Creativity is a balancing act. Especially at a church. If a church focuses too much on creativity, they build an unhealthy culture. The church is maintained by creativity instead of enhanced by it. If the creative level drops one Sunday, people get dissatisfied.
But a church that ignores creativity loses their edge. They sink into lifeless traditions. The message is bland and lifeless. It’s unpalatable. People attend these churches because their friends attend or because they would be at church no matter what.
Creativity is salt. The message is the meat. Creativity is never meant to be the main course. If you’re focusing on entertainment you’re just feeding people salt. And they’ll grow thirsty for something else. If you’re good enough and creativity enough, people will stick around. They’ll even get excited about it. But you won’t be meeting their needs for the meat.
But that doesn’t mean you cook without salt! You also don’t want to be shoving flavorless meatloaf down people’s throats.
Be balanced. Be healthy. Don’t put too much or too little focus on creativity. Focus on the meat. And focus on the salt. Let them work together to create an amazing meal for your congregation.
Johathan, this is awesome! Perfect analogy to what we are doing at our church http://www.lifepointlebanon.com. Taking the creative elements and using them to enhance the meat being served. You checked me on this because the creative elements of our services are new to our culture here. I can see it becoming my focus rather than the meat… Thank you for this post! I’m sharing it with our Creative Team!
It’s easy to happen. Can quickly become a tradition (creativity). This might be a good one to pass around to the team too: http://www.sundaymag.tv/issue1/identifying-constricting-traditions/
🙂
Johathan, this is awesome! Perfect analogy to what we are doing at our church http://www.lifepointlebanon.com. Taking the creative elements and using them to enhance the meat being served. You checked me on this because the creative elements of our services are new to our culture here. I can see it becoming my focus rather than the meat… Thank you for this post! I’m sharing it with our Creative Team!
It’s easy to happen. Can quickly become a tradition (creativity). This might be a good one to pass around to the team too: http://www.sundaymag.tv/issue1/identifying-constricting-traditions/
🙂
SO very on point! It definitely makes me consider my approaches even in preaching. My style is very different to Pastor’s, but that, in itself, is a area of creative approaches. Salt, but with the meat, only Pastor serves Steak and I serve Pork Chops….JUST….in different ways.
SO very on point! It definitely makes me consider my approaches even in preaching. My style is very different to Pastor’s, but that, in itself, is a area of creative approaches. Salt, but with the meat, only Pastor serves Steak and I serve Pork Chops….JUST….in different ways.
By “message”, do you literally mean, the 30-60 minutes someone is up there speaking? Or by message, do you mean “The Message” aka the Word aka Jesus.
I only ask because I have been in church gatherings and Christian meetings where worship has extended so long, not out of trying to fill time or being cool, but because Jesus, the Message, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit so heavy that all we could do was give adoration, thanksgiving and praise.
Just curious what your paradigm might be. As you know, Jesus himself said “eat my flesh” so I’d like to think He is the meat, whether that is by prayer, announcements, worship, a teaching, message, communion or “ministry time”, all of these ultimately coming down to relationship with Him.
I’m actually referring to a third form of the word “message”. It’s really about what we’re trying to communication. The message in the communication. Whether that’s a sermon, announcement, or printed piece…whatever you’re communicating is the meat. The creativity is the salt. 🙂
Okay, gotcha.
By “message”, do you literally mean, the 30-60 minutes someone is up there speaking? Or by message, do you mean “The Message” aka the Word aka Jesus.
I only ask because I have been in church gatherings and Christian meetings where worship has extended so long, not out of trying to fill time or being cool, but because Jesus, the Message, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit so heavy that all we could do was give adoration, thanksgiving and praise.
Just curious what your paradigm might be. As you know, Jesus himself said “eat my flesh” so I’d like to think He is the meat, whether that is by prayer, announcements, worship, a teaching, message, communion or “ministry time”, all of these ultimately coming down to relationship with Him.
I’m actually referring to a third form of the word “message”. It’s really about what we’re trying to communication. The message in the communication. Whether that’s a sermon, announcement, or printed piece…whatever you’re communicating is the meat. The creativity is the salt. 🙂
Okay, gotcha.