by Eddie Pipkin

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All ministry folks everywhere are now rolling full force into the busy-busy season with a calendar loaded with events and with everyone churning away planning and executing performances, special gatherings, seasonal service opportunities, and worship offerings filled with visitors.  It’s a lot!  And we are wired to want to pull them off with nary a mistake or imperfection.  We are, once again, striving for the “perfect Christmas.”  There is, however, a lot to be said for imperfection, and if we are tolerant of a few blemishes, flaws, and inexpertly executed happenings – that is, if we truly embrace the mantra of “the messiness of Christmas” – not only will we be better able to enjoy it all and less exhausted when we’re done, but there’s a very good chance that we’ll discover more joy, peace, love, and hope.

Don’t take my word for it. In a column in the New York Times last week, by concert pianist Jonathan Biss, titled “The Quest for Perfection is Stunting Our Society,” he makes a compelling case that an overemphasis on doing everything perfectly is crimping our creativity and crushing our individual spirit:

This fetishization of perfection might not be surprising, but that doesn’t make it any less damaging. You cannot learn or grow while trying to appear as if you have everything figured out. You cannot talk to God by trying to avoid doing something wrong. Perfection is stagnation.

It is not only musicians who are stunted by the search for perfection. The need to be, or seem to be, perfect is harming many aspects of our lives and sectors of our society.

He goes on to make the case that perfectionism is the enemy of innovation. It’s the killer of joy. It sacrifices unique whimsy and personality for blah consistency.

C’mon, admit it: the Christmas pageants that stick in your memory are the ones where something went off the rails.

The presentations we think the most fondly of are not the ones delivered flawlessly but robotically. They’re the ones where someone’s unique but quirky personality shone through.

Biss writes about “the virtues of imperfection.” He’s a musician, so for him that imperfection is giving up the mechanics of technical execution for the beauty of an artist who passionately captures the true spirit of a composition.

For ministry leaders that means making space for people who may not be the most polished professional, but who have a distinctive voice or perspective to share.

When my wife and I visit our hometown in Georgia, we like to worship at the little country church where she grew up and where we were married. They have a choir of around 12 people, and they’ll do a Christmas Cantata in a few weeks, and they don’t have any superstar singers. They’ll miss some entrances and wobble unsteadily on quite a few notes, but their heartfelt sincerity and their devotion to their listeners makes each song a treat. You’ve got to have a cynic’s soul to critique their offering.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be putting our best foot forward, and I’m not saying we can’t do better with honest feedback and hard work. I’m just saying that we should never lose sight of what makes our moments together special.

How do you and your team balance the quest for perfectionism with a willingness to be a little lovably messy? Ease up this holiday season and see what light shines through the cracks in the perfect facade!