W. Davd Phillips

There is a great need for creative, entrepreneurial ministers in USAmerica. The funds that will be afforded to churches and ministers has taken a hit during this economic downturn. It will continue to decline as USAmerica moves farther away from the cultural Christianity that has defined it for most of its history. Churches and ministries, and their leaders will need to be creative in their ministries and in how they acquire funds. What traits will power an entrepreneurial minister?

In a question-and-answer session with Harvard Business Review contributing editor Bronwyn Fryer, Professors Jeff Dyer of Brigham Young University and Hal Gregersen of Insead explain how the “Innovators’ DNA” works. The researchers conducted a six-year study surveying 3,000 creative executives and conducting an additional 500 individual interviews. During this study they found five “discovery skills” that distinguish them from other leaders.

The first skill is what the researchers called “associating.” It is a cognitive skill that allows creative people to make connections across seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas. I have written and participated in a vodcast with Todd Littleton about the concept and book called “The Medici Effect”. This corresponds with what the researchers discovered. Creative, innovative leaders are able to integrate multiple disciplines. This would include, for instance, the integration of theology and emerging brain research, the integration of missions and business, and the integration of leadership and quantum physics. Interdisciplinary education appears to be the best way to not only develop innovative leaders, but creative problem solvers as well. These people read something other than their own discipline. The watch outside of their areas of expertise.

The second skill is questioning – an ability to ask “what if”, “why”, and “why not” questions that challenge the status quo and open up the bigger picture. The third is the ability to closely observe details, particularly the details of people’s behavior. This third quality is greatly important. We all live and function in patterns. Most of us do not even know the patterns we act upon. In addition, most of us do not observe well. We do not have time to sit and watch and observe. But innovative people leaders are able to see patterns in people, events, and material. The are able to put together the details and are able to see the signs that radiate in culture and in people. They are semioticians.

Another skill is the ability to experiment – the people we studied are always trying on new experiences and exploring new worlds. And finally, they are really good at networking with smart people who have little in common with them, but from whom they can learn.

The researchers were asked which skill was most important. That they found was that “questioning turbo-charges observing, experimenting, and networking, but questioning on its own doesn’t have a direct effect without the others. Overall, associating is the key skill because new ideas aren’t created without connecting problems or ideas in ways that they haven’t been connected before. The other behaviors are inputs that trigger associating–so they are a means of getting to a creative end.”

If these are the qualities that will drive creative, innovative people in the future, we need to consider the de-innovative processes in our education. In particular for ministers and ministries, we need to consider the de-innovative processes of our theological education. Theological education needs to integrate multiple disciplines. It needs to include science, art, business and theology.

We have chosen not to teach people to be creative in our theological education but to break apart and try to put back together. This is modernity’s impact. Creativity is more taught than something you are born with.

Therefore, what differentiates creative, entrepreneurial ministers is their ability to grasp and integrate multiple disciplines to innovate, deal with problems, and lead. If they are to honored within our churches, they need be released, not restricted. They need to be trained to be creative. They need to be exposed to multiple disciplines in all areas of education.