WHAT

One of my favorite authors is marketing guru Seth Godin.  I have been known to say to folks that during my early morning quiet times I read the scriptures, pray, journal … and check out the latest Godin post.  Sounds a little sacrilegious perhaps; but his way of seeing things from a slightly different, kind of quirky perspective is often instructive for me.  

There are even occasions where his insights uncover a new way of thinking about the bible narrative I just read.

And more days than not, I walk away with a new lens through which to see my personal leadership and/or the work I get to do with churches and leaders like you.  The following Godin post, entitled Ostracodish is one of those.  Here goes … 

The ostracod is extinct. Over millions of years, with good reasons at every step, it evolved to become the creature it was.

And when we add up all of those little steps, we end up with a creature that was no longer fit for its environment.

Organizations develop like this. So do work practices, cultural systems, and “the way we do things around here.”

I’m sure there was a really good reason twenty years ago for all the steps that are now involved in the thing you do right now, but your competitor, the one who is starting from scratch, is skipping most of them.

Every day we get a new chance to begin again. And if you don’t, someone else will.

SO WHAT

I am guessing that the “so what” implications are pretty clear, but just in case you’re not making the connection … 

What are the work practices, cultural systems, and “the way we do things around here” rules that may be leading to your extinction?  When was the last time you thought about why you were doing something and even more importantly perhaps why you were doing it the way you were doing it?

I find that this has implications for the way I lead my organization.

I find this has implications for the way I engage in my most important relationships.

I even can creep into my discipleship journey.

What about you?

The moral of the story – don’t become an ostracod.

NOW WHAT

Try out these anti-ostracod tools:

Reread Simon Sinek’s bestselling book, Start with Why and evaluate your work and life through his lens.  If you’d like to receive a copy of an exercise I’ve developed to help you and your team discover your why shoot me an email at [email protected].

Consider conducting a zero-based budget process.  Instead of adapting last year’s budget based on last year’s number which was based on the numbers from the year before that which was based on the budget … (you get the idea), start over. Build up from zero making sure each expenditure is mission-critical.

Develop a rhythm of taking a hard look at different ministries in your church.  One of the best ways I’ve discovered is to facilitate an “exactly the opposite” session with the team.  Start the time by playing this classic Jerry Seinfeld clip where George discovers the power of acting in a manner exactly opposite of his traditional approach.  And then divide the staff into teams with the assignment of designing the _____________ (you fill in the blank) ministry exactly the opposite of the way you are doing it now. Guaranteed to have to breakthrough innovative ideas and firmly establish the essential DNA that has to be maintained for life.

Works for churches and teams.  But you can also rinse and repeat with yourself and your family and other significant relationships.

One more thing – If you haven’t completed the survey that I am working on with

Dr. Warren Bird at ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) to discern the emerging “new normal” of church multiplication – what’s working well, what’s changing, where are the pinch points, and what are the breakthrough discoveries, will you do so today? Should take 15 minutes or less. Here’s the link for the survey.

Sign up here for a free consultation on discovering what’s next for your church.

WHO KNEW

“It’s the way we do things around here.” You may have heard this before. It’s how prominent organizational consultants Terry Deal and Allan Kennedy defined culture in the 1980s.  Would have sworn I heard my dad say that much earlier.

A quick Google search revealed the following became extinct in 2020.

• Splendid poison frog. …
• Jalpa false brook salamander. …
• Simeulue Hill myna. …
• Lost shark. …
• Smooth handfish. …
• Lake Lanao freshwater fish. …
• Chiriqui harlequin frog …

Unfortunately, the addition of church closures would exponentially lengthen the list.

The most recent research revealed that 40% of multisite campuses came as a result of a merger, bringing new life to close to extinct congregations.