I’m still amazed at how popular certain church/ministry conferences are featuring speakers/presenters who have no track record of success at all. I like ideas people, but I would rather take financial advice from Warren Buffett than an ideas man.
Mostly, these ideas guys are famous for writing books, not necessarily actually getting the job done effectively. Writing books is a huge skill, and getting them published is pretty amazing too. But writing books is not local church ministry.
Go through the list of some of the books being bandied around as key references for the future of ministry, the church and leadership, etc., and ask yourself whether any of these people have actually done what they’re writing about?
I have discovered that it’s one thing to have nice ideas – it’s quite another to make it happen in reality. Unfortunately, there’s a whole circuit of gurus out there writing books that others are trying to use as their guides to ministry success (however you want to define that), and it’s a bit like a guy who has never been married or had kids trying to give advice about parenting. It’s absurd.
I guess I’m a pragmatist. Sue me.
4 comments ↓
I agree Mark. I am reading a book at the moment (for my studies) that a lot of people base their ministry philosophy on. As I read I am not actually sure how much of the stuff they have actually done themselves. They seem to be writing out what others are doing, in other places. Not from a “this is what we have done where we are” perspective.
“An idea without implementation isn’t creation.
It’s imagination.
By definition, being creative requires that you create something.
True creative people don’t just dream it-they do it…or oversee the strategy to get it done.
True creativity results in a product. Not just an idea.”
Steven Furtick
Woh…..well said Steven.
Interesting thing is that some of these bods are Australians. I get asked about them when I’m over in the US (because we, of course, all know each other, right?), and I’m always a bit bemused because I’m not entirely sure why they’re they’re such a hit. Must be the accent and the groovy book title. Always interesting to me that some of these bods have actually not seen much action in the same church for a stretch of time giving it a go. It’s all theory and whatever-is-beyond-postmodern ideas.
Put ‘em in a church (of whatever description) for a while and let’s see them pull it off in practice. Then I’ll be signing up for the conference… :-)
oh…the penny just dropped… :) Yep! Most of the people I want and need to get close to and be encouraged by…dont write books…they are doing what I am trying to do….