Thursday, March 26, 2020

Crises Require Innovation


 Crises Require Innovation

 https://www.facebook.com/kelly.e.allen.3

When severe crises appear, such as we are now experiencing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the resulting impact will produce various reactions in people's personal lives, and in the way businesses and ministries continue to function.

Baptist Press has published several articles reporting how local churches are using innovative ways to continue to minister to their people, http://www.bpnews.net/54511/drivein-worship-services-lead-to-new-opportunities.  I encountered just yesterday some guys who are doing an evangelistic crusade in western NC by utilizing an old drive-in movie theatre and a FM transmittor.  This resulted from the fact that one of the pastors was supposed to preach a series of revival services in a local church.  When that plan had to be cancelled, they innovated.  They reported that the response has been greater than they anticipated.  As the people sit in their cars and listen to the sermon, they have come up with new ways to say "Amen;" they blink the headlights of their car or honk their car horn.  You have to love "down home, country folks."

A family member of mine works for a local business which has been forced to change how they normally do business.  As of last week, they have over %60 of their workforce working from home.  After critiquing the effectiveness of this new setup, the leadership have come to realize that the efficiency of their employee's work has actually improved.  So one takeaway for them may prove to be that they no longer must depend on hiring only people who live locally.

For me this situation serves as a prime example of the fact that being forced to innovate in a response mode can actually lead to positive new developments.  However, those organizations which will ultimately benefit from forced innovation are those which have leaders who are open minded to change, and who seek to be the best prepared to respond to the needs of their customers/constituents in "normal" times.

One innovation CRM made prior to this Covid-19 crisis is supplying scripture in digital format, i.e. micro-SD cards load with audio New Testaments, projectors which are used to show the Jesus Film Project videos, and solar powered MP3 players.  All CRM short term teams have been forced to cancel or postpone their trips to work alongside CRM's field partners.  However, because past teams have carried out literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of digital resources, our field partner's work of widespread seed sowing, evangelism and discipleship is continuing on unabated.  So while we are stuck in the USA, we are being encouraged by the reports of partners who are seeing great results from the use of CRM supplied materials.

I placed just under the title of this blog post the link to Kelly Eaker Allen's Face Book page.  Kelly has made many trips to Uganda and Kenya with CRM.  She has become expert in telling all 42 stories of the first Story Cloth.  Kelly, Renee and other ladies of our home town have been leading Story Cloth seminars for local churches.  However, their most recent plan has been interrupted by the current crisis.  So Kelly has innovated.  Her children are helping her tell the stories from home, utilizing the Face Book Live feature.  Other folks will be involved in telling stories as well.  Thus, everyone who would have heard the stories told at the local Presbyterian Church can now view them via Kelly's page.  A big knock-on effect will be that even field partners living in places like Uganda and Sudan will be able to watch these FB Live feeds at their convenience.  So while her innovation was undertaken primarily for the benefit of one local church, the result may prove a blessing to people who live all around the world.

Go to Kelly's page when you have opportunity, and look for the posts containing the links to each day's story cloth performance.  The latest one was done by Jack Cox, the 15 year old son of Travis and Betsy Cox.  Just copy and paste the link provided at the top of this page into your browser.

David



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