It is safe to say that this will probably be the only post I ever make that begins with a reference to porn.  It’s just that when trying to define “creativity,” what initially occurred to me is that it’s similar to what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about pornography: “I know it when I see it.”

We know creativity when we see it, right?  It’s a new way of doing things.  It’s unfamiliar yet pleasing takes on familiar concepts and forms.  It’s the unexpected that flows from an unconstrained soul.  We could probably reflect and comment on the various layers and definitions of creativity until we’ve preached through all three cycles of the lectionary.  That’s not our goal.  Instead, our goal is to consider the role of creativity as it relates to ministry.  Two distinctly different quotes on creativity help us move in the right direction:

“Creativity is using old things in new places, ways, and combinations.”

                                                      – Professor Robert Sutton, Ph.D

                                       Stanford University

Bill Hybels is the founder of the storied Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Illinois.  Whether you love Hybels or think he symbolizes what’s wrong with religion in America these days, what remains true is that Bill Hybels is a creative genius.  Some say it’s about marketing, not creativity.  Whatever.  The bottom line is that he took something old – traditional worship – and presented in a new way.  Hybels took the sizeable challenge most of us deal with every week, preaching to both believers and non-believers, and came up with a simple, amazing solution: have two services.  One for seekers, and one for believers.  Brilliant!  Bill Hybels created a new world for himself, and untold numbers of pastors and parishoners throughout the world.

“Creativity is the quality that you bring to the activity you are doing.

It is an attitude, an inner approach – how you look at things.”

               – OSHO

                                               Indian mystic & guru

During our summer Worship on the Beach services, we hang over 100’ of Tibetan prayer flags each week from the roof of the open-air shelter.  Some flags  have lost their color over the years and are slowly wearing away as if having spent years at an Everest base camp.  Others maintain their bright, out-of-the-box primary colors.  About a third of the flags have been made by families in our church, with colors and symbols reflecting their family’s prayers for the summer.  The prayer flags add a spiritual feel to our space, and provide me the annual opportunity to share their meaning, and the belief that as the flags slowly weather and disintegrate the symbols on the flags go out as prayers into the universe.  They are a joy, and I receive many comments each year on what they add to our worship experience.

If I’d seen them as (a) exclusive to another tradition; (b) unchristian, or (c) entirely inappropriate, we’d not enjoy what they add to our services, including the chance to re-think what it means to pray.  A big part of creativity is how you look at things, and that starts with who you are inside.

What about you?  Are you creative in your ministry, and if so, how so?  What value has a creative spin on ministry meant for you and your faith organization?