My Critics are Correct. Are Yours?

Brian Barela, a friend and social media guru within CCC, commented on yesterday’s post:

i’m an early adopter and i DON’T expect others to be what i am.

my experience in the church w never adopters is this:

i’m a never adopter and i EXPECT you to be what i am.

I heartily agree with him: you don’t have to be an Early Adopter, like I am.  There’s no need for everyone to push the envelope, to try all the new technology, to constantly be changing, adopting new strategies, and the like.

It’s even ok with me if you are a Never Adopter.  I know folks that are being fruitful, obedient, and God-honoring by  doing the same things they were 30 years ago.  That really is OK.  It’s more than OK, it is necessary.

Here’s what every Christian should be: OK with the presence of the other two categories.  The honest truth is that we all have blind spots.  As an Early Adopter, my blind spot is a tendency to throw out a technology or method while it is still useful, in favor of something shiny.  Never Adopters have a blind spot centered on an aversion to change.  Ministries that have no Early Adopters become totally irrelevant.  Ministries that have no Never Adopters lose their core identity.

We need each other.  So we need to stop shooting at each other.

Our critiques of each other are correct.  Let’s learn from them.