The Imagination Age

Let me just come right out and say it.

I think the key to leadership in the 21st C is developing the right-brain capacity for creativity. At the risk of being reductionistic, the left-brain is the linear and logical hemisphere. The right-brain is the creative hemisphere. I know that doesn’t do it neurological justice, but I’ll save that for another blog.

Here is one of the greatest issues facing the church: there aren’t enough right-brain pastors or right-brained churches. The 21st C demands ambidextrous leadership.

Let me back up and zoom out.

If I had to divide history with sweeping generalizations here is how I would do it. The 19th century was the industrial age. It was epitomized by the factory worker. The 20th century was the information age. It was epitomized by the knowledge worker to borrow the term used by Peter Drucker. Forgive me for making such a bold prediction. But I think the 21st century will be known as the imagination age. I think it’ll be epitomized by creative architects in every field who set new imagination standards.

Imagination Quotient

Here is one of the greatest dangers seasoned pastors face: doing ministry out of memory. In other words, doing what you did the day before and the day before the day before and the day before the day before the day before. You get the point. We learn how and forget why.

I think God calls us to do ministry out of imagination. I think there are ways of doing church that have yet to be discovered. Like everything else, we’ve got to be good stewards of our imaginations. Imagine a generation of church planters with sanctified imaginations experimenting with new ways of doing church! New Songs. New wineskins. For what it’s worth, we (NCC) feel called to be part of the Research & Development (R & D) Department of the Kingdom of God. One of our core values is: everything is an experiment.

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, did a fascinating study on how much IQ accounts for career success. According to Goleman, between 4% to 10%. Maybe IQ should stand for imagination quotient instead of intelligence quotient. Imagination Quotient is the new IQ.

I think Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Contextual Intelligence (CQ) and Metaphorical Intelligence (MQ) are much more important when it comes to minsitry than IQ. Leadership is a right-brained sport. The right-brain is the locus of dreams and visions. But here’s the thing: I think 95% of my Seminary education was aimed at developing my left-brain while my right-brain was left to atrophy! EQ, CQ, and MQ are right-brain capacities. The key to great leadership is developing right-brain capacities.

Three Hats

I won’t go into depth, but I think pastors wear three primary hats: we are called to be storysmiths, experineers, and culturetechs.

Storysmiths are the creators, collectors and keepers of the stories. Crafting stories is the art of preaching and vision casting. Stories are lifeblood of every organization. Stories are the key to creating momentum. We’re collecting stories right now to put on our webpage in a “story archive.” I’d actually like to create a Pastor of Stories position at NCC whose only job is to collect and tell stories! By the way, how is the beast defeated in Revelation 12:11? By the blood of the Lamb and “the word of our testimony.” Evidently, Satan hates stories! Stories, stories, stories.

Pastors are environmental engineers. Experineers are called to design everything from physical spaces to spiritual experiences. Our weekly Big Idea meetings revolve around designing weekend gatherings. The goal is I Corinthians 14:25: that people would recognize that “God is really among them.” You can’t “man-u-facture” spiritual expiriences. But you can facilities them with lots of brainstorming and prayerstorming.

The most difficult and most important task for any pastor is that of cultural architect or culturetech. How do you manage or measure intangibles? The key is identification of values and beliefs–the double-helix of a church’s spiritual DNA. And being intentional about keeping them front and center. For example, at NCC we take fun seriously. Call me crazy, but we believe that church should be enjoyable! You ought to walk out feeling better than when you walked in. When we’re shooting a video or crafting a sermon or planning a series, we’re intentional about incorporating elements that are fun. Like me dressing up in a Mr. Incredible suit and doing on-the-street interviews in downtown DC! That’s part of our personality as a church!

Ambidextrous Churches

Ralph Waldo Emerson said that if you designed a better mouse trap the world would beat a path to your door. Maybe they’d do the same thing if we designed a better church? A right-brain church that celebrated mystery and beauty and creativity. A right-brained church with a well-developed sense of humor!

The Great Commandment tells us to love God with “all of our mind.” That means left-brain and right-brain. Theology is the way we love God with our left-brain. Creativity is the way we love God with our right-brain! When the two intersect you end up with a church that is orthodox in belief and unorthodox in practice!

Just a right-brained thought.