by Eddie Pipkin

One of the great strategies for helping people feel empowered is to consistently seek their authentic feedback and engage them in the process of developing programs, events, and initiatives.  If they feel that something has been lacking, they can be pivotal in developing new ideas.  It is a rare local institution that builds a culture that seems welcoming of new ideas and creative approaches.  The more common model is a culture in which there are insiders and popular leaders, and these are the people whose insights are favored and ideas are consistently prioritized.  Imagine, instead, that we not only solicited ideas from our biggest fans and devotees, but we actually gave them a shot at putting them into practice.

It was great to read a recent article which focused on the ways in which major corporations are coming up with new ways in which their customers and biggest devotees can be a part of the development of new products: “Toymakers go to fans for ideas.”

The article cites examples from Lego and Mattel in which fans’ ideas are solicited with enthusiasm.  It’s not just a matter of surveying potential customers to see if they would be more likely to choose Option A or Option B for already existing products.  It’s a sincere effort to encourage fan enthusiasm for products that don’t yet exist or variations on popular existing products.  For instance, Lego explicitly solicited design ideas for a planned 50th anniversary celebration of the game, Dungeons & Dragons, and fans responded with wildly creative suggestions:

[Amsterdam based amateur Lego designer Lucas] Bolt was hoping to create the design for Lego Ideas, a program the toymaker started in 2008 to solicit ideas online directly from fans. Typically, designers post their concept on the platform, and if a design gets 10,000 votes, the company considers it for production. This case was different though: It was the first time the company had given fans a concept to work with.

Bolt had been designing his own sets for a few years, primarily for his followers on Instagram, but this was the first time something he had produced had gained real traction. A panel of judges selected his set and four others for a shortlist, and in a vote, fans chose his set as their favorite. . . .

Lego Ideas is part of a growing strategy among companies that are creating divisions devoted to going directly to consumers for ideas. Lego takes a more personal approach, allowing fans to submit designs, while other companies poll consumers about what they would like to see or speak to inventors about their latest projects. These initiatives are finding particular success within niche groups of collectors and other highly dedicated fans.

Imagine if ministry leadership took a similar approach!

We’re not just talking about suggestion boxes, feedback surveys, questions posed on social media, or focus groups (although you should 100% be employing those engagement strategies, as we have noted many times in this blog space).  We’re talking about a contest  in which homegrown ministry ideas compete against one another to select one “winner” which will be put into practice in the real world.

What if we solicited proposals from individuals or groups (you could work it either way) in which they pitched ideas for new ministry projects or an event that had never been held before?  Those ideas could be judged by a panel or voted on at large.  You could winnow the ideas down in a series of votes or even pit them against one another in a head-to-head competition, kind of like a Battle of the Bands or your own version of “America’s Got Ministry.”

This could be an initiative that could stir up a lot of creative energy.  It also gives people an outlet for ideas that have been brewing in the background for quite a while but have been held back for various reasons.  It could also spur projects by specific ministry groups that might move forward even if they didn’t win the competition.  It definitely reinforces your reputation as ministry leaders who aren’t just paying lip service to the idea of a meritocracy of ideas from any source: it brings that meritocracy to life.

You might even set aside funding for the winning initiative.  The winner could get $1,000 to bankroll their idea (or $500 or $5,000, whatever resources you are willing to invest – it is likely that there are some individuals in your community who could get fired up about bringing such an entrepreneurial initiative to life and be willing to provide dedicated funding).

You can set up the parameters of the presentations however you like.  Ask for details.  Set the guidelines.  And, of course, any winning proposal would need to be within the scope of your established vision (which you will clearly communicate to all contestants).  The new ministry or event you are fostering should serve your plan for serving your community.  What will be inspirational will be seeing the creative options that others develop as they interpret your existing vision in new and exciting ways.

This is the point: the power of opening up real-world participation and ministry development to new perspectives.  Many times, even when we say we want to empower those new perspectives, we still, sometimes subconsciously, end up limiting them in how we allow people to share ideas and how we require those ideas to be shoehorned into our existing models.  A free-for-all competition opens the gates wide, and it strips us of our protective roles as gatekeepers, roles in which, even though our intentions are noble, mean that we may be selling ideas short in service to our own preferences and our comfort.

When the gates are thrown open, amazing things can happen (sometimes in spite of our personal preferences).  We even give people permission (backed by popular demand) to make us uncomfortable as we try new things.  Note that we should by crystal clear as new projects are launched, that just because we are giving something a try doesn’t mean it is permanently etched in our catalog.  (Or course, nothing we do should ever be sacrosanct in that regard.)

This week’s news offered another great example of fan participation that has morphed into something enormously popular, as the winner was announced for National Public Radio’s annual Tiny Desk Concert competition.  This year’s victor was Sacramento, California’s The Philharmonik – inject some joy into your day by watching the winning video entry.  If you’re not familiar with Tiny Desk Concerts, they are a series of live video concerts held in the confined space of the NPR music critic’s office cubicle.  They began as an invitation only affair, but some 10 years ago evolved into an annual free-for-all competition, which draws more than 6,000 contenders.  It has introduced many new musicians to the general public, and it has spawned many imitators.  In short, it is an idea which has produced joy and spread the love of music and expanded opportunities for artists from all sorts of backgrounds.

That’s a great result from a tiny idea.  We would do well to unleash such creative energy!

I love this idea so much – and I have not heard of any local church ever trying it – that I’m willing to help your local church or associated ministry develop and implement just such an initiative.  If you’d like to give it a try, I’ll be your Huckleberry (at least, that is, for the first couple of ministry leaders who ask for the help!).

Have you had any personal experience with dynamic models for allowing people to bring their ministry ideas to fruition?  What are some ways in which throwing open the gates and letting new ideas be propelled by popular acclaim could go wrong?  How could we design such a competition to safeguard against problematic outcomes?  What are some other ways that we can put muscle behind our solicitation of new ideas from diverse sources?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below!