CHURCH TECH
PRODUCTION GENEROSITY | Todd Elliott
I ’ ve been working my way through the New Testament and came across a verse that I had highlighted in an earlier reading :
“ Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly , and whoever sows generously will also reap generously .” – 2 Cor . 9:6
I ’ m sure I ’ ve read this verse countless times , and each time I ’ ve viewed it from the standpoint of money . However , this time it struck me completely differently .
If I were honest , because so much of what we do as technical artists requires perfection … or at least no mistakes , it can be really easy to be protective and grabby when it comes to what I ’ m responsible for .
It can be difficult for me to delegate , because what if that other person makes a mistake , but I ’ m the one responsible for the outcome ? I ’ ll just do it myself .
I love new creative ideas , but because it ’ s new , it probably means I might not know how to execute it ; I don ’ t know all the ways it could go wrong . I ’ m going to have to say “ no ”.
This type of behavior is what I would call “ Sowing sparingly ”.
In my earlier years as a technical artist , I wondered why people didn ’ t give me the benefit of the doubt more often . I wondered why most conversations had me on the defensive . Looking back , I was in the “ sow sparingly ” category .
As a technical artist , the concept of sowing sparingly is about being careful . It is about trying to control each situation as much as possible . It is about protecting the idea of “ no mistakes ”.
If I were honest , when I was fully living out my life this way , I was miserable . And I ’ m pretty sure the people around me were also . Or at least they didn ’ t want to include me in their brainstorming or their new ideas , because they knew it would not be a fun conversation .
Somewhere along the way , I realized that I could be more open-handed with my craft ; that I could be more honest about the “ what might happen ’ s ” in any new idea . I didn ’ t need to live in a world where all success or failure landed on my shoulders . It was something that we were doing together and the point was that we were sharing that burden .
When I started living a life of generous sowing , things changed dramatically . For one thing , I began to enjoy collaborating . I loved working out an idea together to figure out how to actually do it . Working out of a generous place opens up the possibilities ; now we ’ re not just doing the same old thing , but we ’ re able to think outside the box a little .
Sowing with generosity means that I ’ m delegating when I can ; sharing what I know and developing those around me with potential .
Living in a “ no mistakes ” world isn ’ t really possible . The idea is to learn and stretch each other , which means that mistakes will happen as part of the journey . If we aren ’ t making mistakes , our world is probably increasingly narrow and limited … sowing sparingly .
If the body of Christ is made of people who are supposed to be using their gifts for the common good , we need to create opportunities for people to serve . This requires leading our teams with generosity . As a leader , the beauty of leading this way is that generosity becomes a part of your culture . The team will follow your example .
I have been amazed in my life at what God can do when I live generously . On the opposite side of that same coin , it is depressing to think how many times I limited what God wanted to do in me and my ministry because I was too afraid of what would happen if I was more generous . Generous with collaboration . Generous with delegation . Generous with people .
In what ways are you sowing sparingly ? What is one area or one relationship that you can loosen your grip and practice generosity ?
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production .
@_ ToddElliott www . filo . org