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Growth happens when we step outside our comfort zone, not when we cling to old ways.
One of the most common stereotypes about church techs and creatives is our lack of flexibility,
We can like to do things our way, we may have a hard time receiving feedback, and we can give immediate pushback when our ideas are challenged. We can have set perceptions about what will work, the way things should be, and the easiest and best path forward.
A lot of times, that amount of sheer determination can be a great asset, because it can allow us to stay focused and intent on making something happen regardless of the obstacles in our way. But at other times, it can be a negative, alienating us from our peers and pushing away people whose only desire is to help.
Rigid thinking can damage relationships, creativity, and even your ministry’s impact.
Our occasional lack of flexibility becomes an intense rigidity, wherein we can refuse to budge or adjust, no matter how valid the reason.
Did you know that the Bible warns against that type of approach?
In Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5, Jesus is at the early stages of his public ministry and just beginning to call his disciples. As he is preparing Israel for the new beginnings that arrive with the appearance of the Messiah, he challenges them to prepare themselves for new ways of thinking.
All three passages use near identical language to teach this lesson, and Mark 2:22 (NIV) captures it succinctly: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
What in the world does that mean, and what does it have to do with church techs?
When grape juice was ready to ferment to become wine, the Jews would pour that fresh liquid into bags (“wineskins”) made of fresh animal skin. Since the skin was fresh, it still had a little bit of elasticity, which was critical.
As the grape juice fermented and became wine, it would release gases that would cause the wineskin to expand. A new skin would stretch and still hold the wine.
However, pouring new wine into an old skin would cause double trouble. As the fermentation released gases, the old skin would actually crack because it had lost its “stretch-ability.” The new wine would spill out and be lost. Thus a skin (the vessel) and the wine (the good, new thing) would be ruined.
Being a new wineskin isn’t about age—it’s about openness to God’s vision.
So now, let me ask: are you a new wineskin, or an old one?
This has nothing whatsoever to do with age, but it has everything to do with mentality.
When I get handed something new, full of unrealized potential, how do I handle it? Am I willing to allow it to stretch me? Do I grow my potential along with it, focusing on the big-picture and long-term rewards? Am I more focused on the benefits of the outcome instead of how I may be stretched uncomfortably during the “fermentation” process?
Or am I rigid and unchanging, only allowing the new thing to expand to the limits I’ve imposed? Am I OK as long as it stays within my boundaries and comfort zone, and immediately begin to be threatened when those areas are encroached upon? Do I get fed up with the stretching so quickly that I snap, wrecking relationships, potential, and my own reputation in the process, rendering myself nearly unusable?
We all have been stewarded an incredible gift: we get to use our God-given talents and abilities to help share the goodness of God with a world that desperately needs it. We get to use our creativity and craftsmanship to constantly develop new ways to share that message. And best of all, we get to do it as part of a larger ministry team, which allows us all to work together to maximize our strengths, knowing that we all have unique gifts that add value and cover over our teammates’ weaknesses.
But when I forget that I’m part of a team, all I do is think about my own experience and how every situation will impact me directly. My focus becomes less on benefiting the team (and those we serve) and more on protecting myself. I become hesitant and fearful of stretching, because I’m afraid of the scars that may result.
Old patterns may feel comfortable, but they often block new vision.
John Maxwell once said, “A rubber band only realizes its potential when it’s being stretched,” and the same is true for you and I. We’re not called to be comfortable, reclusive, or inflexible. We’re called to a life of learning, growth, and perseverance, because that’s what allows us to continue working hard to achieve results for Christ.
There’s no end to the “new wineskin” of vision and influence He wants to give our ministries and us as individuals. The question is whether or not we’re ready to receive it. Will I allow myself to be stretched to new levels of growth, or will I crack under pressure?
