In addition to thinking about The Curse Of Knowledge recently (see yesterday’s post), I’ve also been thinking about the dichotomy between the strategic and the spiritual.
Some churches — indeed, some organizations — are so wrapped up in strategy that they seldom if ever consider the role of the Spirit. These groups tend to devote a lot more time to planning than to praying, and the result can be wisdom devoid of power. I have felt Good Shepherd in this place a time or two.
Others churches and organizations have a different vibe: so wrapped up in pursuing the Spirit that they fail to balance it with wise planning or skillful execution. “Let’s just pray about it,” becomes a poor substitute for the not-very-glamorous work of preparing, equipping, and ministering. In the worst scenarios, obsessive spirituality becomes a camouflage for organizational incompetence.
So what if our privilege at Good Shepherd is to realize the wisdom AND the power of strategic spirituality?
What if prayer was neither substitute nor excuse but instead becomes accelerant?
What if we do the hard, often tedious of planning, directing, and streamlining — trusting that God has given us minds to do so — and then give all that “product” to him in prayer?
What if our strategy is spiritual and our spirituality is strategic?
I don’t know exactly how to make that happen, but I’m willing to try.