Lonely Innovators
As we celebrate our denominational Centennial, we honor every courageous, innovative, Nazarene leader who gave visionary creativity to the church they loved. They "invented" Alabaster offerings, Work and Witness, and Bible quizzing, among many other creations. However, the new plans presented by these valiant leaders were not always readily accepted.
As a young missionary I observed that creative innovators are usually called to be "lone rangers." The church cannot bless every new idea. The best we can expect is to be granted "permission to experiment." If it turns out well, everybody jumps on board and exclaims, "I knew that all along!" If the experiment fails, they never knew us, and they even forget that they gave us permission to launch the experiment.
Two primary temptations exist for the God-called, creative innovator: bitterness and pride.
We may face bitterness because we are sacrificing everything and enduring hardship to launch this new beginning for our beloved church, and all we seem to get in return is criticism, rejection, and ridicule. The enemy of our souls will lead us to believe that we deserve better. We embrace "sweet" self-pity as bitterness springs up to poison and curse us. Nazarenes have lost some outstanding, Spirit-empowered visionaries because they became bitter. The church will not follow a bitter person, no matter how great his or her ideas and methods may be.
Pride can come in when we listen to Satan's lie that we really are smarter, more perceptive, and more talented than all those other "boring" Nazarene leaders. We believe the lie that we are innovative because we are so amazingly sharp. This temptation will curse our souls as we are filled with pride and arrogance. Satan often uses even the voices of close friends who genuinely admire us. We forget, however, that every good idea we have is a gift from God, who prepared us to be who we are today. We forget that it is all about the Kingdom and not about us—our grand ideas and agendas.
As we move into the second Nazarene century, if you have been called to be an innovator, then keep a truly humble, Christlike, and gracious spirit. God has infused in your heart new visions that the church desperately needs. You may become weary when facing resistance to change as many of your proposals lie shattered on the floors of a variety of boardrooms—but please do not give up. We need your fresh eyes, your fresh questions, and your fresh insights. I have discovered that good ideas often die twice and resurrect the third day!
Do not get bitter. Get better at finding creative ways to obtain permission to test new methods. Don't become proud. Get into your prayer closet and humble yourself before God with a heart full of gratitude for the privilege of serving the body of Christ.
Our God is a spectacularly creative God. We are made in the image of God, and we join in the creativity of the Kingdom.
New methods and new ideas are not always better—but we cannot miss the obvious. The Kingdom is all about new: new life, new birth, new beginnings, New Testament, new converts, new churches, and new pastors. From time to time you and I are called to be the ones who will introduce the new. May we do so with humility and a gracious spirit, to the glory of God. "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (I Corinthians 9:22).
Jerry D. Porter is a general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.
Holiness Today, November/December 2008
Please note: This article was originally published in 2008. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.
