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josh@joshhhunt.com

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Why trying to be like Saddleback is a bad idea

There is a tendency to find a model and slavishly try to become like that model. We read the books, go to the seminars, listen to the audios, discuss the ideas and, on a good day, pray over it all. We might even make some adaptations to the plan. Eventually we come up with a clear picture of a preferred future for our church: part what we are now, part Saddleback, part Willow Creek, part North Point, at least 7 of the 9Marks, part Brooklyn Tabernacle, part LifeWay recommends and part Real Life Ministries. That ought to cover all the bases. We get the idea firmly in our mind and then try like crazy to sell that idea. A better way is to dabble and experiment, keeping what works and discarding what doesn’t. Rick Warren says. . .

The truth is, we’ve tried more things that didn’t work at Saddleback than did. We’ve never been afraid of failure; we just call everything an “experiment.” I could fill another book with stories of our failures and call it 1000 Ways to NOT Grow a Church!

The truth is, this is how many things are invented. They are not invented through the classic plan of strategic planning—assessing the need, setting a goal, making plans, preparing budgets, developing timelines, recruiting and training of personnel, and so forth. Consider these examples:

• Vulcanized rubber (the kind used in tires) was invented when Charles Goodyear accidentally dropped some on a hot stove.
• Teflon was invented by accident in 1938 by Roy Plunkett. He was trying to create a new kind of refrigerant.
• The microwave oven was invented by accident when Percy Spencer noticed his chocolate bar melting in his pocket as he was standing in front of a magnetron.
• Georges de Mestral invented Velcro by accident. He noticed Burdock burr seeds sticking to his socks and investigated to see why. The rest is history.
• Penicillin was created by accident when Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming returned from a summer vacation to discover a strange fungus had developed on a culture he left in his lab. The fungus had killed off all of the staphylococci bacteria in the culture. This accidental invention has saved millions of lives.
• Viagra was supposed to help relieve chest pain and high blood pressure.
• 3M scientist Arthur Fry sang in his church’s choir. To keep track of hymns, he tore off pieces of paper and placed them in the hymnal. They kept falling out. At work, he was trying unsuccessfully to invent a new glue. He realized that his failed attempt at making glue might be a marketable product. The story gets really interesting from there:

Shortly thereafter, Fry sent a file to a colleague, using one of these bookmarks with an arrow on it to indicate a point of interest. The report came back with the bookmark still attached, and the colleague had used the bookmark as a note!

Fry quickly realized that his bookmark had applications as an adhesive note. Fry believed so strongly in his invention that when engineers told him that a machine didn't exist to manufacture the notes, he went home and built just such a machine in his basement. When he couldn't fit it through his basement door, he knocked the wall down. Now he had his manufacturing equipment, and a great product.

The only thing he didn't have was the support of senior management at 3M. To overcome this, Fry sent samples of his notes to all the company's executives, who quickly ordered more samples. Management was quickly hooked, and their demand soon outstripped development's production capacity.

These examples illustrate that change is often less about strategic planning and more about open eyes. Open your eyes to see what is working and what is not. You might just invent the next big thing!