For example, not long ago I had an excellent idea for how to conclude an upcoming worship gathering. The problem was that I had very little idea of how to take that idea from conception to implementation.
So did that make me an “idea” person or merely a daydreamer?
Well, in this case it worked out. One of the many enormous benefits of working with the staff here is that many of them can take a good idea and make it much better.
(By the way, that idea and its superior implementation because of the way staff completed it is coming on July 1, the second week of Upgrade.)
And that dilemma circles me back to those things that I can do.
Lead the church technologically? No.
Sing a killer solo? Nope.
Develop IT systems that make sure no person gets left behind? Not yet.
Make sure the church’s teaching has solid biblical grounding? Yes.
Advance the gospel through its accurate and passionate proclamation? Absolutely.
Help people unleash the spiritual insights living within them? For sure.
Provide a sense of historic perspective that balances our world’s obsession with now? Yep.
All of this comes under the larger heading I remembering hearing in the ordination process oh-so-many years ago: a local pastor is the chief resident theologian of the congregation. Not the only one, mind you, just the most visible one.
As such, I’ve got to make sure I’m deeply connected to this ancient and vast stream of teaching we fondly refer to as “orthodoxy.”
Because while I may not be able to convert an idea into digital media, I can make sure that the content the media contains does not waver from faith handed down once for all to the saints.