“None of us is as smart as all of us.” ― Kenneth H. Blanchard
As we minister in a VUCA world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, we have to be able learn from others. One way to do this is through crowdsourcing. Merriam-Webster defines crowdsourcing as “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.”
Crowdsourcing may be the 21st century version of mentoring. A mentor is someone who shares with you things that she or he has learned so you don’t have you discover them for yourself. Move the idea from an individual to a group and add the Internet; the result is crowdsourcing.
In this time of COVID-19 crisis, few people have the playbook to do what needs to be done, including ministers. I have found in recent days that the greatest resource to learn how to do worship, pastoral care, ministry, and Christian formation during “social distancing” is those who are doing ministry, are learning by trial and error, and are willing to share what they have learned. By being connected, we can learn from each other. Of course, what works in one place might not in another context, but the experience of others helps us to realize strengths and potential pitfalls as we implement adaptive change.
This is an expression of synergy--bringing together disparate entities in such a way that the combined product is greater than the sum of their separate contributions. It is the result of talking, questioning, and collaboration.
Perhaps a positive result of this crisis is that it not only frees us up to experiment but to learn from each other. Wouldn’t it be great if that were a regular practice?
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