One of the joys of serving on the Wheat Ridge staff is the opportunity to be inspired by the creative and dedicated efforts of leaders who have been led by God to serve and care for people in their community. I hope you are likewise inspired as you read stories of these leaders and those they serve in the materials you receive from us.
Beginning a new ministry venture is not an easy thing to do these days due to a variety of issues, including funding challenges and increasingly complex regulations. It requires determination, focus and an ability to think “outside of the box.” We find ourselves describing these people more and more as “ministry entrepreneurs.” As you may know, an entrepreneur is a person who organizes or manages an enterprise with a willingness to take considerable initiative and risk in order to achieve impact. Personally, I find the biggest challenge when talking about this type of person is spelling the word entrepreneur … thank goodness for spell check!!
Anyway, I was not surprised when my eyes were drawn to an article about ministry entrepreneurs that a staff member placed on my desk recently. It was written by Bill Wilson, president of The Center for Congregational Health, which is headquarted in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Bill’s article is entitled, "Four Ways for Ministers to Become Entrepreneurs" and it appeared on www.ethicsdaily.com. Here are his suggestions for pastors and other church leaders how an entrepreneurial spirit can be injected into the life of congregations and clergy:
1. Cultivate the spirit of creativity and innovation personally and as a congregation. Find those who are blessed with such traits naturally and invite them to tutor you. Someone in your congregation has the entrepreneurial spirit in abundance. They probably work in a non-religious field. Find them and learn from them.
2. Ministers must bring others along on the journey. Clergy sometimes have the mistaken notion that laity cannot absorb or appreciate the complexities of modern ministry. Many cannot, but some do and want desperately to help the church work smarter, not harder. I have found that these uniquely gifted people often feel unappreciated and unwanted in local churches. They've endured many rolling eyes and old-school sighs. Validate them and they will fill a vital role in your congregation.
3. Create space in your life and calendar for creativity and innovative thinking. Find times when you can empty your head and allow the Spirit to inspire. Spend at least one day a month in planning and preparation. Congregations need to relieve their ministers of the crush of meetings and the unrealistic expectation that she or he is the only one who can hold every person's hand through every medical procedure. It's not biblical, it's not true, and that expectation will rob your minister of every ounce of his or her creativity.
4. Find those who practice the faith in your style and tradition and are innovators. Visit them. Read their writings. Listen to them. Spend time with them. The entrepreneurial spirit is contagious. I hope you catch it.
Blessings as you enjoy God’s gift of creativity and use it in service to others!!
Love this recommendation that clergy and lay people think creatively and outside of the box. I recently saw someone wearing a t-shirt that read "the church has left the building." This should all give us all pause. We many need to reconsider our traditional style of doing or rather being the church.
ReplyDelete