I had the privilege of attending the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA last Wednesday to Friday. This is a conference for all Christian leaders so you can imagine how many pastors were there along with small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, Elders, Deacons, and etc. The last time I went to this conference was back in 2009 when I was living in Raleigh, NC. I chose not to fly but rather drive 10 hours down. Unlike a lot of people, I enjoy long road trips. I love being in a car and on the road (unless there’s traffic) and just take in the sights along the way. Since I chose to drive down, I had the chance to visit the church I served at in Raleigh and meet up with some of my former youth who are now in college. It was really nice to see how much they’ve grown spiritually. I also had the chance to visit my parent’s house and have dinner with them. I think it’s been around 5 years (?) since I’ve been “home.” I have to say that my mom’s mandoo is still the best in the world.
When I finally arrived at the conference, I was deeply challenged and inspired by the opening session. The speaker was Andy Stanley, who is one of my favorite pastors. In fact, when I was there in 2009, I actually got a chance to talk with him as he signed the book that I bought. It was one of the coolest moments of my life. In the opening session, he was talking about how we as leaders need to stir and disturb the imaginations of the people we lead and awaken the wonder within them.
How many ideas have been shot down not just at church but anywhere because it was “new” and unfamiliar? At times, it’s easy for leaders to say no to an idea because we don’t understand it, but sticking with only what’s familiar is how we become stagnant. If you think about it, stirring up and disturbing the imaginations of the people is exactly what Jesus did. Isn’t that why the Pharisees hated him so much? He did not fit into their religious box. Isn’t that why so many people were following him? No one had met someone like Jesus, who taught the way Jesus did. They were amazed at his teaching. He awakened the wonder of the people.
Maybe a reason why we try to stay clear from new ideas, is that wonder can be as threatening and disruptive as it can be inspiring. New ideas mean disrupting the norm or the tradition of doing things. We use phrases like “it’s always been this way.” New ideas can be scary because it pulls us away from our comfort zone and puts us in unfamiliar territory. As leaders, we should embrace the unknown. We should encourage new ideas. New ideas have the potential to inspire people and to awaken the wonder within us. Think of all the innovation that is around us. I just read the other day that Japan has now invented a train that goes 1 mile in 10 seconds! It floats on magnets so it has frictionless motion. This allows the train to go really fast reaching speeds up to 374 mph. To put things into perspective, it can go from NY to DC in about 35 minutes.
Ideas like this came to fruition because of thinking outside the box; by thinking outside of “how it’s always been done.” Imagine what can be done if we think outside the box and step into the unknown at church. Let’s not get stuck on doing things the same way just because that’s how it’s always been done. Let’s open ourselves to new ideas and see how God leads us. As a church, let’s start to be a people of wonder.
From Pastor Eugene’s Heart
October 18, 2015