There is a level of excitement that comes with anything new. But it doesn’t take long for new to become normal and that excitement to dissipate. Once normalcy settles in, our natural response is to start looking for something different.
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So when the stage design has been the same for three months, we start building somethingā€¦different. And when the same slogan has been used for the past two small group campaigns, we decide to write somethingā€¦different. Or when we’ve held the same big event for the past several years, we try planning somethingā€¦different.
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The problem with “different” is that it absorbs a lot of effort for horizontal change. Much work; little forward progress. “Different” does not actually improve, it only replaces. And it usually comes with undeserved feelings of excitement, falsely convincing us that we are making real progress.
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At some point this week, your team is going to be faced with the opportunity to do something different. Whenever it is and whatever it is about, push beyond “different” for the discovery of “better”. These three questions can help break that barrier:
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1. Why are we changing?
There is a reason you are looking for “different”. Identify the real problems you have with the present and make the next “different” a “better” by actually solving them.
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2. What have we been unable to do despite our desires?
Most likely, you have had to pass up on some great ideas in the past because you were limited by your previous context. Revisit those ideas to see if they can be worked into the next “different” to make it a “better”.
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3. What problems do we expect to experience in the future?
“Better” anticipates future needs. Take some time to think ahead and make this “different” a “better” by solving future problems now.
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In a world that is changing with every moment, decisions to do “different” are made almost daily. Keep an eye out for ways to make each “different” a “better” and use every decision to move your church forward.
