Creative Teams

One of the things that I really like to hear after a service is, "Wow, everything just seemed to tie together. From the music to the message to the flier (bulletin), to the stage, etc. Basically from the beginning of the service til the end there was a common thread")

Those things don't "just" happen. They are result of a collective effort of many people who sit around a table on Monday afternoons discussing upcoming services. I wish I could say that every one of those meetings was one great creative thought after another, but the reality is that many times it just doesn't seem to flow.

Here are a couple of ways to make those meetings more effective:

Add new faces ----every once in a while bring in a new person. They bring with them fresh ideas

Change locations --- We don't do this enough, but for some reason a change of locale can stimulate new ideas.

Come to the meeting prepared--- when people come already armed with ideas, it makes the meetings a whole lot more productive.

Create an atmosphere where you can brainstorm freely. Where every idea has potential. Where you can take time to let one idea spawn another, than another. I have found that seldom do we choose the first idea. Most of the time it is a variation of the first idea.

Set aside adequate time--- It's hard to schedule creativity. You can't really say, "OK from 2:00pm until 3:00pm we are going to be creative. It might happen, but it might not. Don't be afraid to adjourn the meeting if it just isn't clicking.

If you don't have a team of people who meet with you regularly to help with the creative elements of your services, they will soon become stale. Find some people who seem to have a creative flair and invite them to meet with you. It will make a big difference.