Seth Godin inspired me to try this. It may not work. We’ll see. A miniature version (with some new ideas) of my longer post, “The cynic, the skeptic, the quitter, and the creator.”
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So you’re cynical about the church today? The current system seems to be failing, not worthwhile. You’re frustrated.
Or you’re skeptical? “The way we’ve always done things” doesn’t seem like the way we should do things. And you’re not sure you really buy the line, “we can’t do that because…”
We need you.
But only if you put that frustration and doubt to good use.
What will you do with your cynicism and skepticism? Two options:
1 – Quit.
Not always a bad option. You think something is a waste of time? Think you could make a better contribution elsewhere? Then quit. We need you to. Stop wasting time where you can’t make your best contribution.
If you’ve just mentally and emotionally quit – i.e. you’re still there, you’re just checked out – well, that’s a bad option. You need to either really quit or get back invested. What will it be?
2 – Create.
What are you frustrated about? How can you create a better version?
Maybe you do that in-house. You model it first. Then you make proposals for the rest of the organization to follow.
Maybe you can’t do it in-house. It’s a lost cause. They won’t buy in. Then get out and create something good somewhere else.
Or maybe you’re caught in a tension. You don’t know if you can do it in-house or not. And you don’t know when it’s time to pull the trigger on leaving. And you’re scared about criticism. And you’re scared about failing.
If it’s either of the first two, good luck. It’s a hard decision. If it’s either of the last two… maybe you’re not really the change agent you make yourself out to be. Change agents fail. And get criticized. Often.
Oh, and remember — there’s a chance your frustrations and skepticism are misplaced.
What are you doing with your cynicism and skepticism?
teddy ray 