Are You Creative?
Do you consider yourself to be creative? Chances are that you responded NO. I find this rejection of our own creativity perplexing, specifically within the context of the local church. From the very beginning of scripture in Genesis 1 and 2, we see God as the creator of all of creation and inviting us to participate within that creating work (Genesis 1:27, 2:19). Then why is it that the local church seems to be one of the most uncreative places in the world today? Somewhere throughout the life of the local church, it has embraced a sense of routine and comfort and has forgotten God's creative call. Interestingly, a lack of creativity is a problem not only within the local church but throughout the western world. In the book Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by David and Tom Kelley, two brothers who have become leading experts in the world of innovation and creativity have found proof that all people are creative, but somewhere along the way, we lose our creative spirit and resign ourselves to a self-identified position of being, what the Kelley's refer to as, "non-creatives."
Far too often, the church is unwilling to enter creative spaces due to fear of judgment and failure. Both fears are entirely understandable, but we have allowed the fear to dominate and prevent God's glorious creative work amongst us in the church. From the birth of the church at Pentecost, the church has innovated how life should be lived and expressed through music, art, and culture. Unfortunately, today, the church sits idly by while the world passes us by in innovative works of creativity. The church must recapture its call from the beginning of time to be creative and innovative in the way that it connects people to the love of God.
The thing is that creativity is not something that we are born with and are good at forever because we are just talented and creative; it is a skill that only becomes sharper through experience and practice. By no means does the church need to abandon all of the historical traditions and disciplines that have shaped and continue to shape deep discipleship and love for God, but we must learn from the historical traditions of the church so that we might be able to move forward In creative and innovative ministry. Gregory Jones and Andrew Hogue ask this question, "How can we learn from the best of our past while innovating creatively and faithfully for the future?" in their book Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas. This question strikes at the heart of discovering how the church might move forward by staying connected to the historical wisdom of the truth found in the church's traditions yet moving forward into new and creative ways of reaching The least, the last, and the lost for Jesus.
One of the first ways the church can do this is to embrace a more profound and better understanding of failure. For far too long, the church has had an unhealthy and toxic view of failure, creating a barrier for the local church to move into innovative creativity. For more on this, look at my book Failure Sparked Innovation. The church must also be willing to collaborate and partner with entities outside the church's walls, entering into deep relationships with other nonprofit and for-profit organizations leading the way in developing creative and innovative work within the local community. Another way is for the church to take risks and attempt new, bold, and exciting ministries. Is the church willing to follow the Holy Spirit wherever the spirit may lead? Is the church willing to be a place of yes rather than a place of no? Is the church willing to mess up and make mistakes and fail? Is the church willing to honestly believe that the creative God that created the universe is still at work and empowering us to join with God in God's creative work here and now?
It is time to stop just taking up space in the pews and simply going through the motions. Let’s get creative and take bold risks. Let’s follow in the footsteps of our spiritual mothers and fathers of the early church and pioneers who planted the churches we occupy today and attempt something big with God!