I have been involved in the arena of creativity since I was little in one way or another. Most recently in the professional field of entertainment. I have been on stage, backstage, and in front of the stage. I am even involved in a church where there is a push to be creative in engaging people. So what is my point?
Monotony kills creativity.
I have seen monotony kill creativity in places ranging from Disney to even churches that I have attended. The scary thing about monotony is that it creeps up even when you are seeing the results you want to see. Unfortunately, the only way to kill monotony is to take risks. That may mean stepping outside of your comfort zone and engaging others to get involved. It may mean listening to people that you normally wouldn’t listen to because they are not “in your area of expertise.” Or, it may even mean that you have to stop doing everything yourself and let someone else take on the responsibilities that you so carefully guard.
When it comes to the local church we have to be open to change. Nothing will hinder progress like monotony within the body of Christ. If we truly want to cultivate an environment of creativity, we must be willing to never settle, but always be thinking ahead. The fact is that other churches are not our competition. Our competition is anywhere people would rather be. With that in mind, we have no choice but to look ahead, take risks, and explore the unknown. The alternative is to lose the attention of those whom we have the responsibility of communicating God’s word to. I don’t know about you, but that to me is not much of an alternative.
