Unfortunately, ministry is often known as an industry where people keep repeating old patterns because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
It can be easy to settle into a routine of repeating the same actions and processes over and over again. After all, if it’s worked, why change?
The problem is that if we continue to embrace older ways of doing things, while they may work for a while, ultimately they’ll become ineffective as the society and culture around us changes. What got results 10 years ago won’t work anymore, and we’ll be left behind and become irrelevant.
What got results 10 years ago won’t work anymore, and we’ll be left behind and become irrelevant.
With the current pandemic, this is a great opportunity for all churches, and those of us serving in ministry, to reassess ourselves to see where we may need to make changes.
If we’re being honest, there are probably lots of areas where we’ve fallen into a rut of mindlessly repeating behavior over and over, assuming it will continue to reap a harvest.
But now, because of the changes of society, we’re all being forced to adapt in order to survive.
My hope is that this will not just be a one-time moment of reinvention, but the beginning of a pattern of self-discovery and introspection where we’re willing to constantly examine ourselves to see where we need to make changes in our approach.
The Gospel refers to this as a “new wineskin” approach. New wineskins were made of pliable, flexible material that could flex and stretch as the liquid inside morphed, expanded, and changed. When wineskins became old, the leather became hard, rigid, and cracked, meaning they were no longer capable of flexing and expanding with new fluid. Instead, they would split and burst, ruining the wineskin and the wine inside.
Am I an old wineskin that has become rigid and inflexible in my approach? Or am I willing to be stretchable and shapable so I can roll with the punches of a new reality?
In Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV), the author implores us, “Forget about the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Am I an old wineskin that has become rigid and inflexible in my approach? Or am I willing to be stretchable and shapable so I can roll with the punches of a new reality?
We all have been forced into a season of change. It’s time to forget about the old ways of doing church tech. There’s a new future on the horizon, and it’s time for all of us to learn new ways of leading in ministry.
Here are three areas where I hope we’re willing to forget the old ways and embrace new approaches.
New ideas
Sometimes it can be easier to say “no” to a new idea than to say “yes.” And, many of the reasons may be valid: too expensive, not enough time, teams aren’t trained well enough, not the right kind of equipment, we’ve never done it before, and on and on.
Sometimes, when push comes to shove, we just have to make something work, regardless of the potential gotchas.
But for many of us, this pandemic has forced us to reconsider ideas or processes that we may not have previously considered. Sometimes, when push comes to shove, we just have to make something work, regardless of the potential gotchas.
My hope is that this can then make it easier to embrace potential new ideas in the future. Where we normally would have been hesitant or reserved in making a decision, we can now look at how we’ve had to adapt and improvise and realize that an unknown (or unproven) process may actually be worth exploring after all.
Or that there are different ways to skin the cat. Or that the “old” excuses don’t hold water anymore. Or that the previous ways of doing things won’t quite work in the newer societal norm.
Moving forward, instead of looking for reasons that an idea won’t work or shouldn’t be considered, let’s explore being open-minded, and choose to look for ways that we can make a new idea work.
New relationships
In a crisis moment, sometimes we have to throw preconceived notions out the window and start from scratch.
We can have our opinions about people we work with, serve, or lead, but in the crucible of pressure and intensity, sometimes those people can be seen in a new light.
We can have our opinions about people we work with, serve, or lead, but in the crucible of pressure and intensity, sometimes those people can be seen in a new light.
For instance, coworkers we previously had issues with may now be seen in a different light because of how well we notice them leading their areas during times of difficulty. Or leaders we may have argued with now are earning our admiration because of how they’re leading our team through a delicate situation. Or volunteers we led might now carry more value in our eyes because, instead of taking them for granted, we now realize how much we miss and need these people in our lives.
Are there certain habits that, now that they’re out of our lives, never need to come back? Are there certain things we need to continue, now that we’ve started?
Sometimes a dramatic situation can open our eyes to seeing things through new lenses. Where we had previously been cynical about things, perhaps now we can be more gracious and compassionate. Where we had previously built up a negative perception about someone, maybe now we can see their positive attributes shine through, lending them a brand new reputation in our eyes.
Perhaps now there’s a better relationship and understanding between us and our leaders, where I now feel the level of value and respect I’ve been missing.
Or, maybe I had a certain perception about other churches in my community and how they were doing things, or about other ministries across the country and felt disapproval about how they were using technology.
Maybe now I’m able to see those organizations differently and, in fact, see them as places I can learn from instead of just ignoring or resenting.
It’s true that people tend to band together in the middle of challenging seasons. Perhaps that will be the case for many of us; relationships that had previously been tenuous can now become stronger, and we can now look to certain people for support and encouragement where we previously felt unable to do so.
So, this can be a season where we’re not just learning about how to handle processes differently, but also about how we can handle people differently, and learning to see them at their full level of value.
New priorities
In a “normal” world, we all have preferences about how we operate: where we spend our time, energy, and focus. It’s easy to settle into rhythms and routines and mindlessly function day to day.
It’s even easy to develop “pet” projects and preferences for what we do and how we do it.
But in a world of chaos, we often have to strip things back to redefine the bare necessities. And that purging should also be an opportunity to reassess where our focus rested in the first place.
Perhaps certain events, endeavors, or projects really weren’t that mission-critical.... Perhaps it’s valuable to spend more time investing in people than working on projects.
This may be a golden opportunity to redefine what we need to be focusing on at work. Perhaps certain events, endeavors, or projects really weren’t that mission-critical. Perhaps it really wasn’t necessary to spend that much time at the office instead of at home. Perhaps it’s valuable to spend more time investing in people than working on projects.
When we’re forced to make choices due to scant time and resources, that is an invaluable time to ask ourselves what should be a long-term decision, not just one made for the short-term benefit.
Are there certain habits that, now that they’re out of our lives, never need to come back? Are there certain things we need to continue, now that we’ve started? Is there an area of work that should stay the top priority? What about something we need to let slide or die, because it really wasn’t that important after all ... and it just took a crisis season to realize it?
Everything we walk through in life is redeemable, and God has promised that he will work all things out for the good. The best way for me to extend this into my own life is to ensure that I’m prioritizing a time of reflection and evaluation to see what changes need to become a permanent part of my lifestyle.
So, let’s look back to evaluate, but press forward with a different mentality so that our futures can all be different. The old has gone and the new has come.
Let’s embrace the words of Christian music legends DC Talk: “God is doing a nu thang!”
