No Logo
Monday, December 1, 2008 at 5:23PM We had a business meeting at Richview yesterday, and we had a controversial item on the agenda: a new logo for the church. The meeting was, I think, a defining moment for our church.
On one hand, a logo is no big deal. I can think of tons of topics that are more important. But we all know that the weightiest topics are not always the most volatile ones.
How we chose to handle this decision won't make sense to all of you, but it reflects our congregational roots, and our desire to let the congregation own this decision, even though it would have been a lot more efficient to make a decision without consultation. Doing this, however, would have seriously backfired. It would have been the wrong thing to do in our context.
We presented the possible logos, and tried to make it clear that how we handled this decision was more important than the result. We had some honest but intensely respectful discussion, followed by a vote. 67% chose the "none of the above" option, otherwise known as "back to the drawing board."
Here's why I'm grateful:
- Our leaders were mature enough to not foist their choice on a congregation
- The congregation was mature enough to frankly and yet lovingly discuss the issue
- We discussed things more like a family than a corporation or a shareholders meeting
As a result, I walked away from the meeting a very happy man. It may seem like a small thing, but it isn't. How we handle the small things says a lot. What a great group of people - not to mention a gospel that makes this type of relational dynamic possible. I preached on Ephesians 4:1-3 just a few weeks ago; I saw it being lived out yesterday.
Reader Comments (3)
More things for you to be concerned about. I preached from Ephesians 4:1-3 three weeks ago and did two follow up messages related to unity in the church the two weeks after. We are thinking along the same lines. Be afraid. Be very afraid. OR take solace in the truth that God uses the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are - so that no one can boast.
This is a great example of trying to lead together side by side, something I teach on when I talk about genuine community. That being said, I do have a question for you, one that continues to come up in these situations. Are there times when this kind of approach undermines the specific giftings God has placed within our communities? Is there a place for the minority authority- not positional, but vocational authority? I am not trying to second guess the very real and good thing you describe, but our community has come across this question several times now, so I would genuinely be interested in hearing your take. Peace, Jamie
Jamie: Good insight. Yes, I think you're right. It's not easy to know when to use which approach. In this case, we felt it was important to get people to own the logo as their own. You certainly can't build consensus over every decision that needs to be made, however!