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Steps to Turn a Work or Ministry Setting into an “ Idea Lab ” that Generates New Solutions for Local Challenges
Bill Mowry
Those of us who are leaders today have one thing in common : We ’ re living in an age of “ permanent whitewater ”— a complex , turbulent , rapidly changing environment in which we work and minister . We desperately cling to our rafts of familiarity , looking for guidance , but sometimes those “ guides ” are inept or aren ’ t useful in our current situation .
Our local challenges are not easily solved by cookie-cutter solutions or outside experts . Typically , these outside experts are expensive , removed from local issues , and locked into a one-size-fits-all mentality . As local leaders we must take the responsibility to create local solutions to local challenges . How can we do this in practical and cost-effective ways ?
The solution is found in our experience , in our setting , and in learning together with others . From these three elements we can create an “ Idea Lab ” in our workplace or ministry setting . Before exploring an Idea Lab , let ’ s examine these three foundations .
What we experience in our workplace or ministry is God ’ s curriculum for acquiring wisdom . To capture this wisdom , we must be lifelong learners — learners who can intentionally extract wisdom from life , business , or ministry experience . Lifelong learning is not a passive dependence on an expert but a proactive choice to acquire insight from the classroom of the ordinary . The Bible speaks about this classroom in Proverbs 1:20- 21 ( NLT ):
Wisdom shouts in the streets . She cries out in the public square . She calls to the crowds along the main street , to those gathered in front of the city gate .
God ’ s wisdom shows up in the ordinary and everyday streets , public squares , and city gates . Citing Proverbs 30:24-28 , author Garry Friesen notes that “ life itself ” is one source of wisdom and “ we should become students of life as well as of Scripture .”
Experience and expertise have similar root meanings . Experience comes from Latin and means “ knowledge or skill [ gained ] from doing ,
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