Good evening everyone! This workshop is about envisioning a project, and bringing it to life, in context of our church events.
It is not necessarily only for the major events, like ESSs (Anniversary, Easter, Christmas) or ELGs (themed and sequential major life groups). Think of it as a mindset to have when planning and executing any events or projects you might need to do in your level of leadership.
And when we say leadership here, we mean it in the sense that we are all leaders, or champions, of the project that is assigned to us. We take ownership of it, are accountable and responsible for it.
So don’t think that only the LGLs, or the SDLs, or the various Events Ministries can plan and execute events. Envisioning is a mindset, an offshoot of creativity that we should be bringing to anything that has been assigned to us, whether big or small.
In real life examples, this would be:
- regular life groups
- series life groups, apart from ELGs
- outreach events
- GO LG activities
- core team bonding
- new believers’ parties
- street evangelism gimmicks
- ministry thanksgiving
- songwriting
What other examples can you think of?
1 CONCEPTUALISATION
Our God is a God of order; our God is creative, and passionate, and inspires excellence. This is what we should remember when we first set out to conceptualise.
There is not one magic formula for getting ideas. The process is as unique and individual as the way we have all been created. There is no perfect system, no pill or potion that you can take that will automagically induce creativity. But there are three words that you can start with to at least kick things off:
I AM CREATIVE
These words are a reminder that creativity, and all its potential for greatness, is within us. There resides, in every one of us, the ability to create, and the capacity to expand that ability to more than what we think we are capable of.
The words “fearfully and wonderfully made” are not to be taken lightly (Psalm 139:14). Everything that God did and said was done and designed with a purpose. And since we are His people, this is how our work should be as well: created and designed with a purpose.
“How do you get your ideas?”
I’ve read that this is a question that most authors dread. It’s so common, and yet has too many layers to answer completely in one sitting. Because it’s different for everyone, and different for every need. Everything changes. Time passes. People evolve. And so should ideas.
Ideas can come from everywhere, and everything. God works in the recesses of our minds. He is at work even in our subconscious. In the same way that we have been made with a purpose, so too has God designed the entire world and everything in it to support and inspire the creativity that He has put in each and every one of us.
God is too great a creator to not make everything around us an inspiration
That being said, there are several key points that we should remember when starting out to conceptualise. These aren’t rules so much as guidelines, things to keep in mind to set our brain in the right track.
1. Align your ideas with the vision of the church
This is key. This is paramount. This cannot be avoided, cannot be skipped. Everything that we’re doing has to be aligned with the vision of our church, the one set down by our leaders, the one given by God Himself. And this means that we have to know the vision of the church by heart. Not just memorising any oft-repeated lines, but really taking it to heart, and living out our lives according to this vision.
Most of us have someone above us, another leader, to approve our projects. We have to be aligned with our leaders, accountable to them, and flowing in sync with them. Relationship is a very important factor here. It is infinitely better if you and your leader have enough of a relationship so that it can be a conversation, not a dictatorshop situation.
To that end, honour your leader’s vision. Listen to your leader, even to the words that they’re not saying. Get to know them enough so that you can interpret their vision, and incorporate it in your art.
2. Express your ideas in ways that the team will understand
Because everyone is uniquely creative, we have an obligation to make sure that our ideas are understood by our team. We need to be able to communicate as best as we can, the message that we want to convey.
This is easier done by answering the question: “What do you want your audience to think, feel, or do? How do you want them to respond?” This is better than supplying descriptions or adjectives of the final product, because it forces our minds to think in tangibles. The team then finds common ground in understanding what is being communicated.
Providing samples or videos of ideas you want to emulate could also be good, but do not fall into the trap of merely copying existing works. Granted, there is an argument to be made that these days, all art is mostly derivative, and there is no shame in that. But as an artist, accountable to your own sense of originality, and as a church representative protective of the group’s integrity, you have to have a feel for that fine line between imitation and inspiration.
3. Release your ideas and set them free
It is common for creatives or artistic types to be a bit too “precious” about their work, their art. This shouldn’t be the case in a church setting. Consider all your ideas being part of the collective creative mind of the church. Like in the parable of the talents, it is a gift from the Lord, and should be shared, so that it will flourish more.
Do not have a spirit of offence. Again, relationships are important here, between all the members of the team. It might be the expected reaction out there in the world, but as culture carriers, believers of Jesus, we always respond in love. And it applies here as well. Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. Surrender your pride, because God deserves all the glory.
2 EXECUTION
Execution of a vision is the extension of an idea into an entire programme, or specific set of guidelines, that has dynamicity and depth. You expand on your concept, always remembing the concept that has been approved, the one that aligns with the church vision.
As the champion of the event, look at all the details, try to address every aspect of the time and space that you are required to fill. Keep in mind that creative moments are layered; it doesn’t just consist of the one main showpiece program, or the one major activity that you have planned. There are a lot of communication mediums to consider (print, video, audio, etc.); use them wisely.
Keep working together with your leader in order to make sure that you are still on the right track. Work in harmony with your team and foster a spirit of openness and camaraderie. There should be one decision-maker, one who has the final say, but that person has to be able to see the vision through other people’s eyes as well, remembering that it is a team effort. Because this is how we do church.
Also, remember to care for people as much as for projects. Don’t get too lost in ensuring excellence, that you sacrifice relationships, health, and other people’s sanity.
Lastly, find joy in serving. Enjoy the process. I know you wouldn’t be in the ministry where you are serving, or you wouldn’t be doing what you are doing, if God didn’t put the desire and capability in your heart.
Life is too short not to bring your best to anything
Teaching slides here.
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