Thursday, May 26, 2011

How Do You Spell “Entrepreneur?”

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.

Speaking of finding time to be creative, Wheat Ridge Ministries just completed an impact study of more than 50 sabbatical grants that we have awarded to congregations during the past five years. To access this report and other helpful materials related to ministry sabbaticals, please visit our website.

Blessings as you enjoy God’s gift of creativity and use it in service to others!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The Importance of Play


One day a few weeks ago, the Wheat Ridge office was closed for our annual “staff day,” a day during which we celebrate God’s gift of each other and the team ministry in which we are privileged to participate. This day is always a reminder to me of how fortunate I am to have amazing colleagues to work alongside in pursuit of the mission of Wheat Ridge.

It was also fun this year to invite the staff of Lutheran Church Charities, another Chicago-based organization, to join us for our morning session. LCC is a great servant organization, positioned as a first-responder to natural disasters and other tragedies in the Midwest and, increasingly, around the United States and even beyond.

Our presenter and facilitator for the morning was our very own Mark Schoepp, who serves as Church Relations Representative for Wheat Ridge. Mark is a great teacher and advocate for wellness of body, mind and spirit. He has developed a special interest in the wonders of the human brain and in “brain health.” Every time I hear Mark speak on this topic, I come away amazed and in awe of God’s creative miracle of the human body!

Mark’s specific theme for the morning focused on the importance of play for healthy minds, bodies and spirits. He had us using straws, duct tape, paper cups and a few other items to see who could build the tallest structure using these materials. Unfortunately, our table team lost by a few inches … but it was the sturdiest!

Even more fun and interesting to me was a discussion at our tables about the games we played individually and with others when we were children. I hadn’t thought about “Red Rover” or “Running Bases” for a long time! It was great to reminisce and think of the good times these games provided.

This discussion of brain development and the importance of play have me wondering about a number of things, including:

 Do the electronic games and toys that kids enjoy today add to or take away from the creative discovery processes that are so important for brain development? How can parents make sure that video games don’t totally replace the fun of building forts and houses out of the cardboard container that the refrigerator was delivered in?

 If play is the important “work” that a young child must engage in for reading readiness, how can we help parents resist the temptations of overly academic and test-oriented preschool and kindergarten programs?

 If current research on brain development and physical activity is anywhere near accurate, why do so many education leaders have students sitting at desks for increasingly longer stretches while recess and physical education is eliminated?

 Similarly, if the skills required by leaders are increasing “right brained” skills related to creativity, why is it that art and music programs seem to be the first programs to be eliminated in efforts to balance school budgets?

 In the midst of our business and hard work, how do we as adults not lose site of the gift of play, which is so important for both whole person wellness and for creative problem solving?

If you have thoughts about any of these questions, I’d love to hear from you! In the meantime, be sure to take some time to play!!