What the Church Needs Now

Business innovation is a change process that leads to new products and services in an effort to gain more market share.

Church innovation is a change process that leads to renewed focus on evangelization in an effort to make more disciples.

Business innovation is a change process leading to new products & services to gain market share. Church innovation is a change process that leads to renewed focus on evangelization in an effort to make more disciples. Click To Tweet

Some readers might find it out of place to bring business speak into a blog about ministry in the Church.

But here’s the thing: innovation is not a business concept. Innovation is a term from the language of greatness, not business (Jim Collins, Good to Great). Great organizations all around the world and in every industry are constantly innovating. That’s what makes them great.

If any organization should be concerned, even fanatical, about becoming great through innovation, it is the Church. Innovation should be discussed as often and as passionately by pastoral councils in parishes as it is by executive teams in board rooms. Our mission is the most important mission in the world – we need get this right!

Innovation should be discussed as often and as passionately by pastoral councils in parishes as it is by executive teams in board rooms Click To Tweet

Business innovation is about gaining market share. The Church isn’t interested in market share but we are interested in metrics.

One metric that should be top of mind for all pastoral leaders is this: the number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to the Church is constantly on the increase. Since the second Vatican council, just 50 years ago, this number has doubled. If data drives innovation, this number should drive all kinds of innovation in our churches.

Since Vatican II, just 50 years ago, the number of those who do not know Christ has doubled. If data drives innovation, this number should drive all kinds of innovation in our Parishes. Click To Tweet

I am not suggesting an innovative overhaul in Church doctrine, theology or tradition. The new evangelization changes none of that, which Saint John Paul II made vehemently clear in 1983 when speaking with the Latin American Bishops. Innovation means a new ardor, new methods, new energy and new expression in proclaiming the Gospel – not a new Gospel or new theology.

Innovation begins by re-clarifying focus by asking some tough questions.

Is your parish looking inward or outward? In the words of Andy Stanley, are you focused on the ones you are trying to reach or the ones you are trying to keep? There is a big difference. You can determine this objectively.

First, look at the budget.  How much is spent on keeping people and how much is spent on reaching people. Where is the larger financial investment?

Look at the parish budget. How much is spent on 'keeping' people and how much is spent on 'reaching' people. Where is the bigger financial investment? Numbers tell a story. Click To Tweet

Second, look at the parish activities that populate the parish calendar of events. How many are planned for reaching people? How many are planned for keeping people?

Third, look at what populates your prayers. Who are you praying for? Who are your people praying for? We pray for things that matter most to us – are the lost on your prayer list? They sure were on the top of Jesus’ prayer list.

These three simple tests, what you pray for and where you spend your time and money, can help you clarify if your parish is focused on keeping the people have or reaching the people you don’t.

Insider-focused churches rarely consider innovation, preferring the way things are or the way things were over the way things could be or should be. New ideas are dismissed by members or leaders wanting to maintain the status quo. A suggestion to try something new to reach more people is met with suspicion or entrenchment: “That’s not the way we do things around here.”

Innovation simply cannot exist in a culture of antiquated, status quo, maintenance type thinking. Unhealthy allegiance to the way things are (or were) creates an organizational swamp in which innovation cannot take root and grow.

Unhealthy allegiance to the way things are (or were) creates an organizational swamp in which innovation cannot take root and grow. Click To Tweet

Outward focused churches are always innovating. Committed to the ones they are trying to reach, they constantly look for better methods to reach more people with the Gospel or facilitate events and activities that bring non-church goers into contact with parishioners. New ideas build on other new ideas while zeal for souls and passion for Jesus fuel the entire effort.

The Church is the only organization in the world created not for it’s own members or internal stakeholders. We are missionary by nature. But when we forget this mission and look inward we start to become unhealthy, even sick.

The Church is the only organization in the world created not for it’s own members. We are missionary by nature. But when we forget this mission and look inward we start to become unhealthy, even sick. Click To Tweet

Pope Francis has spoken frequently about the danger of communities becoming self-referential. He wrote, “Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: ‘We have always done it this way’. I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities” (EG #33).

The Pope is exhorting the Church – every parish and ministry in the world – to be what we are meant to be, missionary disciples and communities of dynamic apostolic activity focused on the ones we are trying to reach. His challenge is to reach out to the periphery in a creative and missionary dynamism. He encourages our parish communities to become field hospitals, to engage in ‘out of the box’ thinking and to execute uncomfortable things.

The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to His Church is constantly on the increase. The new evangelization is a challenge to innovate and pastoral innovation begins with an all-out commitment to re-focus on the ones we are trying to reach not the ones we are trying to keep. The new evangelization needs new methods, new ardor, new focus, new energy and new expression.

The Church needs to seriously consider innovating it's methods of outreach, disciple-making and evangelization. The new evangelization needs new methods, new ardor, new focus, new energy and new expression. Click To Tweet