Excellence

Team,

So far I've written to you about Love, Timeliness, Preparedness, and Fun. Today I'd like to share a little bit about the final Creative Team core value: Excellence.

You know, some churches get hung up too much on excellence. They spend way too much time, money and energy with little to show for it in return. Sometimes the final product is polished and professional, but lacks authenticity and heart. Frankly, excellence can be a spiritual idol that takes God's place in our hearts and minds.

That doesn't mean, however, that anything goes. Some ministries fly by the seat of their pants and rely on the Holy Spirit to "bless this mess." People think to themselves, "it's just church...if I have time I'll prepare, if not I'll just wing it. If I miss a few notes, or cues, who really cares?"

Neither of these approaches works in the long term if we want to be a prevailing church. The key is to understand and buy in to the vision and mission of Crossroads, and allow that passion to fuel the best quality possible given our team's ability, time, money, and size. We won't obsess about what we can't yet change or do. We'll move forward on what we can improve and go from there. That's why we are asking tech to come in 15 minutes earlier than before. That's why we are putting out the schedule earlier, along with the MP3s and charts. That's why we are converting the lighting to a computer driven console, and developing a video recording studio.

The larger a church grows, the greater it's capacity for excellence. But a well run Creative Arts Team can be on the leading edge of that capacity, creating a welcoming and attractive environment, setting the tone for the whole church.

I know Crossroads has been through a bit of hardship and stagnation in the last few years. So what. I sense a growing excitement about what God can do through our church. The past is the past, but the future is what we make it, with God's help. I am excited about our church and the Creative Arts Team- you are a great group of people! I want to fire you up about our vision: to restore God's design in all people. Life is short and we only get one shot to make a dent in this world, to make a difference. So let's do it together. JIM