So I used to work for a company that had an unusual approach to business. Let me explain. I once went to an upper manager with a question and an idea. We talked about this dynamic for some time, at the end of which he told me it was a great idea. However, the company simply would not do it. I asked why, and his reply absolutely floored me. He told me it was because we were Royce Builders.
Let that sink in for a moment. Just because we were some different company with our own culture, we were unwilling to implement something that was acknowledged by upper managers as a good, solid idea. Again, let that one cook a little.
This is not actually a surprise nor a new concept. The father of the Wright brothers thought that flying was a silly concept that would not work. There were plenty of people who felt that the horseless carriage, the car, would never catch on. Early observers of submarines felt that it was a fad idea. The list goes on and on and on I’m sorry to say.
There seems to be a tendency that when people hear an idea they almost automatically dismiss it. “It won’t work.” “It’s too hard.” “We’ve never done that before.” Here is one of my favorites. “We tried that years ago, and it didn’t work.” And then there is the, “That’s not who we are.” There are so many reasons not to try something new and different. It is a true wonder when something new gets accepted. Can you believe that businessmen once thought that home computers would never be a thing?
Now don’t get me wrong. I'm often offered new food to try, and I avoid it. And, I’ll be honest. I’m afraid. I am afraid that I am not going to like it. And, I simply do not want a bad taste on my tongue. So, out of fear, I don’t try new foods. It does not always work that way. Forever, I avoided the pumpkin spice flavor. I was convinced that I would not like it. Well, my iced coffee at my elbow has pumpkin spice coffee mate, and the pumpkin spice Oreos are in the pantry. I love pumpkin spice.
Churches do this a lot. When someone brings a new idea to the proverbial table, no matter how good the idea is, or how researched, there are at least six reasons not to try it. All of them, and I do mean all, are out of fear. See the previous list of reasons not to try something, and then add in, “what if it fails?” Congregations keep themselves from meeting new people, building new relationships, growing, and finding pumpkin spice out of fear. In my opinion, through and because of grace, the church should be a place where new ideas are tried. One of two things will happen. Either the idea will succeed, either completely or partially, or a lesson will be learned. There is no loss. Where God’s grace prevails, growth can and does occur.
Oh, I forgot to point out. Royce Builders no longer exists.
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