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Innovation
Follows Passion
E DITORIAL
You hear it everywhere. “What’s new?” has
become a greeting more than a question. And
it doesn’t come close to accurately defining that
elusive word “innovation.” The call for innovation
and innovators has become a major theme for any
organization that wants to be effective. I have learned
the hard way that success and “what’s new” are not
the same.
Innovation Is in Our Adventist DNA
There is something about the Seventh-day Adventist
movement that has been successful at producing
an impressive who’s-who of entrepreneurs and
innovators. We didn’t get to be a leading name in
health reform, religious liberty, university education
and religious broadcasting without innovators.
We have a growing global footprint in almost
every nation in the world. We are a church or movement
that survives and prospers today as one of the
fastest-growing denominations in Christendom. We
have great innovation genes as part of our DNA.
Innovation Is Fueled by Passion
I recall the first time a team tried a new concept
for reaching public university students. I knew that
if we just had a chance to share what we know about
God, secular campus students would see we have a
relevant and contemporary message. Out of frustration
with advertisement options that didn’t get an
audience and a passion to share the truth about God,
we placed simple ads in the university newspaper
that read “Earn Extra Cash! Adventist Christian Fellowship
is having a series of religious lectures on the
character of God and are looking for paid evaluators
to see if this information does meet the needs of the
university student. Especially looking for those who
do not attend any church.”
I remember the excitement when students began
to call attempting to convince us that we should
“pick them” to be paid evaluators of this 15-night
series. What followed were wonderful stories of
university students starting as mercenaries and
soon becoming missionaries to their friends
about what they were hearing. When innovative
and honest methods are used, if our biblical message
about Christ is lifted up, it will draw people to Him.
Innovation follows passion.
Ellen White and Innovation
The inspired leader of our movement gave us a
bold example on accepting new methods from passionate
leaders. Ellen White’s book Evangelism has
compiled a list of bold and punchy commands to try
innovative methods:
• “New methods must be introduced …” (p. 70).
• “In the cities of today, where there is so much to
attract and please, the people can be interested by
no ordinary efforts …” (p. 40).
• “We must do something out of the common
course of things. We must arrest the attention.
We must be deadly in earnest …” (p. 122).
• “Christ did not follow merely one method; in
various ways He sought to gain the attention of
the multitude; and then He proclaimed to them
the truths of the gospel …” (p. 123).
Biblical Passion Will Bring
Innovation
Innovation will be ineffective and
sterile unless it is fueled by passion. As it
is with everything good, innovation will
come because of God’s promises. God
has promised to give our young men and
women visions. We certainly have lots of
older members to whom God is providing
dreams for sharing His will. Our bottom line
or “reason for existence” is still to share our
unique message about the character of God. It
is not difficult to show that the Adventist message
is more needed and relevant now than ever
before. Revealing God as our Creator, Savior,
Judge and King in the light of a Great Controversy
has become even more urgent. We have
nothing to fear!
As long as this message fuels our
passion, innovators young and old
will take leadership of this amazing
movement.
Innovation
will be
ineffective and
sterile unless
it is fueled by
passion.
GORDON PIFHER
North Pacific Union Conference stewardship,
innovation and leadership development director