Ministry Artifacts

Jay Hostetler, November 9, 2015

A recent article in Harvard Business Review grabbed by attention!  The article entitled, “The Evolution of Design Thinking” postulated that organizations have created designs that could be considered as “artifacts.” The author then says that next steps for organizations to learn and grow may include the action step of an intervention. Wow, is it possible that ministry practices may need an intervention?! Is your ministry full of “design artifacts”?  (And I’m not referring here to the pews, though the facility may need an overview and revival of furnishings as well.) 

When I was a ministry rookie in the late 70’s, church was certainly done in a particular way. We would all agree that incremental design attempts were employed to make our church experiences culturally relevant and meaningful for new worshippers.

Is it possible that the ongoing rhythms of ministry can anesthetize our creativity and relevance? Over the last several years we have had meaningful dialogs with churches that are attempting to break out of systemic norms to create relevant experiences for attendees.

• Have you taken a deep breath and considered evaluating your ministry?
• Is it time for innovative thinking to replace any ministry artifacts that have you trapped?

At MinistryWave, we are interested in helping the local church get better. We know as we affirm and challenge church leaders that ministry breakthroughs are possible.

Let’s connect and explore some possibilities.