In the church world, the idea of “stewardship” can often be misused and misapplied. For many, it’s an excuse to not spend money on staffing or resources, so as to be a “good steward” and maximize usage of what’s already in place.
However, this approach can also lead to a sense of inertia: forward advancement is unnecessary, because there’s no reason why the things that got us here can’t continue to propel us forward.
Without an open-mindedness to consider new ways and options, I allow myself and my ministry to become inert.
In fact, stewardship really is a concept that involves doing the best one can with the resources at one’s disposal. And if one isn’t constantly examining themselves, then how can one really be sure that one is doing the best, and is thus being the best steward possible?
This is where the ideas of innovation, reflection, and growth become so critical for technical ministries. Without an open-mindedness to consider new ways and options, I allow myself and my ministry to become inert. We are paralyzed, hoping that what worked for us in the past will continue to work in the future.
Sometimes we are drawn to consistency and predictability, finding comfort in knowing exact outcomes because we’ve eliminated variables of possibility.
Innovation is a process of trying new things, of thinking outside the box, and being willing to consider alternative ways forward. For many of us tech people though, this can be a challenge. Sometimes we are drawn to consistency and predictability, finding comfort in knowing exact outcomes because we’ve eliminated variables of possibility. That’s what can make it so easy to end up in a rut.
The challenge, then, becomes twofold: if I’m stuck in a rut, how do I move forward? And if I’m not stuck, how do I ensure that I don’t end up that way?
So, here are three steps to avoid a rut of complacency and become a team of innovation:
1-Develop a personal growth plan
Many of us have hopes and dreams, but we never make it a priority to put the time and energy into achieving them. Or, we buy into the lie that we’re too old to learn something new, or we think that because we’ve accomplished certain things in life (or we’re at a certain church in a certain position) we don’t need to learn new things.
... until I prioritize time to learn and grow, my schedule will continue to drag me along and keep me [too] busy.
Or, even worse, we always talk about how busy we are and that one day when it “slows down” we’ll do that thing we’ve always said we should do. But until I prioritize time to learn and grow, my schedule will continue to drag me along and keep me [too] busy. Before I know it, months or years will have gone by and things won’t be any different.
Proverbs 18:15 (NLT) says, “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.” It doesn’t say that they’re ready to learn when things slow down or when they’re in a different job or when their kids graduate. It says "always."
So, start today. What do you need to learn? Where do you need to grow? What process do you need to improve? As a leader, your team or ministry will never become different if you never become different. Plus, if you aren’t growing and learning, you’ll become a lid that ends up keeping others around you from growing themselves.
... if you aren’t growing and learning, you’ll become a lid that ends up keeping others around you from growing themselves.
If I create and foster an environment of growth and ownership, my team will experience more buy-in and will get more excited about being on the team in the first place. The quality of everything will immediately improve because of the passion on the team.
However, it all starts with me. If I’m not growing, I’d best be going, because my inability to progress will ultimately hinder the growth of the entire organization.
2-Build a learning network
Having people around me I can learn from is critical.
This can be a challenge for many of us introverts. We may like the idea of relationships, but the process of actually initiating contact with people and then carrying the weight of sustaining a relationship can be exhausting.
... we can only reach fulfillment when we’re surrounded by others who can pour into us.
God never intended for any of us to do life alone. None of us can achieve God’s purpose for our lives if we stay on an island--we can only reach fulfillment when we’re surrounded by others who can pour into us.
So, I should always be in pursuit of relationships with people who can constantly stretch and grow me, and people I can learn from and ask questions of, whether they’re at other churches or in different industries.
The catch is that we have to be intentional about seeking out these type of relationships. Chances are that other churches in your community may not reach out to you asking to build relationships. People may not call you to see if they can mentor you.
Building relationships takes an intentional plan of attack. My pastor has always said that I should know 3-5 people or churches who do my job better than I do, so that has become my mission. Any tech leader should always have enough of a pulse on the industry to know who and what he or she can learn from, regardless of the size of their ministry.
3-Invite feedback
Sometimes this can actually be the hardest thing to do. It takes a lot to open oneself up to receiving critical feedback. The goal, though, is to build a team environment where people feel comfortable sharing feedback, knowing that it will sincerely and seriously be considered, and also being humble and secure enough myself to receive it.
The challenge is to separate our emotions from the process. When people give critical feedback about a service or a piece of equipment, that doesn’t mean that they are also giving that same feedback about our value as a person or our contribution to the team. Just because a service was bad doesn’t mean that I’m bad too.
Instead of assuming parameters (we can’t do X because Y variable has always existed), allow myself to dream from scratch with a blank slate and consider different avenues.
Instead of surrounding myself with like-minded people who see things the way I do, I should go seek out those from varying backgrounds and of different personalities (even if they’re non-technical, like worship or kids staff) just so I can listen to their perspective. Instead of assuming parameters (we can’t do X because Y variable has always existed), allow myself to dream from scratch with a blank slate and consider different avenues.
Again, it can get easy as technicians to fall into a rhythm of doing the same thing over and over again because of the comfort of routine. We can end up doing the same thing with equipment purchases: we’re so familiar with a certain manufacturer, interface, or technology that we keep blindly buying more of it, even though better solutions may be on the market.
This is where stewardship and innovation intersect. I should always be doing research, whether going to tradeshows, interviewing other churches, or demo'ing new equipment myself. I must keep an open mind about technology changes to ensure that I’m always moving forward as efficiently as possible.
Ministry leadership is a lifestyle that involves taking steps forward, and we should always be pushing ourselves to grow and improve.
Ministry leadership is a lifestyle that involves taking steps forward, and we should always be pushing ourselves to grow and improve. Innovation is critical to living a life of progress for ourselves and for our ministry.
We were never called to be stagnant, but to “go” and make disciples. We are called to live a lifestyle of action.
