Staff Core Values: Resourcefulness
We use what we have to get the job done.
{Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. -1 Corinthians 4:2}
It was a typical Thursday morning at the NLC offices. The sun was shining. The caffeine was flowing. Everyone was finalizing details for the big summer series “Angry Birds” to kick off in just two days.
Well, at 10 a.m. that morning, our little Starbucks-loving world was completely rocked. Basically, the church received a “cease and desist” order from the company who owns the game Angry Birds stating that the use of the Angry Birds graphics, and even the name itself, was infringing on copyright laws, and that if we persisted in using it, they would take legal action.
Shoot.
What do we do?
So here we were… 48 hours away from the launch of one of the biggest series of the year, and we now have NO title, NO graphics, NO tokens, NO ANYTHING!!!
What happened over the next six hours was astounding. The experience department along with some other staff members came together like never before. The team was determined to figure this thing out. They didn’t skip a beat.
In six hours, they accomplished what would normally be a process that took several weeks. They came up with a completely new series title, a new graphic, a new video, and even new giveaways!
That Saturday, the summer series launched with as much – if not more- excellence and creativity than series past. The team hit it out of the park!
And you know what? They didn’t just survive it. They learned from it. They grew as a team. They stretched. They discovered potential they didn’t even know they had. And they understood the importance of resourcefulness like never before.
Here is how we define resourcefulness:
- We use innovation and creativity to solve problems.
When we face a problem, more money is not the answer. We will never just throw money at a problem in hopes that it will go away. In fact, many times money actually stifles creativity. If you have a budget to do something, ask yourself how you would do it if you had half the money, and also how you’d do it if you had NO money.
Sarah and I had $9,200 when we started Next Level Church. We could have come up with a lot of excuses as to why we couldn’t do things because of money, but instead we figured out how to create excellent environments and programming with the money that we had, and that is still our heart as a church.
- We don’t take “no” for an answer.
“We’re church planters! We figure it out! We don’t take no for an answer!!!” This is one of my most beloved quotes. As the founder of NLC, I constantly strive to live out this principle.
This idea of not taking no for an answer represents the determination and drive that we have as “church planters” and staff members to accomplish the vision of God for our church and our community.
When challenges come, we aren’t just going to sit by and let our excuses stand in the way of what God has for us. No! We make it happen!! We never give up!!! Because if God is for us, who can be against us???
- We come up with solutions to problems.
Anyone can identify problems; OUR job is to identify solutions. Remember this: when you bring a problem to your supervisor, ALWAYS bring a solution. Bring three solutions, actually.
Do they have to be perfect solutions? No. But bring three possible solutions. And do your homework on them.
When costs are involved, bring three options: low cost, medium cost, and high cost.
Even when you’re not necessarily dealing with monetary cost, still bring multiple possible solutions to the table.
- We think outside the box.
We had church in a movie theater.
We used portable walls to create environments for kids in the hallways of a high school.
We empower our church members to throw block parties that bring in tens of thousands of cans of food to feed the hungry.
We baptize people in an inflatable pool, which we live-stream into the auditorium for the congregation to be a part of.
We give every third time visitor a Starbucks gift card just to thank them for coming!
Here at NLC, we have a heritage of resourcefulness, and our staff members are a part of that. I hereby give you permission to think outside the box. Just because it hasn’t been done before, doesn’t mean that it won’t work.
So go: Dream. Create. Imagine… and never take “no” for an answer.