You are attending an evening event with a panel discussion on Innovation in the Church. It has been an excellent night, and the host is wrapping up with one last question:
Host: “I’ve valued your insights and personal sharing tonight, thanks again for being with us. I have one final question for you both to wrap things up. Why innovate? We all get excited about the word and people often seem willing to give innovative projects resources. But what are we really talking about, why is innovation important? What is it the church is trying to achieve?”
Panelist #1
“The word innovation itself is interesting, perhaps its not really about that. I think for me, what we are talking about is a movement of the Spirit, something in our faith that is alive and speaking. We grow and change not for the sake of improving things in the traditional sense of the word innovation, but because faith has to be lived out in each place and time for every generation. Our challenges and context changes, so too does our expression of the grace and forgiveness in the Good News. Sometimes I think this happens in a new wine kind of way, and it is difficult for the structures or institution to respond, or to hold space for it. It can be chaotic, and disorganised or organic which is challenging for an organisation to manage…I acknowledge, it is difficult to plan for it, or be strategic with resources.”
Panelist #2
“We do have to face the facts of strategic reality. If you look at what the Church has always been built on, its been about disciples equipped to be in ministry. We have to pay attention to the systems that enable our presence and voice in the world. Sure we could disband it all and just meet in lounge rooms like we are reliving the birth of Methodism and that would probably be energising for a season, but it’s not realistic for a sustainable future. I know the institution struggles, I see a need for change. We innovate to ensure our future and it isn’t just about experiments on the edges, its about the effectiveness of all that we do as a movement, the way we form disciples, equip people for ministry, communicate the Good News, steward spaces for the sacred.”