Congregational Life Centre
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effective in their ministry
Rework
Book Review by Clair Woodbury
The hottest
new book in the business world is Rework by two enterprising software developers,
Jason Fried and David Hansson. As I was reading, it dawned on me how much
of what they were recommending applies to the church.
Before they published they cut their original draft in half. They cover each topic in one or two pages. Shorter is better when thinking of business books or sermons. That for me was lesson one.
They have a full page image followed by two pages of text. Then another image and two more pages - for the whole book. They are very aware we live in an image driven culture.
They are not much on planning. "Plans," they say, "let the past drive the future." Their recommendation is to emphasise improvisation. "You have to be able to pick up opportunities that come along. Sometimes you need to say, 'We're going in a new direction because that's what makes sense today.'"
We know by the number of clergy on stress leave that workaholism is an issue in the church. "Working more doesn't mean you care more or get more done. It just means you work more." Overwork is not sustainable. Even worse, it stunts imagination and lowers productivity. "Workaholics aren't heroes. They don't save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figures out a faster way to get things done."
Need a new program? Their recommendation is to scratch your own itch. "The easiest, more straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something you want to use." Translated into church language - if your spiritual life needs improving, find a way to do that and share it with everyone in your congregation. If it works for you, it will be something many others are looking for as well.
If you have a mission statement, they say, you had better be prepared to live up to it. "There is a world of difference between truly standing for something and having a mission statement that says you stand for something."
When you are starting anything new their advice is to "start at the epicentre." Find the key thing - what you have to do to make it a success - then focus all your energy on making it the best it can be.
Meetings are toxic. That is their word to churches that have a surfeit of committees.
* They frequently have agendas so vague that nobody is really sure of the goal.
* They often include at least one moron who inevitably gets his turn to waste everyone's time with nonsense.
* Meetings procreate. One meeting leads to another meeting leads to another . . .
If you must have meetings, their advice:
* Set a timer. When it rings, meeting's over. Period.
* Invite as few people as possible.
* Begin with a specific problem.
* End with a solution and make someone responsible for implementing it.
They have insights that apply to the sermon. "Think of one person. Then write for that one person. Writing for a mob leads to generalities and awkwardness. When you write to a specific target, you're a lot more likely to hit the mark."
The authors have created a successful software development business based on keeping it simple, small and sustainable. This is a book where you can read one two-page section each day and ask yourself, "How can I apply this to my congregation - to my life?" The results might be quite amazing.
Congregational Life Newsletter. June 2010. Volume 16 No. 5.