We need to learn quickly to keep up with the massive change around us so we don't get run over. We need to outrun change.
Another great article in the Winter 2010 Outcomes from Christian Leadership Alliance is from La Piana Consulting. Their research in the wider social service sector has identified five major trends. Quoting them, the five are:
Continue reading “Peering forward – what is going on around us?”
I’ve been talking about the Winter 2010 Outcomes from Christian Leadership Alliance. You would learn and stretch if you could take a few minutes and browse the issue.
Kevin Ring has a great article, Future-Proof Ministries that talks through some of the current and long-term tech issues.
Continue reading “Peering Forward – Technology will change even faster”
Earlier discussed that we need to pay attention to the trends in our culture and then looked at some of those trends identified by David Kinnaman.
How do we respond to those trends? Kinnaman raises four superb questions in his article. I will quote his questions and share my thoughts.
Continue reading “Peering Forward – How do we respond to developing trends?”
What are a few of the changes today that impact the faith-based nonprofit community? Barna Group has a few ideas.
Where our culture is headed and the resulting impact on ministries is the focus of the Winter 2010 issue of Outcomes from Christian Leadership Alliance. Lots of great articles that I’ll talk about a while.
The rate of change around us makes me dizzy.
Continue reading “Peering forward – We all need to become armchair futurists”
Check out how to present multiple pieces of data from every country on the planet over a 40 year trend in such a way that anyone can get your point. Professor Hans Rosling has a way of showing extremely complicated data so you can get the idea in a few minutes.
Some examples:
Continue reading “How do you present complex data? Look at these visualizations”
Sometimes we see trends or patterns and think they are pretty dumb. Maybe even reach the level of stupid. When those dumb things are at a societal level, we need to realize that is the way the world is working and engage the world as it is, not as we think it ought to be. Continue reading “Engage with the world as it is”
Wish I’d written this: “Where, precisely, do you go in order to get permission to make a dent in the universe?” Seth Godin said that and discusses it further in “Do you need a permit“? To completely restructure his comment for our community — you do not need permission from anyone to change the world for Christ. Go for it!
We live in an age of overwhelming complexity. Things will not get simpler, the change will only accelerate.
Do I really need to explain that the complexity of everything is overwhelming? Consider merely the new 990, increasing regulation of every area of running a ministry or business, and the exponential growth of fantastic technology tools.
We need to decide whether we are going to adapt or not. It is actually possible to opt out of the growing complexity. Consider the cost though. If our ministries do not adapt they may die. More likely they will shrivel, then shrink into irrelevance. At a personal level, we need to adapt or get left behind.
I choose to adapt. I may be struggling and bumbling in my efforts, but I will move forward. How about you?