Every now and then you come across that turn of phrase or that quote or passage that just sort of speaks to you. This week, I came across such a passage in an email from a web community called FaithVillage that was telling its members that it was having to close its doors because things had not worked out. To be truthful, I remember signing up for Faith Village, but I never really made it one of those sites I visit, even sporadically. Now it’s closing, but the founder and senior editor, Brad Russell, said the following to site members:
“Our FaithVillage journey has not been about media or technology as an end in itself, but rather about applying the latest technology to fulfill perennial ministry goals, to share compelling faith stories, to build community, to disciple and form faith, to disseminate art and ideas, to sharpen leadership skills, to build collaborations that advance Kingdom causes.
In a world with declining church attendance and institutional loyalty, myriad distractions from what’s truly important and cultural change that is exponentially faster than before, the church is challenged to engage people every day and not passively wait for the world to enter the church door.
All around us, religious institutions are challenged to respond to this dramatically changing world. Some are courageous; others are timid. Our technology was our courageous response. We will always be grateful for those who caught the vision and joined us.
I’ve long appreciated the wisdom of Eric Hoffer, who wrote: “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”
The only way to learn is to innovate. And as Peter Drucker says, “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
But we can’t be romantic about innovation. In the end, our most courageous efforts are subject to funding, timing, misperceptions, incorrect assumptions and a myriad other forces. As it’s oft said, if innovation were easy, everyone would do it.”
These words spoke to me because I think they speak to our current situation as a church. I sometimes think that we are the learned who are about to find ourselves “...perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” That is one reason that I have begun a major push into social media in these now waning summer months. I think that as a church and denomination, we are on the brink of extinction because we fail to take advantage of the opportunities that exist right in front of us. I know that many of you do not engage in most of these social venues that I have been promoting. But there is a vast community around us that does. To paraphrase Drucker, “If we want something new to happen in our church, then perhaps we are going to have to change or stop some of the old ways we are doing things.”
Please share your thoughts with me on this issue.
“Our FaithVillage journey has not been about media or technology as an end in itself, but rather about applying the latest technology to fulfill perennial ministry goals, to share compelling faith stories, to build community, to disciple and form faith, to disseminate art and ideas, to sharpen leadership skills, to build collaborations that advance Kingdom causes.
In a world with declining church attendance and institutional loyalty, myriad distractions from what’s truly important and cultural change that is exponentially faster than before, the church is challenged to engage people every day and not passively wait for the world to enter the church door.
All around us, religious institutions are challenged to respond to this dramatically changing world. Some are courageous; others are timid. Our technology was our courageous response. We will always be grateful for those who caught the vision and joined us.
I’ve long appreciated the wisdom of Eric Hoffer, who wrote: “In a world of change, the learners shall inherit the earth, while the learned shall find themselves perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.”
The only way to learn is to innovate. And as Peter Drucker says, “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
But we can’t be romantic about innovation. In the end, our most courageous efforts are subject to funding, timing, misperceptions, incorrect assumptions and a myriad other forces. As it’s oft said, if innovation were easy, everyone would do it.”
These words spoke to me because I think they speak to our current situation as a church. I sometimes think that we are the learned who are about to find ourselves “...perfectly suited for a world that no longer exists.” That is one reason that I have begun a major push into social media in these now waning summer months. I think that as a church and denomination, we are on the brink of extinction because we fail to take advantage of the opportunities that exist right in front of us. I know that many of you do not engage in most of these social venues that I have been promoting. But there is a vast community around us that does. To paraphrase Drucker, “If we want something new to happen in our church, then perhaps we are going to have to change or stop some of the old ways we are doing things.”
Please share your thoughts with me on this issue.
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