Victoria Atkinson White: Leaders need not choose between improving and creating

Here are some thoughts from Victoria Atkinson White's essay on improving and creating, published at https://faithandleadership.com/victoria-atkinson-white-leaders-need-not-choose-between-improving-and-creating

• "(In the report, 'Faithful', Casper ter Kuile and Angie Thurston) explore the natural tension between 'loyalty to what has been and a desire to be part of what is next.'  In doing so, they reflect on the need for religious institutions to embrace 'two concurrent and vital jobs that need doing:  improving and creating."

• "Improving is learning new ways to do what we already know how to do; creating is learning new ways to do what we don't yet know how to do or may be prevented from doing by polity and practice."

• "Some churches lean toward a 'never stop improving' mentality.  They are established and know how to 'do' church.  They have been successful in the past, as evidenced by their physical plants and generations of tradition.  This stability and legacy can be an asset, both reputational and social, yet at the same time, as 'Faithful' notes, the associated bureaucratic structures can stand in the way of creating new ministries in the face of the unknown."

• "Improving, while it might sound like the lesser of two choices, is an important job.  If a church already knows how to do something well . . . , then it is only good stewardship not to abandon what works but rather to 'never stop improving' it (for example, with technology, safety and training)."

• "Church starts and new faith communities operate from more of a 'let's build something together' posture.  They see needs that are not being met and create new gatherings to address them.  These initiatives are often experimental -- coffeehouses, yoga studios, after-school programs, Christian social entrepreneurial ventures -- which means many of them fail."

• "Nonetheless, they are learning new ways to do what we don't yet know how to do, new ways to minister, that established churches may find more challenging."

• "The good news, as the authors of 'Faithful' write, is that the work of improving and creating need not be an exclusive choice.  Both jobs must be done.  There is a place at the table for both those who are loyal to existing religious institutions and those who are eager to usher in what the church will look like next."

• "'New expressions of community need support, stability, and access to the wisdom of our traditions,' (ter Kuile and Thurston) write.  'Established religious institutions need the joy of nurturing new expressions of our own highest values.'"