”ARE YOU OPEN TO AN IDEA?”
I was described by a friend last month as an ‘early adopter.’ I understood the term but hadn’t really thought about it much. I asked why he would describe me that way and he said, “because every time we try to solve a problem you always say phrases like ‘what if?,’ ‘let’s try it,’ and ‘why not?’ I guess that’s true and I probably have at least one person to thank. You see, for more than 20 years I’ve had the privilege of being mentored by Ted Johnson, former interim President of Young Life and “encourager-in-chief” for the mission. There have been many times in that 20 years when I needed advice. Sometimes the situation was work-related and sometimes personal. Most of the time, upon approaching Ted for help, he started his thoughts by asking me a question – “are you open to an idea?” My response to that simple question would change everything. Because of my respect for Ted, I almost always said ‘yes’ and that response changed the course of the conversation to a new approach, plan or path.
YL is full of early adopters who are open to ideas.
I am thankful that we embraced the list below:
Contact work
The ‘Clubble’ and the Big Cookie
Summer Camp obstacle course and Real Life
Multi-Ethnic Student Staff
The Local Committee model
WyldLife
Capernaum
YoungLives
Young Life College
...And the list goes on and on, ideas that gain traction and become part of the fabric of the mission. I guess we all have benefited from someone who was open to an idea. It seems like early adopters are always trying to find a new way... see a way... or make a way to get things accomplished. We need that creativity now more than ever in the mission of YL. We are in a time where more and more is asked of everyone on staff, and our openness to ideas becomes increasingly relevant to our individual and corporate success. A humility, flexibility and teachable spirit, need to continue to be the mark of the culture of YL.
One of the great attractions to being on Young Life staff is that often our entrepreneurial spirit is able to shine through. We get to make decisions about how we function in the day to day. Busy ministry entrepreneurs must always be looking for an opportunity to create, innovate, and improve. If we don’t, we miss out on game-changing ideas simply because someone else invented them or we didn’t take the time to educate ourselves.
For the last few years I have been a member of YL’s Innovation Team. I have been impressed that we are surrounded by game-changing ideas in this mission. In a time where building relationships with kids is more difficult than ever, we create ‘Brilliant at the Basics’ and see dozens of Regions benefit from this cohort training. During a time of unprecedented growth in the mission, Volunteer 101 gets developed so that we are able to give every leader in the mission- core and principled training. With camp costs and transportation costs rising, ideas like the Campership Legacy Fund are developed with currently over 25,000 kids to camp. Lastly, in a time where the priority of discipleship is paramount, tools like The Good Way, the Rooted Devotional, and Summer Staff training arrive.
Adopting new ideas is hard work. The process can feel a bit like leaning backwards off the cliff at Frontier Ranch with your first repel alongside kids. It can be scary! However, if we can become an ‘idea culture’ that looks for the very best of what other people are inventing and incorporate those great ideas into the way we operate as a mission we can potentially become even more fruitful that we already are. Ultimately, God is the Lord of the harvest. But we can and should work to do our part as thoughtfully, prayerfully, and efficiently as possible. That may mean looking outside ourselves for the very best of ideas that others have to offer. Together!
So if you are open to new ideas - we have them. Currently there are dozens of initiatives around the mission that range from ministry models to funding structures and from volunteer leader recruitment to staff development and spiritual growth.
‘Are you open to an idea?’ Let’s talk - Jeff Rudder (JRudder@sc.younglife.org) Executive Director, The Young Life Foundation