Entreprenurial Ministry

Entrepreneurial Ministry requires creativity and innovation.  You can take a current business model, get creative and apply a little innovation, and voila, you have got a model to do ministry in an entrepreneurial way.

A recent article on innovation at Entrepreneur.com gives us a small look at the innovation process.  I think the author offers some good suggestions.  Take a look:

Innovation is not a brilliant idea; innovation is a process. A brilliant idea becomes an innovation when it’s turned into a product or system that produces significantly improved results. There are four steps and four leadership roles that emerge during an innovation process:

1. Creating–Everything starts with an idea, and there’s no question that every organization needs new ideas to remain competitive and deal with the rapidly changing world. The most talented people don’t have to work at coming up with ideas; they see possibilities everywhere. They don’t see things as they are, but how they could be. Of course, not all their ideas are brilliant; in fact, some are really off-the-wall. But that doesn’t deter the “Creators.” They just keep seeing those possibilities.

2. Advancing–Many great ideas have died on the vine because they weren’t picked up. Fortunately, there are people who have a natural talent for recognizing good ideas and running with them. That is, they’re more focused on implementation than on creating ideas, and they also have a talent for interaction. Because they make things happen, they’ve developed the ability to sell others on an idea and get it running.

3. Refining–Before the “Advancers” charge off and implement an idea, it would make sense to have a workable plan that has no holes in it. “Refiners” often play the devil’s advocate role, asking the challenging “what if?” questions. It’s important to keep refiners focused on developing a plan to make the idea work rather than just focusing on why it won’t work. If you can’t make it work it will become apparent. The refiner’s talent for analysis and attention to detail are often undervalued because they tend to challenge both the creator and advancer–but don’t implement a new idea until you’ve listened to their input.

4. Executing–One of the primary reasons great ideas fail to create an innovative change is a lack of follow-through. Implementation of the plan step-by-step–ensuring that all team members follow-through on their responsibilities–requires the talents of the “Executer;” they’re focused on the day-to-day realities of what must get done, and making sure it does get done. Only when the executer has completed their part of the process can the innovation be considered complete and a success.

The reason many organizations fail at innovation is because leaders don’t understand that innovation is a four-step process, and the talents required at each step of the process are very different. So different in fact, that it’s unlikely for one individual to excel at more than one of the four steps. This means that for innovation to succeed, it needs to be a team-based process. But not all teams have team members with all of the required talents.

As you consider ministry outside the box, consider this process.