An interview with the author Ted Esler, President of Missio Nexus
What’s the big idea?
I am often asked by ministry leaders, “Ted, who is being innovative right now that we might be able to learn from?” I found myself short on answers and realized that innovation has been hard for ministries. While innovation has transformed industry and ushered in whole paradigms of work, we struggle in churches, missions agencies, and other ministries to harness innovation. As I investigated this, I soon realized that innovation in ministry is different than business innovation. The big idea behind this book is to highlight ways that innovation can be brought to bear on ministry goals.
Why did you write it?
The title of the book is, “The Innovation Crisis.” That title reflects this struggle to innovate in ministry. However, most of the book is about how we might reverse this crisis. There are many tools that we have at our disposal which we can harness to see transformation. Keep mind that Jesus was an incredible innovator. So much so, that people were sometimes unable to take in the changes that he was proposing. If the author and perfecter of our faith was innovative, we should be as well. Yet, many of our ministries suffer from legacy thinking, an inability to adapt and change, and a sense that culture is driving us, rather than the church driving culture.
What do you hope people take away from it?
Imagine for a moment what it would look like if ministries of all kinds were leading innovation in our culture today. How would it feel if, when faced with a problem in your city, the city officials called church leaders for help? What if missionary agencies were warmly welcomed into host countries because of the many blessings they would bring with them? What if a homeless shelter transformed itself in ways that put themselves out of business? Can large, intransigent problems be solved by creative ministry entrepreneurs? I think they can be, and I hope that a reader of this book will see how innovation is a key to unlocking the power of the Kingdom both at home and abroad.
Where can those interested pick up a copy?
The book is available on Amazon starting August 3rd. If you visit https://theinnovationcrisis.com you can take a personal assessment about your own innovation quotient.
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