cannot flow from your own inventiveness or option.
Jesus didn’t say on your soapbox and style I will build my church.
But rather, on your divinely inspired confession of the truths of the faith.
- You’re not the only unique one.
Collaboration is key.
“The first work of God was a cosmic community art project.” – Geoff Gentry, All That is Made
The Trinity was modeled in creation. There should be agreement within a spiritual body.
Bring your ideas for confirmation and feedback by other Spirit-led leaders. You can say, “I felt a lightning strike moment, and I think this is what God is inspiring in me.” That’s fine. But where has God said that the creative process is exclusive to the ear he placed it in. In fact, in leadership, it’s likely that you might be the vision caster/team leader and never hold a paintbrush.
Your teams need the freedom to interact with you honestly in the creative process. God may have given you the idea, but your team can help you put forward a great version of it instead of a good version of it. In Made to Stick, Chip Heath says that, “For every one good idea, you’ll come up with 9 bad ones.” Listen to your team or you will end up with a “Yes” group who never cover your blinds spots.
Self-Assessment: Do all of your IDEAS have to be “MYDEAS?”
“Mydeas” are charged with an emotional investment by the idea bringer. When someone thinks so much of themselves that their ideas are unassailable, then they cannot collaborate or receive criticism without being personally offended. If you’re only bringing fully formed and birthed creative babies to your team, you’re not allowing them any role in the inspiration and development process.
Practically:
- Force yourself to do one new thing this month. Sure, there’s more stuff on Pinterest and Creative Market than you’ll ever produce yourself. That’s not the point. Jesus called you to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. You’re capable of more than downloading what has been packaged and processed for you. You may be an under-shepherd or laboring in your Lead Pastor’s fields, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also hear from God about the things you’ve been entrusted.
- Introduce some mystery. “The Aha! experience is much more satisfying when it is preceded by the Huh? experience.” – “Made to Stick,” Chip Heath. If you’re congregation already knows the order of service before they’ve even come to church, you’re more church machine than church body. A Church2D2 running off of a planning center circuit-board, rather than responding to the head, Christ.
- Leave your phone on your desk. Go to the sanctuary for one hour of prayer with just your Bible and journal.
Anthony Lecocq // Youth Pastor – Trinity Life // Lutherville, MD
These book are awesome!
Made to Stick; Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
All That is Made: A Guide to Faith and the Creative Life
THANKS ANTHONY for sharing this blog!! GREAT STUFF!! Not only insightful practical thoughts but quality spiritual nuggets about how we can be driven by God in ALL that we do in next gen ministry instead of only copying what’s already been done!
Keep up the great work pastors/leaders in the PYN!